CALVARY: THE THREE CROSSES AND THE THREE DIVISIONS OF HUMANITY

By Jude Watchman Oguta

Understanding the prophetic significance of the three men crucified at Calvary, the mystery of redemption, and the emergence of the Church.

INTRODUCTION: MORE THAN THREE MEN ON THREE CROSSES

Calvary was not merely the location where Jesus Christ was crucified. It was the meeting point of God's redemptive plan, the fulfilment of ancient covenants, and the unveiling of a new spiritual order.

On that day, three men hung on three crosses.

At the centre was Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the promised Messiah. On either side were two criminals. One mocked Him, while the other acknowledged His innocence, recognised His kingship, and asked to be remembered when He came into His kingdom.

Luke 23:32–33 records:

"And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death. And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left."

It is easy to read this passage as a historical account of three executions. However, when we examine the events of Calvary alongside the broader revelation of Scripture, we discover a profound picture of humanity's relationship with God.

The three crosses provide a powerful framework for understanding three responses to God's redemptive plan:

1. Jesus Christ — the Redeemer who came to fulfil God's covenant promises.

2. The unrepentant criminal — the unbeliever who rejected the provision of salvation.

3. The repentant criminal — the picture of the sinner who receives salvation through faith in Christ.

There is also a wider biblical framework that helps us understand the significance of these events: the threefold description of humanity in 1 Corinthians 10:32.

"Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God."

The Mystery of the Three Crosses: How Calvary Revealed the Three Categories of Humanity

 The Mystery of the Three Crosses: 

How Calvary Revealed the Three Categories of Humanity

By Jude Watchman Oguta

When we look back at the scene at Golgotha, we often focus solely on the center cross. Yet, the divine staging of Calvary was not accidental. Scripture records that Jesus was crucified between two thieves—one on His right and one on His left.

In 1 Corinthians 10:32, the Apostle Paul reveals a fundamental spiritual classification of humanity on earth: the Jews, the Gentiles, and the Church of God.

At the climax of redemptive history, all three groups were physically and prophetically represented at the place of execution. The three crosses were not merely an execution setup; they were a divine prophetic map showing how humanity aligns in relation to God's salvation.

MORDECAI: A PICTURE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT — ESTHER AND THE MYSTERY OF OUR SPIRITUAL WALK

 MORDECAI: A PICTURE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 

by Jude Watchman Oguta

Discovering the prophetic parallels between Mordecai and the Holy Spirit through the life of Esther.

Key Scriptures: Esther 2:5–11; Esther 4:13–17; John 14:26; John 16:13; Romans 8:14–16; Galatians 5:16–17.

Introduction: A Hidden Guide Behind a Visible Queen

The Book of Esther is one of the most fascinating books of the Bible. It tells the story of a young Jewish woman who rose from obscurity to become queen in a foreign kingdom and was eventually used by God to preserve the Jewish people from annihilation.

Yet, beneath the dramatic events of the story lies another dimension that deserves our attention: the relationship between Esther and Mordecai.

Esther is the central character whose life and actions are visible to the palace, the king, and the nation. But behind her rise, decisions, preservation, and eventual fulfilment of destiny is a man whose influence is often more profound than his public visibility.

That man is Mordecai.

Murder on Slow Motion: The Domino Effect of Stealing

 Murder on Slow Motion: 

The Domino Effect of Stealing

by Jude Watchman Oguta

Stealing is not merely the act of taking what belongs to another. It is the beginning of a chain reaction that can end in death, destruction, and the collapse of entire societies.

Key Scriptures: John 10:10; Genesis 3:1–6; Proverbs 9:17–18; Ephesians 4:28; Exodus 20:15.

Introduction: The Sin That Looks Innocent

There is something particularly dangerous about stealing: it rarely looks as destructive as it really is when it begins.

Unlike murder, which immediately attracts attention, or violence, which leaves visible wounds, stealing can happen quietly, subtly, and even intelligently. It can wear the appearance of business acumen, financial wisdom, cleverness, opportunity, or survival instinct. Sometimes, it is celebrated as smartness. Sometimes, it is even disguised as a blessing.

A man takes what does not belong to him and feels he has gained something. A public officer diverts money meant for a community and feels he has become richer. An employee manipulates figures and congratulates himself for being financially intelligent. A businessman cheats a customer and considers it a successful transaction.

Yet, what appears to be a gain at the beginning may actually be the first movement of a tragedy whose consequences will unfold over many years.

This is why stealing is one of the devil's most effective instruments of destruction. It is often the first step in a process that eventually leads to killing and destruction.

Jesus gives us a revealing description of the devil's agenda:

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." — John 10:10 (KJV)

Notice the sequence: Steal, Kill, Destroy.

This sequence is not accidental. It reveals a progression. Stealing is the entry point, killing is the next consequence, and destruction is the final destination.

The devil does not always begin by destroying what he wants to destroy. Sometimes, he begins by taking something that does not belong to him. What follows is a domino effect of consequences.

Stealing is murder on slow motion.

Beyond the Miracle: Understanding the 2 Levels of Freedom

 Beyond the Miracle: 

Understanding the 2 Levels of Freedom

By Jude Watchman Oguta

Many believers experience an extraordinary touch of God’s power that breaks a burden or delivers them from a crisis, only to find themselves struggling with the same old patterns months or years later. They wonder, “If God truly delivered me, why do I still feel trapped?”

The answer lies in a profound spiritual truth: there is a difference between being set free and being made free.

Scripture reveals that freedom is not merely a single event; it is a two-fold journey. Understanding the distinction between these two levels of freedom is the key to moving from temporary relief into permanent, inheritance-possessing transformation.

THE TWO LEVELS OF FREEDOM: FROM DELIVERANCE TO FREEDOM INDEED

 

THE TWO LEVELS OF FREEDOM: 

FROM DELIVERANCE TO FREEDOM INDEED

By Jude Watchman Oguta

Key Scriptures: 1 Samuel 16:14–23; 18:10–11; 19:9–10; John 8:31–36; Matthew 12:43–45

Theme: The power of God can bring you out of bondage, but the truth of God must transform you inwardly to keep you free and prepare you for your inheritance.

Introduction: Is It Enough to Be Set Free?

There is a difference between being set free from bondage and being made free indeed. One is an act of deliverance; the other is a process of transformation. One breaks the chains around your life; the other deals with the chains that may still exist within your mind, desires, habits, and understanding.

Many people celebrate the day they escaped a difficult situation, overcame an addiction, experienced a spiritual breakthrough, or were delivered from demonic oppression. These are significant victories, and we must never underestimate the power of God to liberate His people. However, an important question remains: After God has brought you out, has He also brought the bondage out of you?

The children of Israel left Egypt in a single night, but the mentality of Egypt continued to influence them throughout their wilderness journey. They had physically departed from the house of bondage, yet their hearts repeatedly returned to the things they had left behind.

This reveals a profound spiritual principle: You can be out of a prison and still think like a prisoner. You can be delivered from a master and still carry the mindset of a servant. You can receive a miracle and yet lack the maturity required to sustain it.

The Gospel in the Genealogy: How 5 Disqualified Women Reveal the Heart of Grace

 The Gospel in the Genealogy

How 5 Disqualified Women Reveal the Heart of Grace

By Jude Watchman Oguta

Genealogies are usually the part of Scripture readers skim past—a long, tedious list of names designed to prove lineage, prestige, and royal protocol. In first-century Jewish culture, genealogies strictly followed patriarchal lines to prove legal inheritance, completely omitting women.

Yet, when the Holy Spirit opens the New Testament in Matthew 1, He intentionally breaks Jewish custom. He weaves five specific women into the genealogy of Jesus Christ.

Under the Law of Moses, every single one of these women carried a background that should have disqualified Jesus from royalty. But under the economy of Grace, their inclusion puts Him on the throne.

Here is the gospel hidden inside the genealogy of the King.

 

THE TRAVELLER IN YOUR HOUSE: The Hidden Cost of Entertaining Temptation

By Jude Watchman Oguta

How a moment of pleasure can cost you years of peace, damage your legacy, and open doors you may never have intended to open.

Key Scriptures: 2 Samuel 12:1–10; Matthew 16:26; 1 Corinthians 10:12; Hebrews 12:16–17.

Introduction: When a Traveller Comes Knocking

There is a profound lesson hidden in the parable Prophet Nathan told King David after his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah.

It is a story about a rich man, a poor man, a cherished lamb, and a traveller.

But beneath the surface lies a timeless revelation about temptation, the human appetite, the value of what we possess, and the devastating consequences of sacrificing permanent treasures to entertain temporary desires.

The traveller in David's story was not merely a visitor. He represents a desire that arrives seeking satisfaction but can leave behind consequences that outlive its presence.

The tragedy of temptation is that we often sacrifice what we cherish to entertain what we cannot keep.

Many people do not lose their marriages, reputations, ministries, peace, or destinies because they set out to destroy them. They lose these things because, at a critical moment, they value the pleasure of the present more than the consequences of the future.

David's experience is a warning to every believer: you must learn to manage temptation before temptation begins to manage you.

 The Traveler in the Palace: Nathan’s Parable and the High Cost of Short-Term Entertainment

By Jude Watchman Oguta

It is one of the most dramatic confrontations in biblical history. King David, having successfully covered up his adultery with Bathsheba and the cold-blooded murder of her husband, Uriah, sits comfortably on his throne. He believes his secret is safe, his reputation intact, and his life undisturbed.

Then comes the prophet Nathan with a story.

In 2 Samuel 12:1–4, Nathan presents David with a legal case: a traveler visited a rich man who had vast flocks and herds. Yet, rather than take from his own abundance to entertain this guest, the rich man seized the only, most cherished lamb of a poor neighbor—a lamb that “grew up with him and his children, ate from his own plate, drank from his own cup, and was like a daughter to him.”

David is furious at this injustice, declaring, “The man who did this deserves to die!”

Nathan looks him in the eye and delivers the shattering blow: “Thou art the man.”

While the poor man’s lamb represents Uriah’s only wife, Bathsheba, there is an easily overlooked character in the parable who carries a profound warning for our lives: the traveler.

 The Divine Blueprint: How God Processes a Vessel for Ministry

By Jude Watchman Oguta

In the kingdom of God, greatness is never instant, and impact is never an accident. Many long for the power, visibility, and reach of a fruitful ministry, yet few understand the spiritual factory through which every true servant of God must pass.

When Jesus fed the five thousand in Matthew 14:19, He didn't just perform a physical miracle—He demonstrated a timeless spiritual law.

"And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude."

Notice the sequence of actions: He took, He blessed, He broke, and He gave.

A humble boy's lunch of five loaves and two fish was grossly inadequate for the multitude, yet in the hands of the Master, it fed thousands with baskets left over. This miracle serves as a template for how God processes human lives for divine destiny. As Jesus declared in John 12:24, "Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit."

God does not use raw, unrefined human ambition. He processes His vessels through distinct phases before releasing them to transform their world.

 

The Book of Esther: A Divine Template for Personal and Societal Transformation

By Jude Watchman Oguta

Introduction: Your Life Is an Empire of Influence

Your life is an empire of influence. Within that empire, something is always governing, something is always making decisions, and something is always shaping the world around you. The condition of your inner government determines the nature of your outward influence.

A person may possess great gifts, considerable resources, impressive opportunities, and significant authority, yet still produce destructive outcomes because the government of their inner life is in disorder. Conversely, when the inner life comes under God's influence, the same person can become an instrument of healing, righteousness, deliverance, and societal transformation.

This is one of the powerful spiritual lessons we can explore through the Book of Esther.

The Book of Esther tells the story of a king, a queen who loses her position, another queen who rises to prominence, a faithful guardian, a wicked official, and a people facing the threat of annihilation. Yet beneath the historical narrative lies a rich framework for understanding the spiritual battles that take place within human beings and how those battles affect the world around them.

In this allegorical reading, the king represents the soul, the palace represents the body, Queen Vashti represents the unrenewed human spirit, Queen Esther represents the recreated human spirit, Mordecai represents the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and Haman represents the flesh and its destructive ambitions.

The story then becomes a picture of what happens when the inner government of a person is transformed and brought into alignment with God's purpose.

The ultimate objective is not merely personal victory. It is the release of God's influence through a transformed life into families, communities, institutions, marketplaces, and nations.