The cross

We’ve been talking about the work of God in us, transforming us, perfecting us and making us more like Jesus. As Christians we can get so good at picking and choosing the parts of the Bible that we like but we skim over the parts we don’t like. Like they were written for someone else who is not us. Unfortunately, our Christian walk isn’t about what we like to do. Jesus modelled for us that a life lived for the glory of God is a life of sacrifice. It is a life of constantly and consistently setting aside what you would like to do and taking on what God wants to do.

Jesus didn’t want to go to the cross. He didn’t jump out of bed that morning like, “Yippee today is the day I have been waiting for!” Going to the cross was hard. The cross meant pain and suffering resulting in death. The cross…

Jesus, the miracle working Jesus, the same Jesus who spoke single sentences to storms, sick people and dead people alike and the situation changed immediately, prayed three times asking our heavenly Father, Papa God, if it was possible to avoid the cross (Matthew 26:36-46).

We read that part like it happened in 5 minutes but the bible tells us that Jesus went to pray, left the disciples and when He came back some translations say after an hour, He found them sleeping. That was not a 5 minute prayer and that happened 3 times. Jesus prayed hard for the situation to change and it didn’t. There are just some things in life that we have to trust God and go through with it.

Jesus was fully God, meaning He fully understood everything He would have to go through, physically, emotionally and spiritually on the cross, including separation from God. Imagine that. God who we know to be three in One. God who has existed since before time and exists out of time, stepped into time in human form. Not so He could rule and reign over us but so He could save us. For Him to be able to save us, He would have to be separated from Himself. Jesus could not be joined to a Holy God while He embodied sin. He had to be separated, shamed, beaten and crucified so you and I could be joined with God both now and in eternity.

Jesus was also fully human meaning He felt every emotion including stress, distress, anguish, grief to the point of sweating drops of blood. The cross was not easy, but Jesus submitted to the will of the Father, (Matthew 26:39;42). Jesus changed His perspective to see through the eyes of eternity. It is hard to take our eyes off ourselves when we are in a tough spot but Jesus models to us that it can be done (Hebrews 12:2). We submit to the will of the Father, we ask for perspective, and we trust that the end is going to be good because our God is good. There was no other way for us to be saved except by the shed blood of Jesus. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), so Jesus had to die for our sins so we could live.

The bible details every event about the crucifixion of our Jesus, not so we can look away from it and turn the page. But so we can take a moment to think about the price that was paid for us. The price that was paid for our forgiveness, for our reconciliation with Papa God, for our freedom from every type of bondage, for our healing, for our wholeness, for our peace, for our salvation and for our future in eternity.

Jesus was the perfect sacrifice. The Lamb that was slain to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29). His blood cleanses us, His blood protects us, His blood covers us but only if we are willing to come under the blood. Submit ourselves to the finished work of the cross. Just like the blood on the doorpost of every Israelite household on the night of Passover saved their first born sons from the angel of death, as children of God who are submitted under the blood, there are some things that need to pass over us. Sickness needs to pass over, torment from the enemy needs to pass over, depression needs to pass over, anxiety needs to pass over, demonic oppression needs to pass over because of the finished work of the cross.

I am tired of dealing with the same things year after year. This Easter, I am choosing to embrace the finished work of the cross so I can receive all that God has for me. The enemy doesn’t just hand over your freedom or your healing, you may have to fight for it but you fight knowing that it’s already yours. Jesus paid for it. Hand it over devil!

This Easter we choose not to skim over the crucifixion of Jesus, but we approach it knowing that Friday is just beginning, that is why it is a Good Friday. Sunday is coming. Victory is coming, resurrection is coming. But before the victory comes the fight; before the resurrection comes the death. We have a Saviour who is not afraid to fight for us. He may have gone into the grave a Lamb, but He came out a King.  Let’s give honour and glory and praise to our King for the finished work of the cross. He is worthy, He is holy, and He is good!

Love and blessings,

Melissa Tsingano