April 13: The place called “The Skull”

So when they came to the place that is called “The Skull,” they crucified him there, along with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. But Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” Then they threw dice to divide his clothes. The people also stood there watching, but the rulers ridiculed him, saying, “He saved others. Let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, his chosen one.”  (Luke 23:33-35  NET)

The circumstances surrounding Jesus’ death were extreme… being taken to a hill called “The Skull”, dying between two hardened criminals, having strangers gamble for His possessions, and being ridiculed by the people standing by as He suffered on the cross. These and every other painful and humiliating thing He endured, He gladly endured for our sakes, to set us free. The story of the cross can never be a recounting of a historical event, or a simple list of facts, it has to be internalized. He went to “The Skull” so that we would never have to, and if it so happens that we do end up in a similar place, we can be sure of deliverance and victory because of what He did two thousand years ago.

So many Christians know the story about Jesus’ death but do not take advantage of it. Their lives send the message to God, and to others, that He died in vain! Most people would never say that, except they live their lives that way. The Lord Jesus paid the highest price that anyone has ever paid, but if our lives do not reflect that power in a concrete way, if our lives remain the same before and after we learn about what He did, we are acting as if He never went to Calvary.

Jesus’ death and resurrection are the two most important events that have ever happened, and each one of us must choose whether or not to grab a hold of that victory and make it ours. When He was raised and the stone was rolled away there was an earthquake, and whenever we believe in these events and apply them by faith, it’s as if there is an earthquake in our lives. Things are shaken up and can never be the same again.