FOR US (Good Friday)

 "But He was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed."

Isaiah 53:5 (NLT)

Last night I sat and watched  The Passion of The Christ. With me was Taylor, my girlfriend, and Matthew, my 9 yr old little brother. This movie is what it is called, passionate.

Jesus passionately prayed in the garden as He sweat bullets of blood.

Jesus compassionately placed the soldiers ear back where it belonged.

Jesus passionately sought after His Father's will.

Jesus passionately took being beaten with rods.

Jesus passionately took being whipped with whips of glass and rock.

Jesus walked passionate steps as He carried our cross to Calvary.

Jesus died a passionate death as He poured out His life and was nailed to that tree.

But, what struck me this most?

IT WAS FOR US!

This wasn't just a movie. These were real events. Jesus was a real man, who was also God. He was really beaten. Real nails went through His real hands. And, yes, His real body arose from a real grave.....

and it was all for us!

That's the glory of the Gospel. The God of the universe sending His Son for our rescue. His Son paying our ransom. Its universal in the fact that He died for all, but its personal in the fact that He died just for you. Each whip, nail, and drop of blood was for you. What should have been us, was Him. He took our place.

For Him?

Realizing this must make us think. We must go further than teary eyes and a tossed stomach. Remembering Christ's cross and suffering confronts us with the question: Do we know Jesus personally? Have we given up our old life and are we living THE NEW LIFE with Jesus? Is our old life dead, on the cross, and have we been resurrected with Jesus?