New life is breaking through the dormant soil in the flower beds. The trees are coming alive with green, some with blooms. I hear lawnmowers and weed eaters and smell cut grass. Birds are building nests, and their sweet chirping is a joyous sound. The neatly planted farm fields fill the air with the fragrance of freshly tilled earth. New beginnings surround us taking shape with color, sounds, and smells.
The awakening of a new season is the perfect manifestation of what happened on the cross at Calvary. That which appeared dead was brought back to life with the added option to live eternally in the Kingdom of Heaven.
When I think about what the cross affords us, present and eternal direct access to God, I’m well aware that the distance of time between the actual historical event and today allows us a much better understanding of the significance and necessity of Jesus’ sacrifice. But what about the people who were present for the crucifixion? What about the locals, citizens from the surrounding areas, and pharisees, along with Jesus’ family, friends, and disciples who had left their own families behind to follow Him?
Those who knew Him personally believed Jesus would become their King, the One who would save them from the ever-present Roman Empire. But instead, He was stripped naked and died the most disgraceful death by hanging on a cross. Hopes and dreams were shattered, and confusion set in as His beloved followers attempted to make sense of the situation. They struggled with who He really was compared to who they thought He was.
In the garden, when the soldiers came to get Jesus, He didn’t protect Himself yet His disciples had seen people fall to the ground in His presence. Jesus hadn’t lifted a hand to stop the inhumane beatings, yet his followers had seen Him perform miracles at the move of His hand. He didn’t utter a word against His accusers, but they’d witnessed the power of His words silence many others. It became more apparent that He was going to die, but they’d seen Him raise the dead.
Any final hope that the people may have held onto came crashing to the ground as Jesus cried out to God and gave up His spirit. It was done. Finished.
What a hot mess of contradiction. Unless, of course, this was much like a parent who has to make hard decisions and be willing to lead in a way that can make them seem confusing or like the bad guy. As parents, we stay focused on the bigger picture even when we know our children don’t understand or have the ability to appreciate what we’re doing.
I used to tell my children, “I’m not asking you to understand. I’m asking you to trust me.”
When God’s Son, Jesus, was given over to men who would kill Him with no cause or evidence against Him, something bigger was unfolding. Something our Creator had put into motion long before anyone would ever realize it was a rescue mission. God kept His focus on the bigger picture, the one based on His intimate knowledge and thorough understanding of the problem of sin and the solution to overcome it.
God crushed His Son for you and me. He did not lift His hand to stop the death of His one and only Son but rather gave the green light. A Son who, by definition, is one-third of His whole being and, as a Father, His whole heart.
Say this out loud, “God willingly crushed His Son for me. God chose to lay down the life of His Son … for me … so that I could have the option to accept what Jesus did on the cross as the satisfying payment for sin … my sin.”
At Easter, we see Jesus submitting Himself in obedience to the Father. Complying with the requirement for a sinless sacrifice from a just and holy God. Jesus did not agree to the cross based on man-made laws and requirements, but rather submitted Himself to the relationship He had with His Father. He trusted His Father.
The bodily resurrection of Jesus bore the scars of abuse, being misunderstood, rejected, and falsely accused. The bloody, brutal sacrifice was fresh in the minds of His disciples so, when He showed them the wounds on His body, it testified to who He was as well as to the truth that God has power and dominion over sin and death.
Five hundred trillion years from now, we will still be enjoying the benefits of what Jesus did on the cross because, as He said, “It is finished.”
The Son of God took on all the punishment and evil we are capable of so we can stand before the righteous and holy Judge, as daughters who are accepted, forgiven, and deeply loved. Jesus’ resurrection brought us new life, and He started that new life in the midst of our broken and wounded world.
The cross was an evil form of torture, but some things never change … because the God who agreed to that torturous weapon also had—and still has—the power to redeem pain and scars.
NOW LIVE LOVED and THRIVE!
Self-Reflection
These questions are in no way a substitute for healthcare professionals or any level of professional counseling. I’m an advocate for taking care of oneself mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. These questions reflect my heart, NOT my profession.
This questionnaire is an opportunity to journal your thoughts and feelings. It can serve as a launching pad on which to evaluate your heart condition as you understand it. My hope is that you will take the truths you discover about yourself and hold them up to the Light to evaluate them against who God says you are.
Take the time to read over the death and resurrection of Jesus. After He left the grave, how many people saw Him? Note that He trusted women (they had no social status in that time) with taking back the news that the grave was empty.
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Can you agree that what Christ did on the cross was for you and me?
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Do you feel Jesus provided living proof of what we can expect after our earthly death? Explain.
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Why do you think the cross sets Christianity apart from all the other religions?
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What happened on the cross was the turning point in history one of the reasons being it’s how they measure time (ie BC and AD); what other reasons can you think of that make the cross is significant to all that have the breath of life in them?
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Christ had the power to open His mouth and His Father would have immediately commanded 12 legions of angels to be at His disposal (Matt 26:53). What do you think motivated Christ to be obedient to death, HIs Father’s ordained purpose to restore mankind to Himself?
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What area of your mind, heart, life do you need a touch of new life? Write it out and spend some time talking and listening to God.
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Find a bible verse that reminds you how much God loves you and read it repeatedly for a week. Actually, do more than read it rather, wear it, embrace it, live like you believe it. God is not a man that He should lie.
Take Action
Use God’s word to take control over the traumas in your life. Whenever you feel terrorized by your thoughts take them captive by replacing them with the truth of God’s promises in His word.
Here is a scripture for you to print, cut and carry with you and/or post in places where you will see it often. Ground yourself in God’s truths not Satan’s attacks. Encourage your heart and mind every time you are reminded of His great love for YOU!
““…Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.” John 20:19-20 (NIV)
When you read God’s word say to yourself: Jesus rose from the dead and showed Himself to many people, some of which were His disciples. He is the God who is alive and well, breathing and engaged in who we are and what we do. He has provided living proof of what I can expect after an earthly death, which is life everlasting! Because He lives, I will live too!
