Hello again, sweet readers!
I know I say this a lot but…THANK YOU!!
I can’t begin to tell you what your words have meant for this heart. Whether they were postings on jessicamweber.com or given through a conversation, e-mail or text, your comments have boosted my spirits and encouraged me greatly. It is an awesome thing to write…and to be read. I’m learning this more and more with passing years but when God puts something on your heart and you follow through, wonderful things can happen. Your responses are fueling my inspiration and my desire to keep going because, in all honestly, it can be quite scary to put your thoughts and feelings out there. I know you understand! A huge and weighted responsibility comes with that and it’s so easy to fear the worst.
So, again, thank you. I am reading too – everything you send…and, my goodness, my heart continues to overflow.
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A thought came to mind last week, as I was pondering the Cross. As horrifically dark and horrible as that moment was, it was a moment of celebration. To be “celebrated” is to be honored. When someone finds you important enough to honor you, you can’t help but feel pretty special. A great deal of love goes into an act of celebration.
Now, if that is the case, can you imagine the love that went into the Cross?
Over 350 prophecies were recorded in Scripture about Jesus and every one of them can be traced to passages recording His fulfillment in the New Testament writings.
One of those fulfillments was when Jesus cried on the Cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” before He gave up His spirit. This is recorded in Matthew, chapter 27, verse 46 (of the New Testament writings) but also in the book of Psalms, chapter 22, verse 1 (of the Old Testament writings). According to the evidence we have, the words of Matthew 27:46 could have been spoken as many as 1000 years after they were already written and recorded in the book of Psalms. People read and studied these ancient words long before they were fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ.
As far as prophecies fulfilled, that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Reading the book of Isaiah is also enlightening, especially when we remember those statements were recorded about 700 years before Jesus walked the earth. The expressions of Isaiah are haunting. Christ’s death was prophesized in powerful words which encapsulated His sufferings in ways we can barely digest.
God, the Father, does not abandon us in our sin and He certainly didn’t abandon His Son in His. This is an argument all on its own that maybe we will talk about another time. But, if we are to believe what I just stated is true, then what do Jesus’ words of abandonment mean?
Well, the difference between God not abandoning us in our sin and not abandoning His Son at the Cross are significant. Christ chose to take our sin upon Himself so that we could go free. Christ’s sin in that moment was not His own – unlike ours, which is. Jesus was perfect – unstained until He took the filthiness of all of humanity’s sins on His own body. So, when Jesus spoke those words, “My God, why have you forsaken me?”, it was His choice, Jesus’ choice, to take on sin so dark and so painful that He would actually feel and know the pain of separation from the Father who was everything to Him.
Jesus knew a depth of agony we will never know.
And in the moment of that choice, He was honoring us.
Wow. I can’t begin to understand this and yet I know it does something deep within my heart. We were the ones lifted up and honored on that darkest of days. I can’t imagine that not provoking sincere worship in our hearts as we now, in turn, lift up and honor Him.
Friends, don’t let this make you feel horribly heavy today. That is NOT what God wants. Allow it to make you feel the depth of His love. This is what will make your heart respond with gratitude and change the way you live and walk this earth. In other words, if you want to honor Jesus now in response to Him honoring you at the Cross, live in the peace and joy of His love. God did none if this to cause us suffering even though our suffering was first on His mind.
Can you see how much we are loved? Can you see who was honored at the Cross?
It is incomprehensible to take in the full meaning of what Jesus’ death on the cross truly meant for mankind. We are only human, and as we grow in faith, the realization becomes more & more overwhelming. Thank you for another reminder to look beyond the horrific act of the crucifixion into the light of God’s grace. Your insight is astounding, there is no greater love!
Once again your perspective continually enlightens me.
Wow….never saw it quite that way. But I DO love how we don’t have to wait until Spring to think about the Cross, the Resurrection and all that means…it can be a daily and impacting experience….thanks for taking us to the Cross in such a profound way.