In the Shadow of the Cross.....the Wayfarer 7/15/16

In the Shadow of the Cross
7/15/16

Luke 23:28-34

King James Version (KJV)

²⁸ But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.

²⁹ For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.

³⁰ Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.

³¹ For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?

³² And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death.

³³ And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.

³⁴ Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

Despite the fact that He was unjustly accused, unjustly apprehended, and was being unjustly executed, Jesus asked forgiveness for those who had no real idea of what they were doing.

The reason they had no idea of what they were doing, was because of an unbelief, generated by never having actually understood the message brought by Christ Jesus. 

They thought, actually believed that He taught insurrection against the established authority, both political and religious, and that He did so with the intent of replacing them to His own benefit and enrichment instead of the enrichment and betterment of their souls instead.

They saw no wrong in what they did, they were so immersed in the way things worked in their world, that they did not even consider it to be anything other than normal to them, therefore acceptable to both God and their rulers, both political and religious.

For their part, the Romans could claim to hold no belief in God, holding instead to the gods they chose to honor, idols that demanded no repentance, no recompense for the things allowed by those “gods” that were not only acceptable, but expected of a society that denied the very existence of the TRUE and Living God.

The Sanhedrin, and the Jews who persecuted and determined to kill Jesus did so in full belief that they too, had done nothing wrong as they twisted and perverted the laws of God to their own benefit and enrichment, while elaborating those laws to the point of incomprehensibility and impossibility to follow, assuring continued affluence for their class of priests, scribes and lawyers, while ignoring the burden placed on the common man that they themselves refused to bear.

Jesus’ comments in the chosen opening passage were prophetic, warning of the time yet to come when even the trappings of justice and law would be removed from the face of the earth, and evil would seemingly triumph as it was declared to be good, and what IS good, the TRUTH, would be ignored and denigrated as evil.

Isaiah, just one of the prophets ignored and persecuted by this same people for the same reason spoke eloquently in warning about the same choices being made by that people, before his warning, and many since as well, who continued and continue still to ignore both the warnings given by God, and the promise of redemption for repentance.

Isaiah 5:20 King James Version (KJV)

²⁰ Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Evil manifests itself ever more frequently, ever more fervently, ever more blatantly, all too often under the guise of a simply acceptable norm in the minds of those who refute all that is good, choosing to take that evil in place of the good rather than face evil head on and call it what it is…EVIL.

Evil will always attempt to justify itself as good, either by openly and pridefully calling good wrong and evil, or by claiming that the ends justify whatever means are used for the accomplishment of goals touted as good.

Those goals are never in consideration of the fact that there is only the reality of the final judgment of good and evil that has been established by God himself,  a final reality of an eternity that will reward only in accordance with HIS concept of good and evil.
This true definition has only been delivered through the scriptures, most particularly those scriptures devoted to the Word spoken through His Son delivering the TRUTH of those scriptures in a way that is clear to all, allowing no misrepresentation and no possibility of the claim of misunderstanding of the simplicity of the message brought by HIM.

Today’s title comes from yet another hymn, also found in that old hymnal so dear to me, written by Bernice M. Brostrom and W.H.Daniel copyrighted in 1938, another time of obvious evil being touted for good and good being too often defined as evil, demanding that choice be made between the two.

In the Shadow of the Cross

As we journey on toward heaven’s shining goal, We may suffer pain and loss;

Burdens only bring us blessings if we live, in the shadow of the cross.

(Chorus)

On that tree of sorrow Jesus died for all, took upon himself our dross;

As I see Him there I long to ever live, in the shadow of the cross.

(Chorus)

There are souls to rescue, there are souls to save, on the sea of life they toss;

May we be a light and teach them how to live, in the shadow of the cross.

CHORUS:

Are you living in the shadow of the cross, Where the Savior took your place?

By the cross He’ll lead us to that home above, There we’ll see Him face to face.

We live daily in the shadow of the cross, either bringing light to that shadow by choosing to perpetuate the act of sacrifice that provides salvation and announcing the possibility of that salvation for all… announcing the acceptance of the TRUTH of what is good... or we live in its shadow, refusing to acknowledge the light that came from that cross when it could not hold Jesus in death. 

 He was resurrected to life eternal to provide that same life eternal for those choosing to find the light despite the shadow created by refusing that light.

Each day we draw one day closer to the finality of what has been chosen as good and what is chosen as evil.

We close the gap between the temporal and temporary, that which is eternal, with each breath taken.

Choice ends when God decides it ends… blessings are given when HE decides they are merited… the blessing of life eternal is HIS to bestow, and HIS to withhold.

We can choose to accept which blessings are worthy and those which are only distractions from those that are worthy, or we can choose to ignore those of true worth in preference of what is only temporary, and false.

When God chooses, as He must, to remove the choices set before us, the choice will have been made whether to have followed the fallible and to refuse to see that fallibility, or to choose the infallible and proclaim that infallibility given through Christ Jesus alone.

Either way, we must recognize the shadow of the cross under which all must live.

Either the blood that flowed from that cross, given in sacrifice will be honored and proclaimed for the good that it is, or refused in preference of whatever is chosen in its stead.

There is another shadow of yet another cross that each must make decision about as well:

Matthew 10:32-38King James Version (KJV)

³² Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

³³ But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

³⁴ Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

³⁵ For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

³⁶ And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.

³⁷ He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

³⁸ And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

Amen and Amen

the Wayfarer