The Cross

This year I have been doing an intense Bible study on the book of Isaiah. To be honest I've really struggled through a lot of it, especially the first half of the study. In the book the profit Isaiah is sent to the Israelites to warn them of what God is going to do to them if the don't straighten up their lives. He is very graphic, and to be honest it's pretty harsh. The part I really struggled with, is that Isaiah is speaking both about that time, and the end times before Jesus comes again...which could be any day depending on how you view things.

What struck me the most is how horrible it's going to be. People are going to suffer, be brutally murdered, raped, burned, you name it. That seems so different from the picture of God I grew up with. The loving God who embraced children, healed the sick, provided for the needy...how could He allow such horrible things to happen, or even worse, how could He actually inflict that pain on people?

I've realized that it wasn't God design for things to end up like this, just like as a parent we don't want to have to punish our children for being bad, but we do it anyway, because it's what's best for them. God is the same way, it's excruciating for Him to watch His children, us, suffer, but He does it because He has to, He does it because He loves us.

Ultimately, we all deserve the punishment of death and an eternity of separation from anything good because we have all sinned. You don't even have to be a Christian or a follower of Jesus to admit it, you do bad things. You sin, you screw up. We all do, that's just part of our lives as humans. But we don't have to be defined by those things, God has given us a way out.

That's where Easter comes in. That's why it is such an incredible holiday, the most important holiday. God loves us so much He couldn't just leave us to suffer for eternity paying for the wrong we've done, that isn't consistent with God's character. So He gave us a way out, He gave us Jesus. His son who suffered an excruciating death and was killed hanging on a cross. An ordinary cross, just like a million other criminals in that day. The only difference, Jesus never did anything wrong. He was perfect and lived his life free of sin. He paid the price so we don't have to.

What a wonderful gift! That could be me suffering. It could be you. But all we have to do is believe. Believe that God is who He said He is. Believe that Jesus died for us. Believe that He rose from the dead and believe that we can have a better life on earth and spend eternity in paradise if we only follow Him.

I share this with you because it's really been on my heart lately. I so desperately want every single person in the entire world to experience the goodness of God. And even more importantly, have the opportunity to spend eternity in heaven. It breaks my heart to know that there are people in this world who will say no to God, say no to the gift of the cross, say no to a better life. But at the very least, I want everyone to know, know that all they have to do is ask and Jesus will be there for them. It's as simple as that. No strings attached.

I pray this Easter—in between egg hunts, Easter baskets and family time—that you take some time to read and understand the Easter story. Really think about the gruesome details of Jesus' death. Because it is not until we acknowledge what He has done, that we can fully appreciate the gift we've been given.

Hallelujah He is Risen! Happy Easter!  


The Easter Story from the New International Version of the Bible:

The Soldiers Mock Jesus
Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.
-Matthew 27-31 (NIV)

The Crucifixion of Jesus
As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

 Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
-Matthew 32-44 (NIV)

 The Death of Jesus
From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.” And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
 -Matthew 45-50 (NIV)

The Resurrection
"On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Then they remembered his words."
-Luke 24 1-8 (NIV)