Guilt or Love?

            This weekend is Easter weekend, a time of joyful Alleluias in celebration of Jesus’ resurrection. Before we arrive at the celebratory day however, we must recognize Good Friday, Jesus’ death. I have never been a fan of Good Friday; such a somber day, why need we relive it? For years, I felt it was the guilt trip of epic proportions for Christians. It was/is something of “epic proportion” but it isn’t guilt, it’s LOVE!

            The love God has for us truly is epic! We must look at the big picture. Firstly, Jesus humbled himself to born of a virgin. He left His Father in heaven where he held a place of honor and power to become human flesh. He set aside his divine nature and took on flesh; meaning he experienced all the emotion, physical pains, and daily afflictions we do. He wasn’t born into a wealthy family, he did not have a cushioned life, he worked alongside his earthly father perhaps even hit his thumb with a hammer (we all do that at least once in our lives, right?). For thirty years, he lived a common life before beginning his ministry on earth. He lived apart from is heavenly Father and only communicated through prayer (like you and me).

            Fast forward to this week, Holy Week. Everything is culminating in the most brutal form of death. It isn’t just in the dying, giving into death was probably a welcome relief from his suffering the past twenty-four hours, the past thirty-three years. Every humiliation and painful device piled upon him was for our sins, what we rightfully deserved. The flogging alone could have killed him as his body was fileted open and bloody. His bloodied back was up against the rough, hewn wood of the cross; there was no possible way to find a tolerable position on the cross.

            John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” Let me break it down for you, in place of “Word” put Jesus.  Then we scoot down to verse 14 “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” This is confessed by every faith that uses the Nicene Creed in their worship service.

            “…And
in
one
Lord
Jesus
Christ,
the
only  begotten
Son
of
God,
begotten
of
His
Father
before
all
worlds,
God
of
God,
Light
of
Light,
very
God
of
very
God,
begotten,
not
made,
being of one substance
with
the
Father,
by


whom
all
things
were
made;
who
for
us
men
and
for
our salvation
came
down
from
 heaven
and
was
incarnate
by
the
Holy
Spirit
of
the
virgin
Mary
 and
was
made
man…”

            Among all the physical atrocities that Jesus endured; slapped, taunted, spat upon, flogged, crown of thorns, the humiliation of being stripped bare while the soldiers gambled for his clothes, and nailed to the cross on display for all to see; the most brutal of all had to be the separation from his Father, they are of “one substance.”  And why? Because His love for us is so great! He is the sacrificial Lamb of God, unblemished, he took on the sin of everyone in the world, can we even imagine it?

            We go through pain and suffering here on earth; yet next to Jesus our pains are mere paper cuts. Yet, he is sympathetic to our pains because he loves us! He wants us with him in heaven. He didn’t call down a legion of angels to minister to him or smite the mockers dead on the spot (which he could have done) tell me that isn’t temptation! He took ALL the suffering that is rightfully ours because of sin.

            This Good Friday, you may cry for the knowledge that our sin created the need for Jesus’ sacrifice but cry tears of joy too as it was His love that held Him there.

       Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."