Remembering That He Died for Us Every Day
By Chris Eyte
At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.” Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said. With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God! - Mark 15:33-39
Everyone, Christian or not, has a foundation point from which they try to work out life. That means the ‘things’ they go back to as a compass to get a sense of where they’ve come from and where they are going. The markers of this framework circumscribe all sorts of inherent human biology, knowledge, and activities - genetic predispositions, spiritual meditations, material achievements, physical exercise, and social interaction.
The problem is that most 'things' don’t really stand the test of time. Here are a few examples to illustrate the point. Most couples are thrilled at getting the dream family house. It makes life seem perfect until the children grow into adults... and leave. Or keeping up near-perfect physical health works well until gray hair appears, and then there are wrinkles, and various aches and pains - a sudden awareness there are more years behind than ahead! The grandstanding job purports the notion that we are ‘made for life.’ But… change happens in the background: a new boss, wages don’t keep up with inflation, exciting projects change and become less interesting, or a sense of being taken for granted.
And that’s just looking at the regular structures making our lives keep pace with normality. What about the unexpected dramas? You make a plan for the day, but there’s a phone call, and a loved one is in trouble. There is an electricity blackout, or the water is cut off because of a burst pipe. You schedule five Must-Do tasks at work, but then your child is taken ill. Or the hospital calls and the blood results aren't what you were expecting.
You plan to clean the fridge quickly (this did actually happen to me recently), but then you drop and smash a glass bottle of fish sauce, clear and clean it up, open the fridge again, and then drop and smash other glass jars…
Our lives are a constant friction between trying to move ahead and shielding against unwanted and often unwarranted events. Where then is the constant, one and only ‘thing’? The single platform that just stays strong through the seasons of time? As followers of The Way, it’s this fact that Jesus died for us. Remembering God-is-love every day is the key to successful daily living. There is gladness, relief and pure joy in his presence!
“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.” (Hebrews 6:19)
If you are a parent, picture this thought the next time you hold your little boy or girl. Imagine a crowd of children facing a pack of ravenous wolves. You know that the only way these children will be rescued is your willingness to make a horrendous choice. Namely to sacrifice your own child to save the rest. It’s an abominable thought.
You tenderly lift up your little boy or girl, and then place him or her in front of the wolves - and walk away. You hear the child crying out to you for mercy, but you have to ignore that. Your own child! Letting your own boy or girl die! “Please deliver me from this, daddy,” the child pleads, adding: “but it’s not what I want that matters. It’s what you want.”
And what do you want? Anything but your own child to be torn apart from the wolves. Naturally, of course, you’d be the first to rescue them, and that goes without saying. You would never leave him or her in front of a pack of wolves! Your actions feel like the opposite of love and the brutality of this sacrifice is real for both of you: parent and child.
However, the other children are loved by you, too, and the wolves are ready to pounce. What a dilemma! Let your dearest child die for the rest, or keep your child safe and let the rest of them die.
This is the quandary endured by the Father of the heavenly lights when he gave up his own son Jesus to die for us. His Son pleaded with his Dad for a different solution but submitted to the predestined decision to save mankind through divine suffering. Please dwell on the following scripture (from Luke 22: 39-44) and imagine this was your own child:
‘Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down, and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.’
It’s really quite something - a love which goes far beyond our understanding. How can we comprehend it? But it’s a love nonetheless that we are compelled to remember again and again, every single day. Jesus died for people of darkness like me, to rescue us from evil. God the Father sacrificed God the Son, to adopt us as his children! Let’s remember his sacrifice every day, in any way we can. Perhaps more than anything by showing love to others.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
What does the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ really mean to you? Can you think of ‘tools’ to remember his love throughout the busyness of life? If God the Father loved you so much that he gave his one and only son - how do you respond to that? How can you get others to respond to such love?
Further Reading:
Luke 22:19-20
Philippians 3:10-12
Isaiah 52:13-15
Photo Credit: ©Pixabay/geralt
Christopher Eyte lives with his wife Céline and three children in Swansea, Wales, UK. He has worked as a journalist for many years and writes his own blog (hislovefrees.life) encouraging others in their walk with Jesus. He became a Christian in February 2002, after a friend explained God's amazing grace!
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