Easter is fast approaching and it has me pondering the cross quite a bit
lately. In fact we are currently looking at the cross in a 4 week series leading
up to Easter Sunday.
What cross am I referring to? No not the cross you
wear around your neck or the one hanging in many churches. The cross that
I’ve been thinking of is the one that held Jesus, God in human flesh, who
willingly laid down His life so that we could have life.
The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is the most important event in human history.
It’s not merely a symbol or a piece of jewelry it is the central message and
summation of Christianity. The Apostle Paul told the Corinthians, “I decided
that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the
one who was crucified.” (1 Cor. 2:2 NLT)
What makes the cross significant?
The crucifixion was a very common method of capital punishment.
Thousands of people were crucified in Jerusalem in the very place Jesus
gave His life. The cross in and of itself is not unique or noteworthy. It is the
Person who hung on this particular cross that makes it of such paramount
importance. God Himself became a man and voluntarily gave Himself to be
arrested, mocked, beaten, tortured, drug through the city like an animal,
and nailed to a cross.
The question that begs to be answered is why? Why would God allow this to
happen to Himself?
There are four reasons for the cross of Jesus Christ…
1. The Sin of Man – The biggest problem that you and I have is that we
are sinners. You might think you’re a pretty good person but the Bible
indebts all of us as sinners with a capital S. We are sinners by nature.
If you don’t believe that then just have a couple of kids and you’ll be
convinced. We sin because we are sinners. Romans 3:23 declares that,
“all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” The cross is God’s
remedy to man’s biggest problem. At the cross Jesus took our sin and
the wrath of God that was against us because it grieved Him to see us
in our sinful state.
2. The Holiness of God – God is perfect. He doesn’t make mistakes. He
never fails. He cannot sin. He is holy and completely set apart from sin
and sinners. Therefore He couldn’t just flippantly forgive our sin like
some Grand Sugar Daddy in the sky. He had to deal with sin according
to His holiness. There was a price that had to be paid, “the wages ofsin is death…” (Romans 6:23) therefore Jesus took sin and death upon
Himself so that we could experience forgiveness and eternal life.
3. The Love of God – It was the love of God that motivated Him to
become a man and take the punishment for our sin upon Himself.
There was nothing in it for Him. Like a loving parent that desires to
save their child from impending danger. God recognized our need and
because of His great love for us He took care of the need Himself
(John 3:16). If you are doubting the love of God based upon your
circumstances right now you need look no further than the cross to be
reminded that God loves you and has your best interests in mind.
4. The Relationship – Our perfectly holy loving God longed to have a
relationship with sinful man. But the only way it could happen was
through the cross. It was the joy that was set before Him that
motivated Him to endure the cross and all its shame (Hebrews 12:2).
What was the joy? The joy was a relationship with you and me. Jesus
so desired to relate to us that He gave everything He had to make it
possible. At the cross Jesus not only took our sin but He gave us
abundant life and that abundance begins today as you enter into a real
and dynamic relationship with Him.
Do you have a relationship with God? If not the question is why? It is
available to you. Maybe you’re a Christian but you’re not experiencing
the fullness of the relationship that God wants to have with you. If so
you are missing out on the fullness of the cross. You are selling
yourself short on all that God intended as He hung on that cross for
you.
This Easter season may you ponder the cross as well and invite the
One who was nailed to it into your life today.
