Advent - Day 24
Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!”
Matthew 27:38-40
Full Readings: Isaiah 53:7–9, Matthew 27:32–44
We’ve spoken a bunch about Jesus’ humility and I don’t want to just keep going down a heavily trodden path. But some sites are worth viewing more than once.
In coming to earth, Christ doesn’t just ‘give up’ His power. He deliberately chooses not to access it. We see it in His birth. To be helpless is the nightmare of most humans. We claw and fight for some power in life, so that we might never be left in a powerless state.
What do we then make of Christ’s birth and even this moment at the cross. Jesus is not powerless. Though it is the Father’s will and indeed, His own, to die on the cross, I have no doubt that should Jesus call, the Father would answer with His whole host of angels.
So what we have then, is the most powerful being, choosing to be powerless. Remarkable. Think about that time your car broke down and you couldn’t fix it. If you had the power - would you endure the wait for NRMA or the tow-truck? The cost? You wouldn’t.
Jesus, He gave up power, so that you could be truly powerful. Listen to Romans 5:6, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.”
All humans are powerless. None of us have the power to save ourselves from the consequences of sin. We were powerless, dead in our sins. And, as slaves to sin we couldn’t stop ourselves from sinning.
But through the power of Christ, in His death & resurrection, we have been made powerful. We can fight sin. We can trust God and we can enjoy salvation through Christ.
Christ became helpless so that you wouldn’t be.
For Today:
Pray:
Matthew 27:38-40
Full Readings: Isaiah 53:7–9, Matthew 27:32–44
We’ve spoken a bunch about Jesus’ humility and I don’t want to just keep going down a heavily trodden path. But some sites are worth viewing more than once.
In coming to earth, Christ doesn’t just ‘give up’ His power. He deliberately chooses not to access it. We see it in His birth. To be helpless is the nightmare of most humans. We claw and fight for some power in life, so that we might never be left in a powerless state.
What do we then make of Christ’s birth and even this moment at the cross. Jesus is not powerless. Though it is the Father’s will and indeed, His own, to die on the cross, I have no doubt that should Jesus call, the Father would answer with His whole host of angels.
So what we have then, is the most powerful being, choosing to be powerless. Remarkable. Think about that time your car broke down and you couldn’t fix it. If you had the power - would you endure the wait for NRMA or the tow-truck? The cost? You wouldn’t.
Jesus, He gave up power, so that you could be truly powerful. Listen to Romans 5:6, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.”
All humans are powerless. None of us have the power to save ourselves from the consequences of sin. We were powerless, dead in our sins. And, as slaves to sin we couldn’t stop ourselves from sinning.
But through the power of Christ, in His death & resurrection, we have been made powerful. We can fight sin. We can trust God and we can enjoy salvation through Christ.
Christ became helpless so that you wouldn’t be.
For Today:
- Have you ever felt totally helpless?
- What would be the hardest part of Jesus’ voluntary helplessness?
- Trust in the power of God at work in you to flee sin today.
Pray:
- Praise the Father that He is Almighty God and ultimately powerful.
- Give thanks for Jesus who became helpless for our sake.
- Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others use His power for good.
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