John 15:13 "Greater Love Has No One Than This, That He Lay Down His Life For His Friends"

Bienhome Muivah *

Easter Sunday at MBC Church, Chingmeirong, Imphal :: April 8 2012 :: Pix - Banti Phurailatpam

Hammer blows ring through the morning air as the Son of God is nailed to the cross. Nailed through the hands or wrists to hold him securely. Throbbing pain to an already pain-racked body. Later, He would show those nail-pierced as a proof of His physical resurrection from the grave.

But the nails have even more significance. Paul writes, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20). In a sense we have been nailed to that cross of Christ. Certainly our sins have been nailed to it.

In Romans, Paul writes: "We were therefore buried with Him through baptism unto death" (Romans 6:4). We are in effect crucified, dead, and buried with Christ. Paul further writes, "For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slave to sin" (Roman 6:6). Yes, when we became children of God, we were nailed to the cross. What a common symbol the cross is today! We find crosses of sticks or precious Jewels adorning church steeples, altars, homes, wedding cakes, caskets, and cemeteries.

St. Paul recognizes the cross for what it is: foolishness to the Greeks and a stumbling block to the Jews. He knows that the cross does not bring popularity or acceptance or material wealth. Nevertheless, he also knows that, to those who believe, the message of the cross is "Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God" (I Cor. 1:24). Therefore Paul proudly "Wears" the cross as a symbol of the Gospel.

The journey to Calvary started with Jesus' birth, when He was already 'a sign that will be spoken against" (Luke 2:34). "Jesus our savior was born to die". He began His public ministry with strong strides as He vigorously taught and healed. From the Mount of Transfiguration "He resolutely set for Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51) on His final journey.

Triumphantly Jesus rode into Jerusalem with shouts of praise. But now He approaches journey's end-each small step agonizing, until He falls and receives help. Yet His greatest hour is at hand. All depends on these last hours. All the rest of the journey, magnificently handled, means nothing without a proper ending. A space shuttle may orbit the earth 36 times, but without a safe landing it will be a disaster.

Jesus no longer has to walk. They lift Him up on the cross. Passively obedient, He continues to suffer. And-even here-He continues to care for others-for the criminal malefactors, for His mother, even for those who have crucified Him. All alone and rejected, He dies. But at journey's end, the victory has been won. "It is finished" He proclaims. Paid in full. Complete!

The cross makes a significant difference in our daily lives. In both Galatians and Romans, Paul tells us that "our sins are nailed to the cross, thereby providing power for victorious living". I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God" (Gal. 2:20). "Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him" (Romans 6:8).

We live in our Baptism, and Christ lives in us. Nailed to the cross of Christ, we die to sin and live to God. The hammer blows ring out in the morning air. The Son of God dies once for all to pay for the world's sin. Those hammer blows ring for us as well dead to sin, alive to God through Christ.

An assorted crowd stood beneath the cross, many of them hiding their needs for Christ. Picture the arrogant scribes and Pharisees. Very much under control, they did not need Jesus at all, except to get rid of Him as a threat to their religious standing. Picture the cocksure and hardened Roman soldiers-accustomed to this gruesome sort of routine work. Picture the cursing, mocking malefactors-guilty of some serious crimes, using their dying hours to show their hardness and venom. All three groups, though externally hardened, were hiding their need for the cross.

What is our attitude when we come to the cross? Sometimes we might appear arrogant. Sometimes we come across as hardened. We are able to act worldly and even find ourselves cursing and mocking in order to hide our own guilt. Yes, like the Pharisees, Roman soldiers, and malefactors, we often hide our need for the cross.

But one of the malefactors at the cross brings his needs to Jesus. Observing His innocence, His dignity in death, His power, this man asks Jesus for mercy. He admits his own guilt, sin, and fears, only the cross of Jesus can help him.

Lonely, afraid, guilty, and helpless, we also need the cross of Jesus. And we hear Jesus' answer. To the pleading malefactor He says, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise" (Lk. 23:43).

All pretense removed, his need freely confessed, the dying thief receives eternal life, which flows from the cross of Christ. Jesus speaks the same life-giving words to us today: I am dying for your sins. You will be with me in paradise.

Christ died in our place. We were a dead men but He died our death "He himself bore our sins in our body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed" (I Peter 2:24). We must be either 'dead in Sins' or 'dead to sin'. If we are lost in Adam, we are 'dead to sin'. If we are saved through union with Christ, we are 'dead to sin'. Christ died not only for sin, but unto sin.

When Christ took upon Himself our humanity, apart from which He could never have borne the penalty for my sins, He made us one with Himself. We are identified with Him. He not only died for us, but we died with Him. He took us with Himself unto death, and His death was our death to sin. He took us through the cross, down into the tomb, and out of the tomb on and beyond the reach of sin's dominion.

This is the great basic fact. The Holy Spirit says to you and to me today: Know that Christ took our place, fastened us to Himself (Himself being in our very humanity) and took us into death and through death, out into glorious resurrection and emancipation from sin's dominion. Romans 6:11 "count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus".

God's way of victory over sin is not through the suppression of sinful desires, nor through the eradication of the old nature, nor yet through the cleansing of inbred sin. God's way of victory is through crucifixion-deliverance, is only through death. On this glorious Good Friday, let us all declare that, we are Christ's and His alone. Let us yield fully unto Him as one dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord".

Glorious Good Friday!