Even though Jesus was crucified like a common criminal, if someone knew what to look for there were signs all through that terrible event that pointed to the truth about Him. John alone among the eleven disciples was present at Jesus’ side while He was dying on the cross, so he personally saw and heard the events he reports. He also had the spiritual capacity to recognize those signs in the midst of all that horror. He knew that God was still bearing witness to His Son.

As Jesus was dying, the outward circumstances looked as if the Father had completely abandoned Him. It appeared that evil had triumphed, and Jesus had been defeated. And yet, time after time, in the most amazing ways, the glorious truth about Jesus was proclaimed. And that’s why in his description of the crucifixion, John chooses to tell us about certain events. Each one, in a different way, testifies that Jesus is who He said He is.

Today we will join John as he stood by the side of the cross. We want to see those events through his eyes. We want to hear Jesus’ words through his ears. It’s as though the apostle has pulled a veil aside and is inviting us to see the crucifixion from God’s point of view. He’ll show us things we might have missed. But once we see them they become obvious, and in the process we discover that he is not only teaching us about the cross, he’s training us to hear from God at a deeper level than we may ever have heard before. As we watch God testify to His Son during those hours of suffering, we learn how to recognize God’s voice even in the most difficult moments of our lives. Even when it seems that the darkness is triumphing over us, God will always be there, and He will not be silent.