Text: John 19:16-27

No one deserved suffering less, yet received so much. "But he [Jesus] was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5). If you have placed your faith in Jesus, you now have peace with God! "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God "(1 Peter 3:18). 

Jesus opened up the way to God! For a Jew, this was a remarkable statement. One would no longer need a priest to go to God on their behalf. No more sacrifices! Each individual believer is himself a priest and stands positionally sinless before God because of the death and resurrection of Jesus. He is our righteousness!

Celebrate this truth today. Don't let familiarity rob you of the awe of your salvation! Every time you pray today, say, "Thank you, Jesus, for the cross!"