Prior to the Cross
Originally scheduled for August 23
Ask the average Christian how it is that he
considers himself forgiven of his sins. You get an answer that
involves the cross of Christ. This, of course, is true — but we miss
one of the more subtle implications of that statement. Do you not
recall that Christ had the power to forgive sins even before he went
to the cross? It raises an obvious point: if he could do the
forgiving without the cross, why did he go to the cross?
Let’s start with the obvious: did Christ in
fact forgive anyone’s sins before the cross? The answer to that is
yes, at least three times.
·
In Matthew 9:1-8 we meet a paralytic
along the road. Christ forgives his sins and cures his ailment at
the same time. He makes it a point to those of his critics that he
has the authority to forgive sins and he just proved that he does
because he healed a man.
·
In Luke 5:18-26 we meet the paralytic
whose friends tore away on the roof of the house to get him to
Jesus. He, too, is forgiven as part of the cure.
·
In Luke 7:10-20 we meet the sinful
woman who anointed his feet with her tears. Her many sins were
forgiven, again a display of power.
So why would Christ go to the trouble of
suffering on the cross if he could just do it with a casual word for
the people he met? There are a number of possible reasons, but
please consider these:
·
Even Jesus of Nazareth can only talk
to so many people in a given day. There are well over a billion
Christians on the planet now. To talk to so many would not only be
impractical due to time constraints, it would deprive the church of
one of its main missions: spreading the grace of God.
·
Just as important is this: the cross
shows us the price tag of sin. Sin is so utterly repulsive that the
took the sacrifice of the only perfect man to pay for it. It is well
worth remembering that when you take communion.
·
The cross is also the measure of
God’s love for mankind. Christ did not need to go to the cross; we
needed it.
As you participate in communion this morning,
you will remember that the cup represents his blood, shed for the
remission of our sins. The bread represents his body, beaten and
abused, suffering for us. The price paid tells us the value of the
act. It tells us the cost of sin. Most of all, it directs our
thoughts back to John 3:16, “for God so loved the world…” As you
partake, remember his love and the price he paid so that you would
know it.
