In the Way

I was sorting through paperwork, (it feels like I am always sorting through paperwork), when I came across a picture of President Trump on the day he’d been shot in Pennsylvania. His nose was to the ground and blood was running down his face, a poignant photograph indeed. The picture alone said volumes, but to take it to the utmost extreme of profound it included a statement that went something like this:

“They’re not coming after me, they’re coming after you — and I’m just standing in their way.”

It got me to thinking about Jesus.

satan wanted God’s throne and the worship due Him. His rebellion got him kicked out of heaven. Then we came along and he’s been hating on us ever since.

Enter Jesus. satan thought he could make headway to the heavenly throne; to get to the Father, go through the Son by trying to deceive and tempt Him to give up His deity. Jesus didn’t take satan’s bait. He instead used the Word to combat and ultimately defeat him. That left mankind in satan’s cross-hairs — just where we’ve always been.

Later comes Jesus’ sacrifice for us. Was satan after Him? Of course! how else does one explain the cross? But that scheme failed. He did exactly what was necessary to ransom us. Whether satan realizes he’s never going to succeed in usurping God, I don’t know. What I do think is that his next best scheme is to keep coming after us. What I think we’re struggling to wholly realize, and what satan hopes we never do, is the authority that we have been given when Jesus put Himself in the way.

He took the whipping. He took the humiliation. He took the thorns. He took the nails. He took the suffering. He took the betrayal. He took the rejection. He took the pain. He partook of death itself. Why? Because of His great love for us. A love that isn’t due nor was it asked for.

satan is still after us. But look, Jesus and the cross He bore still stands in the way. His sacrificial act and miraculous resurrection is still enough to squelch all of the fires in our lives.

Join me: Let’s make a conscious effort to keep the celebration of our Savior’s act of love all year long.