Despised & rejected by men,
Forsaken, mocked & crucified,
Emmanuel (God with us)
Was put to death.
“Father, forgive them,
For they know not
What they do.”
“It is finished.”
The way, the truth
And the life
Opened the door
For forgiveness, healing,
And relationship with the Father,
To whoever will
Draw near to Him.
The theology of the Cross shows the severity of my sin. The theater of the Cross astonishes me with Christ’s sacrifice for me. The Cross reveals the terrible depth of sin in human hearts and the incalculable cost of redemption and freedom from sin’s power.
Jesus took upon Himself the sins of all humans, to be the world’s Passover Lamb. His blood, applied by faith, sets people free.
The Cross declares all people equal — sunk in sin unless surrendered to Christ’s supernatural redemption. The gap between God and me is so great, that the cross is the only thing that can get me across it.
Sometimes I’m Cross-eyed. My heart looks at and ponders the humility, love, forgiveness, and power of Christ’s sacrificial death. The Cross-fire burns in my heart — that Jesus would die to save me from my sins and make a way for me to know Him & follow Him.
When we think about the Cross, we tend to forget that Jesus told His followers to take up their cross and follow Him. The Cross shouts out the power of sacrificial non-violence. Jesus loved His enemies, even as they killed Him, and changed the world.
There’s little power in mere critical analysis of the Cross. However, there is great and supernatural power in beholding the Lamb of God dying on it.
