By Caleb Faires
Can you bear to look?
It seems that even Matthew could not endure the sight: “After crucifying Him they divided His clothes by casting lots,” he wrote (Matthew 27:35). We can look at His empty robes at the foot of the cross, but how can our eyes stand to see His bloody and broken body?
The weight of the crucifixion of Christ is difficult to comprehend. I find that I get lost in my efforts to understand it more fully, straying into sentimental imagination of Christ’s very human agony or into detached pondering of its theological significance. Witnessing Christ’s death must have been unimaginably brutal. Of course, from our perspective a couple of millenia later, we know it was also incomprehensibly profound and deeply personal. My own sin put him there. My voice mocked His suffering. My hands gambled for His clothing. My criminal lips taunted and spat at Him.
What are we to do with this?
How do we approach the God we mocked?
How do we look upon the Christ we crucified?
There are no words. We can make no answer, no appeal. Scripture tells us that as Jesus approached Jerusalem on the day of His triumphal entry, “he wept for it, saying, “If you knew this day what would bring peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes” (Luke 19:41–42). “He was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds” (Isaiah 53:5). Jesus was willingly scarred by our sin, and yet stands before us to say, “Peace to you!” (Luke 24:36).
Do you tremble at this?
Jesus is the very image of the invisible God, the Creator of all of heaven and earth, the head of the Church, the ruler of all dominions, who was before all things, and in whom the fullness of deity dwells. And God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Jesus in order to reconcile us to Himself, to make our relationship with Him right (Colossians 1:15–20). Knowing all this about Jesus, our Savior, how can we not tremble?
When Jesus asks, “Why are you troubled?”, the whole world of awful betrayal, of faithless doubt, seems to disappear. When He says, “Why do doubts arise in your hearts?”, a great barrier shatters. The trembling, awe, and even disbelief we sometimes feel before our Jesus, our crucified God returned from the dead— are now reasons to rejoice.
The apostle Paul writes, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). At the cross, we witness not only Christ’s death, but our death. At the empty tomb we witness not only His life, but ours.
The Messiah has suffered and died and risen, so that forgiveness of sin might be proclaimed to all nations. Oh that our eyes might be ever fixed on Christ, crucified and risen! How can we bear to look away?
Written by Caleb Faires
36 thoughts on "The Death and Resurrection of Christ"
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Bryan C says:
The death and resurrection reflect the extreme sadness and overwhelming joy that God created us to feel. My sin weighs heavy as it placed Jesus on the cross and in the grave, but death mourns even more that my redeemer brought me back to life.
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Joshua Dease says:
This teaches me that man is imperfect. And though God lives through us, we still sin and must die daily and repent and humble ourselves before God.
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Trey says:
The God suffered and knows suffering. He knows what it’s like to feel abandoned.
“God loves me and gave himself for me.”
He has room for entertaining our doubts.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are united and work together.
He is the Reconciler and Peacemaker of Heaven and Earth.
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That Jesus took our sins and included us in his death, burial, and resurrection. I am dead, I only live in Christ. This is a statement of fact, not feeling. A lot of times I don’t feel like that, but it is what has happened.
We are clothed with power from on high. We have the Holy Spirit in us.
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This is the gospel, that Christ died for me so that I would be free of my sins to live a life in him through faith. That he knows about earthly pain, he is not a distant God on high, but has come near to us.
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Brent says:
Remind myself of the gospel and the gravity it should bear. This is no trite expression, but the most amazing story in human history.
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The bigness and holiness of God is challenging to comprehend so we often compartmentalize him. In his presence all is laid bare and we will grovel at his feet. But he will tell us to look up! That the price has been paid and welcome us with open arms.
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It is incomprehensible why God would love me so much to make such a sacrifice. And that Jesus walked to and died in the cross willingly and obediently to the fathers plan.
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We all participated in his crucifixion. It is not a story to know, it is a story we live.
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Father bear this on my heart, my mind, and my lips today. That I would not make little of Jesus’ sacrifice nor take for granted the forgiveness of my sins.
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Tim Broersma says:
Daily seeking and constant dialogue with Him about the moves and issues I’m facing, and then pausing to listen for Him and meditate on His word.
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When I read this, I am reminded that He has control over the outcomes of all situations. Unfortunately I am powering through them in my own, constantly frustrated and feeling burdened, yet He is there, and says to have Peace. When I pause to really embrace this, I do feel that sense of Joy, and relief that God is in control and regardless of the outcome, He has my back and cares so much for me.
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It reminds me that I am fallen, and constantly trying to take back control of my destiny, my American Dream, which is all about using my abilities to get to a specific destination in this life. The reality is though, most of the time, this destination doesn’t require God, cause “I got this”. Culture tells us men that we are in control, and we love that and cater to it. Reading this today convicts me that while He may have given me specific skills and abilities, this life is not the end game, and He ultimately has control, and I can choose to accept and embrace that, and live within the peace that comes with that, or I can go it on my own.
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Again, it’s redemptive. He knew we would fail, and provided a way for us to find peace through communion with Him. We need that communion and Peace!!
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For the peace He offers!
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Joel Van Mersbergen says:
This teaches me that we are under Him. Never at any point do our desires trump Him. We must submit to Him. We also need not stress. All things are ultimately under Him and we can trust Him.
All things are from and for Him. He is the center of it all.
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This teaches me that God is over and above all things. It reminds me that He is sovereign.
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I will remember Him. In all circumstances I must be thankful and remember that it’s all under Him.
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It humbles me. The Gospel is God rescuing His belligerent, and disobedient children because He loves them. It humbles me and causes me to be thankful that though He is above all and though I came from such sinfulness (and still do!) He still came to offer me salvation.
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God, help my mind to be centered upon You. When it’s not I am prone to put myself at the center of the universe and that only brings selfishness and further destruction.
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William Pierce says:
He is completely loving, completely caring, and completely forgiving. No amount of wrongs could ever stop that love from crying out to us. He never gives up on us, even when we’ve given up on ourselves. The holiness of God is too high to grasp, but He approaches us and asks us to follow Him. How profound.
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We’re broken, garbage or worse, and deserving of being completely wiped away from existence. We’re despicable creatures endlessly loved by the God of the universe. He who created everything we can and cannot know, by speaking it to be, is seeking, even now, those who will trust in Him. We’re chosen, we’re forgiven, we’re loved.
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It’s unreasonable, and irresistible. Our God loves us without abandon and will never stop. His son, Jesus Christ, paid the full price of all of our wrongs against Him on His own body, in His flesh that he bore for us. He bore our pain so that we could bear with Him, life.
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In thankfulness, sharing the lover of God with everyone I meet. No matter how I wish to keep to myself, I must live out and speak the truth of God’s grace.
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For strength, but mostly faith. Faith to endure the trails and pain of this life that are set before me to refine me into the image of my savior.
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Dillon Davis says:
Gods plan required reconciliation. God wanted to reconcile man to Himself. He kept giving us chance after chance. God never intended those chances to be enough. I think that God gave us the heroes to see that even great heroes of the faith aren’t enough to bridge the gap between Gods holiness and our iniquity.Gods got plans yall.
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Man is skeptical and rude. Man mocks everything he doesn’t understand so much so it turns deadly. People often want easy answers to their problems too.
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Be a little more respectful. Honor that sacrifice. It was large and it was costly.
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God reconciled Man through himself at Golgotha and again in the tomb on the third day. He was tortured, executed and given all the respect due a common criminal and yet God endured for His namesake and for his people. There’s no greater gift. There’s no harder image.
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Lord, thank you. I don’t think we ever really realize how large a sacrifice you made that day, and I don’t think I’ve ever really expressed myself on that end. I repent of being distracted by worldy wares and pursuits. They aren’t inherently evil but they cannot be idols. I’m so distracted. Be with us today’s
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Robert Johns says:
God is infinitely gracious, kind, and merciful.
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Man is deeply flawed, yet deeply loved by God.
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God – thank you for the Gospel. Help me to live everyday in a way that reflects my gratefulness for your gift.
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Mary says:
Father God I thank you that because of Christ’s sacrifice I am no longer a slave to sin. Oh, I am not perfect. But, thank you that I am not what I use to be, that I do not do what I use to do. I thank you for the Holy Spirit who convicts me, counsels, directs me and leads me through repentance and to forgiveness. Thank you that You SO love the world that you gave me your only begotten son. “To God be the glory and all the praise.” In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
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