The Cross of Christ
Matthew 27:32-66, Mark 15:21-47, Luke 23:26-56, John 19:17-42
Holy blood was spilled. The King was killed. The Savior sacrificed. The Messiah murdered. And God the Father planned it before the beginning of time. Yes, the most evil event in history was planned by the God of the Universe. The cross of Christ put on display God’s divine substitute for our sin and his pervasive sovereign reign. And both are great news.
The hymn "Rock of Ages" captures the impact of the cross perfectly: “Save from wrath, make me pure.” Because of our sin, our biggest problem is God’s wrath. For those who believe in Christ, the chief impact of the cross is that God appeases his own wrath. At the cross, the wrath of God is poured out on Jesus instead of us, and in doing so, makes us pure. Jesus is put forth as the wrath appeaser, the wrath absorber. God sent his son to bear his fury. Everyone must pay the price for their sin; either in hell for eternity or through Jesus on the cross. At the cross, the love of God pays the price for the wrath of God, through the son of God.
Furthermore, the cross also makes us pure. As Jesus goes to the cross, the holy God, the one who lived the perfect, unstained life dies in our place. He is the substitute, paying the debts that we are due. He, in the great exchange, took on the sins of his church and bore the wrath poured out from God the father, giving us his perfection. Sinlessness traded for sin. Holiness traded for corruption. Roman 3:23-25 says “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.” God redeems his people, by the blood spilled on the cross, and it is given to his people freely by faith. No work nor effort can afford us the blood spilled on the cross.
“And God planned all of this, you say?” Why, yes. From the fall, God has planned that Jesus would come to crush the power of sin on the cross (Genesis 3:15). In Acts 2:22-23, Peter preaching at Pentecost reminds the people that “This Jesus, [was] delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.” God worked through all history, through every inadequacy of his people, and every opposition to work his plan for redemption with absolute certainty. No wavering. No plan B. God had it rigged. “And again, you say this is good news?” Again, why yes. The cross of Christ demonstrated that no matter our sin, inadequacies, fears, apparent oppositions, political regimes and setbacks, the God of the Universe will work forward his plan for redemption with absolute certainty. No wavering. No plan B. God still has it all rigged. The cross shows that God’s sovereign hand will move family lines, governments, individual lives and every obstacle to display his vast mercy and grace. He will never waver, is never fickle, and is totally reliable. God, in his sovereign rule, will never hesitate from pouring out his love to his people.
This is good news. On the cross, God the father takes what is evil and uses it for good. God uses pain, suffering, and murder as the means for his redemption of the world. At the cross, the tension between God’s mercy and his justice is relieved. At the cross, the believer can rest once and for all with the knowledge that God loves us and is for us. At the cross, the believer can know that no matter our inadequacy or sin, that God’s plan will keep marching forward. At the cross, we can know that no work nor effort needs to be added to the payment set forth by Jesus. At the cross, we can see that what was meant for evil, God meant for good. That is good news.
Reflection Questions:
What aspect of the good news of the cross do you need to be reminded of?
In what way is it good news that God has it all rigged for you right now?
