Although we can barely comprehend his suffering, it is necessary to try and reflect upon it.
Hear the jeering, false accusations flying as he is heavily beaten and made the object of ridicule.
Envision the long spikes piercing, pounding Christ’s wrists and feet and the nerves that lie within.
Picture his arms being stretched by the weight of His body hanging from the cross, causing slow, painful shoulder dislocation.
Feel
the
shortness
of
breath; Christ must push his weight up by his feet in order to exhale (to avoid asphyxiation). Each breath involves the body, raw and weary, being rubbed against the wooden cross.
And apart from the physical torment...the crowds mock Him as King of the Jews and many of his friends have already deserted Him.
He will soon undergo the most horrible torture of all; being forsaken by the Heavenly Father. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).
Our sin put Him there.
“One of our problems with [our] so-called refined sins is that we have become too comfortable with the whole concept of sin. Because we do sin so frequently we learn to coexist with it as long as it doesn’t get too out of control or scandalous. We forget, or perhaps we have never learned, how seriously God regards all sin.
“It is not the seriousness of the sin as we view it, but the infinite majesty and sovereignty of the God who gave the commands, that makes our sin a despising of God and His Word….Again, the seriousness of our sin is not simply measured by its consequences, but by the authority of the One who gives the command.”
Jerry Bridges, The Discipline of Grace, pages 35-37.
Thankfully, believers have the hope of Easter…. (I will conclude on Sunday!)
2 comments:
Good old Jerry knows what he is talking about, eh? I am amazed at our ease of co-existance with sin, especially when it comes to relationships with others. How interesting and relevant is the idea of looking at the "badness" of sin rather than the character of God, which gives the "badness" of sin it's only context. If we continually look at our own actions in relationship with others (as we often do), we forget that our sin affects our God, who is the very opposite of sin. We HAVE taken grace for granted and forgotten the B.C. era of the world.
Anne
Yes - the focus always, ALWAYS needs to remain on God for true perspective! No comparisons allowed except ourselves against God's standards...always keeping in mind the mercy we have in Christ!
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