The Man On The Middle Cross!

Last night we watched The Greatest Story Ever Told. While we were watching Rodney made a comment that resonated with me. He said, "This doesn't follow the scriptures word for word but it does seem to catch Jesus the way He really must have been better than some of these kinds of movies."

Then this morning I hear a preacher talking about the thief on the cross and what might have happened as he approached heaven's gates. He said He might not have understood who Christ was until the very end, but he did know this...."The Man on the middle cross said I could come here".

We in our denominations have rules, regulations, certain procedures that we require for church membership and so many other small things that can keep people from becoming part of our group, if they don't conform. As a result they often don't. We can't understand why everyone won't just fit into the pattern we have set for them. I understand this because I grew up in a denomination that was exactly like this. If you didn't follow the path they laid out you could not even take communion at our church.

I wonder what Christ thinks of this? All He required from the thief was that he understood that He, Christ, had done nothing wrong and was suffering and hanging there for us. He didn't demand baptism, he didn't ask for a tithe, he didn't ask him to speak a certain way. I am sure that the thief wasn't even dressed on the cross so Christ certainly wasn't concerned with what he was wearing.

These scriptures tell us the only thing that is required of us....

John 3:14-18

The Message (MSG)

15, it is necessary for the Son of Man to be lifted up—and everyone who looks up to him, trusting and expectant, will gain a real life, eternal life.

16-18 “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. 

As we all work to make our churches more and more desirable for our neighbors we need to live the message of Jesus. Compassion, tenderness, acceptance and above all love. We also must make sure others understand Christ's sacrifice as well. We need to let any and all come, however they come. Just as Rodney says every Sunday..."God loves you just the way you are". Everyone who crosses our doorways should never feel anything but that message.

When this comes hard for us, at times, we ourselves need to remember that God loves us just the way we are too. We make mistakes, like anyone. But we only need to love and believe in the message of Christ as well.

Let's not forget, Christ, the man on the middle cross, lived His life showing, with His very being, this most powerful message.

May the gift of Easter change your life, your church and your neighborhood!!

Blessings!

Thursday into Friday

It is so nice to be getting back to the real world after going through another knee replacement surgery. You would have thought that I would have been writing blogs like crazy while I was down but for some reason I had a little writers block. But now I am starting to feel like myself again and can't wait to feel inspired again.

Last night we had a wonderful Maundy Thursday service. This is the celebration of the night Jesus and his disciples had their last supper together. As we exited the sanctuary we left in silence, thinking of the sacrifice Jesus was about to give for us those 2000 years ago. This morning as I am sitting here thinking of His sacrifice I can't even imagine the pain and agony our Jesus went through that night and on into Friday. We call this day Good Friday, and for us this day means so much for our eternity, but for Jesus, I'm sure it felt like an eternity all in one day.

Matthew 26:67

New International Version (NIV)

67 Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him 68 and said, “Prophesy to us, Messiah. Who hit you?”

Matthew 27:26-37

26 Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

The Soldiers Mock Jesus

27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then thy knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said.30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. 31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

The Crucifixion of Jesus

32 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. 33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”).34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 36 And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. 37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews.

The scriptures give us a picture of what Christ suffered. Flogging seems pretty tame, when compared to the crucifixion, which was horrible in itself. But in reality Jesus suffered so much even before the climb up to Calvary.

"The whip :            
             The flagrum was a whip with a short handle and generally two or three long thick thongs, each weighted at some distance from their extremity with lead balls or mutton bones. In action, the thongs cut the skin, while the balls or bones created deep contusions. The result was significant hemorrhaging and considerable weakening of the vital resistance of the victim. In compensation, if one may call it that, this weakening shortened their agony on the cross

Number of lashes :            
             Hebrew law was strict on this, limiting it to 40. The Pharisees, in order to make sure that they never broke the law, gave only 39 lashes. The Romans had no limit, except for the fact that the victims should be left with just enough strength to carry their crosses to the place of execution. As the man who condemned Jesus to be flogged was Pilate, the Roman Proconsul, the number of lashes could be unlimited. The Gospels report that Jesus could not carry his cross without calling to an onlooker for help. This suggests a very severe beating".


I know this is hard to read and even harder to think about. Jesus suffered so much! But His love for us was and is bigger than we can even imagine. He gave Himself over for all of this so that we could have a glorious future. 

Yes this day is sad to think about but just wait......

Joy is coming!!!!


Blessings!