It is my hope today that you are making time to pause and reflect on the Cross.
It is so tempting to just look forward to Sunday. To look forward to the Resurrection. To know that we can hope because yes Jesus died, but He also rose again.
And yes, that is true. It is so very true. But we cannot neglect the importance of the Cross.
With no death there would be no resurrection. With no Cross, there would be no forgiveness of sins. With no pain and suffering, there would be no freedom, hope, and new life.
So may we not lose sight of the importance of the Cross. May we remember the Cross today. May we kneel and reflect, pause and pray, thanking God not yet for the Resurrection, but right now for the Cross. For until we fully understand and fully grasp the extent of what took place on the Cross, we cannot enter into the fullness of the joy that the Resurrection brings.
On the Cross, Jesus was nailed. In our place. For our sins. On our behalf. He took the beatings, the sufferings, the hardships. The shame, the ridicule, the disgrace. He endured being broken for us. He endured being forsaken by the Father. He endured death. For you and for me.
Jesus was the perfect sacrifice with no blemishes. He was the Savior we didn’t know we needed, that we surely didn’t know we had. Even after explaining to His disciples about what was going to take place, they didn’t get it. It was unheard of, for back then animal sacrifices were the necessary sacrifices that had to be made for the forgiveness of sins.
Yet, Jesus came to be our perfect sacrifice, the Lamb that was slain for the world’s sins once and for all.
Once, meaning it was complete. It washed away the sins of the world completely. It was in full. There was no need for anything else. He paid the highest price to give us the highest reward: an eternity with Him.
And for all, this means it was vast, for the entire world, for generations upon generations. For those across the street from us and those across the world from us. For those we have everything in common with and those we have nothing in common with. For those we will meet one day and those our lifetimes won’t ever overlap with. And at the same time of it being vast enough to cover the world, it was deeply personal, for us as individuals. Not just for everyone, but for you specifically. For me specifically. For us personally and intentionally.
Jesus’ sacrifice has been made complete for us all. There is nothing we can add to it to make it better. It is complete. It is finished. It is done.
May we remember the Cross, where His blood was shed to cover our sins and make us His. May we remember the Cross, where He took our sins upon Himself and clothed us with His righteousness. May we remember the Cross, where Jesus was abandoned by the Father, so that we would never have to be. May we remember the Cross that makes us clean, that makes us pure, that makes us whole. May we remember the Cross that makes us sons and daughters of the Living God. May we remember the Cross, today and forevermore.
Be blessed,
Elisha