Readings for today: 2 Samuel 17, John 19:23-42, Psalms 119:129-152, Proverbs 16:12-13
“After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), "I thirst." A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, "It is finished," and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” (John 19:28-30)
Most of the time I struggle to give Jesus His due. Mainly because I know He is both God and man, I often assume the things He accomplished - all of which are way beyond me - somehow were “easy” for Him because of His divine nature. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Jesus stepped down out of heaven. He emptied Himself of His divine glory and power in order to become a human being. Everything He endured was hard. Everything He suffered was real. Judas’ betrayal hurt. Peter’s denial broke His heart. Every lash of the whip caused Him unbelievable pain. His trial and condemnation before those He came to save wounded Him deeply. I cannot fathom the pain He felt as He hung on the cross.
It took an unbelievable amount of courage for Jesus to face His death. It’s why He agonized over it in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was afraid. He was terrified of what awaited Him. He didn’t want to go through it. He begged the Father to change His fate. But in the end, He submitted. He surrendered. Someone once said, “Courage is fear that has said its prayers.” I believe Jesus embodied this truth. As He hung on the cross, He refused to numb the pain by accepting the sour wine the Romans offered. He wanted to stare death and evil in the face with a clear eye. He wanted to drink the cup of wrath to its dregs and exhaust the power of the enemy. He wanted Satan to know He never ran. Never shrank. Never stepped back from His fate. This is why we call the cross a victory. This is why we believe death was defeated. Because Jesus - full of pain and heartbreak, his body torn to shreds - took on the full measure of the world’s sin and cried out, “It is finished.”
I am in awe every time I sit and ponder what Jesus did on the cross. The death He died for me. How can it be? How can it be that God would die for me? Amazing love! Amazing grace! The courage it took for my Savior to suffer on my behalf! The bravery it took for Him to embrace His fate knowing what it would cost. The very idea that God would lay His life down for me in an act of extraordinary love! It is more than I can ever ask for or imagine. All I can do is fall on my face in worship. Fall on my knees before His throne. Give Him back all that I am and all that I have to use for His purposes in the world.
Readings for tomorrow: 2 Samuel 18:1-19:10, John 20:1-31, Psalms 119:153-176, Proverbs 16:14-15