WATCHWORD:
Jesus Dies on the Cross
45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
47 Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” 48 Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink. 49 The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.”
50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Matthew 27:45-50
Meditation:
Power of the Cross
We have just welcomed the baby Jesus, the child in the manger, into the world, into our lives. The music of the season all acclaim Him. Worship services proclaim Him. The traditions that we all entertain in our homes are polished and replayed, especially when children are present.
We are seemingly unaware of the Cross that hangs over the manger. We know about the cross, we wear a very nice one around our necks and, sometimes, we even displayed it to others. We sometimes hold that cross early in the morning as we read God’s word. But the reality of the true Cross is too awful for us to even consider. We do not want to know the full details of what God went through for us, not really.
It’s hard for us to understand that we are children of that infant in the manger. We are children of that baby brought to the temple on the eighth day for the circumcision rights. We are children of the 12-year-old standing in the midst of the teachers in the temple, and they are impressed. We are children of the young man being baptized by his cousin there on the Jordan, ready to be tested in the wilderness. We are children of this God-man, the healer, the life-giver, the calmer of storms, the giver of living water and the Word. You and I, in our belief, are children, adopted into His kingdom, forever.
Yes, we welcome the baby, there in the manger. We acknowledge the cross and we may even pick up his Word and read it, sometimes daily. Do we understand the fullness of all of those things? Do we understand that all of those things lead to Calvary Hill. All of those things lead to a bloody cross. It’s not that slick little thing you wear around your neck but a bloody, rough wooden cross. That is the site of the sacrifice.
How about you? How about me? Where is my cross? Yours? No, not that one, the other one. The one you can’t see but you know it’s there. The one that no one can see, but you can feel it. Will we step up to the line and we say I believe in You, Lord? I believe you are my Lord and my Savior. I believe that you died for me. I say it again, I believe that Your dying and my believing opens me to become your child, adopted into your kingdom. Forever.
I hear your words, Lord, but I’m not sure what they mean. You say to me: “If you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27). What does that mean, Lord? What does that mean? What is my own cross? I’m not sure, but I think it means that we need understand what Jesus did for us, and emulate Him. Our role is to die to our sinful selves, confessing to Him each day of our lives. That is our cross. As we progress through our Christian lives, following His will and the in submission to the Holy Spirit, we keep our focus on the Cross, that Cross, for we know that there is Power in the Cross of Christ. Amen.
Bible Reading Plan:
Take 20 minutes each day, following this plan, and read the Bible through in one year.
Here are the first seven days…
Wednesday: Ps. 1-2; Matt. 1-2.
Thursday: Ps. 3-5; Matt. 3-4.
Friday: Ps. 6-8; Matt. 5-6.
Saturday: Ps. 9-10; Matt. 7-8.
Sunday: Ps. 11-13; Matt. 9-10.
Monday: Ps. 14-15; Matt. 11-12.
Tuesday: Ps. 16-17; Matt. 13-14.
(From Allen Jackson Ministries. If you would like the full year plan, send your request to Stan Escott at bosworthescott@gmail.com or go to allenjackson.com and sign up.)
Take up Your Cross Daily Prayer:
Father, we thank you for sending your son Jesus to die for our sins on the cross at Calvary. Lord, help us follow in His footsteps and take up our crosses daily. Help us nail our flesh to that cross so that we can deny ourselves every day. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.
