“Crucify Him,” cried the crowd
“He is no good. Evil man,
Claiming God: away with Him!”
Cried the same crowd that sang
Praises a while back as the same
Man healed and fed them all.
They left not His side, until
Confirmed dead and buried
The same crowd condemning
Hailed Him King a while ago.
Yet, through the ways of the crowd
God arises with surprises
To show that He alone rules
To show that He alone decides
To show that He alone is God:
God forever, despite the crowd.
While I was thinking of an article for today, God used a true life story to reenact the experience of the cross to me. A friend of mine had gone through what I would call a Calvary experience. He was condemned before trial and crucified on the cross of public opinion. Throughout that period, I prayed fervently for him, his family and all those affected. I needed to make contact, share a word of encouragement, prayer, anything to lift up his heart while he fought this very personal cum public battle but it wasn’t possible.
The clouds swirled, the news swelled, the crowd won it appeared, like it was with the cross experience. Then everything went dead quiet. In the silence that accompanies death, I saw a sign of life, a stirring around him and remembered an encouragement note I had drafted in the heat of the battle but was unable to send. I sent off that note and life responded to life. I was encouraged but continued to pray and to hope.
Then one fateful morning, I was stepping out of the restroom and there he was, felicitating with friends. My heart soared in joy. I wanted to wait for him to finish but I could barely stand. I drew close, gave him this hug that comes from such depths and walked away all the while holding this compelling desire to scream, “Thank you God!” but I had to contain myself and my joy.
As I walked away with tears threatening, I could imagine how Mary Magdalene would have felt that beautiful morning when she saw the face of the living Christ whose death she had witnessed hours ago; the same Jesus the world had crucified, the same Jesus they said he was a devil, the same Jesus they said doesn’t deserve to live, the same Jesus they had predicted would never see this place again, the same Jesus she helplessly watched as He was crucified, confirmed dead, wrapped and tucked away in a grave; the same Jesus she loved in life and in death – alive again: O Jesus!
This is a true life story that I witnessed and the very inferences above that were made about Jesus were the case in this story. Yet, there he was standing, smiling, hugging people, alive! I don’t know what your story is today. I don’t know the courts where you have been dragged to and tried or even condemned without trial. I don’t know who may have said you are done, finished, that your story is over. I don’t know how bad that story is. But I do know a few things; that the goodness of the God we serve is beyond measure; that He is the most gracious and forgiving; that God gives life to the dead and makes a new beginning of the old; that He is faithful to everyone who runs to Him.
May this story give you hope through your battles. May this hope help you to hold on and not give up; to keep believing, to keep trusting, to keep trying; because it is not over. The very ones who condemned you, the ones who nailed you to that cross, the ones who carried you dead into that grave, the ones who set up guards to watch and ensure that a corpse does not escape because they have concluded you can’t live again, will see you alive again. They will attend your resurrection party. Why? Because God is faithful and will not turn His back on whoever runs to Him for safety. May the power of this God who raised Christ from death to glory defy every tongue and deed of men, to deliver and perfect the beautiful work He has started in you, amen.
Glory!