On this Holy Tuesday, I am grateful that you and I are still moving forward. Despite hurts, trials, and hassles on the way, we have covered many miles together on this lenten journey and we are clinging to the hope of glory as we inch ever closer to the celebration of our Savior's resurrection from the grave on Easter Sunday.
For Jesus, however, His walk toward the Cross was laden with grief.
He was heart-broken.
they [the Jews] still would not believe
in Him.”
John 12:37, NIV
In
everything He did on this earth, Jesus gave His all.
He gave,
. . . and gave,
. . . and gave again.
He did not simply
materialize on this planet as a grown man.
He came as a lowly babe lying in a
manger.
He did not merely appear to the teachers in the temple courts as a
learned scholar.
He patiently took His time to mature and grow “in wisdom and
stature, and in favor with God and people” (Luke 2:52).
He did not content
Himself with acts of showmanship.
He wrought God-honoring and wondrous miracles
that brought healing and hope to those in dire straits.
He did not purely answer
questions.
He presented His hearers with hands-on knowledge heartening them to
become increasingly more prayerful, watchful, thankful, and faithful—ever
honoring God as they lived amidst their neighbors.
Regrettably, humanity has long allowed all kinds of definite no-nos to divert its focus from yielding to a generous and Almighty
God, preferring instead to hoard the trivial knick-knacks of earthly control:
- Secret sins
- Perverted thoughts
- Addictive tendencies
- Resentful and bitter choices
Thus, held captive by the deceitfulness of darkened minds and hearts, many who heard the message of Jesus and witnessed His miracles first-hand—counting religious leaders who should have known better —still opted to disavow His divinity and deny His dominion as Savior and Sovereign King.
- Secret sins
- Perverted thoughts
- Addictive tendencies
- Resentful and bitter choices
Thus, held captive by the deceitfulness of darkened minds and hearts, many who heard the message of Jesus and witnessed His miracles first-hand—counting religious leaders who should have known better —still opted to disavow His divinity and deny His dominion as Savior and Sovereign King.
Furthermore,
although “many even among the leaders believed in Him [Christ] . . . because of
the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out
of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God”
(Jn. 12:42-43, NIV).
Laden
with such blatant hypocrisy, insolent humanism, and spiteful hardheartedness,
Holy Tuesday was quite a heart-rending day for Christ as His very soul was
savagely punctured by the refusal of God’s chosen people to believe in Him.
Thirty years of growing into adulthood, plus three years of tireless ministry,
and a day of palm-waving acclaim quickly vanished into oblivion, presenting
Jesus as persona non grata once the
people were faced with the sine qua non choice
of faith in Christ alone.
Of
course, He was heart-broken.
For “He came to that which was His own” (John 1:11)
but they could not believe in Him because, as Isaiah says, “Make the heart of
this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise
they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed” (Isaiah 6:10). Christ's broken-heartedness was evident because He displayed His divine grief over sin in the temple when He found therein merchandising and thievery instead of people praying.
Even today He is heart-broken.
Even today He is heart-broken.
Today, we have a broken-hearted Christ who sorrows over us when spiritual hypothermia dulls our hearts into prayerlessness and unbelief. In this hour, we have a loving Savior who is heartbroken over the wrecked friendships, shattered marriages, and torn relationships that torment our own hearts. In this very minute, we have a broken-hearted Friend who sticks to us closer than a brother, who bears all our sins and griefs, who hears our desperate pleas, who sees our trials, who watches over us . . .
Graciously, His broken-heartedness causes Him to redeem us.
Graciously, His broken-heartedness causes Him to redeem us.
He who is the Source of all joy chose to become the Man of sorrows so that you and I could "rejoice in the Lord always" (Philippians 4:4). He who is the Prince of peace chose to carry our grief and pain in order that we could experience comfort, relief, and "the peace that passes all understanding" (Philippians 4:7). He who has the
power to deaden hearts chose to have His own heart pierced that you and I might pray
and see His light and believe in Him and have true life.
Thank You, Jesus,
for becoming the Man of sorrows
and for becoming so familiar with suffering.
Daily, You carry our sorrows and griefs;
You are familiar with all our ways and hurts.
You hoist on Your shoulders our disappointments,
dashed hopes, shattered dreams, broken hearts,
and witness the ravages of our collective sin in this decaying world.
You who wept over Lazarus and Jerusalem
still weep in Your heart over us
who are so easily swayed into causing You grief with our sinful bent.
Thank You, Jesus,
for going to Golgotha,
for undergoing the excruciating torture of Calvary,
for accepting beatings, insults, and wounds
so that we could have measureless access to Your grace.
How good You are!
How marvelous You are!
How merciful and generous You are!
Thank You, dear broken-hearted Man of sorrows!
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