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His death has become a reference and his life, an exemplary model.

Indeed, the Jesus story can never be skipped when the world’s history is being written.

The death of Jesus is of great significance to Christians across the world.

To such, it was through His death and resurrection that mankind was saved.

This is why Easter is a period of sober reflection.

The Christian faith is represented by the cross and the cross is a symbol of Easter.

It signifies when a man was condemned before trial, nailed to a cross and crucified between two thieves.

Embedded in the series of events that characterised the death of Jesus are applicable lessons for us all.

No sin is too big to be forgiven
Jesus had been wrongly accused.

He had been manhandled by the public and beaten by the soldiers who mocked him at the least opportunity.

That was mob injustice right there. When He asked for water, they teased Him with sour wine.

They heartlessly hanged Him on the cross, giving no hoot about His life.

Despite the outrageous pain He was going through, He asked for forgiveness for those who were hurting him.

In life, people will hurt us. It is those we love most who will cause us pain most. They may be our spouses.

They may be our best friends. Such people may speak evil of us.

They may plot our downfall. Some will even wish for our death.

We have to learn to forgive people no matter the gravity of wrong they did to us.

Making an effort to forgive is sometimes very difficult, especially when the offenders are showing no sense of remorse.

Like Jesus, however, we must consider our sanity first. Unforgiveness is always a burden the offended carries.

Beware of the praises of men
The crucifixion of Jesus happened only some few days after His triumphant entry into Jerusalem.

The same people who heralded Him as king and sang “Hosanna” to Him at one moment were screaming “Crucify Him” the next moment. Between Him and a dangerous thief, they opted to have the latter freed.

Never be deceived by the praises of men. Sometimes, these praises are traps. Not all who praise us love us.

Just because people clap for us doesn’t mean they wish us well.

The only way some people can lure us into our graves is through praises.

This is because we are most vulnerable when we are praised.

We let our guards down and welcome into our embrace anyone who showers praises on us.

Those who will betray us are closer than we think
Judas was one of Jesus’ closest disciples.

He was the treasurer of the team.

For him to keep their money, speaks volumes of the amount of trust they reposed in him.

He wined and dined with the saviour but in his lonely moments, he was plotting to sell Him off.

Those who will betray us are not strangers.

They are people who know us from inside out. They are people we can confidently call friends.

They pretend to show concern for what we are going through yet go behind us to sell us to others in return for favours.

When you hear your secrets dancing in the public, know that it was not the devil who went divulging them.

It was a friend. Trust no one.

When Judas kissed Jesus before His arrest, many thought it was out of love.

They didn’t know it was a symbol of betrayal. Be careful about who kisses you.

If anything is ever free, someone paid for it
On the cross, Jesus was subjected to extreme pain.

His almost naked body had to endure shame beyond description.

He was deprived of His human rights and brutally slaughtered on this cross.

He did no wrong but had to take upon all these sufferings so the sins of men could be paid off.

Today, salvation is free because one man paid for it.

There is nothing free in this world. If it is free, someone already paid for it or one will pay for it in the future.

We all must be, thus, wary of free things. We may be bearing the cost without even knowing.

We must question what people call free. When politicians say they are giving us free education, for instance, we must be concerned about who is paying for it because there is nothing ever free. At all cost, there will be some sort of payment. When people promise us free money, we must be certain about who will pay for it. Truth is, we may end up paying for such dearly.

Bad times will sieve our fans from true friends
Jesus had once fed over 5000 people.

He had preached to thousands within a space of three years.

People from all walks of life had sat at His feet to listen to His words of wisdom.

This man had, aside his 12 disciples, hundreds of passionate followers into whom He daily imparted knowledge.

Immediately disaster struck, all those who had once benefited from Him were nowhere to be found.

When His death was imminent, the few who swore heaven and earth to stick around had to eventually deny ever knowing Him.

It is when the hard times come that we will know who our true friends are.

In good times, our friends know us. In bad times, we will know our friends.

We will know those who were always hailing us because of the benefits they could get and we will know those who will genuinely be there for us through thick and thin.

There are fans and there are true friends.

The former is in your life for the benefits and the latter are there for you. Never mistake fans for true friends.

Never assume that all those who are in your life when all is well will still be there when misfortunes happen.

Happy Easter. Christ is the reason for the season. Cheers.

Kobina Ansah is a Ghanaian playwright and Chief Scribe of Scribe Communications (www.scribecommltd.com), an Accra-based writing firm. Connect with him on all social media platforms.