“Then
he delivered Him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led Him away.
And He,
bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is
called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on
either side, and Jesus in the center.”
John 19:16-18 NKJV
Early
this past week as I began to reflect on the sacrifice our Lord made for us
which we will celebrate this weekend, I found myself considering more than just
the events which took place, but more the motivation and emotions of Jesus and
the Father which prompted the crucifixion and resurrection. As I did this, I was surprised to find that I
began to realize things I had overlooked in the past because my focus had always
been on what occurred rather than trying to understand the feelings of my
heavenly Father, and why He chose to do what He did.
I
am sure many of you can relate to this, but it seems like only yesterday I was
single and (reasonably) carefree. Yet
now, as I sit here with three daughters and five (and a half) grandchildren, I
would have to admit I understand much better the feelings a father can have
towards his children, and the lengths to which he will go to show his love
towards them. As I looked at the death
of Jesus this week, and the Father’s decision to sacrifice His own Son for our
sins, what became apparent to me was that there were two things I may not have
fully appreciated in the past and that was the depth of God’s love for me and
His willingness to forgive unconditionally.
“Greater
love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” John 15:13
NKJV
How
many people would you be willing to die for?
Now that might sound like an odd question, but considering what the Word
tells us here it would appear that the ultimate expression of love would be to
give your life for someone else. Yet I
am willing to bet that if you were to answer yes, it would be because you loved
them. I believe I would be willing to die for my wife, my children, or my
grandchildren because of the love I have for them, yet I would have to
truthfully question whether or not I would be willing to do that for a
stranger. Yet the first message of the
cross is that God loved us so much He was willing to sacrifice His own Son
for all, even those who choose not to love Him.
“We
love Him because He first loved us.” 1
John 4:19 NKJV
Early
this past week I received a question about compassion, or rather a lack of it
in a certain situation. It did not take
long to discover that the lack of compassion was the result of an unwillingness
to forgive. Why is it that even as
believers, after having the forgiveness we have received from our Father as an
example, we find it so hard to forgive others?
Over and over again in the Word we are told to forgive others, not just
once but “seventy times seven” and even to not let the sun go down on our anger,
yet we ignore what we are told and
become bitter while holding on to that which we are instructed to release.
“And
when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and
the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then Jesus said,
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His
garments and cast lots.” Luke
23:33-34 NKJV
Has
it ever occurred to you that Jesus was willing to forgive without even being
asked? As I read this passage this week
this was the thought that came to me. No
one had asked for forgiveness, but rather we are told that the crowd was
mocking and making fun of Him. What an
example it is for us, that while we find it hard to forgive even those who
ask for forgiveness, our Lord was willing to forgive those who were crucifying
Him without ever being asked. What a
difference it would make in this world if we could only follow that example of
our Lord and Savior.
As
you celebrate the resurrection of our Lord this weekend, ask yourself the
question “what is the message of the cross to me?” As I asked myself that question this week,
the answer seemed to me to be, love and forgiveness.
"Now on
the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was
still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Then she ran and came
to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them,
“They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they
have laid Him.” Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and
were going to the tomb. So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran
Peter and came to the tomb first. And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the
linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. Then Simon Peter
came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying
there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not
lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. Then the other disciple,
who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. For as yet they did
not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples
went away again to their own homes. But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping,
and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two
angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the
body of Jesus had lain. Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She
said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where
they have laid Him.” Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw
Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her,
“Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She, supposing Him to be
the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where
You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” Jesus said to her,
“Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher)." John 20:1-16
NKJV
God
loved us enough to make the choice to save us, but it is up to us to make the
choice to accept it. My prayer for you today is that if you have never made the
decision to believe that Jesus Christ died and rose again for you, you would
choose to do it right now. Invite Jesus to come into your life and forgive your
sins, and begin to experience the joy that comes from having a relationship
with a living God, and the knowledge that He has promised us eternal life with
Him in Heaven if we only believe.
Keep
watching.
