GraceSample

Love Kept Him There

Last year on Good Friday, I explained the cross to my (then) 3-year old for the first time. It’s not an easy job with someone who doesn’t yet understand the concept of death. I was very thankful to have an excellent kids’ Bible by my side (The Jesus Storybook Bible … it comes highly recommended!).

I tend to get quite emotional whenever I read through the story of the crucifixion. This, however, was on another level! As I chatted through the narrative with my boy, the bit that got me was the religious leaders mocking Jesus. The Jesus Storybook Bible points out that, if He wanted, Jesus could have ended it all with a word. As people hurled insults and challenged Him, Jesus could have called down a legion of angels to His side. The thing is, though: "You see, they didn’t understand. It wasn’t the nails that kept Jesus there. It was love." I realized more than ever that for Jesus, the cross was a decision. Every moment He hung there, He was choosing to be faithful to the Father’s will.

This is a profound picture of the grace of God–that even as the so-called "religious people" mocked and ridiculed Him, He chose to love them to the very end. And it becomes even more personal for me when I consider the words of the old hymn: "Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice, Call out among the scoffers, It was my sin that held Him there, Until it was accomplished, His dying breath has brought me life, I know that it is finished."

Written by CHRIS GRESHAM-BRITT