What Happened at the Cross

Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

2 Corinthians 5:18-21

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),

                                    Galatians 3:13

I know that Easter Sunday was last week, and while I feel like I should be able to attribute writing a devotional that talks about the sacrifice Jesus made for us a week after one of the biggest Christian holidays of the year on the fact that this crazy lockdown has made me lose track of all of the days (I saw a post on Facebook that said something like “in case you were wondering, today is March the 381st), I can’t. No, it was commentary on what’s documented as Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth that hit me straight in the heart this past weekend.

As I’ve shared before, I refer to Pastor David Guzik’s Enduring Word commentary to help further my understanding of God’s word. There’s even an Enduring Word app that I have on both my phone and iPad. This past Saturday, I read the latter half of the fifth chapter of 2nd Corinthians, part of which is quoted above. I’m sure I’m not alone in the feeling of unmitigated unworthiness combined with pure gratitude at the thought of what Jesus did on the cross for me, a pure and unadulterated sinner, and the love with which He did it. I know it’s the gospel story, one we have heard time and time again, but the thought of what He endured, physically, emotionally, and spiritually gets me every time. “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself” Paul writes in verse 18. Guzik’s commentary on that states:

As horrible as the physical suffering of Jesus was, this spiritual suffering – the act of being judged for sin in our place – was what Jesus really dreaded about the cross. This was the cup – the cup of God’s righteous wrath – that He trembled at drinking. On the cross Jesus became, as it were, an enemy of God who was judged and forced to drink the cup of the Father’s fury so that we would not have to drink that cup.

“…forced to drink the cup of the Father’s fury so that we would not have to drink that cup,” Guzik writes. When I initially read that, I burst into tears, overwhelmed by the act. When I was able to gain my composure, I mulled over the use of the verb “forced”. Its use brought to mind the thought of a criminal or an evil person coercing a victim into doing something unthinkable, at risk of losing their life if they don’t. That wasn’t the case here. No, what’s truly at hand is the fact that Jesus did this willingly, knowing the implications of what He had to do and why He had to do them. Love compelled Him to hang on that cross and receive the full wrath of the Father as punishment for the sins that you and I committed. Love enabled our Savior to voluntarily give up His life, descend into Hell and endure being separated from Lord God.

Friends, I am simply astounded by His act of love for us. I fail Him every single day, multiple times a day even, and yet I know that He loves me. He knows our failings, and yet He loves us anyway. May we never cease to be amazed by this!

Prayer Requests

·      For us to seek His will for our individual and church lives

·      For our national and local governmental authorities to pursue godly wisdom in the eventual reopening of businesses

·      For those who are ill and hurting

·      For those considered essential personnel—for their sacrifices and commitment

Jesus tells us “Greater love has no one than this, that to lay down one’s life for his friends.” Dear ones, bask in this immense love and share it with the world today!

 Quotes

“You have no idea the numbers of people that God may want to influence through you.”

“Everything is either caused by God or allowed by God. There is no third category.”

“This too shall pass. It might pass like a kidney stone, but it’s gonna pass.”