Over the past few days I have been reading about the Crucifixion of Christ. A story that I have had memorized since I was a child. It's something that most people read the week preceding Easter but I recently bought a new Bible that has a "reading guide" included. Not wanting to skip ahead I started with the most "basic" reading guide which details what these particular people saw as the highlights of Christ's life. The past few days have been the story of Christ's crucifixion written by four different men, you probably know them well, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
God this time broke my heart. Reading through Christ's last few days brought me to tears in a coffee shop. Reading his cries for God to free him of this destiny. Reading how he was mocked, beaten and literally left to hang in front of a mob of people he loved. For the first time, God made no attempt to sugar coat the story. He laid it out in front of me in full, honest detail, and I am so thankful. Isn't this what we tell everyone about? How our God would send his only son to die for us? And not just any death but a horribly painful death that would require it's own word - crucifixion. Why is it that we, well at least I, often find myself just skimming through it? I've heard it before, nothing new here. Jesus says so much in so few words "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" (Luke 23:46). Read it again. Take it all God, Christ says. I'm yours. This life is yours. And I give it freely. I bind my spirit to you, forever. He dies without hate in his heart after being betrayed and left alone by his friends. This is our savior. This is the person God would chose to sacrifice so that I can live freely of sin. Me, the person that wakes up in bitter moods. The one that holds grudges and says hurtful things. The girl who still gossips and complains. God willingly gave up this man for me. Wow. Thank you God. Thank you.
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