If I asked you what your greatest fears were, what would you say? Death? Lonliness? Extreme shame and rejection? Failure? Torture? In reflecting upon the cross, I realized that on Golgotha, and in His suffering, Christ faced our deepest fears.
Rejection: Not only by his own people, but by his closest friends. Christ was rejected by those he had loved, and spent the most time with. His "buddies" turned their back on Him and disassociated themselves with Christ.
Shame/Humiliation: Publicly mocked, stripped naked, spit upon, dragged through the dirt, beard ripped out, slapped across the face? This is not just hidden shame, but public shame. Christ experienced complete humiliation. This is not just "showing up to school in my underwear" but cruel and de-humanizing humiliation.
Oppression: Jesus faced oppression from governments as well. He faced and experienced and empire occupying his home. He faced his own court systems falsely accusing him. He experienced corrupt leaders from occupying empires. He was judged and sentenced by this oppressive regime. Here in America we have not known what it is like to be occupied by another country, but most of the world has known that experience. Christ did as well.
Torture: Christ endured agonizing, vicious, maniacal, cruel torture. These people wouldn't stop. Whip after whip, strike after strike, they tortured the Christ.
Lonliness: His best friends leave. He is taken away. He is all alone now, to face the world powers of His day. He stands trial alone, no one "has his back". When people go and seek out his friends, they act as if they don't know Him. That's lonliness in the worst of times.
Sorrow: In the garden we hear Christ's doleful prayer to the Father. His intense grief brought about sweat drops of blood. "if there's any other way, daddy, please, let this cup pass from me!!" Christ knows sorrow.
Death: Finally the last great enemy, death. He comes for all of us, and most of us spend most of our lives trying to dance around and avoid him. Christ met him face on. Christ breathed his last breath, heart stopped, lungs collapsed; dead.
As we come close to our fears, that seem closer than our skin at times, we must look at the cross. Here we not only see that Christ has experienced, and endure humanity's greatest fears, but that he also overcame them.
"Take heart, for I have overcome the world."
He has overcome the world, and our greatest fears. He has resurrected and throught His resurrection, defeated death itsself; the last enemy. Paul tells us "the sting death is sin, and the power of sin is the law, but thanks be to God who gives us the victory in Christ."
When we think and shudder under our deepest fears, TAKE HEART! Christ has not only endured and faced them, He has taken them by the horns and defeated them by His death and His resurrection. Rest assured Christian, our Messiah has conquered.
Rejection: Not only by his own people, but by his closest friends. Christ was rejected by those he had loved, and spent the most time with. His "buddies" turned their back on Him and disassociated themselves with Christ.
Shame/Humiliation: Publicly mocked, stripped naked, spit upon, dragged through the dirt, beard ripped out, slapped across the face? This is not just hidden shame, but public shame. Christ experienced complete humiliation. This is not just "showing up to school in my underwear" but cruel and de-humanizing humiliation.
Oppression: Jesus faced oppression from governments as well. He faced and experienced and empire occupying his home. He faced his own court systems falsely accusing him. He experienced corrupt leaders from occupying empires. He was judged and sentenced by this oppressive regime. Here in America we have not known what it is like to be occupied by another country, but most of the world has known that experience. Christ did as well.
Torture: Christ endured agonizing, vicious, maniacal, cruel torture. These people wouldn't stop. Whip after whip, strike after strike, they tortured the Christ.
Lonliness: His best friends leave. He is taken away. He is all alone now, to face the world powers of His day. He stands trial alone, no one "has his back". When people go and seek out his friends, they act as if they don't know Him. That's lonliness in the worst of times.
Sorrow: In the garden we hear Christ's doleful prayer to the Father. His intense grief brought about sweat drops of blood. "if there's any other way, daddy, please, let this cup pass from me!!" Christ knows sorrow.
Death: Finally the last great enemy, death. He comes for all of us, and most of us spend most of our lives trying to dance around and avoid him. Christ met him face on. Christ breathed his last breath, heart stopped, lungs collapsed; dead.
As we come close to our fears, that seem closer than our skin at times, we must look at the cross. Here we not only see that Christ has experienced, and endure humanity's greatest fears, but that he also overcame them.
"Take heart, for I have overcome the world."
He has overcome the world, and our greatest fears. He has resurrected and throught His resurrection, defeated death itsself; the last enemy. Paul tells us "the sting death is sin, and the power of sin is the law, but thanks be to God who gives us the victory in Christ."
When we think and shudder under our deepest fears, TAKE HEART! Christ has not only endured and faced them, He has taken them by the horns and defeated them by His death and His resurrection. Rest assured Christian, our Messiah has conquered.