✝️ On the Cross

✍️ Ayodeji & Briana Oludapo

📅 April 18, 2025 

📖 Scripture

“But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.” — Isaiah 53:5 (NLT)

“When Jesus had tasted it, he said, ‘It is finished!’ Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” — John 19:30 (NLT)

✨ Devotional Thoughts

The inspiration for this devotion came from my 11-year-old daughter, Briana Oludapo, who wrote a heartfelt note titled On the Cross. The journey of Jesus to the cross was painful, excruciating, and full of anguish. Yet that journey brought salvation and broke the curse incurred by Adam and Eve. It ended the need for animal sacrifices for the atonement of sin and opened the way for us to access the throne of God.

The cross was not just a wooden structure; it was the bridge between a fallen world and a holy God. Jesus’ path to the cross was marked by agony—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. He was betrayed, abandoned, mocked, beaten, and ultimately crucified. The suffering He endured was immense, but it was not without purpose.

The cross became necessary because of what happened in the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, sin entered the world, bringing separation from our Creator. The curse of sin meant death—not just physical death, but spiritual disconnection. Humanity was now in desperate need of redemption.

Jesus came to fulfill that need. His death was not accidental or tragic—it was intentional and redemptive. On the cross, He bore the full weight of humanity’s sin and absorbed the wrath of God so that we wouldn’t have to. His suffering led to our salvation; His wounds brought us healing.

Before Jesus, the people of Israel had to offer animal sacrifices to temporarily cover their sins. But those sacrifices could never truly remove sin—they were only a shadow of what was to come. Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God, became the once-and-for-all sacrifice. When He cried out, “It is finished,” He wasn’t merely announcing the end of His life—He was proclaiming the defeat of sin and death.

At the moment of His death, the curtain in the temple that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place was torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51). This curtain symbolized the barrier between God and humanity. Only the high priest could pass beyond it once a year to make atonement for the people. But through the cross, Jesus gave every believer direct access to God.

This was a divine declaration: no more sacrifices, no more separation, no more shame. Because of the cross, we can now come boldly before the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16).

🪞 Practical Reflection

Are you living as though the veil is still there? Do you approach God as if He’s far away?

Jesus’ death opened the door—wide and permanent. Walk through it in faith, freedom, and full assurance.

This Easter, let’s remember that it’s not about bunnies or eggs. It’s about a bloody cross and an empty tomb. That’s the love story we live by.

💭 Closing Thoughts

It’s humbling that an 11-year-old could capture such profound truth in a few words. “The journey of Jesus to the cross was painful, but that journey brought salvation.” That’s the gospel.

Out of suffering came salvation.

Out of the cross came resurrection.

Out of death came life.

This Easter, may we not look away from the cross. May we gaze at the suffering of our Savior—and see the love that held Him there.

🙏 Prayer

Father, thank You for the cross. Thank You for Jesus, who endured unimaginable pain so that we might receive unimaginable grace. Help us never to take for granted the sacrifice made on our behalf. Let this Easter be a time of deep gratitude and renewed love for You. May we live each day in the light of the cross—bold in faith and humbled by Your mercy. In Jesus’ name, Amen.