God At The Cross

God at the Cross

Read: Matthew 26:26-30

“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

Matthew 26:28

“As you sit and gaze, it will be born in you that only a crucified Savior could meet your need.”

—William Sangster

IN WORD God’s response to our sin pulls no punches. It is a graver assessment than we thought. The righteous God of Israel, who spent thousands of years of Old Testament history condemning disobedience and idolatry, finally unleashes His full wrath for the human rebellion—on His own perfect Son. The observers in the heavenlies—angels, demons, and anyone else who sees God more clearly than we do—must have staggered at the sight. The enemy had tirelessly worked for centuries corrupting the creation, and the creation willfully went along with his treason. All the while, God stored up His anger. Yet when God’s judgment came, He had already sent an innocent Deliverer to stand in front of the Judge’s fury.

The Cross is God’s wrath made plain. It is also God’s love made plain. No man-made religion can claim such a God. All other deities are either so angry that they can’t be appeased, or so innocuous that they are meaningless. Nowhere else in the universe—even in fertile imaginations— have justice and grace been reconciled so completely.

IN DEED No human being could have come up with this plan. No human religion could have laid down a centuries-old sacrificial system to so perfectly foreshadow what would be fulfilled in one individual—the same individual who also happened to deliver the most profound teachings that the world has ever heard. No, the blood of the covenant poured out at the Cross comes from the hand of God—in judgment and in love.

Meditate on the judgment of God. It was harsh and heavy. It is a true assessment of our offense. Meditate also on the grace of God. It is a love far above our understanding that pays so high a price for so unworthy a purchase. Meditate and marvel at the staggering plan of God.