I was absent, but I was included. I know the story was more than just gossip because I’ve read the detailed first-person account of the incident.

One convicted criminal spent his last moments sneering, jeering, and cursing God. A few feet away another criminal realized the error of his way and was repentant. There was a third person who also had been deemed guilty, and his silence was a deafening echo.

Several soldiers were present and each one was dedicated to enforce the sentence that had been handed down. The dedication of these soldiers paled in comparison to the devotion of the heartbroken mother who watched their methodical execution of her son.

The day was full of contrasts. The scene was painted in bold brush strokes of black and white, unjust acts of cruelty and the faint colors of fairness; foreboding evil and enveloping goodness; and the certainty of death with the hope of life.

The climactic moment of that day occurred when the obscenity of wickedness met the hallowed and holy. In those seconds that seemed like hours, people witnessed the worst of humanity and the best of the Divinity.

This all happened on a particular day thousands of years ago. It was the day Jesus was hung on a cross. As He was suspended between heaven and earth, He became the essence of sin. On that day His earthly life was ended, so we could begin a new life with the gift of salvation. That was the day, He said, “It is finished”, so we could start over as a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

That was the day that He gave the world the potential to change. Today is your day to make the most of the opportunity He has given to you.

Think about it!