+JMJ
A Contemplation From The Gospel of Luke
There is so much beauty in the suffering Jesus. It often feels like an oxymoron, really. How could the unutterable atrocities that our Savior endured be beautiful?
How could the abandonment, loneliness, and betrayal be beautiful?
How could the mocking, questioning, and defilement be beautiful?
How could the lashes, headaches, and bruises be beautiful?
How could the falls, punches, and fatigue be beautiful?
How could the piercing of the nails, the breathless agony of hanging on the cross, and the searing hatred from the crowd be beautiful?
The more time I spend at the foot of the cross, the more I see the absolute beauty of it all.
The following contemplation from the Gospel of Luke showed me that the promises of the cross are bold, beautiful, and unwavering.
That grace blossoms from the foot of the cross.
The Call to Repentance
At that time some people who were present there told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. He said to them in reply, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did! Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them- do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did! -Luke 13:1-5
I imagine Christ Crucified. He hangs in agony on the cross. I am a little distance off from Him.
But I can hear Him whisper, “Repent, look what your sins have done to me.”
I can feel my heart being torn out at His words as I share in a small drop of His agony. I stand nervous and unsure, my own heart yearning to comfort Him.
But I can’t. I feel stuck in place. No matter what I do, I just can’t will my feet to move.
I watch as His Precious Blood drips profusely down the cross. It drips to the ground below and seeps in, completely absorbed.
Then, from those spots plants spring up. Rising like ivy. It climbs up and covering every part of the wood of the cross. It spreads rapidly and then blooms forth with the most beautiful flowers.
It is spectacular to behold, but He remains in agony, nailed to the flowery cross.
“Repent,” He whispers struggling to breathe.
The flowers spread along the ground towards me and I watch, still frozen where I am.
“It is finished,” He declares with a sigh. His head falls forward, His body slumps and He goes limp. But the flowers continue to grow.
The Beauty Of the Cross
The beauty of the cross comes from the love of Jesus Christ.
His unending, full, and sacrificial love.
His love is what made something so heinous into something so beautiful.
His love turned His barbaric death into eternal life for me.
Jesus showed me that His grace grows and blooms from the foot of the cross. So, I need to spend as much time there as possible.
Thrive in Jesus, My Friends!
What graces have you received at the foot of the cross? Do you avoid the cross? Do you see the beauty of the love of Christ there?
Leave me a comment and let me know!