As we continue through this week I have been meditating on what Christ went through for us. Good Friday and Easter are the remembrance and celebration of Christ’s journey to the cross, his death and resurrection. It is THE most important event in history, relevant even for us today, yet the remembrance of this Holiday gets overshadowed by the Easter Bunny, colored eggs and peeps!?! Without Christ sacrificing himself there would be no redemption by grace to cover our sins, separating us from God. What a horrible place this would be. I understand that the world would consider this only a celebration for Christians, but I know that there are Christians that don’t even hold value in this week, or not enough value anyways.
Jesus is described as a bridegroom in Isaiah 54:5
“For your Maker is your husband—
the LORD Almighty is his name—
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
he is called the God of all the earth.”
again in Matthew 9:15 Jesus says, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them.”
A bridegroom is a newly married man or a man about to be married. Jesus is the bridegroom and his people, the church, is the bride. The journey Jesus took led him down a different kind of aisle, yet it is the ultimate depiction of unconditional, selfless, sacrificial LOVE. Jesus was mocked, ridiculed and beaten. He was forced to carry the weight of a wooden cross, which sat upon his wounded flesh; dragged along the dirt aisle, leading to his death. Yet death could not contain him. On the third day he rose again! It’s the most beautiful story of redemption ever to unfold.
Thank you Jesus for what you were willing to give up, so that you can gain us:) I pray that in my marriage I can exemplify the same kind of love. I also pray that during the next few days, people all around the world would acknowledge you and what you went through for your bride.
A great movie I encourage you to watch that depicts Jesus Journey to the cross is The Passion of the Christ.