7.13.2013
The God on the Cross
I've got this question. Why, when we look at Jesus on the cross, do we tend to wonder first, "What does this act say about me?" Shouldn't we firstly, and mostly, wonder, "What does this say about God?" Jesus said that those who had seen Him have seen the Father. So, what do we understand about the Father by looking at Jesus on the cross? That's the question to ask first.
Our pop psychology culture has taught us to look for our significance in everything, to wonder what everything means, to, for and about us. We love personality tests and spiritual gift tests (in the church) to tell us more about us. Those things are useful, no doubt, but also I think we kind of get a kick out of it. I know I do sometimes, whether its put to any good use or not. We love to dig deeper into us. Yet, we can't muster the enthusiasm to dig deeper into our Creator. How funny and how not funny.
Against that backdrop we often take the cross and use it as nothing more than another way to boost the self-esteem. To say, "See, you are worth something after all. Cheer up." When, perhaps, God is saying, "Look at Me! Look outward, outside yourself...see who I AM! Esteem Me, not yourself!"
My personal belief is that we generally lack God-esteem, not self-esteem. If we rightly esteemed Him, many questions of "self" would dissolve. They wouldn't even be answered necessarily, but rather would become non-existent and unnecessary.
This doesn't take away from, or lessen, the fact that we are His beloved. It only changes the focus. It reverses the cause and effect. The cross doesn't say, you are so special and so wonderful that I died for you. The God on the cross first says, "I AM Love." "I AM Sacrifice." "I AM Power." "I AM Humility." "I AM Freedom from fear of death." Among other things.
It says that you are loved because I AM love and you are special only because I have chosen to set my love on you. You didn't earn it...you aren't lovable enough, cute enough, smart enough, good enough, sweet enough. It's about Me, not you.
After that understanding comes, it can be about us.
See, a thing is only about me as much as its about me. Makes perfect sense, right? Probably not ;) I might come back and read this whole post next week and go, "Huh?"
The point is that I think it's a great question to ponder: "What does the God on the cross teach me about Himself, about the three-in-one God?" Let's go beyond, "He died for you because He loves you, therefore, you're a worthy creature," and see what else we can see. Let's who it is that has set His love on us and why that's a really big deal.
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"For God so loved the world that He GAVE His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him might not perish. but have everlasting Life. He came not into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."
ReplyDelete(John 3:16-17)
God is Love: The God Head, The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit had so much love within themselves they wanted a way to share it, and created man in His image. He gave him free choice; unfortunately at The Fall, Adam and Eve sinned against God. They chose to eat of the forbidden Tree of Good and Evil, instead of The Tree of Life. So knowing good and evil, they saw their sinful state and covered themselves in shame with "fig leaves". God in His Mercy covered them instead with animal skins for their protection. That was the first shedding of blood.
More sin followed, resulting in the death of one of their son's,Able, by the hand of the other, Cain. The second shedding of blood.
Man's sinfulness continued, and so, in God's perfect timing, God the Father sent God the Son into the world to pay the ultimate sacrifice for our sin's, by the shedding of His Blood and death on the cross. In atonement for our sins, He died for us so that we could live. Life is in the Blood. He shed His Blood for us so that we could live Eternally.
It was because of His Love, and His Merciful Saving Grace: we didn't deserve it, and we can't earn it. We just have to believe, by Faith, that God's Son Jesus Christ, died for our sins. repent from them, and live for Him, following in His Steps, to receive this Merciful Saving Grace.
So when I see Jesus Christ on the Cross, I see LOVE: God chose to send part of Himself, God The Son, to pay the price of shed blood. It's His Divine Mercy, offering us the chance to become One with Him again.
In this world, we have the chance to do that as Christians in the Catholic Church, when we become One with Him in the Holy Communion of the Eucharist. When we receive the earthly form of the bread and the wine, it has been Spiritually changed, (transfigured), by the Holy Spirit through the Priest into His Resurrected Body and Blood, Soul, and Divinity. We become One with Him, and He with us in our earthly life.
"Is anything too difficult for God".
So with eager anticipation, I look forward to the day I truly becoming One with Him, the Godhead, Three in One in Heaven, sharing in His Love eternally.
Brenda Roper, (Mom)