Preparing Our Hearts for Easter: Day 33 – The Crucifixion

An article by Frank    No Comments

In the lead up to Easter we have been putting up a new lent devotion each week day. These devotions are also available in the discussions section of our Facebook page and have been played on New Zealand’s Rhema.

On the day Jesus was crucified and in the trial leading up to that event we see the biggest blow that could have possibly been dealt to evil, we saw the defeat of evil. Though evil still exists in our world its defeat was seen in the cross and resurrection of Jesus and we constantly get to participate in that victory in how we choose to live.

Evil finds its greatest strengths in our desire for power, greed, self aggrandizement, strength, retaliation, revenge, hate and our pursuit of glory. All of these found their greatest moment as Jesus faced humanity and the fierceness of evil – God in the flesh, at the mercy of all of those attributes.

As he faced human mockery, physical abuse, an illegal trial and ultimately death – at any time he could have lashed out, taking his vengeance upon evil through a demonstration of power, but he did not. To do so would have been to continue the cycle that evil feeds off – instead he took it all, absorbing every blow that evil threw at him and forgiving those who threw those blows. No retaliation occurred. Those attributes of evil found no place in Jesus’ response and evil was therefore defeated through the weakness of God – Jesus took the might of evil upon himself and gave it no room to move, no response to feed off.

Evil was overcome through weakness, humility, non-retaliation, sacrifice, love and forgiveness and this is the example we follow. It is not a logical response to evil, it is not an easy response to evil and the many justifications we come up with to not pursue that response are entirely understandable, yet if we wish to give no room to evil then it is a response that we must engage at ALL times – non-retaliation and forgiveness inspired by a deep seated love. This is not a soft response – it is the hardest response of all.

Pray

Jesus, today, as we contemplate the cross – Help us live the ways of non-retaliation and forgiveness as we engage the defeat of evil. Birth in us a deep-seated love for all.

Amen