Jesus said: The time has come for the Son of Man to be given his glory. I tell you for certain that a grain of wheat that falls on the ground will never be more than one grain unless it dies. But if it dies, it will produce lots of wheat. If you love your life, you will lose it. If you give it up in this world, you will be given eternal life. If you serve me, you must go with me. My servants will be with me wherever I am. If you serve me, my Father will honor you.
Now I am deeply troubled, and I don’t know what to say. But I must not ask my Father to keep me from this time of suffering. In fact, I came into the world to suffer. So Father, bring glory to yourself.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
One of my all-time favorite hymns is “All Glory Laud and Honor”. When our congregation sang this as our “first hymn” on Palm Sunday, I was filled with joy. The little children of our church paraded up and down the aisles waving palm fronds as we sang,
“All glory, laud, and honor to thee, Redeemer, King!This was a moment filled with reverence, jubilation, and mixed emotions. We all know how the “Holy Week story” ends…but we also know what had to happen to get to Easter Sunday. We celebrate Jesus as our Redeemer King… we sing sweet hosannas…but we know what’s coming. They don’t call it “The Sunday of Passion” for nothing!
to whom the lips of children made sweet hosannas ring.”
As our pastor reminded us that the same people who heralded Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday - and celebrated Him as their King - were the same ones who just a few days later cried out for His crucifixion. He also noted that you cannot get from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday without considering the cross.
So we will consider the cross for a few days. We will look at Jesus…God’s Son in human form who knew every single lash of the whip that would befall Him. He knew every person who would betray or deny Him…every agonizing thrust of the hammer as steel spikes were driven into His hands and feet. He knew each second of agony that lay ahead of Him…and He openly admitted that He was “deeply troubled”. Who wouldn’t be? Who among us could bear this? If someone described this suffering to you today and told you that this was in store for you this week, wouldn’t you do everything in your power to prevent it? Wouldn’t you beg, plead and bargain with God…promise ANYTHING to avoid such torture?
Now let me ask you this…suppose you could save your child by sacrificing your life in this manner. What if it boiled down to you…or that child? What if your agony and brutalization could save countless generations and offer them Eternal Life? Many of us would say, “Sure…for this reason, we would do it!” But if we are honest, I bet when the beatings started…when our backs were torn open and our heads were pierced with a crown of thorns…when we were handed an incredibly heavy wooden cross and told to carry it up a steep hill after our body had been mutilated…we would say, “Hold on…I can’t do this.” A few of us might even make it to Calvary. But when the spikes were placed on our wrists…when someone pulled our feet together, held a metal spear above them and raised the hammer, we would surely say, “Wait! Stop!”
If we possessed the supernatural powers of Jesus, surely we would command these people to halt such atrocities…to loosen the ropes, put away the whips and spears, remove our naked body from the cross and cover us in soft robes. But we’re not Jesus. We do not have His capacity for love and perseverance. We want to spend Eternity with Him…but few among us would be willing to suffer even a small portion of what He endured - regardless of the purpose. We want the happy, joy-filled, palm-frond-saluted Jesus who rode into Jerusalem to the applause and cheers of an adoring crowd. We do not want to consider the mutilated Savior who hung from a cross. But we must.
Somewhere in between the palm fronds and the Easter bunny, chocolate eggs and new outfits, we must stop to remember what happened in the days from that joy-filled Sunday to Resurrection Day. If we focus only on the “pretty” parts…we miss the message. Jesus came into the world to suffer…for you, for me – for all who would believe in Him. Don’t rush this Holy week! Study every facet…the good, bad and the ugly. Before we can celebrate the resurrection, we must consider the cross.
Father, today we thank You for Jesus. We thank You for loving us in our sinful, unlovable state…loving us enough to be willing to suffer at the hands of mere mortals who did not know You – did not understand Your love, grace, mercy, compassion and forgiveness. They did not understand about Eternal Life…and most certainly they could not comprehend the love of one Man for all mankind. Help us to focus on the cross this week…to remind ourselves just how profoundly Jesus loves each one of us. Make us uncomfortable as we ponder His suffering on our behalf. Humble us as we reflect on His passion and steadfast devotion. Forgive us for our weaknesses…and our ungratefulness. Make this a week when we renew our commitment…a time when we consider the cross and fully embrace Christ’s amazing love for each of us. Amen.©2014 Debbie Robus
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