We all stand in the Garden, on the edge of our crucifixion. That moment between that balance of waiting and praying. That prequel to others accusations without merit…
Standing naked, in front of the whip holders, glaring, full of hate.
We know what is coming…the Bible tells us.
At the same time, our spirit wrestles with wanting to follow to the cross….and avoiding the crowds chanting hate.
If we were as unbelievers, we’d run from the persecution all together. We’d create our own narrative. We’d stand on the precipice of this climax between good and evil…
And rewrite our own story….
One that doesn’t include suffering.
If we have calloused ourselves to his character, we would recreate the script all together. We would pick up our swords like Peter and swing…
Cutting off the ears of our enemies.
We’d make this about temporal warfare. Flesh battling flesh. Hearts that we, in our own arrogance and ignorance, can fight with our own kind of blade swinging.
But the cross of Jesus says, “Lay it down”. The sacrifice of our leader, picks up the ear of our enemies and restores what has been broken…
Letting love heal, instead of wound. Revealing the gospel, instead of condemning those who storm the hilltop with the intention, to kill.
The message of our Savior bends low to grab what has been cut off. It repairs what flesh has corrupted. It leads by example. Proclaiming…
The only way to Jesus is through humility, not violence.
Us vs them never fixes anything. We are all fallen, carnal, broken and needy.
Each one of us.
The cross waits on the hill, empty. It speaks to the message that life abundant often comes through suffering.
And yet, we, in our false theology, sometimes want to skip the cross. We don’t want to “come and die”, “lay our lives down”, or “take up our cross’ daily and follow him”.
We want victory and ease, comfort and convenience, over that moment on the hill, where we must stay awake and kneel, alongside our Savior.
The cross was not meant for escapism…
An emblem we put in front of our faces as simple decoration. It was never meant to be harsh or religious.
The cross points us to His resurrection.
Without it, we are nothing.
Death without life is unsettling. Crucifixion without the rising is hopelessness, at best.
We serve a God who challenges us to come and pray with Him, trusting He has a greater story, on the other side of Calvary.
Hope says, morning is coming.
Faith speaks, after the rumbling, blood shedding, and the enemies gathering…
Resurrection WILL occur. Hope won’t be deferred. And new life will redeem all things, stollen and meant to kill us.
And in this day, our eyes need to shift. Shift away from the sword of our enemies. Shift away from the mundane in the Garden, as we wait for His purposes.
In this day, we must fix our eyes on the Author and Perfecter of our faith. In Him alone is all hope, all power, and all victory.
Today, we may have troubles, but tomorrow is coming.
Behold, we will struggle, but He is with us. And He has overcome the world.
So, lets lay down our swords. Let’s get on our knees. Let’s fix our eyes on our Jesus, for He makes all things new.
And though today we may feel weary, tomorrow we will rise with Jesus.
He is our redemption. He is our hope. And He is our peace….
And the suffering we face as Christians, is nothing compared to His glory, that is coming on wings like eagles.
It is then, all things will be made right. The mountains will be removed.
It is then, the valleys will be lifted and all will be made new…
In just a little while.
So, let’s lay down our swords. Kneel and pray. Glory is about to be revealed.
And redemption, my friends, is closer than we think.
