I always thought that Jesus, in the garden of Gethsemane, when he was preparing to face death, dreaded the physical pain of the cross. But now I am not so sure ……
Think of the worst thing you have ever thought or done. Do you remember feeling shame? Guilt? Filthy? What if the whole world knew? You will never be innocent and clean. Have you hated yourself? Have you felt that there was no hope of reconciliation with God because you could not even accept yourself?
Now multiply that by the shame and guilt felt by all sinners through all the centuries. Think of all the rapes and murders and betrayals that have occurred. Hideous things hidden from all but God. All human selfishness. All human evil, collected together. The sins of Ivan the Terrible. The sins of Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Franco, Pol Pot.
Imagine if you had to carry the guilt and shame of ALL human sin, not just your own. Imagine paying the price of separation from a Holy God because the guilt of all of those sins were on your shoulders.
When the Lord Jesus Christ hung on the cross, and “became sin who knew no sin,” He must have felt all of the shame and guilt of all sins committed through all of time. No wonder, He said “My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” He was feeling the separation from His father because of all that sin, for He was no longer Holy in that moment, because He was loaded down with our guilt and taking the punishment for it, in our place. In my place!
I think that is what He was dreading. Yet if it were not for the sacrifice of my Lord Jesus Christ, my sin would now separate me from a holy God. I would be doomed but for the fact that Jesus was separated and punished in my place. Isaiah 53:5 says,
He was pierced for our transgressions;
He was crushed for our iniquities;
Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
And with his wounds we are healed
The Cross is where human sin met Divine love. The cost for our cleansing was extreme but holiness and sin can never mix. Our sin had to be dealt with and paid for. It was the only way we could have a relationship with our creator…the only way we could be in His presence, our sins covered by the blood of Jesus.
Am I thankful for Easter? Eternally so!!
Jesus is the ONLY way to know God. No one else shed divine blood FOR YOU. Seek Him and you will find the highest TREASURE in the universe!
