You know that feeling that you get after you have finished something that you were dreading doing, but really needed to get done? That feeling of bliss that follows after completing said arduous task? It occurred to me today, after relieving myself without the accompaniment of a small cup and a diagram on the inside of a doctor’s office bathroom, that Jesus might have experienced a similar feeling after rising from the dead on that first Easter morning.
Jesus conquered all sin. All past sin and all future sin were finished on the cross. Jesus took the full wrath that God had for our sins, every last drop. But it is clear that he was not looking forward to it. We have a description in the bible of Jesus sweating drops of blood while asking God to let the cup of his wrath pass from him.
The fact that Jesus was not particularly just chomping at the bit to be killed on a cross strikes me as incredibly humbling but also mildly disappointing. Growing up, Jesus praying that God might let this cup pass from him was never the focal point of any sermon that I heard. The pictures of Jesus on a cross that I colored on Easter morning included a normal looking, happy Jesus- very G rated stuff. I think we all rather like the willing heroic picture of Jesus strolling toward Calvary with chest out and a grin on his face. And while Jesus was completely obedient to God, he did still understand exactly what he was doing and how much it was going to hurt.
What Jesus did was intense. He was whipped, and crucified on the cross. Jesus fulfilled the old prophesies. But we must not forget the magnitude of what actually happened. On a warm day in the spring, amidst pastel colors, matching dresses and plastic candy filled eggs, it can be easy to distance ourselves from the depth of what happened up on calvary.
Most churches get a large onslaught of twice a year visitors on the first Sunday of April. In response, many pastors preach with the goal to reach those that might not even really believe in God more than just saving face on Easter. Their sermons are meant to get the message out there. And don’t get me wrong, I love this! Ushering a huge group of people into the kingdom is an exciting thought! But let us who know and walk in an active relationship with God year round take some time to really think about the less than G-rated version of the Easter story.
Let us take some time to really think about the less than G-rated version of the Easter story. Click to tweet.
Yes, Jesus died and rose again, but we must not let those words become stale and lose their meaning. What Jesus did was serious enough, scary enough, and real enough for him to make one last check with God to see if there was any other way. The price for us to be reconciled to God was huge enough that the lover of our souls' sweat, and it came out blood red. We may wish to water down the story for the sake of making it slightly more palatable, but the fact of the matter is that what Jesus did for us on that cross is beyond understanding.
The price for us to be reconciled to God was huge enough that the lover of our souls sweat, and it came out blood red. Click to tweet.
The Passion did what I assume to be a good job of recreating the visual aspects of that day (and even that could still fall short. It did, after all, have to be viewable in theatres), but what about the spiritual? What about the sheer spiritual anguish of taking in your heavenly Father’s entire wrath, all of God’s just punishment for all sin? And what about the fact that Jesus was completely cut off from the presence of the Lord, "My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me?"?
I am sure that the feeling that Jesus had after everything was all finished with was unlike anything else to which we might try to compare it. Jesus even breathed out, “it is finished”, at the end. I mean, how does the sacrificial savior of the world feel after triumphing over evil? What Jesus did was mind-blowingly, astronomically great. The weight that should have been ours to bear, the price that had Jesus sweating drops of blood, is completely gone. Paid in full.
Words do not do justice to how incredible this gift is. Next time you feel relieved after finishing something that you really didn’t feel like doing, take a special moment to remember what Jesus did for us. Our salvation was not G-rated. It is absolutely the hardest thing that any person had or ever will endure. Jesus might have desired to have God’s insurmountable wrath to pass from him, but he also loved us, and he also was fiercely obedient to God.
The fact that Jesus pressed on and was faithful to obey God’s plan should be a source of great rejoicing! But we also mustn’t forget what was necessary for us to be able to spend eternity with God. It is worth treating with reverence. It is worth meditating on. This Easter, let us spend some time in reverence, considering the price it took for us to have this gift of mercy. Let us praise Jesus, and humbly recognize what he really did.
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Thank you for chilling with me over the web for a few words! I'm so glad you're here! What do you consider your favorite/the most thought provoking part of the Easter story? Share your thoughts bellow!
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God loves you so much that he sent his perfect son to the cross to take pay the price for all of our sins. He is not mad at you at all!! He loves you like crazy! Have a great Easter, and be blessed!
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