Holy Week | Day 5: The Cross & Our Redemption

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” — Isaiah 53:5

Today is not just another Friday.

This is the day that everything changed for you—and for me. The day where love didn’t speak softly or stay hidden. Love screamed through agony. Love bled. Love stayed on a cross when it had every right and every power to walk away.

Can you imagine it?

The crowd surrounds Him, not with honor, but with hatred. The very hands that once multiplied bread, opened blind eyes, and raised the dead… are now stretched out, pinned down by nails. His back is torn open. His mouth is dry. His friends are gone. His mother watches in horror. And He hangs—between two thieves—as if He was the criminal.

But He wasn’t.

We were.

The weight of the lies we’ve told, the lust we’ve fed, the pride we’ve clung to, the shame we carry—it’s all there. Every failure. Every moment of rebellion. Every moment we chose our own way instead of God’s. He didn’t just die for sin. He became sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21).

This wasn’t just pain. This was purpose.

He didn’t just suffer so we could feel sorry.
He suffered so we could be saved.

And still, we rush through this day. We nod at the cross without kneeling at it. We see His blood without letting it touch our hearts.

But not today.

Today, stop.

Slow down.

Let your heart go there. Let the weight of the cross settle on your soul—not to condemn you, but to awaken you. Jesus didn’t die to burden you with guilt. He died to break your chains. To give you peace. To restore your access to the Father.

So what do we do?

We respond.

• Meditate on Isaiah 53. Don’t just read it. Let every line speak to your story.

• Pray. Cry. Be honest. Don’t perform for God—He already saw your worst on the cross, and He stayed anyway.

• Consider fasting today. Let your hunger remind you of His suffering. Let the empty growl in your stomach echo the ache of His love.

• Write it down. Journal the places where you’ve been numb. Confess what you’ve been holding back. Declare what you want to surrender.

This is a day of sorrow—but it’s also a day of victory.

Because when Jesus said, “It is finished,” He didn’t just mean His life.

He meant your guilt.
Your shame.
Your sin.
Your separation from God.
Your fear of never being enough.

Finished.

So don’t let the cross be a historical symbol in your life. Let it be a personal stake in the ground. Let today mark something. Let today be the day you return to the One who gave everything to bring you back.