Crucifixion was reserved for the vilest of criminals. Historically, Jesus (a Jewish teacher) should never have been crucified. But, He was.
So why would God, in His goodness, allow His only Son to suffer the horrors of the cross?
The Tree That brought Death
When God created man in His image, He gave them everything. It was the way He intended them to live—free of pain, free of shame, free of the knowledge of evil—in perfect communion with Him. Yet, there was one thing God asked: that they not eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
It wasn’t a request based on behavior or a restriction placed by a strict Father, it was His desire to protect His children from the knowledge of evil.
As the juices of the fruit dripped from their mouths, shame entered their hearts and they received this knowledge of evil.
This tree and their choice brought death.
The Tree That brought Life
Years later, God promises His people a Savior, one who would redeem that which had been broken.
During Holy Week, we see Jesus enter Jerusalem in the most uncommon way and dwell with the most uncommon people. We seen Him challenge the religious establishment and promise a new paradigm. We seen Him teach of living from an abundant heart. We seen Him become the example, teaching us how to live in the midst of betrayal and abandonment.
Now we see Him handed over to be beaten, mocked, and then nailed to…a tree.
The cross was necessary. Through a tree mankind made a choice. So through a tree, Jesus would make a choice. In an act of love, unrivaled by any story ever told, God chose to go back to the tree. If one man’s disobedience on the tree brought death, one man’s obedience on the tree would bring life.
“For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, Adam, how much more did God’s grace on the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.” —Romans 5
Jesus wasn’t placed on the cross—He chose to go there. In fact, John tells us that Jesus “gave up His spirit.” This tree and this choice brought lifeh
Now, when God sees us, He says, “I remember what happened on the tree.”
The Resurrected Life
God’s desire for us is a full life, a life that is unlike the life we currently know. But ironically, that life is only found through death.
The resurrection reminds us that our passions, our desires, our ambitions must be placed on the cross and buried in the tomb. The Apostle Paul exclaims:
“Christ’s love compels us . . . that if we live, we should no longer live for ourselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again . . . If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” —II Corinthians 5:14–17
He calls Us By Name
When Mary, one of Jesus’s closest followers, was at the tomb on Sunday morning, she was weeping, mourning the loss of her friend and the tragedy that His body had been stolen. As she looks up from her tears, she sees a man standing there. And although this man was Jesus, her dear friend, she doesn’t recognize Him. In fact, she mistakes Him for the gardener.
Then, He calls her by name.
“Mary…”
Today, Jesus still calls us by name. The truth is, He’s been there all along but we’ve been incapable of recognizing Him.
The resurrection of Jesus makes it personal. After He’s raised from the dead, Jesus is about relationships. He’s not teaching crowds, He’s having conversations. He’s calling people by name. Mary… Peter… Thomas… He calls them all by name…
For years I was guilty of wanting God to shine a spotlight into my future. But I learned that God’s Word (Jesus) doesn’t promise a spotlight into our future, it provides a lamp unto our path. Jesus, Himself, is literally the lamp that lights our path. He loves the intimacy of candlelight. He loves calling you by name. And it’s by that candlelight where we learn to live in community with Him.
This year, I pray that you open yourself to a fresh perspective of Jesus and His desire for restoration and the removal of shame that may have been blocking you from hearing His voice. He made His choice, now it’s your turn.
Blessings, friend.