Jesus was crucified not because He had to; He did it because He wanted to. He did it out of love. No one forced Him. He laid down His life voluntarily. He loved you so much He was willing to die in your place. I picture Him in my mind as He carries the cross on the way to Golgotha. But what He was carrying is much more than the cross. He carried the weight of the sins of the world on His shoulders. Remember how you felt when you were weighted down by the guilt of your sin. Now, multiply that guilt and shame times every man and woman who would ever live. That’s what Jesus carried.

Bleeding, gasping for air, lightheaded from loss of blood, Jesus stumbled down the Via Dolorosa until He was too weak to stand. Someone was pulled out of the crowd to carry the cross the rest of the way to Golgotha. All the while thousands upon thousands of angel warriors watched and waited for a signal. They were ready to stand at His side and defeat the forces of evil. But that signal never came. Jesus had to fight alone.

He was laid out on the cross. Large spikes were driven through His hands and feet into the wood. The cross was raised and then dropped rudely into the ground with a jerk that pulled at His flesh. He screamed in agony. Blood was everywhere. He could barely breathe. He was gasping for air. Naked and shamed. Bruised and bleeding. Pierced for our sins. Dying in our place. Hell was howling with laughter. The crowd was mocking. The Lamb of God was dying.

It was a pitiful sight. He had taken upon Himself everything - every sin. Every blow had been for a reason. Every stripe on His back, every drop of blood…there was a purpose for it all. Jesus fought off death until He knew the price was paid. When the deed was done, the Bible says Jesus lifted up His eyes toward heaven and let out a war cry that reverberated all the way to heaven. It seemed like an admission of defeat but it was really a victory cry. Jesus the Lamb of God summoned His last ounce of strength and shouted, “It is finished!” And He died.

Imagine what it must have been like to be all-powerful and do nothing. Jesus knew that the only way to win was to allow these things to happen. He could have stopped it at any moment. He could have fought back and sent those demons running. “He could have called ten thousand angels but He died alone, for you and me.” It was love for you and me that kept The Lamb of God on the cross when everything within Him wanted to come down and fight. But He knew he had to die in our place as a sinless sacrifice. Only by dying could He win a victory once and for all over sin. And you know what? HE DID WIN!

Now, what are you going to do about it? Could you say “No” to Him? Could you say “No” to His love? Today and throughout this passion week, remember Him and His love for you.



The Children’s Christmas Party

There’s a story of a 15 year old boy whose name is Sammy. He was a handicap, he is slightly retarded. Christmas is an exciting time for him. They were in church for children’s Christmas party. The pastor started picking up presents and calling out names; Sarah, Bobby, Susan… Sammy was on the edge of his seat — he was about to burst with anticipation. When his name was called, oh he leap on his feet and gladly received it. Sammy took the box and gently took off the bow, his heart was pounding. Sammy removed all the paper and laid it beside the box. And then he began to remove the lid — in his mind, all of the things he hoped to see flashed before his eyes in a second. Finally, as he got his big box open and he looked inside… he saw…NOTHING! He saw nothing — someone had played a trick on Sammy. When Sammy lifted his head, huge tears were streaming down his face. Who would do something so cruel — who would play such a mean trick on Sammy? The box was empty.

The Empty Box with Pretty Paper and a Beautiful Bow

Oh beloved, everyday, not just during Christmas season, all around the world, this same trick is being played. Though the names and exact situation are a little different — the results are still the same. The world promises people great things; happiness, wealth, pleasure, relationships, fame, success, power. And it wraps them up in a great big box, with pretty paper and a beautiful bow. And it hands us this box as a gift, we get excited; and we take off the bow — we unwrap the box and we open it with great expectations. And when we look inside, just like Sammy, all we find is an empty box. No hope, no life, no joy, no happiness — just huge tears of heart break streaming down our face! That’s the kind of gifts this world gives us! Have you ever opened one of its boxes? I think you have and it’s not fun is it? But beloved, the good news is, the greatest gift we could ever receive is a gift of Jesus from the Father in heaven; and this gift is not found in a box nor under the Christmas tree, but once was hanged on a tree! God has a Christmas tree – it’s called the Cross!



Remember the Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown!

Christmas is
not
just a
baby in a cradle
Remember this, Christmas is not just a baby in a cradle, but also the God-man on the cross. The angel said to Joseph, “You are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins!” The Cross is the ultimate goal of Christmas. And yet the story does not stop there. After the Cross is the Crown! Jesus resurrected from the dead and He’s alive forevermore! Because HE is risen, our sins are forgiven and we have eternal life! We have hope in this life and the life to come. That’s the good news of Christmas!
This Christmas season and all the seasons of life, remember the Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown!