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Tinsel. Lights. Talking Christmas trees from Wal-Mart (can you believe
it??). Wreaths. Food; LOTS of food. Gifts. Gifts? Have you ever
stopped to think that the entire season of Christmas revolves around the
giving of a Gift? Have you ever stopped to ponder the worth of that Gift?
Has it really hit you exactly how much Jesus had to give up in order to
come to earth and save us from certain death in hell because of our sins?
I hadn't, either, until a Bible study in the book of Matthew opened my
eyes
to the great sacrifice Jesus really made. It was a sacrifice, wasn't it?
Can you imagine leaving a place with streets of gold, leaving your
position
at the right hand of the Father, leaving a place where everyone loves, no
one hates, and crowns are thrown at your feet in respect in adoration and
getting a sinful, cold, dark world in exchange? Can you fathom leaving a
place so full of life and love, knowing that your soul purpose for going
was to die a terrible death on a Roman cross? I don't know about you, but
it's very difficult for me to understand! From my perspective, there
wasn't much motivation for Jesus to leave His place by the Father, was
there? But that's not the worst of it. Jesus didn't really mind leaving
heaven to come save us. Such is His great love for us. There was one
sacrifice about all of the others that tells me His love for the lost, us,
is real.
In Matt. 26:39 it reads: "Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, 'My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.'" What do you suppose "the cup" is that Jesus speaks of? I always thought He wanted His Father to take away the agony of being ridiculed, beaten, and nailed to a cross. But a closer examination proves that this is not at all what he meant. As a matter of fact, in the gospel of Mark Jesus speaks of His death quite frankly. Mark writes in 8:31-32b, "He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this. . ." Suffering for the cause of the Kingdom is considered "pure joy"! (James 1:2) If it wasn't His death He was speaking of, then what is it? Let's look closly at the verses describing the death of Jesus. "From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?' --which means 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'" (Matt. 27:45,46) Did you catch the transition there? No longer is Jesus calling His Father by name; because of all of the sin sitting on his shoulders, the Father could no longer look upon his Son. The perfect and holy had to turn his back on the imperfect and sinful. THAT is the cup Jesus is talking about. The son was rejected by the Father, and through no fault of his own. Jesus took on every single sin the humans in this world will ever commit, was separated from His Father, and dropped those sins off in Hell for us so we wouldn't have to spend an eternity there. He experienced first-hand the agony of being apart from the Father, and He knew that He never, ever wanted any of us to have to experience it, too. We all know the Great Commission, right? "Therefore go and make disciples off all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. . ." He wants us to be bold about our faith! He wants us to seek and save that which is lost BECAUSE he knows what it's like to be in the realm of eternal separation from the Father. That is the ultimate gift Jesus gave to us. He sacrificed so much so that we could be with Him in heaven. What a perfect time of the year to explain this wonderous gift to someone who doesn't know him. "Go ye, therefore, and make disciples of all nations." ~Jen Travis |