God’s Greatest Gift

God's Greatest gift

“God so love the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believe in Him, shall not perish but have eternal life.”
JOHN 3:16

Crucifixion

“I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.”
John 10:17,18
The story of Calvary
The corrupt Roman Empire’s Imposition of the death penalty by crucifixion added agony of unimaginable torture to its victim. Archaeological archives contain a human heel bone, pierced by a rusted spike. Typically reserved for rebellious slaves and convicted criminals, selected at the whim of Ceasar’s petty officialdom, the punishment maximized pain, terror and humiliation.
Not only were gladiators killed for the entertainment of a depraved population, there is evidence said to suggest a crucifixion event may have been added to a public blood spectacle that would have added human screams to the menu of debauchery designed for the entertainment of evildoers.
This was the cultural environment and agonizing death that confronted Jesus, the only-begotten Son of God. This death by crucifixion is what Jesus willingly endured in order to keep heaven’s gates open to all humans He had come to save—even those who arranged his illegal conviction and those who drove the spikes through His hands and feet, nailing Him to the cross.
God, the Father in Heaven, must have experienced the excruciating agony of watching His Son die the death of a “criminal” to demonstrate His perfect character of limitless love for the human family He had created in “His own image.”
Ellen White’s Desire of Ages, written more than a century ago, depicts the deep spiritual significance of Christ’s crucifixion, a landmark moment in Planet Earth’s history. Ari Meyers’ artful narration, brings those life-changing words to life, providing hope to a hurting world.

Drawing by Lynn C. Johns, granddaughter
RUBY CHARLENE MORRISON JOHNS (1892-1973)
Youngest daughter of pioneer preacher, James Harvey Morrison.
Shown here as student at Union College Prep, age, fifteen.
Jesus, God’s only begotten Son, endured the agony of spikes driven through the bones of His hands and feet while being nailed to the cross by cruel humans he had come to die for. Scars on hands and feet remain forever as a testimony of Christ’s sacrifice for mankind.
Rough, eczema-ridden hands graced the loving touch of Ruby Charlene Morrison Johns (1892-1973), devout follower of Jesus. Those dear hands testify to her devotion to Jesus and her exemplary Christian life as wife and mother to three sons. A lifetime of sacrificial service to her family, with hands dipped in water washing dishes and clothes, left its mark on what were her soft, delicate hands. Grateful sons look forward to holding those hands and thanking her again at that future “Grand Reunion,” planned by God for them, and all others who obey His commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.
WLJ