Jesus' Suffering...Our Redemption

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I'm studying through Matthew during my quiet time and, early last week, I read the chapters on Jesus' arrest, torture, and crucifixion. I sat in despair at the horror these chapters described.

I was drawn to Isaiah 53 - words written hundreds of years before Jesus' birth. Jesus knew the agony that faced Him and yet He came.

• Despised
• Rejected
• Esteemed not
• Stricken by God
• Afflicted
• Pierced
• Crushed
• Oppressed

God's judgement poured out on His Son; His forgiveness and grace poured out on us. 

I remembered the words Jesus spoke to Peter in the garden as He stood in front of the soldiers who came to arrest Him:

"Do you not think that I can call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more that twelve legions of angels?" Matthew 26:53

Jesus had deliverance within His grasp, but He refused to reach for it.

With a spoken word, He could escape the agony to come, but He remained silent.

He chose to walk the path to the cross. He willingly sacrificed His life for mine.

I can't describe the grief, amazement, and gratitude I felt. How can we stand in the face of such love? To fall to our faces is the only acceptable response.

Why? Why would Jesus suffer this way? Hebrews 12:2 says, "...for the joy set before him endured the cross..."

I'm sure Jesus was eager to experience the joy of returning to Heaven to become one with His Father once again. Did Jesus rejoice to know He would soon hear the praises of the angels instead of the scorn of the world around Him? His eyes were focused on the glory awaiting Him rather than the agony He experienced.

But I think there was an even greater joy that filled His heart: the joy of knowing you and me - all of us who love and believe in Him.

He died to cleanse us of the hopelessness and despair that tries to destroy us.
He rose to give us eternal life with Him.

What joy!

Do You Know Him?

  

"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. Isaiah 1:18

 

When my husband and I took the train from Washington D.C. to Pittsburgh in February,  the fields of freshly fallen snow reminded me of this verse in Isaiah. 

 

God promises us that

• Jesus’s death,
• His burial, and
• His return to life

will cleanse us of our sins and we make us white as snow.

 

If we ask!

 

We all sin, deny God, and disobey His laws. Scripture says that the penalty for sin is death.

 

Not just physical death but eternal death. 

 

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

 

Jesus' death was brutal.

• Suffering,
• Agony,
• Bloody.

This is the death we deserve. But, Jesus chose to die in my place - in your place.

 

We all face death unless…

 

I recognize that I am guilty of sin, believe that He paid my penalty, and ask for forgiveness.

 

You recognize your guilt, believe that He paid your penalty, and ask for forgiveness.

 

No one can do it for us . We must each make that personal decision.

 

There is no way Jesus will turn you down.

 

It doesn’t matter where you’ve been or what you’ve done.

 

No sin is too big for Him to forgive.

 

Let me repeat that – No sin is too big!

 

I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me. Jeremiah 33:8

 

Look at that word: All

 

Not some

 

Not Everything except...

 

All

 

If you ask Jesus, He will forgive all your sin and you will be white as snow.

 

Three days after He was buried, Jesus was resurrected - He rose from the dead.

 

He is Alive

 

Eternally Alive

 

For we know that since Christ [Jesus] was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.    Romans 6:9

 

When you believe His death cleansed you from sin, He offers you the gift of eternal life.

 

Jesus wants you to live with Him forever.

 

Each one who asks Him for forgiveness.

 

Complete forgiveness, eternal life in Heaven with Jesus.

 

Too good to be true.

 

But it is true.

 

If you refuse to turn to Jesus, you will die unforgiven and face eternal death.

  

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. John 3:18

 

If you haven't come to Him in prayer and asked for His forgiveness, please do so. He’s waiting for you. Once you have, find a Christian friend or a church and begin to follow Jesus.

 

If you are a believer, what does that confidence in His forgiveness and the gift of eternal life mean to you?  

 

How does it affect your daily life?

 

 

Fair-weather Parking Lots

"But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. John 16:32

Ever heard of a fair-weather parking lot?

We've heard of fair-weather friends

You spend lots of time together…Then hard times come: your health, family problems, difficulties happen -  and they’re nowhere to be found.

We know about fair-weather fans.

I can remember umpteen years ago when the Houston Rockets were a brand new team. To be polite, they were bad. But we hung in there, die-hard fans.

Over a few years, they steadily improved. The first time they made to the layoffs, guess what? Fans came out of the woodwork. People who couldn't tell you a single team member’s name went crazy.

But, back to the fair-weather parking lots.

I walk my greyhound, Ruby, almost every day. She’s a retired racer and I’m-uh-plump. We both need the exercise. The weather has to be pretty bad before I throw in the towel.

So here we are, she’s dragging me around the park. It’s cold, or it’s hot, or the wind’s blowing my hair dang near off. And we’re alone. The parking lot is empty. Nobody there but us.

Then comes a nice day and the whole neighborhood hits the park. 

The parking lot's packed.



Yesterday was one of those days–walkers and joggers and baby carriages everywhere.


I wonder, “Where will y’all be when the weather’s unpleasant?”

Did Jesus think that?

“Where will you be when things get hard?”

Jesus knew the crisis was coming. Soon He would be arrested, scourged, crucified; He would die on a cross.

Jesus knew that the disciples were fair-weather followers. They were with Him day in and day out. They learned from Him and marveled at His miracles. They believed in Him, at least as far as their limited understanding allowed them.

But when time came to stand by Him, to risk their lives for Him, they ran.

Then the horrible day came.

Jesus hung on a cross and the disciples fled.

Fled out of fear that they would be killed as well.

Hid so no one would find them.

Am I any different? Are we any different?

• When things are going well, I’m full of praise.
• As soon as things go wrong, I’m full of doubts.
• When it’s uncomfortable to stand for God’s standards, I compromise.
• When I have an opportunity to talk about my faith, I keep my mouth shut.

But listen to Jesus’ words:

Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Luke 23:34

He knows our hearts and He bathes us with forgiveness. He offers us strength to stand for Him.

When He appeared to them after His resurrection, there was no chastisement.

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" John 20:19

He knows we cower in fear and doubt. He covers us with His love and grace and says, “Peace be with you.”


When has Jesus flooded you with love and peace when you struggled to be faithful to Him?