“No pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown,” observed William Penn. The founder of Pennsylvania well understood that the marvelous resurrection of Jesus Christ cannot be separated from the cruel cross of Calvary.
“No pain, no
palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown,” observed
William Penn. The founder of Pennsylvania well
understood that the marvelous resurrection of Jesus Christ cannot be separated
from the cruel cross of Calvary.
At Easter
celebrations, Christians around the world revel in the reality that Jesus was
raised from the dead. And rightfully so, since the Apostle Paul made it clear
that if “Christ has not been raised, your faith is useless; you are still in
your sins.”
If Jesus had
remained dead, if His tomb were still occupied, then He would be like so many
other religious figures of history. His teachings would be considered
insightful and His wisdom might help us cope with life, but, at best, Jesus
would be nothing more than just another self-help guru.
The resurrection
is the exclamation point that validates and positively proves that Jesus was
exactly who He claimed to be. He was – He is – the Way, the Truth and the Life
and no man, no woman, no teenager, no boy and no girl can come to the Father
except by Him.
“The resurrection
is not merely important to the historic Christian faith; without it, there
would be no Christianity,” once proclaimed Adrian Rogers. The long-time pastor
of BellevueBaptistChurch
and Southern Baptist leader added, “It is the singular doctrine that elevates
Christianity above all other world religions.”
There is no doubt
that the resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the cornerstone of
Christianity. However, we must be careful that in our zeal to celebrate
Christ’s triumph over the grave we emphasize the empty tomb to the exclusion of
the cross.
In order for a
resurrection to even be a possibility, a death must occur. And for Jesus, it
was death on a rough and rugged cross.
At Easter, it is
only right that we bask in the glory of the empty tomb. However, we should do
so only after we have contemplated the Savior’s death.
We should take
the time to ponder again the suffering reality of Christ’s Passion. Read the
Gospel accounts, but do so slowly. Let the pain and humiliation experienced by
Jesus sink deep into your soul. And know that is was for you that he gave his
life.
“When I survey
the wondrous cross, on which the Prince of Glory died,” wrote famed hymn writer
Isaac Watts, “my richest gain I count but loss and pour contempt on all my
pride.”
In the cross I
see God’s love for me, a most wretched sinner. However, it is in the same cross
I see the Lord’s utter contempt for sin.
“Jesus loves me
this I know, for the Bible tells me so,” the beloved children’s’ song begins.
And the most compelling “telling” of God’s love for me is conveyed when I read
about Christ’s suffering and sacrifice as He encountered the cross.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus intensely wrestled
with the reality of the cross that loomed in His future. As blood seeped
through His sweat glands, the Lamb of God declared that He would embrace God’s
plan of salvation.
After Jesus was
taken into custody by the authorities, He was mocked and humiliated for hours
on end. Verbal abuse eventually gave way to physical assault as the whining
whips of a scourge ripped the flesh of His back.
After an
oppressive trek through the streets of Jerusalem,
God’s Only Begotten Son came face to face with His destiny – a cross. With
Roman efficiency, soldiers fastened Him to the cruel instrument of death with
sharp spikes.
And there, in a
matter of hours, Jesus died.
“See, from his
head, his hands, his feet, sorrow and love flow mingled down,” Did e’er such
love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown,” Watts
wrote.
Surveying the
wondrous cross, I see God’s love for me, a wretched sinner. At the same time, I
also see God’s contempt for sin.
A variety of
words are used in the Bible to describe sin. However, simply put, sin is
embracing the very thing that God forbids and rejecting that which He desires.
And I am guilty.
I was born with
rebel blood flowing through my veins and with a nature that was bent toward
sin. When able to choose, I joined the ranks of sinners down through the ages.
I rebelled against God.
I am a sinner of
the first order, and there is nothing that I can do about it..
Sin is a serious
matter to God. He hates it and His holiness demands that He punish it.
Through the
cross, the Lord, once and for all, dealt with my sin.
“My sin, oh, the
bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole, Is nailed to
the cross, and I bear it no more,” wrote hymn writer Horatio G. Spafford.
“Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!”
God hates sin so
much, He allowed His son to pay the ultimate price, so I could be forgiven and
set free.
“All heaven is
interested in the cross of Christ, all hell terribly afraid of it, while men
are the only beings who more or less ignore its meaning, “ wrote minster and
teacher Oswald Chambers.
This Easter,
celebrate the empty tomb only after you have contemplated “the old rugged
cross.”