In a few weeks we will be celebrating Easter and a common song that is sung at this time of year is “the Wonderful Cross” with added lyrics by Chris Tomlin. That song begins with the line the “wonderful cross on which the Prince of glory died…” From a human perspective you can understand why nonbelievers consider us nuts and fools. Who would come up with such a story!!?
Picture it – God Himself comes down from heaven to become a man and lives among His people for 33 years (that’s really not that long), does many amazing miracles (but only a few compared to how many He could have done), has amazing teaching but then He dies an absolutely horrific death to be raised to life 3 days later. If we read something like that in a novel we’d roll our eyes at it – yeah right.
The cross itself is scandalous and foolish. What kind of a God dies for man? What kind of a man claims to be God? What kind of a God becomes a baby? What kind of Creator takes abuse from His creation? What kind of a man has the power over everything at His fingertips but only uses it when He’s told and to do what He’s told? What kind of a man can raise someone from the dead, control the wind and wave with a mere word, feed thousands on a few loaves of bread, give sight to the blind but then allow Himself to be brutally beaten and nailed to a cross?
From the beginning to the end the story of Jesus is fraught with problems and difficulties. Unless…. it is true. Only God could come up with a plan like this. Only God could carry it out. Only God could be a man so perfect and holy. Only God could bring life out of death, hope out of hopeless-ness, give meaning where there is none, and a future to those who are dammed.
May we live not only on Easter but each day in honor of the One True God, the One who removed the sting of death, the eternality of the grave, who took judgment and punishment for our sins upon Himself, in honor of the Son who died upon that cross to the glory of His Father in heaven.