Jesus Did More Than Die a Cruel Death

I recently saw a Revelation Media 1 hour movie on Jesus life on earth. I appreciated how they portrayed Jesus as a real person with real emotions. However, any movie has difficulty parsing how Jesus did more than die a cruel death.

Jesus of all finally said

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

The quote is from Psalm 22 which describes his agony in more detail.

So Much More Than Die a Cruel Death

What does it mean to have God the Father place all his anger for us on his own son? I think we cannot know truly. Sometimes, just my wife’s very reasonable anger can knock me down. The world and even my own heart is so evil. How could Jesus bear all of God’s anger at our evil? I sense that killed Him and not just the Cross.

So Jesus had overwhelming fear before the mob arrested him. Very understandable.  They were not just going to torture and kill him. God the Father would turn against him.  Shocking, and we cannot possibly understand.

Jesus, I have reticence reading the gospels because the cross looms.

Something happened there that is so unpleasant that it transfixes us. God also wanted to get our attention. He did.

God did not leave us in darkness, without faith, hope and love. He sought us and found us. He did not have to solve our big problem.

His love is unfathomable. We live because he died in a way we cannot imagine. God be praised for solving our problem and moving us in the process to respond to this visible act of love. The Cross is recognized everywhere and even here in China because it is so shocking.

At the same time the Cross drew us. It further resolved God’s own anger with us lost children. May we ever see Him and raise the Cross High in this lost world.