Many of those who haven’t asked Christ into their lives yet will still admit: historical evidence proves Jesus once lived on earth. They’ll agree he was a good man who taught wise principles to live by.
But even they might wonder: Why would God allow his Son to suffer such a cruel death at the hands of hateful men?
Welsh pastor and author Selwyn Hughes provided this insightful answer: what seemed to be the worst thing that could happen to Jesus—crucifixion—turned out to be the best thing for him [1].
That sounds ludicrous at first reading until we consider what Christ has enjoyed since returning to heaven, and what he’s looking forward to in the future–all because he fulfilled his mission at the cross.
As he suffered for us, Jesus kept in mind the joys set before him (Hebrews 12:2):
- Sitting in the ultimate place of honor in the universe, at the right hand of the Majesty on high (Hebrews 1:3b).
- Angels acclaiming him, saying, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth, wisdom and strength, honor, glory and praise” (Revelation 5:12).
- God appointing him to be head over everything for the good of the church (Ephesians 1:22 GNT).
- Being given authority and sovereign power that will last into eternity (Daniel 7:14).
- All kings bowing before him one day, and all nations serving him (Psalm 72:11 NLT).
- All nations and people of every language worshiping him (Daniel 7:14).
- Being given the name above every name (Philippians 2:9).
And why is that last fact significant? Jesus is the One and only Son of God, the only Redeemer and Savior, the only Christ and Anointed One of God. “His rank, his titles, his dignity, are above all others” [2].
Perhaps no one has explained the significance of Jesus’ name(s) more eloquently than theologian Charles Spurgeon:
Jesus’ name is “the sum total of all delights. It is the music with which the bells of heaven ring; a song in a word; an ocean for comprehension; although a drop for brevity, a matchless oratorio in two syllables; a gathering up of the hallelujahs of eternity in five letters” [3].
Charles Spurgeon
But Jesus doesn’t want to enjoy these accolades and privileges alone. Max Lucado wrote:
Jesus desires for us to be one with him, continually availing ourselves of all he has to offer.
Even more astonishing? Because of what Christ accomplished on the cross, we who’ve accepted Jesus into our lives get to share in his power and wealth, wisdom and strength, honor and glory!
For example:
- The immeasurable and surpassing greatness of God’s spiritual POWER is in us who believe (Ephesians 1:19 AMP).
- He supplies spiritual RICHES and blessings that cannot be fully understood or measured (Ephesians 3:8-9).
- Christ’s word with all its WISDOM lives within us so we can experience his joy (Colossians 3:16; John 15:10-11).
- We’re equipped for anything and equal to anything, through Christ who infuses us with inner STRENGTH (Philippians 4:13 AMP).
- As beloved children adopted into God’s family through Christ, we are precious in his sight (Isaiah 43:4). He’s crowned us with HONOR and GLORY (Psalm 8:5; Romans 2:10), including the honor of representing Jesus in this world, and the glory of his character at work within us [4].
On this eve of Good Friday, we’d do well to remember:
We can pick up our own cross, inspired by Jesus’ example, empowered by God’s Spirit within us, and encouraged by the glorious outcome yet to be [5].
The worst circumstances we might face will become God’s best in our lives too.
[1] Every Day Light, 285.
[2] Barnes’ Notes on the Bible at www.biblehub.org
[3] Morning by Morning, 41.
[4] See also 2 Corinthians 5:17, 20
[5] To “pick up our cross” means trusting in God even when suffering comes our way, putting aside our self-will and embracing God’s will instead.
Photo credits: http://www.freebibleimages.com; http://www.canva.com (2); http://www.quotefancy.com; http://www.canva.com; http://www.pexels.com.
Great post for Holy Week, Nancy! I loved your bullet points, memes, and pics. Praise Jesus and His awesome name! 🙂
Thank you Nancy. Indeed, praise Jesus for all his glorious attributes, revealed by his wonderful names! Happy Easter!
Thank you! Have a blessed Easter, too, Nancy!
This post brought me to tears of thankfulness. Especially the quote by Max Lucado. I hadn’t thought of Jesus’ sacrifice quite like that before.
It certainly caught my attention too, bringing new meaning to Christ’s words, the night of the Last Supper: “Greater love has no man than this than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13). Incredible.
P.S. Oops! Hit the reply button before adding, “Happy Easter, dear Cheri!”
inspirational post! love the Charles Spurgeon quote too
I do too, Jean. His prose so often sounds like poetry–beautiful, inspired, and insightful. I don’t know how many quotes of his are in my collection; you probably have a number of them also! Happy Easter, my friend!
Amen, and happy Easter, dear friend!
Thank you, Mitch, and a happy Easter to you and Trudy also!
That Spurgeon quote! Wow! Happy Easter Nancy!
Isn’t that a wonderful quote? The beauty of it almost brings me to tears! I pray you and your family enjoyed a happy Easter, Beth. We thrilled to a glorious church service yesterday!
Beautiful meditation. Thank you and Happy Easter!
Thank you, Dora. We did enjoy a happy Easter! I pray you did as well.
How true it has been for me. Some of the most difficult times in my life have been times when the presence of God was the strongest, and I grew the most in my spiritual walk. Happy Resurrection Day!
I’ve experienced the same, Barb! I pray you also enjoyed a glorious Resurrection Day! (I like that greeting very much!)
Oh, dear Nancy, this is such a wonderful reminder of the hope of the cross and why Jesus was so willing to subject Himself to such pain, suffering, and separation from His Father. I love that quote by Spurgeon! Thank you for keeping His grace and mercy before us, for reminding us that any cross we bear pales in comparison to all He’s done for us. Happy Resurrection Day dear friend.
Thank you, Dayle. Indeed, our hope in God’s grace and mercy offers a wealth of blessings in our lives. We do well to keep our focus on all the benefits he provides!
Nancy,
He is Lord and Lord and King of Kings! The world will know. In Christ, Gary
Gary Avants Forbear Productions * *garyavants66@gmail.com garyavants66@gmail.com
Amen, Gary!
Such a beautiful post, full of wisdom and enhanced by the lovely quote images you prepared!
Thank you, Michele! I’m so glad you found beauty here–praise God!
This was such a beautiful and inspiring post. I know I am reading it a bit late, but I am so glad I found it and read it today. Thank you!!!
And I’m so glad you found the post meaningful, Linda. Praise God!