The Crisis of the Cross

CONSIDER
We may agonize as we witness the cruel death Christ suffered. But the anguish of the cross can be intimately observed in the Garden of Gethsemane. “He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. He told them, ‘My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me’” (Matt. 26:37–38 NLT).

BIBLE TRUTH

He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood. (Luke 22:41–44 NLT)

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
Jesus knew that when He became sin for us, His Father would not be able to be in a relationship with Him for that point in time because God can have no part with sin. The crisis of the cross was that Christ had to face the penalty of sin without God. So glibly we pummel through our day, striving to be independent, inconsiderate of the consequences. But Jesus knew the horror of facing even one minute without a relationship to God. He modeled a life that was totally dependent on God. The trauma of the tragedy was that He willingly sacrificed His relationship with the Father in order to be in a relationship with you and me!

PRAYER
Dearest Savior, who has believed Your message? You were despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. But we turned our backs on You and looked the other way. You were despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses You carried; it was our sorrows that weighed You down. You were pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. You were beaten so we could be whole. You were whipped so we could be healed. Lord, I don’t want to continue to be like the sheep that stray away. Don’t let me leave Your path to follow my own. Thank you that You paid for the sins of us all. (Isa. 53:1–6)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


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