The Cross: It's More Than You Think

Psalm 22 is a prophecy about the death of Jesus. It begins with "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" It talks about being mocked, being pierced, and the clothes of Jesus being divided among those who crucified Him. It is filled with unspeakable pain and suffering and the brutal thoughts which go through a man's mind when he is in torment.

It also talks about the love and glory of God.

The cross is about more than the pain and suffering of Jesus. Does it include that? Absolutely. But it should not end with that. When instituting the Lord's Supper in Luke 22:19 Jesus said "This is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." But notice what He did not say. He did not say "do this and only remember my suffering and death."

He said "do this in remembrance of Me."

Jesus did this before the crucifixion, before He was tortured and mocked and put on a cross. If the cross is the only way we think about Christ, We are missing so much of His life and ministry and what He did for us.

You see, in God's hands, the cross is so much more than an instrument for torture.

"but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God."
-I Cor. 1:23-24

How could it be anything less?

Consider this: it was by the death of Jesus that God was able to destroy the power of sin once and for all. It is because of the cross that God is able to say we are clean and washed and pure before Him. It is due to the blood spilled that we are able to have every sin washed away and be made holy before the Lord God Almighty.

How could the crucifixion be anything less than the glory and power of God on Earth?

As I said earlier, Psalm 22 prophesies the death of Jesus. It talks about all the horribleness that went with it. And then it says this:

"My praise shall be of You in the great assembly;
I will pay My vows before those who fear Him. 
The poor shall eat and be satisfied;
Those who seek Him will praise the Lord.
Let your heart live forever!
 

All the ends of the world
Shall remember and turn to the Lord,
And all the families of the nations
Shall worship before You. 

For the kingdom is the Lord’s,
And He rules over the nations.

All the prosperous of the earth
Shall eat and worship;
All those who go down to the dust
Shall bow before Him,
Even he who cannot keep himself alive.

A posterity shall serve Him.
It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation, 

They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born,That He has done this."

These are the last verses of Psalm 22. It is a praise to God. It is a praise to Him for His goodness, His mercy, His love, His power, His righteousness.

It is just after putting into words the unspeakable torment of being separated from God on the cross.

The next time you take communion, the next time you worship, the next time you remember the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross, don't forget to remember the glory of it as well.

Remember the power of God and the blessings He brought the entire planet through doing so.

Remember that it is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

And that He calls you to be a part of this great story as well.