Taking the Hurt
I recently came across two different communion meditations that I had written earlier this year and wanted to share them. Below is the first, and next week I will share the second. This first one was inspired from a conversation that Sarah and I were having about the way that people hurt each other: “I hurt you. Why? Because you hurt me.” You figure out a new way to retaliate. I figure out my next steps to get you back. This doesn’t only happen just one on one. Entire people groups do this. Countries do this. It’s a downward spiral to death and total destruction. Something or someone needs to do something different. Someone needs to step in and just take the hurt without retaliating. The meditation below is a picture of such a one:
So here is Jesus getting beat.
The whip, the scourge…metal, bone, and wire attached to the strands of the whip to “flay the flesh”.
Here is Evil.
Trying to work the life out of him. Trying to bend his will into submission to it. “Just save yourself!” “Come on!” “You can’t possibly take this!, Just get yourself out of it!”
But Jesus didn’t. He stayed in it. He chose to do it. He chose and he chose and he chose and he chose. Each whip, bits of bone ripping his skin, and he chose and he chose.
This was my part:
Here I am living self-centered. The whole world revolving around me. Trying to get everyone to think I’m great. To worship me. Doing all this at the expense of others. If they’re hurt, shamed, it doesn’t matter, so long as I’m doing well. Sure it seems like I’m a good guy, you know, it helps me out when other people think of me that way. But it’s all about me.
Jesus in response:
I see what you’re doing. I see what you’ve done. I see more of it actually than you can imagine.
But that’s not all I see. I see beyond that. I see past what you’ve now become. I see what you were destined to become. It is way different than you are now. WAY different. I have not lost sight of that. I will not lose sight of that. It is a joy to consider. A joy set before me. I. will. do. What. It. Takes. To. Restore. You. To. That. destiny. To your root, original value. To how I created you to be. Whatever it takes. I have the authority to lay my life down and the authority to pick it back up again. I’m willing to lay it down for you. I plan to…..oh Father, help me….this is going to be painful…this is going to hurt…Father I can’t do this with out you…Father is there any other way?…Oh Father, help me…Not my will but yours be done.
And then he did it. He repaid my utter selfishness with selflessness. Instead of punishing me, he opened himself up to the most heinous beating in history. To having thorns shoved on his head and a spear in his side, and nails driven through his hands and feet.
This was not done so that we feel guilty and sorry for Jesus. Oh no. That is not the message of the cross. Jesus was not a victim of the cross. He was not a victim of our sin. Jesus laid down his life. This was HIS choice. You see, Jesus didn’t go to the cross for you to feel bad for him. You see, the purpose of the cross isn’t to reveal your sin, it’s to remove your sin. The law reveals your sin. The cross reveals God’s love.
“How much would it cost to restore them? To redeem them? Any cost! It doesn’t matter the cost! I will pay it.”
And he did.
