After spending a few weeks focusing on the cross, I hope you have a better understanding of what happened. God loved us so much and wanted his relationship with us restored so badly that he sent his Son to die for us and be our sin covering. Jesus Christ was willing to leave the heavenly realms, become man, and endure death by crucifixion in order for our relationship with God to be restored. Jesus is the intercessor between us and God. He is standing in the gap so we human beings can enter into heaven guilt and sin free.
Even though Christ is the sin offering that gives us the ability to enter into God’s kingdom, like the Roman centurion we must confess that he is in fact the Son of God and Lord of our lives. And like the thief, we must put our hope and trust in him despite our sinfulness and allow him to make us pure as snow. There may also come a time in our lives that God asks us to stand firm and give an account of our faith to an unbeliever. We must not, unlike Peter, deny Jesus to men, but affirm his place in our lives. Although this is true, the good news is that if we do accidently or intentionally deny his Lordship, he will reinstate us and still accept us into his family if we repent of our sins and transgressions.
Standing at the foot of the cross and experiencing the grief and loss that Mary felt helps us to realize that there may be times in our lives that we will “walk through the valley of the shadow of death,” but I encourage you to weather that storm because Jesus Christ will not leave you or forsake you. He is standing next to you, weathering the storm with you. Cling to him and allow his love to comfort your every need and hurt.
Finally, just as Jesus commissioned John to care for his mother, so he commissions us to care for the lost and needy of this world. We are to be Christ to the hurting of this world. We are to be God’s presence in a fallen world. As a Church we are also to proclaim this Gospel message to the world so one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. He has entrusted us with these responsibilities and we are to take them seriously and be his light in a very dark world.
My prayer for you is that you allow Christ to reign over your life that you allow him to bless you beyond measure. I also pray that you look forward to the day when he shall return.
I leave you with these words by Gregory Boyd, “Change comes to us as we allow the Holy Spirit to transform us by renewing our minds. Change comes only as we allow the Holy Spirit to bring Jesus into the storm of our lives and let him do his work. Change comes only as we rest in Christ, just as we are, and allow the Holy Spirit to make him as real to us as is the deception that previously kept us from experiencing him. We are transformed from one degree of glory to another not as we try to change who we are on our own but as we rest in the experience of who Jesus is. As we do so, all that is his by nature flows into us by grace, and we are increasingly conformed to his likeness” (Boyd 2004, 190).
Almighty God,
Shower your blessings in abundance on those who look to your Son as their Lord and Savior. Let us never forget the cost he paid in order to free us from sin and death. I honor and worship you with my whole being and life. Work your will out for my life one day at a time, amen.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
The Importance of the cross-Part VIII
JOHN – RESPONSIBILITY
“When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, ‘Dear woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ From that time on, this disciple took her into his home” (John 19:26-27 NIV).
The disciple John was given the responsibility to care for Jesus’ mother after his death. As part of his faith, he recognized the duty that needed to be performed and he performed that duty well. We are responsible to love all of Christ. Since we are all members of the Body of Christ we have a responsibility to love one another. This love was made manifest in John’s actions towards Mary. He recognized a need of another member of the Body of Christ and he provided for that need through his love in Christ Jesus. As Christians we also have the obligation to care for the poor and needy of the world whether or not they are part of the Body (Matthew 25:31-46).
Other than the responsibility to care for the needy of the world, we are also given the responsibility to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19 NIV). We are to represent Christ well in this world and proclaim the Gospel message with boldness and accuracy.
Christ demonstrated his responsibility for us by sacrificing himself in order that we might have eternal life. He also continues to show his responsibility to us by being forever present in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our guiding light in this dark world and continually helps us understand the responsibility Christ has laid out for us. Jesus states, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8 NIV).
All in all, the Church has done an incredible job spreading the Good News of Christ to the world, despite some setbacks. It is an encouraging thought that the majority of Christians, like the apostle John, take the responsibility of the faith seriously. Jesus needed his children to be faithful in order for the gospel to spread.
Stafford states, “The movement had focused around one man who could be present at only one place at a time. Amazing as Jesus was, he was limited by culture and language. He spent his entire career in tiny Palestine, exposed to perhaps a few hundreds of thousands of people – mostly Jews. His followers at the end of his life numbered about a hundred twenty (Acts 1:15). Today we are perhaps two billion, from every conceivable culture and nationality. The kingdom can be seen at work in towns and villages all over the world. Jesus very deliberately started a movement. He knew what he was doing when he left us to carry on. He wanted to burst the boundaries of time, space, and culture to transform the world. He is doing exactly that, now, through us” (Stafford 2006, 224).
What responsibilities has God laid on you? Has he called you to lead churches, teach children, provide for the needs of those around you, serve and protect your countrymen? Whatever he has called you to be, your responsibility is to advance the kingdom of God here on earth and glorify the name of Jesus Christ.
“When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, ‘Dear woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ From that time on, this disciple took her into his home” (John 19:26-27 NIV).
The disciple John was given the responsibility to care for Jesus’ mother after his death. As part of his faith, he recognized the duty that needed to be performed and he performed that duty well. We are responsible to love all of Christ. Since we are all members of the Body of Christ we have a responsibility to love one another. This love was made manifest in John’s actions towards Mary. He recognized a need of another member of the Body of Christ and he provided for that need through his love in Christ Jesus. As Christians we also have the obligation to care for the poor and needy of the world whether or not they are part of the Body (Matthew 25:31-46).
Other than the responsibility to care for the needy of the world, we are also given the responsibility to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19 NIV). We are to represent Christ well in this world and proclaim the Gospel message with boldness and accuracy.
Christ demonstrated his responsibility for us by sacrificing himself in order that we might have eternal life. He also continues to show his responsibility to us by being forever present in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our guiding light in this dark world and continually helps us understand the responsibility Christ has laid out for us. Jesus states, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8 NIV).
All in all, the Church has done an incredible job spreading the Good News of Christ to the world, despite some setbacks. It is an encouraging thought that the majority of Christians, like the apostle John, take the responsibility of the faith seriously. Jesus needed his children to be faithful in order for the gospel to spread.
Stafford states, “The movement had focused around one man who could be present at only one place at a time. Amazing as Jesus was, he was limited by culture and language. He spent his entire career in tiny Palestine, exposed to perhaps a few hundreds of thousands of people – mostly Jews. His followers at the end of his life numbered about a hundred twenty (Acts 1:15). Today we are perhaps two billion, from every conceivable culture and nationality. The kingdom can be seen at work in towns and villages all over the world. Jesus very deliberately started a movement. He knew what he was doing when he left us to carry on. He wanted to burst the boundaries of time, space, and culture to transform the world. He is doing exactly that, now, through us” (Stafford 2006, 224).
What responsibilities has God laid on you? Has he called you to lead churches, teach children, provide for the needs of those around you, serve and protect your countrymen? Whatever he has called you to be, your responsibility is to advance the kingdom of God here on earth and glorify the name of Jesus Christ.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
The Importance of the cross-Part VII
MARY – LOSS/GRIEF
“Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene” (John 19:25 NIV).
It is very easy to go through the story of the crucifixion in the Scriptures and bypass this verse with nothing more than a quick glance, but I believe we do it injustice. We get wrapped up in Jesus’ pain, the centurion’s confession, Peter’s denial, and God’s love and forget about Mary, Jesus’ mother, and the burden of this loss that she bore. We see that all of Jesus’ disciples, except one (John) deserted him. Even though this is the case, one of the women who stood by his side and at the foot of the cross as he was dying was his mother, Mary.
I am sure there were many tears that streamed down her face as she watched her son die in such a painful way. I cannot imagine the heavy heart she bore and the grief she carried as he screamed out in pain on the cross. I am sure she just wanted to run up to him and take him off that sinister piece of wood, or change spots if she could. Was she screaming in terror at what she was seeing? Was she speechless with disbelief that this was really happening? Was she hollering at those who passed by that hurled insults and ridiculed her son?
There is the possibility that her thoughts were of wonderment as to why God chose her to bear this grief. She was an ordinary woman who loved the Lord. She did not deserve this plight in her life. If one looks in the English dictionary for the word for a person who loses a child, he will find that it does not exist. The loss of a child is unnatural and is not “supposed” to happen. If one loses his parents, he is considered an orphan; if one loses a spouse, he or she is a widow or widower; but there is no actual word for a father or mother who mourns the death of a child. I am sure this grief was more than Mary could bear. Jesus calls us to cast our anxiety on him (1 Peter 5:7) and to take hold of his yoke because it is easy and his burden because it is light (Matthew 11:30).
Have you experienced the death of a loved one that has caused you grief and pain? Have you experienced hardships due to life circumstances or shouldered burdens that you could not bear? Jesus wants your pain and agony. He hung on a cross so you and I could have freedom from the chains of grief that hold us down. The joy of the Lord is our strength!
TRADING MY SORROWS
I’m trading my sorrow. I’m trading my shame. I’m laying it down for the joy of the Lord! I’m trading my sickness. I’m trading my pain. I’m laying it down for the joy of the Lord! I’m pressed, but not crushed. Persecuted, not abandoned. Struck down, but not destroyed. I’m blessed beyond the curse for his promise will endure and his joy’s going to be my strength! Though the sorrow may last for the night; his joy comes with the morning (paraphrase of 2 Corinthians 4).
“Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene” (John 19:25 NIV).
It is very easy to go through the story of the crucifixion in the Scriptures and bypass this verse with nothing more than a quick glance, but I believe we do it injustice. We get wrapped up in Jesus’ pain, the centurion’s confession, Peter’s denial, and God’s love and forget about Mary, Jesus’ mother, and the burden of this loss that she bore. We see that all of Jesus’ disciples, except one (John) deserted him. Even though this is the case, one of the women who stood by his side and at the foot of the cross as he was dying was his mother, Mary.
I am sure there were many tears that streamed down her face as she watched her son die in such a painful way. I cannot imagine the heavy heart she bore and the grief she carried as he screamed out in pain on the cross. I am sure she just wanted to run up to him and take him off that sinister piece of wood, or change spots if she could. Was she screaming in terror at what she was seeing? Was she speechless with disbelief that this was really happening? Was she hollering at those who passed by that hurled insults and ridiculed her son?
There is the possibility that her thoughts were of wonderment as to why God chose her to bear this grief. She was an ordinary woman who loved the Lord. She did not deserve this plight in her life. If one looks in the English dictionary for the word for a person who loses a child, he will find that it does not exist. The loss of a child is unnatural and is not “supposed” to happen. If one loses his parents, he is considered an orphan; if one loses a spouse, he or she is a widow or widower; but there is no actual word for a father or mother who mourns the death of a child. I am sure this grief was more than Mary could bear. Jesus calls us to cast our anxiety on him (1 Peter 5:7) and to take hold of his yoke because it is easy and his burden because it is light (Matthew 11:30).
Have you experienced the death of a loved one that has caused you grief and pain? Have you experienced hardships due to life circumstances or shouldered burdens that you could not bear? Jesus wants your pain and agony. He hung on a cross so you and I could have freedom from the chains of grief that hold us down. The joy of the Lord is our strength!
TRADING MY SORROWS
I’m trading my sorrow. I’m trading my shame. I’m laying it down for the joy of the Lord! I’m trading my sickness. I’m trading my pain. I’m laying it down for the joy of the Lord! I’m pressed, but not crushed. Persecuted, not abandoned. Struck down, but not destroyed. I’m blessed beyond the curse for his promise will endure and his joy’s going to be my strength! Though the sorrow may last for the night; his joy comes with the morning (paraphrase of 2 Corinthians 4).
Thursday, January 22, 2009
The Importance of the cross-Part VI
PETER – DENIAL
“Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. ‘You also were with Jesus of Galilee,’ she said. But he denied it before them all. ‘I don’t know what you are talking about,’ he said. Then he went out to the gateway, where another girl saw him and said to the people there, ‘This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.’ He denied it again, with an oath: ‘I don’t know the man!’ After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, ‘Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away.’ Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, ‘I don’t know the man!’ Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: ‘Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly” (Matthew 26:69-75).
Peter, the one disciple who was supposed to stand at Jesus’ side to the very end (Matthew 26:31-35), denied him. Peter, the one disciple who first confessed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God (Mark 8:27-30), denied him. Peter, who stood on the mountain as Jesus was transfigured before his very eyes (Mark 9:2-12), denied him. Peter was the “super” disciple - how in the world did he fall away and deny
the living God?
I can imagine how scared Peter was in the garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus was arrested by the Roman soldiers. Peter’s faith in the Christ was being shaken. He had seen Jesus perform many miraculous wonders throughout the three years of ministry that he was a part of. He heard Jesus refute the Pharisees and Sadducees in the Temple and synagogue and leave them speechless. Peter must have thought that this Jesus would reign victoriously and that he would be his right hand man. Of course, it is easy to stand with someone who has never been humbled or conquered in three years, but what if that fearless leader gets subdued? What happens to the right hand man? Does he stand and defend or run and hide? Peter chose the latter, but by first denying his allegiance. He tried to save his own skin. And once the words of Jesus rang true in his ears he wept bitterly. He knew he lost. He not only couldn’t save his own skin, but he lost his friend and Lord.
Have you ever denied your relationship with Jesus Christ or his Lordship over all the earth? Was it because you were embarrassed because, like Peter, you were worried about what others would think?
If you have denied the Lord, do not fear! Christ can and will reinstate you into his kingdom forever just as he did for Peter (John 21:15-19). The only catch is that you must live for him no matter what hardships come in the way. Peter understood this. In fact, in the end he held firm to his faith in Jesus Christ and even laid down his life for the sake of his friend and Lord. While Jesus may not ask us to die a martyr’s death, he does want us to live our lives wholeheartedly for him.
“Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. ‘You also were with Jesus of Galilee,’ she said. But he denied it before them all. ‘I don’t know what you are talking about,’ he said. Then he went out to the gateway, where another girl saw him and said to the people there, ‘This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.’ He denied it again, with an oath: ‘I don’t know the man!’ After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, ‘Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away.’ Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, ‘I don’t know the man!’ Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: ‘Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly” (Matthew 26:69-75).
Peter, the one disciple who was supposed to stand at Jesus’ side to the very end (Matthew 26:31-35), denied him. Peter, the one disciple who first confessed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God (Mark 8:27-30), denied him. Peter, who stood on the mountain as Jesus was transfigured before his very eyes (Mark 9:2-12), denied him. Peter was the “super” disciple - how in the world did he fall away and deny
the living God?
I can imagine how scared Peter was in the garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus was arrested by the Roman soldiers. Peter’s faith in the Christ was being shaken. He had seen Jesus perform many miraculous wonders throughout the three years of ministry that he was a part of. He heard Jesus refute the Pharisees and Sadducees in the Temple and synagogue and leave them speechless. Peter must have thought that this Jesus would reign victoriously and that he would be his right hand man. Of course, it is easy to stand with someone who has never been humbled or conquered in three years, but what if that fearless leader gets subdued? What happens to the right hand man? Does he stand and defend or run and hide? Peter chose the latter, but by first denying his allegiance. He tried to save his own skin. And once the words of Jesus rang true in his ears he wept bitterly. He knew he lost. He not only couldn’t save his own skin, but he lost his friend and Lord.
Have you ever denied your relationship with Jesus Christ or his Lordship over all the earth? Was it because you were embarrassed because, like Peter, you were worried about what others would think?
If you have denied the Lord, do not fear! Christ can and will reinstate you into his kingdom forever just as he did for Peter (John 21:15-19). The only catch is that you must live for him no matter what hardships come in the way. Peter understood this. In fact, in the end he held firm to his faith in Jesus Christ and even laid down his life for the sake of his friend and Lord. While Jesus may not ask us to die a martyr’s death, he does want us to live our lives wholeheartedly for him.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
The Importnace of the cross-Part V
SOLDIER – CONFESSION
“When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, ‘Surely he was the Son of God’” (Matthew 27:54).
“The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, ‘Surely this man was the Son of God’” (Mark 15:38-39 NIV).
In order to appreciate this confession by the Roman centurion we must first learn a little more about this type of person. A centurion was a person of power and authority who was in charge of anywhere between 60 – 160 men. Centurions were experts at killing. Due to the amount of execution performed under a centurion’s command, they were more than likely very tough and calloused men. That is what is impressive about this moment in the crucifixion drama. This tough man broke down and exclaimed Christ’s divinity. This man who was a representative of strength, power, and position was immediately transformed into a state of utter humility because of the awesomeness of Christ.
As in this example, Christ can penetrate any stronghold erected around a person’s heart. There are many people in the world today that refuse to soften their hearts to experience Christ’s love. People, like the centurion prior to this moment of transformation, live lives of false meaning. When one confesses Christ as Lord and Savior, he or she immediately awakens to the reality of the wonder of God.
Paul states, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways in this world…But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgression – it is by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:1-4 NIV).
The love of Christ conquers ALL!
What strongholds in your life are preventing you from experiencing Christ’s love? Is it cynicism, pride, anger, lust, guilt, greed, obsession, depression, addiction, indifference, or false faith in another god or gods? Make that ultimate confession that Christ is Lord of all and you will see these strongholds come crashing down.
“Christian faith isn’t a general religious awareness. Nor is it the ability to believe several unlikely propositions. It is certainly not a kind of gullibility which would put us out of touch with any genuine reality. It is the faith which hears the story of Jesus, including the announcement that he is the world’s true Lord, and responds from the heart with a surge of grateful love that says: ‘Yes. Jesus is Lord. He died for my sins. God raised him from the dead. This is the center of everything’” (Wright 2006, 209).
“When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, ‘Surely he was the Son of God’” (Matthew 27:54).
“The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, ‘Surely this man was the Son of God’” (Mark 15:38-39 NIV).
In order to appreciate this confession by the Roman centurion we must first learn a little more about this type of person. A centurion was a person of power and authority who was in charge of anywhere between 60 – 160 men. Centurions were experts at killing. Due to the amount of execution performed under a centurion’s command, they were more than likely very tough and calloused men. That is what is impressive about this moment in the crucifixion drama. This tough man broke down and exclaimed Christ’s divinity. This man who was a representative of strength, power, and position was immediately transformed into a state of utter humility because of the awesomeness of Christ.
As in this example, Christ can penetrate any stronghold erected around a person’s heart. There are many people in the world today that refuse to soften their hearts to experience Christ’s love. People, like the centurion prior to this moment of transformation, live lives of false meaning. When one confesses Christ as Lord and Savior, he or she immediately awakens to the reality of the wonder of God.
Paul states, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways in this world…But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgression – it is by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:1-4 NIV).
The love of Christ conquers ALL!
What strongholds in your life are preventing you from experiencing Christ’s love? Is it cynicism, pride, anger, lust, guilt, greed, obsession, depression, addiction, indifference, or false faith in another god or gods? Make that ultimate confession that Christ is Lord of all and you will see these strongholds come crashing down.
“Christian faith isn’t a general religious awareness. Nor is it the ability to believe several unlikely propositions. It is certainly not a kind of gullibility which would put us out of touch with any genuine reality. It is the faith which hears the story of Jesus, including the announcement that he is the world’s true Lord, and responds from the heart with a surge of grateful love that says: ‘Yes. Jesus is Lord. He died for my sins. God raised him from the dead. This is the center of everything’” (Wright 2006, 209).
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
The Importnace of the cross-Part IV
THIEF – HOPE
“One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: ‘Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!’ But the other criminal rebuked him. ‘Don’t you fear God,’ he said, ‘since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ Jesus answered him, ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise’” (Luke 23:39-43 NIV).
The thieves on the cross are two of my favorite characters in the crucifixion drama. These two men are both sharing with Jesus in the shame, pain, and humiliation of dying on a cross, yet they are not being ridiculed by onlookers like Jesus is. In fact, one of the thieves was even ridiculing Jesus too. As the more “righteous” thief rebuked the other he asked Jesus to save him and allow him to enter paradise with him. Jesus granted this man his request and allowed him to enter into eternal life. “In spite of our natural resistance to submission, deep within the human soul there seems to be a yearning to surrender…all my life I have longed to give myself completely over to someone or something bigger than myself” (Brenner 2003, 59).
Even though both thieves were wicked in the eyes of the world and were punished rightly, both responded differently to their place on their cross next to Jesus; one stayed wicked and the other chose to put his faith in Jesus Christ.
With death being on the forefront of these two thieves’ minds, what prevented the one from putting his hope in Jesus? The process of dying on the cross takes many hours, so I can only imagine the conversation Jesus had with these two thieves. He probably spoke the truth of Almighty God to these men. He probably put up his best defense of who he was to them.
Why did the righteous thief put his hope in Jesus? Did he genuinely believe he was the Christ, or was he just figuring that he was going to die anyway so why not try to rescue his soul? He did say that Jesus did not deserve death and acknowledged his kingship over the heavens and the earth. What an amazing way to find Christ!
Can you relate to the thief on the cross? Did you find Christ in your desperation and agony? Did you experience something catastrophic that drew you to His side because nothing else seemed to work? Did you find heartfelt hope lying in the pit?
So often people think they have done too many horrible things for God to love them. They feel unworthy. Hear this! No sin is too big or too horrible to stand on the outside of the love of God. Just ask the thief!
“The notion of God loving us unconditionally is absolutely radical…The God Christians worship loves sinners, redeems failures, delights in second chances and fresh starts, and never tires of pursuing lost sheep, waiting for prodigal children, or rescuing those damaged by life and left on the sides of its paths” (Brenner 2003, 45).
“One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: ‘Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!’ But the other criminal rebuked him. ‘Don’t you fear God,’ he said, ‘since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ Jesus answered him, ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise’” (Luke 23:39-43 NIV).
The thieves on the cross are two of my favorite characters in the crucifixion drama. These two men are both sharing with Jesus in the shame, pain, and humiliation of dying on a cross, yet they are not being ridiculed by onlookers like Jesus is. In fact, one of the thieves was even ridiculing Jesus too. As the more “righteous” thief rebuked the other he asked Jesus to save him and allow him to enter paradise with him. Jesus granted this man his request and allowed him to enter into eternal life. “In spite of our natural resistance to submission, deep within the human soul there seems to be a yearning to surrender…all my life I have longed to give myself completely over to someone or something bigger than myself” (Brenner 2003, 59).
Even though both thieves were wicked in the eyes of the world and were punished rightly, both responded differently to their place on their cross next to Jesus; one stayed wicked and the other chose to put his faith in Jesus Christ.
With death being on the forefront of these two thieves’ minds, what prevented the one from putting his hope in Jesus? The process of dying on the cross takes many hours, so I can only imagine the conversation Jesus had with these two thieves. He probably spoke the truth of Almighty God to these men. He probably put up his best defense of who he was to them.
Why did the righteous thief put his hope in Jesus? Did he genuinely believe he was the Christ, or was he just figuring that he was going to die anyway so why not try to rescue his soul? He did say that Jesus did not deserve death and acknowledged his kingship over the heavens and the earth. What an amazing way to find Christ!
Can you relate to the thief on the cross? Did you find Christ in your desperation and agony? Did you experience something catastrophic that drew you to His side because nothing else seemed to work? Did you find heartfelt hope lying in the pit?
So often people think they have done too many horrible things for God to love them. They feel unworthy. Hear this! No sin is too big or too horrible to stand on the outside of the love of God. Just ask the thief!
“The notion of God loving us unconditionally is absolutely radical…The God Christians worship loves sinners, redeems failures, delights in second chances and fresh starts, and never tires of pursuing lost sheep, waiting for prodigal children, or rescuing those damaged by life and left on the sides of its paths” (Brenner 2003, 45).
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