Crux

by Desi Ash

Jesus lived a sinless life; He healed the sick, He spent time with the outcasts, He loved without judgment.

Jesus. Was. Perfect. There was no fault in Him and yet,

This perfect man died a gruesome death.

Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him (Matthew 26:67)

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face. (John 19:1-3)

The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. (Mark 15:16-20)

Jesus is degraded; He is mocked, spit on, slapped, and flogged. An image we don’t often picture when we think of Jesus.

 

Easter calls for us to remember this image. Remember the suffering Jesus had to endure. Remember the awful death He died.

 

And Easter calls for us to respond.

 

The Jew responded with telling Pilate to “Crucify him.” Pilate tried many times to get them to change their mind but their response stayed the same.

 

So the question remains …

 

How are you going to respond? How HAVE you responded in the past?

 

Often our response isn’t to the cringe-worthy image of the cross, but rather to the handsome looking rabbi teaching children on his knee.

 

And while that response is fine –it’s ok.  There is nothing wrong with going to church.  There is nothing wrong with being a nice person.  There is nothing wrong with responding to that image of Jesus.

 

But it neglects another side of Jesus all together.  And it begs us to ask the question, did Jesus die a cringe worthy death for us to just be nice people?

 

Is the cross about convincing us to be better or is about something else?

 

I think the cross is about so much more.  I think it’s about more than just being a good Christian … I think the cross is about sacrifice.

 

I think that through the cross Jesus is calling us to a life of sacrifice.  Asking us to be the Kingdom Worker He has called us to be.

 

And while there’s nothing wrong with being a “good Christian” I’m not sure it’s really helping us all that much; because the next generation is looking to us to see how we respond.

 

Your kids are watching. They have seen how you have responded to Easter in the past and they are waiting to see how you will respond to Easter this year.

 

This year as you respond to Easter, think about this…

            Would I be okay, if my kid responded the exact say way?

If not, than challenge your response. Not only is your relationship with God depending on it, your kid’s relationship with God is depending on it.