Why The Cross

Thursday, ‎April ‎6, ‎2023

Good morning, Lord

Verse of the Day: 1 John 3:16

By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Memory of the Month: John 10:27-28

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

Today's reading: 1 SAMUEL 4-6 LUKE 9:1-17

Why The Cross?

Did you know that a cross neckless was not worn until four or five hundred years after the death of Christ Jesus? After all, they are eveywhere today. But when Jesus was crucified, there was no greater humiliation than to be crucified. Families were shamed if they lost someone to the cross. The upper class Roman citizen would probably never see a crucifixion or a cross but the poor people did.

The Bible says that Jesus despised the shame of the cross but went through it anyway because He could see the joy that would come from it.

Hebrews 12:2...looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

What does that mean? Jesus knew what the scripture said about sin, blood, and forgiveness:

Hebrews 9:22

22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

The cross was used by the Romans as much for a deterent to crime as anything. Men who started uprisings against against Rome would sometimes be crucified on the side of the roads for all to see.

Jesus was without sin...

1 Peter 2:22-who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth;

Jesus knew the blood that was demanded for sin was to be His own blood...

1 Peter 1:18-19

knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.

I know it is not popular to speak of blood and death these days in some churches but without the death and blood of Jesus on the cross, we would have no eternal life or abundant life in Him-we would be lost.

Jesus did not deserve death and certainly not the most shameful of deaths on a cross but that is exactly what happened for you and me-all of us.

During that barbaric time, the cross was the way it happened. The cross held our savior but it was the death of His body and the shedding of His life-blood that paid for our sins and then His resurrection that defeated death once and for all.

The cross was simply a tool of death. It was profoundly shameful and painful. But Jesus took all our shame and sin to that cross and provided divine forgiveness to us for all our sins.

No eggs-no bunnies-no really cute outfits-but One who gave up His only child-a son, to die for us- to pay for our sins-to bring us back to Him-our Glorious Father in Heaven.

This is what we celebrate on what we call Easter. May we all bow humbly and worship our Lord, Master, and King-not only for the cross-but for what really happened for us on that Cross.

Thank You, Lord Jesus.

...because He loves us...

Father in Heaven, our Glorious and loving God,

Open my eyes to see the hard truth and humble me to the foot of that cross. Let me see it all and hear it all and praise You for it all. Forgive me for not seeing it always.

Most loving and kind Father,

In the name of our blameless Jesus,

Amen