Today is the day my freedom was won. My ransom was paid in full. Today, I join with Christians around the world to remember the death of Jesus.

For on Good Friday, Jesus willingly suffered and died on the cross to pay the price of my sin.

Today I want to share with you views of the cross from three people who were there. Take a journey with me to see the cross through the eyes of Simon the Cyrene, the criminal hanging next to Jesus, and the centurion who was in charge of Jesus’s execution.

Each man is from a different place, has a different background and views Jesus from a unique perspective. Yet, they all meet Jesus on Good Friday and are changed forever.

Simon the Cyrene believed, and his encounter with Jesus changed his family. The criminal on the cross next to Jesus admitted he was a sinner. And the centurion who watched it all from start to finish, confessed aloud, “Surely, this was the Son of God!”

We will explore Simon’s experience with Jesus at 9 a.m., when Jesus would have been crucified and lifted up at Golgotha. We will meet the criminal and learn about his exchange with Jesus at noon, when the land became covered in darkness as Jesus paid for the sin of the world. Finally, we will see the cross through the centurion’s eyes at 3 p.m., when Jesus gave up His spirit and died.

May we find our life through His death.