Hello friends, it’s a day of remembrance like none other in our Christian calendar. I hope you’ll take some time to be with JESUS today.
“Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” ( John 19: 28-30 NIV)
How can Good Friday be called “good”? We know afterwards, the only reason it is good is because of what our good, good, Father, our good, good Shepherd, our good, good Savior did for us.
But as John R. Stott once said, “Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us, we have to see it as something done by us.” (emphasis added)
Friends, let us remember why Jesus surrendered, suffered and died an excruciating death on a cross.
As C.S. Lewis wrote, “It costs God nothing, so far as we know, to create nice things; but to convert rebellious wills cost Him crucifixion.”
We are rebellious. We sin.
A friend told me on the phone the other day that yes, people all over the world are experiencing and suffering from an awful COVID-19 virus but it’s not the worst one.
The worst is the disease of sin and every single person who walks this earth and breathes the air has it and the death rate is 100%.
YET!
Because of God’s immeasurable love, because of JESUS’s death on a cross to save us from dying from this deadly disease of sin, we do not need to fear. As teacher John MacArthur stated, ““The cross is proof of both the immense love of God and the profound wickedness of sin.”
We must believe that sacrifice had to be made because God first told mankind that thousands of years ago. When we believe, we also must have faith. Without belief and faith, the cross would have no relevance to us.
Max Lucado had something to say about that: “Why is the cross the symbol of our faith? To find the answer look no farther than the cross itself. Its design couldn’t be simpler. One beam horizontal—the other vertical. One reaches out—like God’s love. The other reaches up—as does God’s holiness. One represents the width of his love; the other reflects the height of his holiness. The cross is the intersection. The cross is where God forgave his children without lowering his standards.” {He Chose the Nails}
So, let’s take some time today to ponder on this holy experience, that we can feel today just like the people who were there in person and who witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion. Let’s think how Billy Graham preached, “God proved His love on the Cross. When Christ hung, and bled, and died, it was God saying to the world, ‘I love you.’”
And until Sunday, until Resurrection Day, let’s hold onto this thought: “[Jesus’s] pain in the garden became power in the tomb! His crucifixion on the cross became the defeat of death. His broken body became the resurrection hope for the world.” {Lysa TerKeurst, Uninvited}
Is there anything special you have planned to remember Jesus today or over the weekend while you are sheltering in place this weekend to recognize, reflect and glorify God? I’d love for you to comment below with some ideas to share.
Y’all Sunday is almost here!