Today’s message is titled “What Happened That Day.” When we say “that day,” which day are we talking about? What happened on that day has a very close and personal connection to us. On that day, something took place that has had an immeasurable impact on your life. Up to now, you may have lived without knowing what kind of day it was, but there is no day more important to us than that one. That day was the day Jesus died.

We are people who believe in Jesus. Who in this world would believe in someone who was sentenced to death on a cross and died a cursed death? Yet we are the ones who believe in Him. We do not believe in someone who succeeded in the world. We receive as our Lord the One who was cursed at, spat upon, flogged, and then nailed to a cross. That is what Christians are like. When I introduce such a person to you, it almost feels embarrassing to say, “Accept Him as your master.” Yet you must accept Him as your master. Why? Because God, who is invisible to human eyes, carried out all these things in order to give what only He can give. Therefore, you must know what happened on that day, and you must accept the merit of what Jesus did. Many people leave this world without knowing these things at all, without accepting them, and without even taking interest in them.

We cast out demons according to Jesus’ command. Each time we cast out a demon, we ask, “Why did you enter this person and bring a curse on him? Why are you making this person suffer? Why did you come in here?” And the demon answers, “I came in to kill this person.” Sometimes it even says, “This is unfair.” So we ask, “What is unfair?” And it says, “I didn’t know Jesus.” “I became like this because I didn’t know Jesus. If I had known Him, I would have believed.” Many demons say things like this.

However, there is no excuse. Why? Because God has given reason to the human heart, so if one simply thinks quietly, anyone can know that there is a Creator. Yet people claim, “A single-celled organism evolved into a monkey, and the monkey evolved into a human being.” Even though there is a longing for eternal happiness within their hearts, they remain indifferent to it, do not reflect on their own existence, and simply live in this world as if it costs nothing, and then leave it behind. There is no excuse. If one thinks carefully, anyone can at least know that all these things are not mere coincidence.

How precise is the human eye? Even a company with the most advanced lens technology in the world cannot make a camera like the human eye. Our eyes are more precise than the finest camera in the world. And yet you say this came about on its own? No scientist or engineer in the world can make a robot as precise as the human body. And yet you say that a single-celled organism just happened to change and become our body? Can you really believe that? It is far easier to believe in God. Yet people enjoy so many things while remaining indifferent to where they came from and to who is providing them. Even when so many witnesses say, “God is alive! I have met Jesus!” they do not even give a snort of acknowledgment. Therefore, no one can make the excuse that they did not know Jesus.

You are now hearing this message—“What Happened That Day.” Do not listen to this as someone else’s story. You must think deeply, knowing that it has a clear and direct relationship to you. The day Jesus was put to death—that day was two thousand years ago. Jesus knew that day in advance. So He told His disciples who were following Him, again and again. “I am going to Jerusalem. Why am I going there? I am going to die. I am not going to commit suicide, but when I go there, the religious leaders—the chief priests and the scribes—will kill Me. They will hand Me over to the Gentiles, they will judge Me, mock Me, spit on Me, scourge Me, and kill Me. But I will rise again.” He said this clearly.

Of course, none of the disciples listened to these words seriously. They thought Jesus was going to fight, prepared to face death. At that time, Jerusalem could be considered the capital of Israel under Roman rule. Jerusalem had the temple, and because the people of Israel followed what is called Judaism, they went up to Jerusalem at every feast to offer sacrifices and serve God. That was when Jesus went up. As He went, He said, “When I go up this time, I will be put to death.” But the disciples misunderstood His words, thinking that Jesus was going to fight against the Roman Empire. So some followed Him with swords, saying, “I will fight with You even to death!” And since victory in battle would mean success in a revolution and the gaining of power, there was even a disciple’s mother who came to Jesus and requested, “Please make my son sit at Your right hand,” and “Please make my son sit at Your left hand.” When the other disciples heard this, they argued among themselves, saying, “You scoundrel! Are you trying to get ahead by yourself? My contribution is greater!” They failed completely to understand what Jesus was saying. In this way, Jesus walked a lonely path.

When they went up to Jerusalem, the Sabbath was drawing near. The Jews have the Sabbath. On that day, they commemorate God and do nothing, remaining at rest. And on the day before the Sabbath, they hold a rite in which they drink wine together and share bread. You have probably heard of the “Last Supper” that Jesus shared with His disciples. He held that final meal, and as He broke the bread and gave it to the disciples, and shared the cup with them, He said, “This is the blood of the new covenant which is established with you.” In this way, Jesus was telling them in advance that He would shed His blood and die. Yet even then, the disciples did not understand what He was talking about.

After the supper had ended, Jesus went out with His disciples, as was His custom whenever He came to Jerusalem, and went up to the Mount of Olives—the mountain planted with olive trees. There He entered the place and prayed. As He prayed, He said to the disciples, “Stay here and pray, that you may not enter into temptation.” Then He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw away and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.” He prayed in great anguish, crying out to God. His voice was so intense that the disciples, though they were some distance away, could hear Him and later recorded it in Scripture. When He rose from prayer and came to the disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow. So He said to them, “Why do you sleep? Could you not watch with Me one hour? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.” Then He went away again and prayed the same words, because His pleading was so earnest. He returned once more and again found them sleeping. He urged them once more, “Watch and pray,” and went away to pray a third time. His prayer was so intense that His sweat became like great drops falling down to the ground. One of the disciples, coming near Him, thought it was as though blood were flowing from His face, because His sweat fell so heavily. In this way, Jesus prayed with deep cries and tears, knowing that something great lay before Him.

But God did not allow it. He was to drink the bitter cup. If Jesus could have avoided it, He would have. But God the Father made Him do it. He made Him die. Therefore, the reason Jesus had to suffer such things and die was the will of God the Father. It was the command of the One we call God. Jesus did not want to do it. But the Father made Him do it. There is a reason for this. And that reason is directly related to you. It was done for each one of you, and for me—for no one else, but for me. So I bless you in the name of Jesus that you would not treat the suffering Jesus endured as something worthless, but that you would make it your own.

After Jesus returned from praying the third time, the disciples were sleeping again. They wanted to pray, but their bodies could not keep up. So He said, “It is enough. Let us go.” As He was about to leave, one of the disciples came toward Him. It was Judas. He had left earlier during the meal, and they had wondered where he had gone. Now he appeared. Judas came up to Jesus and kissed Him. This was the sign. The men who had come to arrest Jesus did not know His face. In this way, Judas betrayed Him. He had arranged beforehand, saying, “The one I kiss—that is the man.” Then the Roman soldiers standing behind seized Jesus. Some of the disciples tried to resist, but they were no match, and they all fled. Jesus was taken without resistance. Jesus had known in advance that this would happen when He entered this place. But the others did not know, and they were deeply shocked. They had thought that Jesus had come to lead a revolution, yet the one they believed would lead it was taken away helplessly. So although they were not completely hopeless, they followed at a distance to see where Jesus was being taken.

Where was Jesus taken? He was taken to the place where the chief priest was. At that time, the chief priest was a Jew, just like Jesus. However, because he maintained his power under Roman rule, there was a complex political dynamic at work. In Jerusalem, there were influential religious leaders like these chief priests. Then there was a king appointed by Rome. That king was an Israelite—the king of Israel, Herod—of the same people. And there was also a governor sent from Rome. He was a Roman. In this way, there were three powerful authorities at work.

But the ones who arrested Jesus were Jews—the Jewish priests and religious leaders. The Scriptures used by those religious leaders who put Jesus to death are the very Old Testament that we read today. About two-thirds of the Bible is the Old Testament. The Old Testament is the Scripture used by the Jews. The remaining one-third is the New Testament, which Christians today use together with the Old Testament. Jews do not use the New Testament; they use only the Old Testament. And here there is a secret. Some of you may say, “Don’t talk to me about the Bible. Isn’t the Bible something made for Christians anyway?” But that is not true. Most of the Bible was not created by Christians, nor is it used only by Christians—it is used by Jews. Yet these Jews do not acknowledge Jesus at all. Even while reading the same Scriptures, they hate and curse Jesus. But we discover prophecies about Jesus in these Scriptures. That is the difference between them and us—we see the prophecies, but they do not yet see them. This is the secret. When we examine the Jewish Scriptures, we find that what Jesus did was fulfilled exactly as the prophecies said. The Jews simply do not know this. Therefore, there is no need for us to criticize using the Old Testament, because it is not something we made up. Yet the Jews use these Scriptures to criticize Jesus, saying, “You keep saying that you are the Son of God, but that does not agree with Scripture. If you speak like that, you are blaspheming God.” From their point of view, this was Jesus’ crime.

After Jesus was arrested, morning came. As soon as day broke, events began to move quickly. Everyone gathered—the chief priests, the scribes, and the religious leaders—and the crowds gathered with them. A trial was held there. But what was the charge? Did Jesus commit murder? Did He steal? Did He deceive anyone? None of these. On the contrary, He healed the sick, comforted the brokenhearted, and stayed with the poor. He did many good things. If there was any crime at all, from the perspective of the religious leaders, there was only one: “You claimed to be the Son of God.” That was it. So they asked Him directly, “Are You the Son of God?” And Jesus said that He was. Then the religious leaders said, “There is nothing more to ask. He is guilty!” and they immediately sought to put Him to death. However, they did not kill Him themselves. They did not have the legal authority to do so. Moreover, they wanted to shift the responsibility onto the governing power. At that time, the authority belonged to Rome. The power to execute belonged to Rome. So they sent Jesus to the Roman governor. The governor sent by Rome was named Pilate. And so they sent Jesus to Pilate. All of this happened quickly in the early hours of the morning.

So Pilate received Jesus. When the religious leaders demanded, “Put this man to death,” Pilate asked, “What crime has He committed?” Now, what do you think they said? Did they say, “This man claims to be the Son of God”? No. Would Rome execute someone for that? Of course not. So instead they said, “This man says that He is the King of the Jews.” Why? Because a king is a political leader. And since there was already a king appointed by Rome—King Herod—claiming to be a king would mean rebellion against political authority. That is why the Jews accused Jesus, saying, “This man claims to be the King of the Jews.”

Pilate then took Jesus aside into his headquarters and questioned Him. “Are You the King of the Jews?” he asked. Jesus replied, “Is this something you are saying on your own, or did others tell you about Me?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew?” Then Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. I am indeed the King of the Jews, but My kingdom is not from here—it is from heaven.” And He said, “For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.” At that, Pilate said, “What is truth?” and went back outside. He then said to the people, “I find no fault in this Man deserving of death.” Now it happened that King Herod was in Jerusalem at that time. Herod was the ruler of Galilee, a region away from Jerusalem, yet he was there. When Pilate learned that Jesus was a Galilean, he said to himself, “Good,” and sent Jesus to Herod. He did not want to be involved any further.

So Jesus was sent to Herod. The people gathered in a crowd and dragged Jesus to him. King Herod had already heard reports about Jesus, because he had heard of the many healings and signs Jesus had done in Galilee. So Herod wanted to see something from Jesus. What was it? “Hey, heal someone! I hear you heal many people—heal someone for me! And I hear you can do amazing things. You walk on the sea, don’t you? Show me something!” What did Jesus say? Jesus did not say a single word before Herod. No matter what Herod said, Jesus kept His mouth shut. This man was not ready to listen, nor was he worth speaking to. So before a man who asked only out of curiosity, Jesus said nothing at all.

Now, the reactions of the people surrounding Jesus are all different. You should examine what kind of response you are showing before Jesus, and what kind of attitude you have toward Him. Among the people I am about to describe, you will find that you match one of them.

Since Jesus’ response was not interesting to him, Herod sent Him back to Pilate. When Jesus returned to Pilate, Pilate tried to put Him to death, but doing so put him in a very difficult position. So Pilate came up with an idea. Thinking, “They are acting like this because they are angry—let me calm their anger,” he decided to have Jesus beaten. How? By scourging Him with a whip—beating Him severely, but not enough to kill Him. After beating Him like that, they brought Jesus back. When He was brought back, a crown made of thorns had been placed on His head, His whole body was torn, and His face was completely disfigured. He was unrecognizable. Pilate even had to point to Jesus and say to the people, “Look! This is the man you saw earlier.” By doing this, Pilate meant, “This should be enough. Let us stop now.”

But the people did not back down. They shouted, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him! If you do not put this man to death, you too are a traitor!” At that point, Pilate had no way out. So, with no other choice, he washed his hands and handed Jesus over.

Normally, a person who is going to die on a cross is not beaten like that. Why? Because crucifixion itself is a death sentence. Someone who is about to be executed is not beaten to the point of near death beforehand. It is the same even in our country. A condemned prisoner is actually given special treatment, because he is going to die soon. He is given good food, and whatever he wants to eat. But Jesus received an entirely different kind of “special treatment.” As if He were not going to be executed, He was beaten severely, almost to the point of death. And even then, it was of no use—He was still nailed to the cross and put to death. In this way, He was crucified, and this happened before noon.

All of these events I have just described began as soon as the sun rose in the morning and unfolded within only a few hours throughout the morning. Then, at about the sixth hour, something happened. Suddenly, darkness came over the land. It may have been an eclipse. Scripture does not explain exactly what kind of phenomenon it was, but around noon the sun suddenly grew dark, and that darkness lasted until about three in the afternoon. The people were greatly afraid. Even a Roman soldier standing nearby saw this and said, “Surely this Man was the Son of God.” And at about three in the afternoon, Jesus breathed His last.

Before He breathed His last, Jesus said, “I thirst.” Why did He say He was thirsty? Was it simply because He wanted to drink water? Was it that He could not endure without it? No—He said it deliberately. Why? A thousand years before Jesus came, David, as a prophet, wrote words based on his own experience, and those words became a prophecy about the One who was to come. There is a verse where he wrote, “I thirst.” And Jesus said this in order to fulfill that word.

Up to this point, one might still pass it off. But in the prophecies written by David, it is recorded, “They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.” And when Jesus was crucified, the Roman soldiers actually cast lots and took His garments. At that time, clothing was valuable. And because the garment was woven in one piece, they did not want to tear it. So they decided that one person should take it, and they cast lots for it. This was written as prophecy in Scripture. That prophecy was recorded in the Jewish Scriptures a thousand years before Jesus died—just like the words, “I thirst.”

Then there is another prophecy: “They will look on Him whom they pierced.” How could anyone have known that Jesus would be pierced? He was to die on a cross. If He dies on a cross, why would He be pierced? Yet that word was fulfilled as well. After Jesus died, the next day was the Sabbath. He died at about three in the afternoon, and when the sun set that evening, the Sabbath would begin. Because the Jews regarded the Sabbath as a holy day, they did not want bodies left hanging on the crosses on that day. So they wanted the bodies removed quickly. But to remove them quickly, the men had to die quickly. If they were taken down alive, they would survive. So the legs of the criminals were broken. When they came to Jesus, however, they saw that He was already dead. The other two were still alive, so their legs were broken so that they could not escape. But Jesus had already died. Because He had suffered greatly beforehand and had been severely scourged, He died sooner. So there was no need to break His legs. Instead, one of the soldiers thrust a spear into the side of Jesus as He hung on the cross. Immediately, blood and water poured out. And then they looked at Him. This too was written as prophecy: “They will look on Him whom they pierced.” They pierced Him without knowing it, but it had already been written that this would happen in order to fulfill the Scriptures. The disciples recorded this. It is written, “He was pierced for our transgressions,” and again, “By His stripes we are healed.” All of this is prophecy. Jesus came to fulfill these prophecies, and in order to fulfill them, He was scourged and shed His blood and died on the cross.

Why did He have to endure all these sufferings—this pain upon pain? It was because God made it so. Why? So that while we live on this earth, we might receive healing from our sicknesses, and then, when we leave this world, our souls might be able to go before God—because He has forgiven all the sins of our souls. This astonishing work is what took place on that day.

On that very day, when Jesus was nailed to the cross, there were two other men crucified on either side of Him. These men were criminals—robbers, even murderers. Crucifixion was not a punishment given lightly. It was reserved for the most vicious crimes, meant to strike fear into the people. And as Jesus was dying, there were two robbers there with Him. One of them said, “If You really are the Son of God, save Yourself—and save us too!” And he mocked Him. Even as he himself was dying, he was mocking Jesus. How tragic that is. If only he had taken hold of his final chance.

But the other criminal said this: “You fool! You and I are hanging here on these crosses, and we deserve to die for what we have done. But what wrong has this Man done?” Everyone in that area knew that this Man had committed no sin. “How can you insult Him like that when He is hanging here innocent?” Then he said to Jesus, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” He was saved. At the final moment, this criminal realized that what Jesus was doing—what He was suffering—was paying the price for his own sins. This man had likely taken many lives. There was nothing good in him. Yet he acknowledged that Jesus was enduring all this for a sinner like him. And he entrusted himself to Him. At that moment, he received this glory: “Today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

Both of the criminals hanging on either side were sinners. But one mocked Jesus when he saw Him, while the other received Jesus as his Lord and entrusted himself to Him.

If the people standing below had watched this scene, what would they have said? “What nonsense!” they would have said. “They’re all about to die—one is asking to be saved, and the other is talking about being in Paradise. What a ridiculous scene!” That is how it would have looked. In the eyes of the world, none of this can be seen. I understand. It is natural to think that way. But God is alive, and through the death of Jesus, He fulfilled all the promises that had been written in the Old Testament.

After these things, the next day was the Sabbath. And when the Sabbath was over, on the morning that followed, the disciples came and found that He was not there. Jesus was gone. He was not in the tomb. He had risen.

We are witnesses to that event. The disciples are witnesses to it, I am a witness to it, and the people who attend our church are witnesses to it. Jesus said that when He rose again, He would go to the Father and send the Holy Spirit to us—and indeed, I also received the Holy Spirit. He said that when the Holy Spirit comes, we will receive power, and I received that power: I speak in tongues, cast out demons, heal the sick in the name of Jesus, and witness many signs and wonders. And because I know that God and I are connected, whenever anything happens, I entrust myself to God. Even if there are desperate situations in this world, I do not fall into despair, just as our Jesus did not. Why? Because even death cannot harm me. Even death—because the God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead and took Him up into heaven is the God who will do the same for us, for me.

Life on this earth is only for a short time. But the true life we have is a life like God’s life—eternal life. That life will be after the resurrection. This promise is given to those who believe in Him. It is not that those who did good deeds will be resurrected, nor that those without sin will be resurrected, nor that those without fault will be resurrected. Rather, “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven.” Blessed is the one who has faults—so long as those faults are covered. Blessed is the one who has sin—so long as that sin is forgiven.

How, then, do we receive that forgiveness and have our sins covered? It is very simple. You only need to rely on what Jesus has done in this way. Do not dismiss it like the mocking criminal, thinking that He suffered all this merely because of His own wrongdoing. But if you recognize that all these things were done in order to save you, and to bring you before God, then without any other conditions, He receives you and makes you one with the Son of God. I bless all of you here, in the name of Jesus, that you may all receive this great mystery and grace, and that you may make this hidden and astonishing mystery your own.

God our Father, there are many admirable people in this world, but the God we serve, the King we serve, is Jesus Christ—the One who was scourged and died on the cross two thousand years ago. Jesus is the Son of God. He is the One whom God sent to do the work of God, and through all that He has done, God has revealed His love for us in this way. We acknowledge what God has done, we acknowledge what Jesus has done, and we desire to fully rely on the merit of His work. Please help everyone here to become souls who are personally connected to all that Jesus did on that day. From this very moment, grant them hearts that truly trust in the Lord, so that just as the criminal received the right to enter Paradise immediately, all who are here may receive the right to enter Paradise today. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.