Easter is barely in the rearview mirror. I find it is easy to get distracted as we focus on May things ahead. I don't want to forget what it must have felt like those first couple of weeks after Jesus conquered the grave, and paid off our sin debt. I want to keep the awesome wonder of His earthly mission completed.
The people didn't take his life. He gave it. Hate spewed from the political scene and from the church leadership. He took the way of the cross. He chose love every time. Love over being right. His death was horribly painful after beatings and being mistreated in the court system of the day. He could have called ten thousand angels, but He remained on the cross and completed His mission... Heaven's Special Forces made a way for us. Victory is still in Jesus, just as it was over 2000 years ago.
He poured out His life and strength into the broken, the common, the undeserving and the "least of these" in society's eyes. He upheld the Laws of Moses and reinforced God's expectation of caring for widows and orphans.
The children flocked to him, which tells us something of the whimsy in our Lord. He grew up with siblings and children around. Did the children remind Him of days around the family table after a day in the workshop with Joseph? He certainly wasn't boring. Life with Jesus can be unpredictable... but it is never boring.
"The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God." -1 Corinthians 1:18
The message of the Cross is hope... freedom... love... and adventure. It is a reminder of the omnipotent nature of God. The only thing God cannot do is make us choose Him. Free will has always been our greatest gift and His greatest risk. He knows we can reject him.
The cross... as a friend of mine once taught me... is no longer a symbol of torture and death. It is our price tag. We can wear it around our neck to remind us of the cost of our freedom. He purchased our pardon, not only to set us free, but to claim us as brothers and sisters. We are joint heirs to the Kingdom.
The message of the cross is not only forgiveness, it is a reminder He handed us the keys to the kingdom. As one of the songs on the radio asks, "How can I be silent?"
Today, I am grateful for the message of the cross.
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