The Importance of the Cross-Part I

The pivotal piece of the Christian faith is Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. If Easter Sunday never happened, then our faith would never have had the impact that it has had on the world for nearly 2,000 years. Even though the resurrection is so important, it would not have needed to happen without the death of Jesus Christ happening first.

The mission of Jesus Christ’s life on earth was to go to the cross and die for the sins of the world. We celebrate his death on Good Friday, which is essentially three days before Easter Sunday. It is called “Good” because it was this sacrifice of love that allowed human beings to again stand before God as righteous. We as people need the blood covering of Jesus in order to have the ability to stand before our Creator. We need Jesus to stand next to us as our advocate in order for the Judge to allow us into the eternal heavens. Because of Jesus, we live with hope.

However, in order for one to experience the saving grace of Jesus, one must first invite him in to his or her heart. Jesus said, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20 NIV). It is a relationship with Jesus Christ that transforms a person to a new life (2 Corinthians 5:17). It is Jesus Christ who imparts his spirit into his children to lead them through this life and prepare them for the resurrection of the dead and eternal life with Almighty God (Romans 8:1-17). The initial step of the Christian faith is accepting Jesus Christ as the Lord of lords and King of kings. The following steps consist of a lifetime of continually being transformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ.

As I think of my faith in Christ, the journey that I have been on, and the way Christ is continually transforming and shaping me into his image and likeness, I am humbled by the cross. I still cannot comprehend and fully understand the sacrifice he made for the children of God. I try to put myself in the shoes of those in attendance the day he died and try to understand where they were coming from; what they saw, felt, and experienced. How did the cross of Christ transform the people watching him suffer and die? Even though Christ was killed nearly 2,000 years ago, can I still really put myself there to understand the totality of the circumstances or the beginning stages of the faith I hold so dear? What can the participants and the onlookers of the crucifixion teach me about the faith and the possible emotions and experiences that I may feel and face as a Christian in the 21st century?

The next 8 weeks we will walk through a prayer devotional that will take each of us through the night Jesus was crucified, but through the perspective of a different person on scene. We will see the cost that was paid by Jesus and the others who chose to follow him and those who chose not to.

Of course, my interpretation is based off of speculation simply because the characters I will discuss are no longer living on this side of heaven, but I will use the Holy Scriptures to help guide our journey this week. Get ready to be transformed and made more aware of the cost of following Jesus and the benefits one receives when calling that man Lord and Savior.