We watched the Passion of the Christ movie this past weekend for the first time in years. If you've never seen it, I would strongly urge you to watch it this weekend. It simply makes Jesus' gift so much more tangible.
So often, we tend to romanticize the cross - a clean, muscular Jesus in a spotless white cloth hanging on the cross. This poor representation is so far from the truth. Scripture tells us that they hated Jesus. The torture He endured was far beyond what was necessary for any criminal and beyond what any human could endure alone. I admit that I've had the thought run through my mind over the years, "So, He died. Everybody dies. Ok, He was tortured. Well, soldiers have been tortured for centuries. What's the big deal?" I think the big deal is that He never once opened His mouth. Our human nature is to defend ourselves, but He didn't fight back, He didn't argue about who He was. No amount of words would have persuaded the crowd in His favor. He spent three years telling the people and showing the people who He was. No words, or anger, or fighting would have changed anything on that day. He had told the disciples that no one would take His life from Him. Instead, He would chose to lay it down. This is the image that is so vivid in my mind from the movie. After all of the torture He endured, something our middle class America can not even fathom, He chose to allow these events to take place. He willingly, with all of the strength He had left to muster, crawled onto the cross under His own free will. At this point in the movie, I was thinking, "There's no way any one human could have strength to take another step. Surely, the Roman soldiers will pick Him up and hurl Him onto the cross." They never did. He crawled on His own.
Why did He do this? The whole thing seems so senseless.
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 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." Hebrews 12:1-2
There is so much packed into that one passage of scripture:
Endurance. Jesus not only endured the cross, but He volunteered for it. He endured more than any one human could ever carry, yet He didn't utter a single word in rebellion and He willingly and literally laid His life down.
Joy. Way back in the garden, Abba enjoyed sweet company with Adam and Eve. He laughed with them, He talked with them, He poured out all blessings on them. It is the relationship He intended for us to have. When sin entered the world, He "lost" us in a way. That free communion wasn't there anymore. He was separated from the ones He loves most! Jesus knew that on the other side of the cross, HE WAS GOING TO GET US BACK!! We are the joy that was set before Him. We are the reason He endured the cross. He loves us so much that He willingly endured the suffering for the sole purpose of bringing us back to a perfect relationship with Him! Don't you see? He loves YOU more than life itself. He gave everything He had to give in order to make a way for you to come to Him. He wants nothing more than to love you and pour out good things on you, just like a good Daddy. Leave the past behind, and please let Him love you!
Founder and Perfecter of our faith. He set the example for us. He showed us what it means to love those that hate you, to pray for those who persecute you. And He did it all with grace and love. Because He suffered the way He did, I can fight a little bit harder in my battle. The same strength that sustained Jesus through the cross, is in me now and I have the power to run my race with endurance - I can push a little bit harder!! All of heaven is watching as we go through this world. They are cheering us on with more passion than the Super Bowl. They want us to succeed! They want us to receive Christ's riches blessings! They want us to fight with everything we have, just like Jesus did! And they know the reward that is waiting for us on the other side. For Jesus, His reward is to be seated at the right hand of the Father and to be restored to the people that He loves. For us, we can receive His great healing, forgiveness, peace and FREEDOM for the rest of our days. As a bonus, we get to live with Him forever in perfect, amazing celebration! Now, THAT is worth fighting for!!
So what does it mean to "fight for Jesus," to "run my race"? For me, it means I can give up 20 minutes of sleep in the morning, even when I'm already running low, to allow Him to fill me and start my day off fresh. It means that I can speak calmly and lovingly to my children, even when I want to scream at them and send them out of my sight. It means I can make the hard choices to obey His instructions, even when the rest of the world thinks it's crazy. It means I can trust His leading and be obedient, even when it looks scary or inconvenient.
"Everything you do - do for the glory of God." Colossians 3:17
If I am going to do anything, I should do it with everything I have - I should do it with great excellence. Jesus never slacked off or gave less than His everything. If my words and actions reflect Him (and they do since I give myself the label of "Christ follower") then I should conduct myself as He did - with excellence. Whether it be cleaning my house, working at my job, loving on my kids and my husband, encouraging a friend, setting up for Sunday morning at church, teaching a lesson about Jesus - ANYTHING - Not only should I give it everything I have because it brings Him glory, but I have the power to do that. The spirit that sustained Jesus through His 33 years and His time on the cross sustains me too.
"Truly, truly I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father." John 14:12
Oh sweet Jesus, it is all too much to bear. I want so badly to reflect You well to a lost world. I want them to know who You are and the great love You have for them. To think that Your love for me propelled You through the cross is far beyond what I can comprehend. Thank you that you allowed them to kill you, but that didn't stop you from your ultimate goal - YOU CONQUERED DEATH, so that all men may know that You are God!! Just as You freely laid Your life down, You have the power to take it back up again! Because of this, You are worthy of all praise, worthy of all honor and glory. You are trustworthy and You are faithful. You are the King of Kings and greatly will You be praised!! Thank you for loving me, for choosing me, for wanting to use me. Of all the assignments and accomplishments You will give me during my days here, I want "Jesus follower" to be the greatest title I carry.
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