The Power of the Cross

Posted on by korgrocker

“For Christ didn’t send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News—and not with clever speech, for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power. The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.”
1 Corinthians 1:17-18 NLT

Crucifixion was a terrible way to execute someone. To nail or tie someone to a wooden structure, and leave them there until they die is an offence to us Western peoples. The cruelty of such an act exposes the darkest and most evil side of human beings, and is the opposite of God’s message of love and forgiveness. Yet for many years around the time of Christ it was a common form of execution. However, because of Christ and His death on the cross, the meaning of the cross today is completely different. 

The Jewish Passover was a festival commemorating the time when the angel of death “passed over” the homes of the Israelite slaves in Egypt, homes identified by the smearing of a lamb’s blood over the doorposts and lintels of the house. The process was set out in Exodus 12 and we read that the lamb chosen was to be a one-year-old male with no defects. But as we turn to John’s Gospel, we hear John the Baptist’s announcement, recorded in John 1:29, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”” God’s plan was to provide His Son, Jesus, to be the sacrificial lamb, ensuring that the sprinkling of His blood (in a spiritual sense) would ensure that God’s judgement “passed over” the ones who believed in Jesus and who have looked to Him as their Saviour from the wrath to come. We pilgrims know and understand that it is only through Jesus that redemption can be found, and He went through the pain and humiliation of death on a cross to make that happen. 

So the message of the cross is a powerful spiritual declaration, saying once and for all time that there is a way back to God regardless of the devil’s protestations and plans. The Cross of Christ “is the very power of God”, but ignored and even ridiculed by those who fail to understand its message. Firstly, through Jesus’ death on the Cross came the power of God to forgive us from our sins. Words of Paul from 1 Corinthians 15:3, “I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said“. Secondly, through the Cross we are reconciled to God. Paul again from 2 Corinthians 5:19, “For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation”. And it is worth noting that we pilgrims are on a mission to share the power of the Cross with those around us, in the hope and expectation that they too will be reconciled to God. 

Thirdly, it is through the power of the Cross that we are renewed. As the power of sin and death is broken, we are filled with the Holy Spirit, who enables us to live lives marked by love, joy, and peace. This renewal isn’t merely superficial but penetrates the core of our being and leads to a transformation of character and a renewed purpose. But there is more. A fourth benefit for us believers is through healing. Peter wrote in his first letter, “He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed” (1 Peter 2:24). While this doesn’t mean that God will fulfil every request for healing, it does mean that we can have confidence when we approach God in faith to request healing. This is because we are simply asking for what Jesus has already purchased for us. 

The power of the Cross brings the promise of eternal life. John 3:14-15, “And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life“. We know the story of the bronze snake from Numbers 21. The Israelites were grumbling about their food, which they called manna, and we read what happened. “So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died” (Numbers 21:6). And then a couple of verses further on we read, “Then the Lord told [Moses], “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!” So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole. Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed!”. That bronze pole and snake were a type of what was to come when the Son of Man, Christ Himself, was lifted up on the Cross, providing the power for people to live, with a life that is eternal. 

As believers we have a responsibility and a calling, as Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20, “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me“. Romans 6:6-8, “We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him“. From Matthew 16:24-25 we read the words of Jesus Himself, “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it”. We pilgrims identify with Christ’s Cross, because it was there we left, nailed in place, our pre-redeemed selves. The problem of course for many believers is that they constantly return to the Cross and take down their old selves, returning again to their old way of life. But that’s another story.

We could go on. The very loving act of Jesus who willingly died a horrible death so that we could live with Him forever, is an act of love never before seen in this world. Quote from C S Lewis, “The Son of Man became a man to enable men to become sons of God“. We will be eternally grateful for Jesus and the Power of the Cross. And His shed blood will keep on pouring, a fountain of redemption available until the end of time. What a privilege we pilgrims have in knowing what we know. And we share our knowledge with others at every opportunity because there is no limit to the numbers of believers that can be accommodated in Heaven. 

Dear Father God. We love you and worship You, bewildered by Your grace and love, but eternally grateful for all You have done for us. Thank You. Amen.

The Crucifixion

Posted on by korgrocker

“My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs; an evil gang closes in on me. They have pierced my hands and feet. I can count all my bones. My enemies stare at me and gloat. They divide my garments among themselves and throw dice for my clothing.”
Psalm 22:16-18 NLT

David’s prophetic image of crucifixion is incredibly accurate. The piercing of hands and feet, the shame of the nakedness, and the disposal of the poor person’s clothes all featured later in the graphic details of Jesus’ crucifixion that we can read in the Gospels. David wrote this Psalm in the first person, as though it was him who was experiencing the trauma of an extremely painful death. But how did David know about crucifixion many years before it was used as a heinously cruel act of execution? In common with many Old Testament prophecies, such a revelation could only have been provided by the Holy Spirit. God sees the end from the beginning and there were many occasions in the Bible when He chose to share what was coming with particular men and women who were part of His story of interaction with His loved creation, human beings. 

After the Resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples, probably scaring them half to death, because crucified, graveyard-dead, men don’t reappear alive and well, as a general rule. We know that His hands and feet were pierced by the Roman nails because scars remained, and it was these that Jesus showed His disciples, just so that they knew he was the same Man. Luke 24:38-40, ““Why are you frightened?” he asked. “Why are your hearts filled with doubt? Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.” As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet“. Don’t forget that these men, Jesus’ disciples, were men of the world in their day. Some were fishermen, a profession not known for personal sensitivity and atmospheric and intellectual thinking, and they would need some convincing that Jesus was indeed back from the dead. But they were still struggling to make sense of what they were seeing, because the next verse in Luke reads, “Still they stood there in disbelief, filled with joy and wonder. Then he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?”” Jesus ate a piece of fish in their presence, finally convincing them that He was indeed alive. Ghosts don’t sit down to a fish supper! Jesus was the same Man but with a resurrected body that could pass through walls and travel distances instantly. God showed David the start of the journey from the Cross to the empty tomb, knowing that this was enough to help countless people understand why Jesus had to die. 

Another part of David’s prophecy involved Jesus’ clothes. Right on cue, we read in Luke 23:34, “Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice”. In John’s Gospel we read a few more details of what actually happened, “When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided his clothes among the four of them. They also took his robe, but it was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. So they said, “Rather than tearing it apart, let’s throw dice for it.” This fulfilled the Scripture that says, “They divided my garments among themselves and threw dice for my clothing.” So that is what they did” (John 19:23-24). Again, how did David know this would happen unless God Himself had told him? Incredible details that must convince even the most cynical sceptic about Jesus and what happened that first Easter weekend.

Jesus just borrowed Joseph’s tomb for a weekend. It was soon vacated, and the next phase of history commenced. Within a few years the birth of Christianity took place, first in Jerusalem, and then, spreading rapidly, it exploded with Good News into the lives of men and women all over the civilised parts of the world. We pilgrims have heard the message and have put our trust in Jesus. Factually the Crucifixion happened – there is enough hard evidence to convince a court of law even all these years later. But that is not why we believe in Jesus. We have put our faith in the Man who came to this world, leaving the comfort of Heavenly eternity, just to save us from the consequences of our sins. Good News indeed. The Gospel has spread largely by the Holy-Spirit-empowered testimonies of God’s people, and we are part of that process today. We too tell everyone who we know about Jesus, about His love, His grace, His sinless sacrifice, His death and resurrection, and, above all, His invitation to spend eternity with Him. Daily we look for an opportunity to share our faith, and in the process bring ever closer that day when Jesus returns. We express our praise and worship and shout out our hallelujah’s whenever we can, because what else can we do? We give God all the glory and will do forever and ever.

Dear Lord Jesus. We proclaim our love and thanks to You today. Easter Sunday we remember every day, because You are alive and well, and live in our hearts through Your Spirit. Thank You Lord. Amen.

Capital Punishment

Posted on by korgrocker

“My life is poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, melting within me. My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead.”
Psalm 22:14-15 NLT

The picture of a crucified man continues in this extraordinarily prophetic Psalm. The last moments of a man suffering a cruel and painful death are graphically described, and medical research since has confirmed the evidence that David wrote about. But people like us pilgrims, in our comparatively comfortable lives, have no idea what Jesus really went through, moment by moment. We see films that mock up an actual crucifixion and the more sensitive amongst us recoil in horror, leaving us with memories that will never fade. In David’s day, the use of crucifixion as a method of capital punishment was unknown, as the Jews considered anyone hanging on a tree as cursed. The Jews preferred stoning as a way for executing criminals. In Deuteronomy and Leviticus there are various violations of the Law that required execution, for example, Leviticus 24:16, “Anyone who blasphemes the Name of the Lord must be stoned to death by the whole community of Israel. Any native-born Israelite or foreigner among you who blasphemes the Name of the Lord must be put to death“. And in the New Testament there is the story of Stephen, stoned for what the religious authorities decided was blasphemy. In response to Stephen’s final claim to see Jesus standing at the right hand side of God as he looked to Heaven, we read, “Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died”. 

There is no consensus, official or otherwise, amongst Christians about capital punishment. In the UK the last executions took place in 1964, although it was 1998 before the use of this “punishment” was removed from the statute book. But that still doesn’t solve the issue of how society must deal with capital offences, those such as murder. The Old Testament promotes the “eye for an eye” response but the New Testament is silent about how certain crimes must be punished, instead leaving it up to the civil authorities to decide. If anything, the fact that Jesus was prepared to be executed as a punishment for the sins of the world, should perhaps have drawn a line underneath further state-sponsored executions. But societies today demand justice in response to crime, especially in matching the punishment to the severity of the misdemeanour. Loss of liberty seems to be the only option available these days but many victims complain that this is not enough of a punishment to compensate them for the loss of a loved one, for example. So, the arguments for and against capital punishment continue unabated.

We pilgrims live, we believe, in a moral universe. By that I mean that the scales of justice will be balanced one day, even if a crime is undetected in this life. Jesus came to this Planet to forgive the sins of those who believed in Him and accepted His offer of a free gift of salvation. But all those who have turned down this offer, those considered criminals by our societies or not, will still have to face the consequences of their sins. Jesus put His finger on the issue of criminality with teaching from the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5:21-22, “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell“. Sober reading, because who has never felt anger welling up within them, anger against someone that builds in their thoughts and minds, imagining various graphic details of particular types of punishment? Jesus even ventured into the minefield of sexual relationships, when He said, “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28). In God’s eyes, even our thoughts are sinful and can lead to judgement one day.

In the life to come, at the Judgement Seat of God, a scenario might turn the desired justice on its head. The penitent thief on the cross next the Jesus was forgiven as he breathed his dying breaths, and Jesus informed him that he would join Him in Paradise that day. But all those people that he stole from who may not have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour would have found themselves with different views. Many would claim that letting the thief off the consequences of his stealing would be grossly unfair, but there is nothing fair in worldly terms in the Kingdom of God. Through God’s grace and love He will forgive all sins, confessed by mankind. But that is not to say that punishments in this life will be prevented by our repentance. A murderer incarcerated for life because of his crime will still have to serve his sentence even if God has indeed forgiven him. Whether a sin is against society or God, we remember that all have sinned. No exclusions. Not even those who claim that they are “good people”.

But we God-fearing pilgrims have much to be thankful for. Although we are not immune from sinful thoughts, we do have a wonderful Heavenly Father who forgives our sins through His Son Jesus. John wrote, “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts” (1 John 1:8-10). So we keep short accounts with God. Paul wrote, “Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). We are on a journey to Heaven and we pray that God will clean us up from all unrighteousness. It’s hard sometimes to live life God’s way, but through His love and grace we won’t have to face into the terror of the final judgement. There, many will find a final outcome that makes today’s capital punishment look insignificant.

Father God. We pray for Your guidance when it comes to matters of civil laws and punishments, but through our faith in You we know that one day all will be put right. Thank You for Your love and grace. Amen.

The Bulls of Bashan

Posted on by korgrocker

“Do not stay so far from me, for trouble is near, and no one else can help me. My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls; fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in! Like lions they open their jaws against me, roaring and tearing into their prey.”
Psalm 22:11-13 NLT

I don’t know if any of my fellow pilgrims have experienced the fear that can ensue if surrounded by cattle. David knew all about it and he went so far as to compare his enemies with a “herd of bulls”surrounding him and hemming him in. Bashan was an area in Canaan that was conquered by the Israelites – we can read a bit about it in Deuteronomy 3:3-4, “So the Lord our God handed King Og and all his people over to us, and we killed them all. Not a single person survived. We conquered all sixty of his towns—the entire Argob region in his kingdom of Bashan. Not a single town escaped our conquest“. Bashan was an area famous at that time for its breeds of cattle, particularly their quality and size, so it would have indeed been a scary situation for David. But David obviously escaped his bullish enemies so what was going on? 

Throughout his reign and before, David experienced problems, both from his own countrymen but also from the nations around him. Worthy of note were the Philistines, but there were others. And in Psalm 22 David was facing into a situation from which there appeared to be no escape. So he called out to God – “Do not stay so far from me, for trouble is near, and no one else can help me”. A succinct statement and to the point. David knew that it was only God who could save him. He knew that he could trust in God, because time and again God had come through for him, bringing relief in seemingly unwinnable situations and saving David from disaster and even death. After all, who would have thought a young, fresh-faced shepherd boy, armed with a sling, could defeat the Philistines’ champion warrior? That had to be God, surely.

But back to our own experiences. It is indeed a scary place trapped by a herd of cows. I can remember an occasion when I was stopped on a single track country road by several cows with their offspring; they had escaped from a field somewhere. They were just ambling along the road munching their way through the grass verges, and preventing vehicles from passing. In the end, I seized an opportunity at a road junction leading to a farm track and I jumped out and started waving my arms and shouting, hoping that they would be scared off up the farm track. Most of them obliged but there were two heifers remaining that started to eye me a bit aggressively and I wondered if I could get back to the car before they caught me. Up close cows are strong and heavy, and they can run! But fortunately they decided to follow the rest of the herd and disaster didn’t materialise. But David’s problem was in a different league, with large bulls surrounding him. There is a big difference between a cow and a bull.

Psalm 22 is a Messianic Psalm, which Jesus quoted from when He was being crucified. It is a sobering thought that while he was helpless and pinned to a cross, people were passing by, making comments and shouting insults. Would we have done that? Of course not, we think, until we remember that it was sin that put Him there on that cross, and through our sin we were there too by implication. And we remember that when we sin we once again join the mob shouting for His crucifixion. But through the love and grace of God, we know that Jesus was willing to die for our redemption from sin. Because of us He was willing to face into His enemies from hell, the devil and his demons, that surrounded Him like a herd of the bulls of Bashan. Thankfully we know the end of the story and just a short while later the devil was staring into an empty tomb, all his plans and evil ways having come to nothing. In fact, it was on that cross that the devil was defeated, never to recover the power over man again. David trusted God to bring about relief from his attack. Through the Lord, David was repeatedly victorious, and he left a legacy of encouragement for all pilgrims everywhere. From “Gotquestions.org”, “God delivers those who trust in Him, even when they are facing impossible situations. We may be surrounded by the strong bulls of Bashan, but we have the greatest Bullfighter on our side“. 

Father God. Thank You for answered prayers, for keeping us safe as we travel through the spiritually hostile societies and cultures on Planet Earth. Through Jesus we have received forgiveness for our sins and one day we will live with You forever. We praise and worship You today. Amen.

No Broken Bones

Posted on by korgrocker

“It was the day of preparation, and the Jewish leaders didn’t want the bodies hanging there the next day, which was the Sabbath (and a very special Sabbath, because it was Passover week). So they asked Pilate to hasten their deaths by ordering that their legs be broken. Then their dead bodies could be taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn’t break his legs. One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. (This report is from an eyewitness giving an accurate account. He speaks the truth so that you also may continue to believe.) These things happened in fulfilment of the Scriptures that say, “Not one of his bones will be broken,” and “They will look on the one they pierced.””
John 19:31-37 NLT

A factual account from John, providing an insight into Jewish religious culture. The Jewish leaders wanted to avoid having the gruesome sight of men, still alive, but in the process of death by crucifixion, hanging on crosses on the Sabbath, the following day. So the custom in those days was to hasten death by breaking the legs of the people involved, so that they could only hang by their arms, which would accelerate death from asphyxiation. The unfortunate two thieves were dealt with in this way, but John’s account records that Jesus was already dead. To make sure, the Roman soldier speared Jesus, and blood and water flowed out of the wound, something that has been confirmed as being medically accurate for a recently deceased person. Once again, John then reminds his readers that Scripture has been fulfilled, with prophecies from Psalm 34:20, “For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous; not one of them is broken!” and Zechariah 12:10, “Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died“. 

As an aside, modern communion services often allude to Jesus’ sacrifice and His body broken at Calvary. But this isn’t factually correct because none of Jesus’ bones were broken. A better way is to thank God for how Jesus gave Himself for sinners. 

We pilgrims always stay close to Jesus on the Cross, reminding ourselves of the time when He selflessly and deliberately chose to die, taking on Himself the punishment for the sins of mankind, so that through Him we will receive forgiveness. Before the Cross, the ground is level, with no one able to claim better treatment than anyone else. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). And we can only marvel at the audacity and success of God’s gracious salvation plan. The devil was defeated that day and he can never prevent a sinner saved by grace from entering God’s presence. He can never anymore wield control over those who believe in Jesus. 

Dear Heavenly Father. We fall on our knees and worship the Saviour of the World, Your Son Jesus. Amen.

The Seamless Robe

Posted on by korgrocker

“When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided his clothes among the four of them. They also took his robe, but it was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. So they said, “Rather than tearing it apart, let’s throw dice for it.” This fulfilled the Scripture that says, “They divided my garments among themselves and threw dice for my clothing.” So that is what they did.”
John 19:23-24 NLT

Many representations of Jesus on the cross always seem to have the addition of a piece of cloth to preserve His dignity but the reality was that people crucified in those days were stripped of their clothing. This was apparently done to add to their shame and humiliation. Jesus apparently had five garments, because the four soldiers each had something, and that left the seamless robe, for which they cast lots. This was a method of determining by chance who should win a certain prize – imagine casting a dice and the highest score wins. The seamless robe was a valuable commodity to the impoverished soldiers and the winner probably sold it on to supplement his meagre wages. Today there are claims from several places about where it is now, but none able to be reliably verified. We wonder about the origin of the Seamless Robe, and there is a tradition that it was woven for Him by His mother, Mary, but we don’t know for sure, and the Robe has disappeared into history.

To us pilgrims, does this, or any other religious artefact, really matter? There are a plethora of items including bones that litter the Christian world, and they connect people with God. Our churches here in the UK are full of statues, stained glass windows and so on that seem to help bridge the gap between God’s world and ours. High Church and Roman traditions add various items to their liturgies, such as incense and bells, all to help the congregant. At the other extreme, Protestant reformers cleared out such artefacts from their meeting places and worship services, instead simplifying the liturgy to little more than themselves and the Bible. But the question is, when do the artefacts become idols?

We pilgrims are God-worshippers and we do not necessarily need any items such as the Seamless Robe to help us in getting close to God. His door is always open. At any time we can communicate with Him in prayer using natural conversation without the Christian jargon that is so easy to select, the “thee’s” and “thou’s” and other words that some have called the “language of Zion”. But there is an invitation from Jesus always hanging in the air – Matthew 11:28-30, “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light”. Isaiah 55 starts, “Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink— even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk— it’s all free!” And the Bible ends with an invitation – “The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life” (Revelation 22:17). We respond as John did, ” …  Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20b). ‭‭

Our Father in Heaven, God Himself, sent Jesus to his world to be humiliated and killed so that mankind, you and me, would be able to be His children and end up with Him in Heaven for all eternity. Do we believe that? Do we live that truth in our daily lives? If not, then it saddens God and impoverishes our lives. But even then, His door is always open for a repentant sinner. Paul wrote in Romans 8:38-39, “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord“. Nothing indeed! No Robe required.

Dear Lord Jesus. When we consider what You endured that terrible day, we shudder. But with gratitude in our hearts we worship You today. Amen.

The Crucifixion

Posted on by korgrocker

“Then Pilate turned Jesus over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus away. Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha). There they nailed him to the cross. Two others were crucified with him, one on either side, with Jesus between them. And Pilate posted a sign on the cross that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.””
John 19:16-19 NLT

Time stopped still that day when Jesus, our Lord, was crucified. A clash of two kingdoms changed the relationship between God and His creation for ever. The devil was rubbing his spiritual hands with glee, thinking that he had finally dealt with his problem – Jesus of Nazareth. Nothing more could Jesus do now, once He was dead, or so the devil thought. The Pharisees were also feeling a great sense of relief because the thorn in their sides, Jesus, had been eliminated. They were back to being the top dogs again. No more threats to their authority. But in Heaven, God looked on, in sadness because of what was happening to His Son, but secure in the knowledge that His plan for the salvation of mankind was finally coming to its climax. There is, and has been, no other religion where people put their god to death. And yet, when that happened, Christianity was established, and it has become the biggest religion this world has ever seen. 

Crucifixion was the most brutal and painful death human beings have ever devised for another human being. But the cruelty displayed that day in the “Place of the Skull” is still present in people’s hearts today. It wasn’t just a phenomenon of the Roman occupation of Israel. We may not crucify people today but in people’s imaginations horrible things take place. But there is a warning out there for all people, believers in Jesus or not. Romans 2:16 (AMP), “on that day when, as my gospel proclaims, God will judge the secrets [all the hidden thoughts and concealed sins] of men through Christ Jesus”. Ecclesiastes 12:14, “God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad“. ‭‭

Anyone who uses social media apps will know the nasty things people say about each other, with public people, celebrities or politicians, receiving the most abuse. They may not physically crucify them but the anger and venom in their posts expose the blackness of the evil in their hearts. One day such people will face the Judge to give an account of their keyboard activities.

The writer to the Hebrews Epistle wrote about those who started on their Christian walk, believing in Jesus, and experiencing all the good things He had for them, but who fell away from the faith and returned to their old ways of life. In Hebrews 6:4-6 we read, “For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened—those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come— and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame”. Heaven forbid that this would describe one of us pilgrims!

We pilgrims soberly reflect on what happened to Jesus. We mourn about what He went through, but we know what happened next. Our grief will turn to joy as we see the birth of the Way, the Christian faith.

Dear Lord Jesus. We read what happened to You and we recoil from the pain that You suffered. But we’re so grateful that You suffered and died for us. You took onto Yourself the sins of the world, and the punishment that we deserved. And somehow we look around and see our circumstances in a different light because of You and all You went through. Thank You Lord. Amen. 

Christ’s Blood

Posted on by korgrocker

“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.”
Romans 3:23-26 NLT

Paul wrote “people are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood“. We know of course of the historical fact that Jesus was crucified on a Roman cross at a place called Calvary, just outside Jerusalem. And we know as well that although Jesus could have called upon sufficient forces to save Him, He instead chose to die in that way, sacrificing Himself for the benefit of mankind. But why this mention of His blood? To find out more about this we have to turn to Hebrews 9, which clearly explains the importance of blood. In Hebrews 9:22, we read, “In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness”. Of course, we can claim that we are living in a new dispensation, the New Covenant through Jesus. But there is still an important connection with the Old Covenant emphasis on blood.

For the High Priest to be able to attain God’s presence, blood had to be offered for the forgiveness of sins. We read in Hebrews 9:7, “But only the high priest ever entered the Most Holy Place, and only once a year. And he always offered blood for his own sins and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance”. Something significant had to happen to allow the contact with God, and this was the shedding of an animal’s blood. 

We read in Hebrews 9:11-12 that Jesus is now our High Priest. “So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever“. But we can’t stop there. The writer to the Hebrews continued, “Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins” (Hebrews 9:13-14). 

Jesus willingly offered Himself at Calvary, so that His blood could once and for all time, become the offering that God demands for our redemption. Through Jesus’ blood we can attain the righteousness that meets “God’s glorious standard“. And through faith in God’s free gift of grace, sealed for all eternity by Jesus’ blood, we have our salvation to look forward to on the day that Jesus returns. “God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus”. 

We pilgrims, of course, believe in Jesus. It is more than believing that Jesus came to this world. The devil and his minions all believe that. It is the belief that Jesus not only came to this planet to die at Calvary. It is believing that through His shed blood there we have redemption for our sins. Such a belief is life-changing. But what do those in our families believe? Or our friends and neighbours? once again, I encourage us all to share what Jesus did for us at Calvary. It’s too important a gift not to.

Dear Lord. How can we thank You enough. You faced into a terrible death for me and my fellow pilgrim brothers and sisters. We are so grateful. Amen.