The Persistent March To The Cross (In March)

The Persistent March to the Cross (In March)

Special: Had it Not been (Michael English version)

March fourth was just a few days ago! MARCH FOURTH! Like a very commanding day to march forth!

Easter is coming soon. It’s just about a month away now. To me Easter (not the pagan holiday but the Christian one - ie Resurrection Sunday) is even better than Christmas because it represents Jesus’ victory over sin and death and our great salvation. Christmas is just the beginning of the March to the Cross whereas Easter is the Finishing work by His death on the Cross and the Resurrection of Jesus. Easter is the culmination, the pinnacle of Christ’s work on Earth and the reason He came. Christmas is, of course, great too but it’s merely His birth announcement, and bird, and of course, our Hope having come to Earth. But to me, that’s little compared to what Easter means. So to me Easter is greater than Christmas because Easter is the Climax, whereas Christmas is merely the start of the persistent march to that Climax and reason for His coming.

Why did Jesus leave the throne of heaven?

Why did Jesus choose to be born on this Earth?

Why did Jesus live a sinless life?

Why did Jesus head to Jerusalem?

Why did Jesus ride in on a Donkey on Palm Sunday?

Why did Jesus spend time teaching the Jews?

Why did Jesus allow Himself to be betrayed?

Why did Jesus allow Himself to be captured and arrested?

Why did Jesus allow Himself to take 40 lashes with a cat-o-nine tails?

Why did Jesus willingly go to the Cross?

For you and me.

His march to the cross is truly fantastic, amazing, wonderful, tremendous… just all of the exclamations and adjectives and more!

To think that at any time, He could have said nope, not gonna do it!

Of course, because of His great love for us, He would never do that and would always choose to save us! That in itself is amazing that He would do that for unworthy people such as us!

At any time, He could have called 10K angels, they would have taken Him down from the cross, and we would be doomed and we would have deserved it! But no, He went all the way for us!!!

He was persistent on saving us and persistent on going all the way for us without wavering! Absolutely Amazing!

It’s amazing that a lot of the verses for Christmas are actually verses for Easter (Death, Burial, and Resurrection) such as Isaiah 53, He was wounded for our transgressions and wounded for our iniquity but Christmas and Easter are forever tied together in his persistent march to the cross.

Luke 18:31-34

Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time

31 Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. 32 He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; 33 they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.”

34 The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.

So obviously, Jesus knew His purpose for coming to Earth, and going to the Cross. It was clear as a bell to Him! He tried to share this with the twelve and even tho they had been with Him, knew he was Lord (Peter exclaimed it!), knew He was God (Thomas exclaimed it!), they just didn’t get it what His grand plan and purpose was - to go to the Cross for us! He was a man on a mission! The greatest mission ever! EVAR!!!

Matthew 20:18–19

17 And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them,

18 Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,

19 And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.

Yet again we see Jesus pulling the twelve aside and telling them ahead of time, hey guys, pay attention, this is the game plan! To us it seems odd that they didn’t get it even tho Jesus told them several times ahead of time! I wonder if we too would have understood?

John 3:14–15

14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”