Thursday: The Cross of Christ
That God is a God who sees and hears the cries of the poor and oppressed is comforting. That God is a God who, in Jesus, has experienced and endured the worst of our world’s inhumanity, oppression, and injustice is astounding. Despite all the compassion and goodness Jesus demonstrated in His life and ministry, His death came as a result of hatred, jealousy, and injustice.
Image © Lars Justinen from GoodSalt.com
From Jesus’ anguished prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane to His arrest, “trials”, torture, mocking, crucifixion, and death, He endured a grueling ordeal of pain, cruelty, evil, and oppressive power. All of this was exacerbated by the innocence, purity, and goodness of the One who suffered it: “he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Phil. 2:7-8, NIV). Through the lens of salvation’s story, we see the beauty of Jesus’ sacrifice for us, but we should not forget the brutality of the suffering and injustice He experienced.
Read Isaiah 53:3-6. What does this tell us about what happened to Jesus, the innocent suffering for the guilty? How does this help us understand what He went through in our behalf?
In Jesus, God knows what it feels like to be a victim of evil and injustice. The execution of an innocent man is an outrage; the murder of the son of God more so. God has so identified Himself with us in our broken and fallen condition that we cannot doubt His empathy, compassion, and faithfulness: “For we do not have a high priest [Jesus] who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin” (Heb. 4:15, NIV). What a revelation of the character of our God! How do we even begin to wrap our minds around the good news about God that the cross represents?
| In all that we do for the Lord, especially in reaching out to the needy, why must we always keep the death of Jesus, as our Substitute—not just for ourselves but for those whom we help—at the center of our mission and purpose? |
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There are two passages that come to mind:
... and:
We can argue for a long time about the mechanisms of salvation but for this lesson we should perhaps set that aside to focus on the way that Jesus would have us live. Self sacrificing love for others is tough love, especially when it is done for people we may be inclined to despise. Jesus has challenged us to live the saved life!
The suffering of a God who became a man and suffered what He did, because of love for His creatures, has just brought me up the need to forgive those who can possibly have wronged me. God has forgiven me first!
Through childhood, youth, and manhood, Jesus walked alone. In His purity and His faithfulness, He trod the winepress alone, and of the people there was none with Him. He carried the awful weight of responsibility for the salvation of men. He knew that unless there was a decided change in the principles and purposes of the human race, all would be lost. This was the burden of His soul, and none could appreciate the weight that rested upon Him.
Throughout His life His mother and His brothers did not comprehend His mission. Even His disciples did not understand Him. He had dwelt in eternal light, as one with God, but His life on earth must be spent in solitude. As one with us, He must bear the burden of our guilt and woe. The Sinless One must feel the shame of sin. The peace lover must dwell with strife, the truth must abide with falsehood, purity with vileness. Every sin, every discord, every defiling lust that transgression had brought, was torture to His spirit.
Alone He must tread the path; alone He must bear the burden. Upon Him who had laid off His glory and accepted the weakness of humanity the redemption of the world must rest. He saw and felt it all, but His purpose remained steadfast. Upon His arm depended the salvation of the fallen race, and He reached out His hand to grasp the hand of Omnipotent love.
The loneliness of Christ, separated from the heavenly courts, living the life of humanity, was never understood or appreciated by the disciples as it should have been... When Jesus was no longer with them, ... they began to see how they might have shown Him attentions that would have brought gladness to His heart....
The same want is evident in our world today. But few appreciate all that Christ is to them. If they did, the great love of Mary [Matthew 26:6-13] would be expressed, the anointing would be freely bestowed.... Nothing would be thought too costly to give for Christ, no self-denial or self-sacrifice too great to be endured for His sake.
From Our Father Cares - Page 207
https://whiteestate.org/devotional/ofc/08_13/
He walked alone so that I may never have to walk alone.
How can we keep the death of christ at the centre of our mission and purpose for those whom we help?
which one should come first,preach then give or give then preach ?
“God accepts us through Christ, and we are not to feel that we are of no value in His sight. He sent His only begotten Son into the world to die for us, and we are to value ourselves in the light of the cross of Calvary.”
“When you mingle with the people in the marketplace, as you walk the street, or wherever you may be, be sure that you have a living connection with God, and that you represent the character of Christ to the world. “ Ellen G. White Sabbath School Lesson Comments 3rd Q 2019, chapter 7, Thursday. “Study day and night the character of Christ. It was His tender compassion, His inexpressible, unparalleled love for your soul, that led Him to endure all the shame, the revilings, the abuse, this misapprehensions of earth.” That I May Know Him, p.56.
It was at the Cross where I first saw the light. The burden of my soul was lifted. Then I saw He was risen and I asked God to give me the mind of Jesus, make me holy as He is, and cause me to prove I've been with Jesus, who is all my righteousness. Isaiah 61:10-11. Like JC I don't deserve it, but I humbly accept and receive it.