Beloved in Christ, These are the days to meditate on the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2000 years ago, our Lord Jesus Christ gave His life on the Cross for us – for our sins, curses and sickness. When Lord Jesus Christ was on this earth – the Cross was a symbol of shame. Apostle Paul says that I would boast only about the Cross and nothing else.
We cannot separate Jesus Christ from the Cross and from His sufferings on the Cross.
We are called to be like Christ; hence every believer must carry the Cross with joy. Saint Thomas makes the following powerful statement about the Cross.
“If you carry the Cross the Cross will carry you”.
One of the disciples of Lord Jesus Christ betrayed Him another disciple denied Him, all the other disciples ranaway from Him and only one disciple went up to the Cross. He was the dearest one of Jesus, who always leaned on His Bosom who knew Jesus very well -Apostle John. We should also take part or have fellowship in His suffering.
For the message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is the Power of God for those who are being saved (I Corinthians 1:18)
“Anyone who does not take up the Cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me”, says Jesus Christ.
Those who carry the Cross, with murmuring, make their life bitter.
o Those who do not wish to carry their ‘own’ cross, try to imitate other’s lifestyle / others cross -therebymaking their lives miserable.
§ If we must carry the Cross with faith, we must pay a price.
The Cross is the symbol where we made peace with God
Our hand and God ‘s hand met at the Cross for peace. When Jesus hung on the Cross,He prayed to His Father to forgive the men who were beating and abusing Him.
He said,“Father forgive them for they know not what they are doing.”
This is the love of the Cross –’as I forgive them, forgive me O Lord’ should be our prayer against those who wronged us.
When we get saved our heavenly father forgives as well as forgets our sins. He throws all our sins / wrongs behind His back
· As far as East is from the west, He removes our transgressions far from us.
· He has thrown all our sins under the depths of the sea.
Because of Jesus forgiveness while hanging on the cross the thief who hung next to him was granted paradise along with Christ – a matter of a minute.
At the cross Jesus fulfilled the duty of a son to his mother
John 19:26 says,
When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.”
Likewise, we should also do our duty to our parents.
When Jesus was hanging on the Cross, he was thirsty. He was given sour wine to drink. This world is full of evil people with bitterness. But the Lord drank that sour bitter wine, so that every man (entire human race) would be saved. Such was his thirst
Jesus says “If anyone is thirsty let him come to me for a drink. I will give you to drink, from rivers of living water.”
When Jesus was hanging on the cross around three hours there was darkness all over the earth.
Matthew 27:45 says, At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock.
Jesus was separated from the presence of the Father. Jesus said it is finished and gave up His spirit in the hands of the Father.
John 19:30 says,
When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished.” And bowing His head, He yielded up His spirit.
Jesus did the Will of the Father.
Let us try and understand the Divine Exchange,which was fulfilled on the Cross by Jesus?
1. Because of Jesus Christ death on the cross we are saved (Redemption from condemnation and Forgiveness for all our sins)
a. Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.
b. Colossians 1:14
In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
2. Through Christ’s death on the Cross we have tasted the love of the Father
a. Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
3. Christ carried all our burdens on the Cross
a. Isaiah 53:4
Surely,He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
4. The chastisement of our peace was laid on Christ
a. Isaiah 53:5, 6
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
5. The Divine Exchange of Righteousness in lieu of our sins were transacted on the Cross
a. II Corinthians 5:21
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
6. We have become the partakers of God and His very own sons and daughters through the Blood of Jesus Christ
a. Hebrews 2:10 to 12
For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,
saying: “I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.”
7. We are brought near to God to all His promises through the new covenant of His blood
a. Ephesians 2: 13 to 16
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.
The seven blessings of God which we have received through the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross
1. On the Cross, Jesus Christ removed or wiped out all the written ‘handwriting against us’ and disarmed the principalities and powers of darkness. He made a public spectacle of them triumphing over them on the Cross
a. Colossians 2: 14, 15
Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
2. All our past sins are forgiven
a. Colossians 2:13
And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,
b. Romans 6:14
For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
3. He is our healer and by his stripes we are healed
a. Isaiah 53:5
But He was wounded for our transgressions,He was bruised for our iniquities;The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,And by His stripes we are healed.
4. He carried our sorrows
a. Isaiah 53:4
Surely, He has borne our griefsAnd carried our sorrows;Yet we esteemed Him stricken,Smitten by God, and afflicted.
5. He settled the account of sin forever, eternally
a. Hebrews 9: 26, 27
He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,
6. We are redeemed from the curse of the law
a. Galatians3: 10
For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.”
7. Jesus gives eternal life
a. John 3: 16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Cross is considered as a symbol of shame, whereas God used the symbol of shame to bring forth manifold blessings to mankind through Christ death on the Cross.
Our sins, curses, sickness are transformed. Man cannot boast of anything other than the Cross.
Let us also bear the Cross that was given to us faithfully and follow Jesus Christ – for the Cross shall lead us to Glory. May God bless us.
