The Slain Christ on Good Friday means so much. For most it means “It is Finished,” and “Forgiven,” that our sins are washed in the blood of His death. There is another picture at the Crucifixion that we should not miss. A crucial message from God our Savior on the cross. That message is that God wants to be near to us, so much so He took human form in a body and allowed himself to be torn and nailed to a tree. The adage “I am dying to be with you,” is exactly what Jesus is telling us at Golgotha, that He suffered a excruciating death because He wants us reconciled yes, but also tp be with Him, The Father, and Holy Spirit in a divine dance in heaven.
Christ didn’t get crucified to no purpose. It was so that all people: male, female, black and white, Jew and Gentile could be with the Triune God that made us all! There is a reason its called His Passion. Passion means “ardent affection,”: enthusiastic love! Our Lord is love (1 John 4:7-21), and He hung on the cross to prove it. All the other false gods took human form to seduce or impart their teachings, Jesus came to die for His creation! All the other gods are self centered egotists who aren’t really gods, but fallen angels masqrauding as deities and the inventions of men, in contrast Christ Jesus our Lord was selfless, becoming a servant and sacrificing Himself for His sheep (us who believe) so that they could have eternal security: certainty of peace, and to be with God forever. No other so called god offered themself up as a sacrifice, instead they demand sacrifices. No other so called god would suspend their privileges and become humble like its creation, “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross” (Philippians 2:5-8). No other so called god would allow its creation to kill them.. think about that.. the Creator allowed us His creation to kill Him on a cross! Yes, Christ rose from the dead, but think of that! God allowed his creation to slay Him, none of the other so called gods would give such authority and power to humans; gods like Zeus and Mars want humans in their place as slaves to the gods, while the Real and True and Only God became a slave and was slain by His creation! God allowed us, mortal men and women to kill Him! That is amazing in of itself! That shows what lengths the True God, Jesus Christ, is willing to go to ransom us and reconnect. Its easy tp distrust a distant god who demands and never is vulnerable, but Christ became vulnerable and let us, His Creation beat, abuse, spit on, and kill Him! To achieve our salvation of course, but this also had dynamic effect on the relationship, God making Himself weakness and subject to injury and able to die, bringing us closer to Him; He is not a tyrant hurling thunderbolts, but made of flesh that tears and aching as we do. This was major paradigm shift in our relationship, when God allowed us to have charge over him with violence at the cross, it showed us He is willing to achieve intimacy, even at the hands of our abuse. He knew that if He allowed himself to step down and receive our ire and pain, that we wound trust Him and love Him; that it would not be a forced love of submission to some god who is aloof and unable to understand our weakness; no, the True God met us in weakness, in broken flesh and blood, that heals our own broken and tainted blood. God met us in carnage of this life, receiving the whip, and carrying the weight of the cross so that we would never be lost.
There is beauty at the cross, God bearing his neck to His Creation, saying “do your worst, for I am making all things new, and with each hew of your abuse I will bear so that you and I can be near.” (Jeffrey Pendragon). Amen.
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