The Cross
“At the heart of the story stands the cross of Christ where evil did its worst
and met its match.”
John Wenham
It is that special time of year when eyes are turned toward the cross and our hearts overflow with emotion. Throughout this week, those of us who have experienced the forgiveness, the hope, and the gift of eternal life Jesus provided are drawn to Him with a gratitude that we find difficult to fully express. It is a gift mere words cannot describe. It is the greatest story ever told.
This quote from John Wenham gets us to the essence of that story – the cross of Christ. It is here that Jesus finished the work of redemption and where the enemy was defeated for all time.
I have an image in my mind of the shadow of the cross falling across the work of creation. Even before the Lord spoke one thing into being, He knew that man would fall. He knew there would be a need for sacrifice, and He turned to His beloved Son. Was He willing to become the sacrificial Lamb for fallen man? With incomprehensible love He answered, “Yes.” And so the story began.
Across every page of scripture the shadow of the cross falls – for without it there is no hope for us. God had a plan for our redemption, and it began before the foundation of the world. Knowing that plan, the enemy began his war to destroy it. He has never ceased trying.
Everything in the Old Testament led up to the cross. Everything the enemy did was an effort to prevent the Son from going to the cross. We see Him hanging there, and our hearts ache with sorrow. The enemy saw Him hanging there and tried his best to get Him to come down. If he had succeeded , he would have had the victory. Surely he used every bit of power at his disposal. It was to no avail. Love won that day.
Halleluiah! Sin and death were defeated. With His death and resurrection Jesus won the victory – for all of us, for all time.
Blessings,
Linda
Beautiful.
Amen to that, Linda. I never can put into words that Christ did for me and for us all. But He went up the hill to make us whole again; by taking our sin to the cross, He reconciled us with God.