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Born To Die
Can you believe it? The holidays are here again. Everyone is rushing about doing what we do during this time of year—buying groceries for that special holiday dinner, gifts for relatives and friends, and some may be looking for that special something for themselves also. Have we been rushing around so much that we haven’t noticed the person right next to us who is suffering—man, woman, boy or girl? Jesus notices, and cares.
Let’s go back, for a quick moment, to the Garden of Eden. Two human beings, Adam and Eve, our first parents, were created in the image of God by His own hand (Genesis1:26) and placed in a beautiful garden. There was a tree in the middle of the garden called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that God told them not to touch, or they would surely die. Lucifer, now Satan, who had been cast out of heaven, was in the form of a serpent in that forbidden tree. He was very subtile and lied to Eve. “The serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die” (Genesis 3:4). Eve offered the fruit to Adam and they both ate. No, they did not drop dead on the spot as we know death, but they began to deteriorate physically, and their spiritual nature died the very moment they sinned (Genesis 3). Sorrow filled heaven.
Because Adam and Eve chose to disobey God, people from that time until now have suffered all kinds of hardships and abuses, and have been caving into the carefully devised plans of the enemy. You see, God does not force love and obedience; we have the power of choice. But, the story does not end with their disobedience. God had a plan already in place just in case they chose not to be loyal to Him. First, He went looking for Adam and Eve—seeking the lost (Genesis 3:8, 9). Then, He gave them a promise: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:15, NIV). This text is talking about the plan of salvation. Enmity means hatred; Satan would bruise Jesus’ heel, but, hallelujah, Jesus, the Savior (her seed), would crush Satan’s head. You know that if your head is crushed, there is no more life. Jesus put Satan on notice; his fate was sealed.
God chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus: “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for He shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Jesus, our Creator, came from heaven to be born as one of us. Mary loved, nurtured, and protected her baby; I would like to believe that she sang to Him also. She taught Him the scriptures and how to pray. He also spent time in nature. His mind developed in the frame of time just like any other normal child, and God’s grace was upon Him (Luke 2:40). “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” (Luke 2:52). At age 12 Jesus spent time in the temple communicating with the doctors of His time (Luke 2:46, 47). A child, rightly trained, can be used as a tool in the hands of God.
Did you get that Jesus’ mother was His first teacher? Women, everywhere, God has entrusted us with the awesome responsibility of training our children in the ways of God. We have a responsibility to God first, and then to our children to train them for now, and for eternity. Someone once said, “The hand that rocks the cradle shapes the world.” No wonder women around the world have been targeted for humiliation, mutilation, degradation, and utter destruction.
Fathers, you also have a responsibility in the training of your children. Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father, taught Him that work was honorable. He was a carpenter by trade and taught Jesus. Along with His strong mind, Jesus’ hands and body were strong too.
When Jesus got older and began His public ministry, He spent time healing the brokenhearted, giving physical and spiritual sight to the blind, and casting out demons. He showed love to the unloved, the abused, lepers, prostitutes, murderers, thieves, prisoners, the culturally unaccepted, the homeless (He Himself was homeless)—relieving suffering of all kinds. He loved everyone no matter what their status in life, from the lowest to the highest. But, despite all the good that Jesus did, there were still those who wanted Him dead.
Jesus spent much time in prayer to His heavenly Father, and His last moments before His mockery of a trial were no different. He spent time in the Garden of Gethsemane praying, pleading with His Father not to have to go through what was before Him. “Nevertheless,” He said to His Father, “not what I will, but what thou wilt” (Mark 14:36). Are you willing to let God have His way in your life?
During Jesus’ trial people brought trumped-up charges against Him. They accused Him of being a deceiver and a blasphemer. During the many accusations and abuses, Jesus did not sin in thought, word, or deed; not even His countenance changed.
Jesus, the spotless, innocent Son of God was mocked, spit on, stripped of His robe, and beaten. The soldiers put a crown of thorns on His head which pierced His flesh, and then they beat Him with a reed (Mark 15:17-19). The angry mob screamed out “Crucify Him,” and then gave freedom to a convicted criminal named Barabbas. They put the heavy cross, on which Jesus was to be crucified, on His bloodied, weakened shoulders to carry, and He fainted beneath the load. When the soldiers put Him on the cross, they drove spikes into His hands and feet, tearing His flesh, and slammed the cross into the ground. Every time Jesus took a breath, He felt pain. Thirsty, they gave Him vinegar to drink. The mob publicly humiliated and mocked Him. There was no one to offer words of comfort. He even felt forsaken by His heavenly Father. While in the process of dying, He had so much love that He cried out “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).
When was the last time we asked God to forgive someone who was in the process of abusing us? While dying, Jesus accepted the repentance of the thief on the cross. While dying He acknowledged His mother and put her into the care of one of His disciples. What a gift of love. Although in great physical pain, it was not the physical pain that killed Jesus. He died of a broken heart. The weight of the sins of the world broke His heart—your sins and mine.
The story does not end with Jesus on the cross or in the tomb. He rested on the Sabbath, and then, early the first day of the week (Matthew 28:1-6), He rose up out of that tomb victorious! Satan’s head is forever crushed. Hallelujah!
Christ is reaching out to you and me with outstretched arms. He wants to save us and take us home to be with Him in Paradise when He comes again. If you haven’t accepted His free gift of salvation, won’t you do so right now? He will give you the power to live for Him. We are the real reason that He came.
*TRACY MARTIN is a pseudonym.
For further reading:
The life of Christ found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Texts credited to NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. |
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