By Brenda Groves
The Post Newspaper Contributing Writer
Dear Readers, at this time of year I like to share this column I wrote in 2016 about a wonderful experience I had while visiting with my Mother one Sunday afternoon near Easter.
Mom went home to be with the Lord in 2019. I miss her (and my Dad) so much, especially during the Holidays. So, for all of you who are missing loved one’s this Easter, I am resurrecting this column as a reminder of God’s love for us, and He will never leave us, or forsake us …
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 “scourged” 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 nerves, ripping it right off the persons 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 had 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 for 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, yet 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 that 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 sicknesses, 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 alcohol 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 millions and millions of times over … into Himself.
A most Holy God who knew no sin, was becoming sin for us, so that 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 the sacrifice of His Son 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 Mother 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!!”
So, as we sat under that tree, we all three agreed (the Holy Spirit, Mom and me) that a beautiful exchange had 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!
(1John 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
