The Power of the Cross

This Easter week, this holy week, I've been hit with the reality of my Lord's Crucifixion and Resurrection from so many different angles. His love, His human grief and compassion, His suffering; the emotions, the sacrifice, the redemption. As I've thought on these things, I've felt overwhelmed. Why did He do it? How could He do it? What drove Him? And where would we be without Him?

Since tomorrow is Good Friday, the anniversary of my Saviors sacrificial death, I want to put down my thoughts on the crucifixion first, then later this week hopefully I'll get to the Resurrection---For in reality the two go hand in hand.

First, in studying the book of John, I've been noticing how human Jesus was. He experienced the human weaknesses, the temptations, the feelings, "yet without sin."

HE WAS HUMAN-
1. He didn't trust his own flesh.
John 5:30-"I can of mine own self do nothing."

2. When Lazarus died , Jesus hurt for those in mourning. Though He knew what was going to happen, to the glory of God, His human heart still grieved for those He loved.
John 11:33-" When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping, which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled. And said 'Where have ye lain him?' They said unto Him, 'Lord, come and see'. Jesus wept. Then said the Jews, 'Behold how He loved him"

3. He struggled (and surrendered) to submit to what the Father had planned for Him.
John 12:27- "Now is my soul troubled and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify Thy name."

4. He felt betrayed. He knew His friends would betray Him and that knowledge hurt.
John 12:21-"When Jesus had thus said, He was troubled in spirit and testified, and said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray Me."

THE PAIN-
So, Jesus was every bit as human as you and I, and therefore He felt the pain of the cross through every agonizing moment. Yet, when He was hanging there on the cross, He doesn't speak of the physical pain. He doesn't cry out at the nails holding Him in place, at the spear thrust in His side, at the thorns shoved into His head, or even at the jeers that were thrown His way as the people mocked Him for who He truly was. No, at none of those things does Jesus speak out. Instead, to the very end His concern was for those He had come to save; for the thieves hanging by his side, for the people whose bloodthirsty cries had unjustly placed Him there. It was for these He prayed "Father, forgive them." It was for you. It was for me.

THE EMOTIONS-
I've thought about the emotions of those who were there. I've thought of Mary, who though is exalted today, way above what she herself would have wanted, she certainly was a godly woman. As she stood there, what went through her mind? Did she think about Jesus as a one year old, who was learning to walk; remember His falls and being able to run and comfort Him as she gathered the toddler in her arms. How her heart must have ached as she watched her son struggle up that Golgotha hill, knowing that this was a burden He alone must carry, and knowing that it was HER sin that would soon place Him on that rough cross.

What about the disciples? Surely they must have questioned what was going on. If Jesus truly was God, why was He not defending Himself? He had been degraded and ridiculed and God's name had been mocked, so why was He doing nothing about it? If Jesus died, where would that leave them?

And what of Jesus' own emotions as He cried "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" I think this is where the deepest hurt must have been. As a Son, who had always done everything with an eagerness to please His Father, to make Him proud, He was now being rejected and thrown out, so that a stranger could be brought into the Home. I think about the times when my fellowship with God is broken because of some sin in my life and of how miserable I am; how empty I feel. Yet, I know that's it my own fault that there is separation and that as soon as I'm smart enough to come back to Him, my Father will always be waiting, with wide open arms. But for Jesus, who had always experienced unbroken fellowship with His Father, He was now put at enmity with God as He took on our sin. The Father had turned His back on Him. What emptiness our Savior must have felt. What complete devastation.

Oh to see the dawn, of the darkest day.
Christ on the road to Calvary.
Tried by sinful men,
torn and beaten then,
nailed to a cross of wood.

HOW COULD HE NOT HATE THEM?-
He was dying for the very ones who were nailing Him to that cross and yet, even as He suffered for them, their ignorance and sin blinded their eyes and they laughed in His face.

HOW COULD HE NOT HATE ME?-
As He hung there, He saw my face. He knew I would be born. He knew I would sin. He knew I would turn from Him. "I my Master have denied. I afresh have crucified. And profaned His hallowed name, put Him to an open shame. I have long withstood His grace, long provoked Him to His face, would not hearken to His calls, grieved Him by a thousand falls."

Oh to see the pain, written on Your face
Bearing the awesome weight of sin.
Every bitter thought, every evil deed,
Crowning Your blood stained brow.

This the pow'r of the cross
Christ became sin for us
Took the blame,
Bore the wrath,
We stand forgiven at the cross!

THE LOVE-
Though my mind can never, ever comprehend what took place that day, I know that through all the suffering, through all the sorrow, and through all the separation, Jesus was displaying the love of God; for though fully human, He was still fully God. It was for ME He died! If I had been the only person to ever be born on this planet, He would still have come and died for me. The death was necessary to restore the relationship and that just shows how much He loves me! He completed the work I could not do, and when He cried "It is finished", my debt was paid in full.

Now the daylight flees, now the ground beneath,
quakes as its Maker bows His head.
Curtain torn in two, dead are raised to life,
"Finished" the victory cry!

Oh to see my name, written in Your wounds,
for through Your suffering, I am free!
Death is crushed to death, Life is mine to live,
Won through YOUR selfless LOVE!

"Having loved His own which were in the world. He loved them unto the end."- John 13:2b.

It was love that drove Him---A love for for His Father. A love for us.---How can we not respond in worship?

"This the pow'r of the cross,
Son of God slain for us,
What a LOVE, what a COST!
We stand FORGIVEN at the cross!"