May 13, 2016

Jesus Leads The Way

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. -- Luke 23:34

As far as anniversaries go, it really isn’t a major one. And yet it changed so many lives forever.

One person made a decision. It was his to make, though no one else agreed with it. That set off a chain reaction of events and consequences that we will live with for the rest of our lives.

It wasn’t so much that the decision changed us all. It’s that the decision, and its aftermath, revealed hearts and desires and motives that had been carefully hidden from view. Once exposed, such things never go back into hiding. We are all different for that.

The events began a long, long time ago. It’s what happens when anger and resentment and jealousy aren’t dealt with and are instead allowed to fester and grow. It’s what happens in broken families who focus on pretending to be what they aren’t rather than trying to become what they desire.

It comes back to the hearts of the people involved. We’re all flawed. We’re humans after all. But lies and hatred are a lethal combination, one that can only be overcome with prayer.

The Pharisees hated Jesus. They felt threatened by Him. Certainly, Jesus knew who and what they were. So they rallied a crowd against Him and Jesus died an unimaginable death on the cross.

While people watched. What could possibly have been in the hearts of those who watched Jesus die? Certainly some of those who loved Him were there. His mother. John. Others.

But what about those who were part of the crowd? How could they join the frenzy? And how could they live with themselves afterwards? Even if they didn’t believe Jesus to be the Messiah, surely they understood that a good man shouldn’t die for the sins of others?

And, yet, He did. Jesus died for me and you. He died for us all so that whoever believes in Him, believes that He rose three days later and now sits at God’s right hand, will spend eternity with Him in heaven.

And you know what else this passage says? Jesus forgave them. As He suffered on that cross, Jesus forgave those who put Him there. How powerful! How magnificent! How could we ever not forgive our own to tormentors?

Life will never be the same. Forgiveness is hard. But Jesus lights the path and I follow Him. In the end, that’s really all that matters.

March 26, 2016

Hope Rises From Darkness

45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). -- Matthew 27:45-46

Hope is one of those elusive emotions. We hope life will be good. We hope things will turn around. We hope in many things.

Until the day we have no hope. We don’t think things will ever change. We believe we will always be sick or poor or alone. We are filled with darkness deep inside because we have no more hope.

Darkness fell over the earth that day. No one expected this, at least, no one who followed Jesus. They expected a conquering leader. A man who was God and thus could not die. And, yet, there He was hanging from a cross. Where was hope?

It’s what happens when our world shatters. It’s what happens when a once happy marriage lies in shambles or when a child falls into a drug addiction. It’s what we feel when our job is eliminated and we search for months and months to find any employment. It’s what lies deep inside when we bury someone we love way too early for death to have been a thought.

Hope. We become so lost in that great moment of sadness that we forget about hope. We forget that Sunday is coming. We forget that because of Jesus we do have tomorrow. He has not left us here as orphans but has created a path for us to go where He is.

And that changes everything.

We know that with God all things are possible. We are reminded that when we ask, if we believe, we will receive. We know that God wants good things for us. He reminds us that we can move mountains with our faith. Hope lives in Him.

Some days seem bleaker than the darkness that fell that day in Golgotha. Jesus cried out and as we read the words He quoted from Psalm 22 we ask the same of God. We feel lost, forsaken, and we cry out for an answer.

It comes on Sunday. His answer comes in an empty tomb. It is revealed in the garden and on the road to Emmaus. Jesus defeated death. Hope rose from the darkness. That is the priceless gift that awaits us -- on Sunday.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Jesus Forgave His Tormentors

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” -- Luke 23:34a

The crowd watched as Jesus suffered on the cross. The religious leaders laughed. The soldiers mocked him. Even one of the criminals hanging beside Jesus hurled insults at Him.

What did Jesus do? How did He retaliate? He asked God to forgive them because they didn’t realize what they were doing.

That is just such a powerful lesson and one we frequently move right on past. Yeah, we know we’re supposed to forgive. But we want to wait until the other person admits he’s wrong. We want to wait for a better day, when maybe it doesn’t hurt so much. We want to wait until that person deserves forgiveness. We want to wait until we feel like it.

Jesus didn’t. While they were still tormenting Him, while He hung in pain and agony, Jesus forgave them. Did they admit they were wrong? No. Did He wait until He arose from the grave? No. Did they deserve it? No. Jesus forgave first -- and so must we.

It’s rarely easy. It’s especially hard when the other person refuses to admit the wrong he’s done. It’s even harder when the wrong continues -- again and again and again. How much must we take? How many times must we forgive? However many times it takes.

Do you realize that we were part of that crowd that stood around Jesus that day? We might not have been there in bodily form but we were there just the same. We are the remnants from that day, the sinners who inhabit the earth. Jesus didn’t just forgive His tormentors. He forgave all sinners who cry out to Him in faith and repentance.

Somehow we know intellectually that Jesus died to take our sins upon Himself. We understand that. But we rarely think of ourselves as part of that disbelieving crowd. It is easier, no doubt, because we live on this side of Calvary. But had we lived in Jerusalem that day, would we have reacted any differently?

And, yet, Jesus forgave us. We are free to take our sins, our mistakes, our regrets, and place them at the foot of the cross. We can hear Jesus say those powerful words of forgiveness and know that, indeed, we are forgiven.

As we walk away, we are to remember that our forgiveness came at great cost. God’s Son died for my sins and for your sins. Just as He died for the sins of the person who has wronged you. Forgiveness is rarely easy. But it is necessary because it’s what Jesus taught us to do.