Good Friday
Because of This Cross
As Jesus cried out from the cross "it is finished", we need to remember that he was not talking about His own life that was finished. He was not talking about his mission that was finished. We need to understand what Jesus was saying to us from the cross. The Greek word for "it is finished" is "tetelastai". An archeologist in the Holy Land recently uncovered two stacks of receipts which were found in a tax office from first century. On one stack of tax receipts was stamped the word "telelastai", in other words, "paid in full". Jesus cried out "tetelastai", that is, paid in full, no more has to be done.
- A friend of mine named Ed Smith took his family one Easter to one of those out
of the way island resorts. The beach was beautiful with crashing waves and crystal
green water. The hotel had all the amenities including a pool overlooking the
ocean with one of those refreshment stands built inside the pool so if you ever
wanted anything you never had to leave the water. Each morning Ed would take
his young family and play in the ocean riding the waves while his wife enjoyed
the peace and quiet of sitting in the shade reading a good book.
One day when the family went down to the beach they found it was closed due to strong undercurrents. So they headed to the pool to enjoy their morning by drifting on floats and sliding down the giant slides. Their fun was interrupted by the sound of their mother as she ran up screaming from the beach. Someone was caught by the undercurrent and was being pulled out into the sea. Ed reacted instantly, jumping up out of the pool as his wife reached it.
He spotted the head of a girl about a block down the beach and a block off shore and struggling to stay afloat. Ed was a reasonable swimmer, not a great swimmer, but he continued to run down the beach passing the girl's frantic mother screaming for someone to save her daughter. As he drew even with the girl, he hit the water and started swimming toward her. As he did, he began to formulate a plan to calm her down once her reached her, for he knew that once he reached her he would not be able to help her if she began to grab for him. He also noticed that the undercurrent was definitely strong and it was being aided by a strong outgoing tide. He also noted she was now about a block and a half offshore.
Ed kept swimming and soon noticed another head in the water; this one was swimming back to shore. "A companion", Ed thought, "would he have to help this one too?" As he reached the person, he soon found out it was the girl's father who had attempted to save her from the current only to give up. He was pleading with Ed to save his daughter, since he had not been able to reach her. Ed could tell that the man had enough strength to reach the shore, and after Ed assured him that he would be going after her, he found out her name so that he could talk to her once he reached her.
Without going through all the details, Ed did reach the girl when she was about a two blocks offshore. He managed to calm her down and had her lay on his back with her arms wrapped around his neck. That way he could use her kicking as well as his own arms and legs to reach the shore. When they did reach the shore safe but exhausted, her parents hugged the girl and walked off never even thanking Ed.
Ed will tell you he knew that he could lose his own life leaving behind a wife and a young family. He will also tell you there was just no other way. He now understands why God sent Jesus to die on the cross. God's plan for us as a people was to enjoy paradise, as he says in the book of Jeremiah, "Know the plans I have for you, plans for your welfare, not of woe." We as a people sinned and lost paradise, we as a people didn't trust God and wandered in the desert for 40 years. We didn't listen to the prophets, we continually turned away until the only way that God could save us was to send Jesus so that we might be reconciled with him. Plan A failed, plan B failed, until plan J was put into place. It did not fail.
Ed will tell you he thinks about the father who had turned back. How could a man turn back from his own child even at the cost of his own life? Ed will tell you that "because of this cross" we know that God will never abandon us even if we fail those we love.
Ed will tell you that there were many moments when he knew he was losing his strength. He also knew that both of them were getting so far offshore that he was concerned that they could not make it safely back to shore even if he did reach her. Ed will also tell you that even when we feel we can not carry on because of pain, heartache, loneliness, we will always be strengthened "because of this cross".
Ed will tell you, that he thought of the girl as she was carried out to sea. He wondered about her thoughts of helplessness and her inability to change the course of events. Ed will also tell you that "because of this cross" we have a way out of the things that we can not control - the loss of a child, the spouse who walks away from the marriage, the cancer that invades our bodies, the addictions to sex, drugs, alcohol, the rebellious child.
Ed will tell you he thought of her reaction when she did realize she was safe. Her tears when she embraced her family. He wonders if she ever thinks of him even today all these years later. He wonders if her life was lived well. Ed will also tell you that "because of this cross", we are always safe and our lives are worth saving and that in God's eyes our lives will always be worth saving. So he knows no matter what, that her life was worth saving because God died to save it.
Ed will tell you he appreciated his own family so much more after that because he realized how quickly things in our lives can change. He will also tell you that "because of this cross" that things have not changed in our relationship with God. His love for us is the same today, as it was on when he mounted this cross almost 2000 years ago. And even when our lives are not lived in a way that reflects our love of God it does not change how much He loves us
Ed will tell you that he knew the presence of God was with him as he swam and that he still feels the presence of God today. He will also tell you that "because of this cross" we know that it is God's desire that we feel the presence of His immense love for us and His desire that we know His forgiveness.
We need to understand that because of this cross the debt has been paid - our response to this should be like Ed's to reflect on the meaning of the cross for us.