Well, I want to title this section that we're going to look at from John, this is John 19, "The Worst Thing Is the Best Thing."
So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them.
If someone would ask you, "What was the most horrible thing that ever happened in the history of humanity?" What would you answer? A horrible plague? The reign of a vicious, murderous ruler? A world war? A great natural disaster? Well, I have just read for you the account of the worst thing that has ever happened. The unjust trial, torture, and public execution of the one and only perfect person who has ever lived. There was nothing in the thoughts, desires, words, and action of Jesus that would ever warrant such treatment. This stands in all of history as a moment of horrible, shocking, unprecedented, and inconceivable evil and darkness. I mean, the moment is so historically horrible, that at the death of Jesus, the entire earth goes dark! But it is very important for you to listen to me right now, how you understand this moment is critically important.
Peter's first sermon in Acts helps us here. This is Acts 2:22 and 23.
Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know-this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
Peter wants you to think clearly about the arrest, torture, and crucifixion of Jesus. He wants you to know that it was an evil thing plotted and accomplished by lawless men. We must never minimize the evil that was done to Jesus.
But there's a second thing Peter wants you to know. It was not a defeat; it was a victory! Peter is very clear that it was the plan of God that Jesus would endure these things. These men were not stopping the redeeming plan of God. Quite apart from that, they were part of it! Now, get this in your brain, the worst thing that ever happened was at the very same time the best thing that ever happened! The death of Jesus was God's means of forgiving sin and reconciling millions and millions of people to himself. The death of Jesus was God's life-giving means of salvation.
Now, why is this important to talk about? Because the cross stands, for all of us, as an eternal reminder that God has the power and the willingness to bring very good things out of very bad things. As I've said before, evil is not ultimate, God is. Bad things don't rule us, God does. His grace will win, his mercy will triumph. Hardship, in the hands of the Redeemer, is a workroom for grace. God has the power and the willingness to bring very good things out of very bad things-the cross is our reminder. That's what grace does-never leaves us, always turning the unthinkable into grace!
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
1. Take a moment to pause and think about how the worst thing that ever happened in human history is simultaneously the best thing that has ever happened. What is your initial reaction to that statement? Jot down a few of your thoughts. Now think about a few specifics from your own past when God brought very good things out of very bad situations. Write down anything that comes to mind, and ask God to help you remember those moments in the midst of trials and suffering.
2. How does this passage of Scripture bring you hope in light of knowing that difficulties and trials will always be a part of your life because you are a sinner living in a fallen world? In the hands of the Redeemer, why is hardship always more than just the hardship itself?
3. When difficulties and trials come into your life, how do you usually respond? How can you be intentional about seeing God transform your typically negative responses into positive, Christ-honoring ones? By God's grace, how can your everyday hardships mold and shape you more into the image of Jesus?
Conversation Prompts to Use with Children
For Younger Children:
• Can you give me an example of a bad situation being turned into a good situation? What happened? Do you think God can use very bad things and turn them into very good things?
• How can the cross of Jesus help us understand a little bit better about how God can redeem and restore horrible things?
For Older Children:
• Can you think of any examples from your life when something good came out of something that was initially bad?
• Why is the cross of Jesus an important reminder that God can bring very good things out of very bad things? How can your everyday hardships transform you more and more into the image of Jesus? Ultimately, why is hardship a workroom for God's grace?
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