Following The Master

The day we remember that Jesus gave His life for us, the ultimate expression of God's Love...

It says in the Gospel of John that no one can see God. Of course, how could we possibly see the one who exists beyond the infinite universe – who created the infinite universe out of NOTHING? It is infinitely beyond our capabilities.

But Jesus, Jesus became one of us. Jesus we can know.

In Jesus God took on flesh and blood. In Jesus God is made visible. In Jesus we can come to know God. As it says in John,

And if Jesus made God visible, knowable for us – when He gave His life for us on the cross He made God's Love visible, knowable for us.

Jesus made God's Love real.

So today we contemplate the measure of that Love. We remember just what the price was that Jesus paid to set us free from the power of sin and death.

It is funny how it seems so much of the world would like to dismiss the idea of sin as just some sort of "God" thing. It is a "religion" thing, as if by dismissing the idea of God you can dismiss sin.

But here is the reality.

Whether you believe in God or not, you are going to die.

There is no dismissing that. We are all in the same boat... or the same sinking ship.

And why?

It is because of sin. Whether you believe it or not, that is just how it is. We are going to die because sin has separated us from the Source of Life. Because sin has entered into the world – as the story is told, when we first chose to disobey God in the Garden and chose to go our own way - we are all cursed. We come into the world separated from God.

And so now I got to thinking of Jesus, when He cried out from the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

I am wondering this. Since sin is what separates us from God, and Jesus knew no sin, when He was born He wasn't separated from God.

...until that moment on the cross.

At that moment he took on our sin – the one who knew no sin became sin, our sin, the sin of the world – and at the moment he became separated from God. It was at that moment that He cried out,

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!"

And then He suffered the death that sin brings.

And I am thinking that His cry is the cry we all would be crying right now if we truly comprehended our situation.

But of course, the wonder and glory of it all is that Good Friday is not the end of the story.

Jesus took on Sin and Death for us – and He conquered it!

The tomb is empty!

He is alive!

And as He joined with us in His death, so we will be joined with Him in His resurrection.

That is the GOOD NEWS!!

That is the Joy and Glory of Easter!