When was the last time you contemplated the cross of Christ? We love to think about and glory in the resurrection of Jesus and all that it implies, but we are less comfortable thinking about the cross. Of course, there could have been no resurrection except for the cross. Our sanitized Sunday School versions of Christ’s death tend to hide the horrors of the crucifixion.
On top of the slow suffocation of hanging nailed to a tree, Jesus first suffered an intense and brutal beating at the hands of men trained to keep someone a breath away from their death. The horror of the beatings and crucifixion of Christ are but a shadow of the pain we cause our holy God every time we sin against Him.
Instead of turning away from the uncomfortable scene of the cross, we should often spend time lingering in the brutality of it. He did this for you and for me. The love that requires is unfathomable, yet Jesus did not consider the price too much to pay (John 15:13). The burden of the anxiety, stress, pain, and suffering were not too much to bear because of His love for us (Hebrews 12:1-2). Few of us would die for a friend. Fewer still would die for a stranger. To die a gruesome death for an entire world of strangers, even though you had done nothing wrong? Odds are, none of us would do that.
But Jesus did. Knowing full-well what lay before Him, Jesus didn’t flinch. He sacrificed His life for you and me. No one took the life of Jesus; He gave it away (John 10:17-18). Think of the pain He went through. Imagine the indignity He suffered. Jesus didn’t have to come, and He didn’t have to die. He could have left us to the consequences of our sin (Romans 6:23). Instead, He chose to give His life so that we might live (John 3:16; 1 John 4:9-10). Think about that the next time sin comes knocking at your door.
Knowing what He did for us, how can we choose momentary pleasures or selfish desires we know rip at the heart of God? How can we look at the cross one minute and indulge in sin the next? We are so wretched and weak that we refuse to deny ourselves the finite forbidden fruit when He offers infinite love, peace, and life (Hebrews 10:26-29; Romans 8:6). Every time we sin, we deny Jesus is Lord. It doesn’t matter how small or big we perceive the sin to be. Every sin denies Christ and mocks what He did on our behalf.
After everything Christ did for us, how dare we sin against Him? How dare we be so arrogant and smug as to disregard His sacrifice so we can indulge in the pleasures of this world (1 John 2:15-17)? God forbid. Easter has come. Our glorious Lord walked out of the grave proving death was no match for Him and through His blood making it no match for us (1 Corinthians 15:54-57).
Because of what Jesus did, we can have eternal life in Heaven (John 5:24). Death is not the final destination for those who choose Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:14; John 11:25-26). But that came at an incredible price. That price was the cross. Think about what He did for you and never live your life in a way that isn’t worthy of His pain (Philippians 1:27). He died for you. Go live for Him.