James H. Cagle
“And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him (Jesus), and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left” (Luke 23: 33 KJV).
What happened to Jesus at Calvary should have, was supposed to have, happened to you and me. But according to God’s plan what happened to Jesus at Calvary also happened to all Christians for they are seen by God as being in Him.
Calvary is a real place, it’s a place outside Jerusalem. It was where criminals were executed by crucifixion. Jesus was condemned as a criminal and was executed by crucifixion at Calvary.
The Gospels give us eyewitness accounts of what happened at Calvary. Many heard the last sayings of Jesus Christ. They heard Him tell John to take care of His mother. They saw His beaten body, the crown of thorns He wore, and the spear pierce His side. Many saw Jesus’ hands and feet nailed to the cross as He was crucified. They heard Him say “It is finished.” They watched Him die.
But there was more that happened that day at Calvary than meets the eye. All the events that unfolded that day held spiritual significance that almost no one that day fully understood.
What happened at Calvary was the fulfillment of prophesy. Jesus fulfilled at Calvary Old Testament Scripture that spoke of His death by crucifixion. Calvary was part of God’s plan and Jesus was carrying it out, even unto His death.
The spiritual significance of what happened at Calvary was shrouded in mystery until God revealed it to Paul and he then penned it down for all to see. Paul lets us know that what actually happened at Calvary was much more than just another crucifixion. He explains that Jesus didn’t die for His sins, for He was sinless, but that He died for the sins of the whole world. And that now through faith in Him a sinner can be forgiven and redeemed and become a child of God.
We must see and share with others, that what happened at Calvary, was God showing that He loves us so much that He gave Jesus, His only begotten Son, to die in our place so we could be saved and spend eternity with Him in Heaven. That’s what happened at Calvary.
What Happened at Calvary?
What happened at Calvary,
So many years ago,
Where Jesus Christ was crucified?
Do we its import know?
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Christ’s brow was pierced with thorns,
His hands and feet with nails.
They pierced His side with a spear,
As those who saw it tell.
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They tell us how He told John,
To take care of His mother.
They tell how He cried “It’s finished,”
As He died on the cross for others.
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They tell how He was mocked,
And rejected by His own.
They tell how He was scourged,
And how He suffered all alone.
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But these are more than mere events,
Of another crucifixion.
For it was Jesus Christ who died,
The Father’s only begotten Son.
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The world saw Jesus on that cross,
But God saw the Church in Him.
The world saw Him die for said crimes,
But God saw my sins being paid through Him.
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What happened at Calvary,
So many years ago,
Was that Jesus loves us so very much,
That for our souls to the cross He would go.
James H. Cagle
