Spurgeon Saturday
One Weekend in Jerusalem
On Christ’s Crown of Thorns
“See that crown upon his head—it has rubies in it, but the rubies are composed of his own blood, forced from his blessed temples by the cruel thorns…These sprang from the curse, and now Christ has taken away its crown, and put it on his own head. He has spoiled sin of its richest regalia and he wears it himself. Glorious champion, all hail King Jesus!”
On Christ’s Burial
“We are expressly told in Holy Scripture that our Lord was buried. Why? Was it not, first, that we might have a certificate of his death? We do not bury living men. Further, the Lord Jesus would not have been buried if the centurion had not certified that he was certainly dead. The Roman officer had probably seen Christ’s heart pierced by the soldier’s spear, when blood and water flowed from his side. Christ’s being given up for burial was Pilate’s certificate that he had not merely pretended to die, but that it was a real death, and that his body had no life remaining in it. This is an essential point, for if Jesus did not die, he has made no atonement for sin. If he died not, then he rose not; and if he rose not, then your faith is vain, you still in your sins. The tomb, therefore, occupies a very important place in the story of the death of Jesus. Today, let us meditate on the burial of our Lord.”
On Christ’s Rising from the Dead
“The doctrine of a risen Savior is exceedingly precious. The resurrection is the cornerstone of the entire building of Christianity. It is the keystone of the arch of our salvation. When our Lord Jesus rose from the dead, after having died, he had fully paid the penalty that was due to justice for the sin of his people, and his new life was a life clear of penalty, free from liability. You and I are clear from the claims of the law because Jesus stood in our stead, and God will not exact payment both from us and from our Substitute. And now, joy upon joy! He who took our debt has now delivered himself from it by dying on the cross. His new life, now that he has risen from the dead, is a life free from legal claim, and it is the token to us that we whom he represented are free also.”
— Charles Spurgeon
Happy Easter!