Fully Devoted: JesusSample

It Is Finished

The crucifixion of Jesus is the moment that Jesus’ ministry and the entire biblical story have been building toward. Through His death on the cross, the path is paved for human beings to be rescued from sin and reconciled to God. This is the moment when all of history pivots away from death and destruction and toward resurrection and new creation. Because it was on the cross that Jesus would come into His glory and win the decisive victory over the powers of sin, death, and the devil. 

But why did Jesus have to die? Couldn’t God have won without the death of His own Son? 

These are questions that people have asked since the very earliest days of Christianity. Because nobody could have guessed that God’s plan for redemption would include His own death. This is why the Apostle Paul described the crucifixion of Jesus as foolishness to Gentiles and a stumbling block to Jews. Because the idea of the Lord of All humbling Himself to death on a cross to save the very creation that had rebelled against Him would have been scandalous and offensive. It just seems so undignified.

And yet, that’s what God did. He became a man and willingly died so that we could live. 

In the beginning, God created everything and it was good. Everything was as it should be. God, His people, and all of creation were joined together in justice, fulfillment, and goodness. This is what the writers of the Bible called shalom. 

At the Fall, we opened the door for sin, death, and evil to invade. Through our act of rebellion against God, shalom was lost. Creation was vandalized. We were fractured. And we did violence to the way things were supposed to be. Until they weren’t the way they were supposed to be anymore. 

This is the state of the world when Jesus arrives. Sin, death, and the devil have taken humanity captive, corrupted creation, and are ruling this world. But all of that is about to change. In Jesus, the shalom of God will be restored. Human beings will be rescued. And God’s rightful rule of this world will be reclaimed. 

How? The crucifixion of Jesus. 

No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 1 Corinthians 2:7-8 NIV 

The rulers of this age are the forces of darkness that have set themselves against the will of God. Throughout Paul’s writings they are described as powers, principalities, rulers, and authorities. The most well known of these powers and authorities are sin, death, and the devil. 

Sin is a disease that has infected all of humanity and corrupted God’s creation. Death is an oppressive force that is an intruder in God’s world. The devil is a spiritual being who stands in opposition to God and wants to consolidate power for himself rather than submit to God.

And none of these rulers understood what it was that God was up to in Jesus because if they had, they would not have crucified the “Lord of glory.” Who is the Lord of glory? That’s God. It’s Jesus. Paul is hinting at the idea that the crucifixion of Jesus was the climax of God’s plan all along. 

Paul also writes that it was on the cross that God forgave us all our sins by cancelling “the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.” The very next verse continues by telling us that it was on the cross that God “disarmed the powers and authorities” and “made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Colossians 2:14-15 NIV). 

What seemed like the darkest day in history, the day Jesus died, was actually the moment He came into His glory. What seemed like a massive failure was actually the place where God won the decisive victory. 

“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 NIV

The victory of God didn’t come through conquest and domination, but through sacrifice and submission. Because how do you drive out darkness? More darkness doesn’t do it. How do you put an end to violence? More violence isn’t the answer. How do you undo the damage of sin? More force just makes the wounds worse. This is what the sacrifice of Jesus was all about. God took everything that sin, death, and the devil had to throw at Him and allowed them to seal their own fate in the process. 

Evil is always bent on destruction. So on the cross, the forces of evil unleashed their worst on Jesus—but it backfired. The trap had been sprung. Jesus, the Lord of Life, entered death to defeat it. Jesus, the one who was without sin, became sin on the cross so that its curse could be broken. And when Jesus was lifted up on that wooden cross, He was elevated to his place as the true King of Creation. 

These powers thought they had won, but in reality, they were the architects of their own defeat. And after all the dust had settled, Jesus would be the one walking out of His tomb victorious. 

Journaling Questions

• What verse or passage stands out to you the most from today’s reading? Write it in your journal.
• Why do you think it is so tempting to respond to anger, violence, and hate with more anger, violence and hate? 
• How does understanding the reasoning behind Jesus’ death affect the way you think about God and how you’re called to live as a disciple of Jesus?