By Brenda Groves
The Post Newspaper Contributing Writer
Dear Readers, in 2016 I wrote about a wonderful experience I had while visiting
with my Mother.
Mom went home to be with the Lord back in 2019. I miss her so much, especially
during holidays. So for all you who are missing your loved ones this Easter, I am
resurrecting this column again hoping that it will bless you as it has me.
A few weeks ago I went to see my 81 yr. old Mother for our regular weekly visits,
and because Easter was approaching she wanted to know more about the
crucifixion of Christ.
I told her that sounded great, but I also told her that I wasn’t going to sugar coat
what happened to Jesus.
So we picked a spot outside under a shade tree, and I began to read out loud
John’s account beginning in Chapter 19. “So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged
Him.”
I stopped there and asked Mom if she knew what scourge meant?
Slowly she replied, “Well, it meant that they beat Him. Didn’t it?”
“Yes, but it’s much more than that. The devices they used were designed with
embedded sharp objects in order to dig into the flesh and rip it right off the
person’s bones. And remember, these men were being influenced by satan so they
were not holding back, no compassion there.”
Suddenly, we had to stop as a hacking cough overtook my Mom. It was
raspy and deep and I hated the sound of it. She has been recovering from a slight
case of pneumonia but that stupid cough has been persistent. We stopped and
prayed, but I had the feeling that she was growing tired of fighting the illness.
When she was able to catch her breath she motioned me to keep reading.
“And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they
put on Him a purple robe.”
Then I said, “Mom, envision what that would feel like. The thorns were huge and
dug into his scalp around His head. I’m sure there were large amounts of blood
running into his eyes and ears.”
“Then they said,” Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck Him with their
hands.”
I paused again, “So Mom, Jesus ‘who was God in the flesh’ was being punched
in the face and ridiculed by His own creation. A Man, anointed by God with the
Holy Spirit, and with power, who went about doing good healing all who were
oppressed by the devil.”
We sat in silence for a few minutes.
I said, “Momma, when Jesus carried the cross on His back, I’m sure they didn’t
sand it down where it was all smooth. No, it had splinters that were rubbing against
His torn flesh and exposed nerves, tendons, muscles and bones, all the while
people were spitting on Him and cursing Him.”
I waited as another cough racked my Moms body.
As she and I sat under the tree, intermittent rays of warm sunshine spilled
through the branches and touched our faces and I felt the presence of God in the
soft breeze.
We went on to discuss how we see many crosses with the image of Christ and
some will show small trickles of blood on different parts of His body but that doesn’t
even come close to revealing how much He sacrificed for us.
Mom sighed deeply and replied,”That is just terrible Brenda! What they did to
Him.”
And I looked at my Mother, “You know, we have to become aware of this so we
can truly appreciate, and rejoice, and experience His love. To understand the
fullness of life given to us, not just in Heaven, but in this world we live in.
The Bible says that He bore ALL of our sickness and ALL of our diseases and
ALL of our griefs and ALL of our sorrows so that we wouldn’t have to.
We will encounter them here, but we do not have to bear them. Jesus bore our
infirmities. The scriptures describe Jesus as not even looking like a human being
by the time of His death.
Imagine that for a moment.
Cancers entered in and on His body, leprosy, allergic reactions, blindness,
deafness and every sickness known to man, and even those yet to be discovered.
But that wasn’t the worst thing that happened to Jesus, I believe the thing that
made Him sweat great drops of blood in the garden was something much worse.
Perfect sinless Jesus was about to become or take upon Himself and experience
sin, the effects of ALL alcoholism and drug abuse.
For a moment He became EVERY adulterer and porn addict. He became
EVERY liar, thief and murderer.
When Jesus hung naked on the cross and very near death He cried out, ‘My
God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’
Mom in the scriptures Jesus had always referred to God as His “Father” before
that, so why did He refer to Him as “God” at that time on the cross? Because, at
that very moment Jesus was taking all the sins of the world, past, present and
future sins, multiplied million and millions times over … into Himself.
A most Holy God who knew no sin, was becoming sin for us, so we can become
the righteousness of God through Him.
And God cannot have any part of sin, “nothing that defiles can enter Heaven,” so
He temporarily separated Himself from Jesus in the Spirit.
Jesus became like us, temporarily separated from God, so that now we can
become like Him, and one with the Father again. Through Jesus, God made peace
with mankind.
So that now WE each can choose to be reconciled back to God through Jesus.
Do you see Mom? People who have not received Jesus still remain separated
from God in the Spirit, and cannot call Him their Heavenly Father, and cannot
inherit His eternal salvation. They are still spiritually dead in their trespasses and
sins. That is why we must be born again in the spirit.“
We both sat in silence for a few minutes reflecting on these truths,
Then softly I said,”Mom, do you know what I believe Jesus was thinking about
during all of this? The Bible says that “for the joy set before Him Jesus endured the
cross.”
My Mother asked me, “Why is that?”
“Because, Jesus loved His Father, and God the Father loves each one of
us. So God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit working together in
one Spirit, were looking ahead into the future. And seeing that night in 1996 when
I would get down on my knees in my living room, and believing with my whole
heart, He saw that moment that I would call out to Jesus and receive His saving
grace.
And Mother, He was seeing you, when you were 78 years old sitting in that
church service, hearing the Gospel message for perhaps the hundredth time. But
God knew that on THAT day you would choose to receive His most precious Gift.
He foresaw the moment in time when you would believe in your heart, and
confess with your mouth, Jesus as YOUR personal Lord and Savior.
Mom, mankind is the joy that was set before Him. And He decided before the
foundations of the world, “They are worth it!”
My Momma clapped her hands in excitement and exclaimed, “That’s just
beautiful!!”
Then I looked at her and said, “All right then Mom, since Jesus has already
made atonement for your sins, and suffered AND conquered sickness for you, will
you agree to tell this stupid, puny illness that has entered your body to get out
because Jesus loves YOU and “it” has no right to be there!!”
We all three agreed together (the Holy Spirit, Mom and me) that a beautiful
exchange has already taken place.
His life … for ours.
“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be
called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not
know Him.” 1 John 3:1
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
Happy Blessed Easter to you all!
(1 John 2:2; Heb. 12:2; 2 Cor. 5:21; Acts 10:38; 1 Tim. 3:16; John Chpt. 1;
Mark 15:34; Isaiah 52:14; chpt. 53 NKJV)
Contact Brenda Groves at: bkgroves1996@yahoo.com
Contact Brenda Groves at: bkgroves1996@yahoo.com
