a picture of humanity

'Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane,

and he said to his disciples,

"sit here, while I go over there and pray."

And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee,

he began to be sorrowful and troubled.

Then he said to them,

"My soul is very sorrowful, even to death;

remain here, and watch with me."

And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying,

"My Father,

if it be possible,

let this cup pass from me;

nevertheless,

not as I will, but as you will." '

Matthew 26:36-39

Imagine...

a sinless man who dwelt among us,

ate with us, 

laughed with us,

cried for us.

Hands worn, feet calloused, face leathery from the hot African sun. 

A perfect man who never used His perfection as permission to condemn,

lived among us yet remained separate and unstained. 

Tempted in every way, yet victorious over sin and it's devastating pull.

A man who lived a life longing for heaven and the unhindered fellowship of His Father,

yet so passionate for the redemption of His creation that He willing gave it all

and remained obedient even to the point of death.

A divine being who possessed all the power of heaven

and yet, when it would benefit Him the most, 

left the legions of angels uncalled so He could suffer and die a sinner's death

so we wouldn't have to. 

Imagine it....

Just days before, He entered Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. 

Passover...a celebration in remembrance of how God spared His people from the angel of death. Death gripped Egypt and all the first born sons of the Egyptians were taken as God's message to Pharaoh that He was not a God to be reckoned with when it came to oppressing His people. Every home with the blood of an unblemished lamb spread across the door frame would be passed over... 

Definitely a celebration worth having.

Christ, the sinless man who came to redeem the earth, arrived among throngs of cheering people laying their cloaks and garments across the road so He could have an entrance fit for a king. 

Cheering and singing one day, 

sneering and accusing the next. 

Jesus knew what awaited Him. 

He dined with His twelve in the upper room. 

Broke the bread and told His men how it represented His beautiful broken body.

He poured the wine and explained that it was a symbol of the blood that would cover the sins of mankind: past, present and future. 

With the feast over, Judas in cooperation with the authorities, and only hours remaining,

Christ could bear it no more. 

He took friends with Him to a solitary place where on His face, He confessed His humanity.

Completely God yet completely human. 

Sorrow gripped His heart as the sin of the world hung in the balance

and began to weigh on the shoulders of the only One that could alleviate the oppression of it. 

He confessed His heartache of what awaited Him

but surrendered completely.

As you read on, 

He prayed this prayer three times in this short period. 

Anguish like that you or I will never know. 

Anguish no human had ever experienced 

or will ever again experience. 

Perfection meets condemnation,

holiness meets hatred,

redemption meets oppression. 

As He prayed, His friends slept.

As He suffered, His friends fled. 

Satan knew this was his last chance. 

He used nakedness to humiliate,

pain to weaken, 

desolation to discourage,

accusation to persuade the heart of our bleeding Savior to prove that He was indeed the Son of God.

"If you are the Son of God, then come down from there!" 

The words undoubtedly stung, and yet He recognized who the His enemy really was. 

It was not the foolish and deceived guards;

it was not the ignorant thief hanging beside Him,

it was Satan, the hater, devourer and destructor of all human kind

and Christ refused to allow any earthly trial to dissuade Him from crushing his enemy.

That is why He prayed for them...

"Father! Forgive them, for they know not what they do!" 

(Luke 23:34) 

He refused to surrender to the evil that surrounded Him, 

persuaded Him,

and challenged Him. 

He refused to take the easy way out even though it was available. 

The redemption of undeserving, unaware and ungrateful humans was at hand,

and no amount of suffering, 

abandonment,

or ignorant accusation 

was going to sway the heart of the Redeemer.

He was completely surrendered to His Heavenly Father

and completely committed to His creation.

He breathed His last,

committed His spirit into the hands of His Father, bowed His head and died. 

The earth shook. 

Humanity went dark as the Son of Man surrendered to death. 

For a time, it would appear that death had won.

How could good come out of something so awful, so undeserved, so hateful? 

That is the heart of God--what Satan intends for evil God will use for good. 

Keep reading...

the resurrection is coming. 

A resurrection so powerful that it not only defied human laws of life and death,

but defeated the power of sin and shame once and for all. 

A race that was held captive by works was now freed by grace. 

I pray that your heart will be drawn into the blood that was shed on your behalf this Easter. 

I pray that the pain of His unjust crucifixion would change you, 

grip you, 

break you. 

I pray that His resurrection would revive you, 

restore you

and give you the strength to continue on in this life

knowing that He loved you enough to redeem you from the sin that holds you.

Embrace this beautiful picture of humanity mingled with divinity.

Allow the Truth of God to set you free this Easter.

Peace. 

<><tce