Contemplating Jesus' death and resurrection

[Cally]

It's Easter, so someone brought it up.

Just the thought of Jesus being disgraced and made to suffer makes me feel really emotional.  It took me by surprise, again--just to really think about it, the perfect man experiencing that is just overpowering.

Yet, he had things thoroughly under control after all. 

[larry2]

1 John 4:19  We love him, because he first loved us.

[Charles Sloan]

Yeah today it hit me too, especially when we sung the hymn "In Christ Alone".

[Cally]

Yeah today it hit me too, especially when we sung the hymn "In Christ Alone".

All the power in the universe, to heal and set free, on the mangled man on the cross. I think about him anxieties melt away.

[Debrah]

it was on Good Friday for me as far as contemplating His death...we had a beautiful service for our savior that day, I was just washed in His Love, how amazing, how wonderful, for a Good and Perfect God to come to this sinful planet, to save a wretch like me.  My tears were flowing with repentance and love for my God.

[DaveW]

It hit me emotionally also.

For me it was Friday night at our Seder.  The part of the Yachatz section where the leader (in this case me) holds up the 3 matzahs and says:

THIS IS THE BREAD OF AFFLICTION WHICH OUR ANCESTORS ATE IN THE LAND
OF EGYPT.

All who are hungry - let them come and eat. All
who are needy - let them come and share the hope of Passover with
us. Now we are here; next year may we be in the Land of Israel.
Now we are slaves; next year may we be free!

The middle matza is then broken and hidden away.  Thinking of how Messiah's body was broken for us. "Take Eat, this is my body, broken for you..."

The invitation to come and eat of the Bread of Life is to all. He is the bread that took our affliction and gave us His Freedom.

[FollowHisGrace]

There is one aspect that never really hit me, until this year.

Thursday evening, our church had a communion and foot washing service.  This is the first year that we took our daughters (5 and 7).  The service doesn't start until 7pm and usual runs past their bedtime, but this year we felt they were old enough to sit through it (they were angels).

When we got home and put them to bed, we discussed with them the importance of the passover meal and coming days.  Our oldest asked a question that I hadn't given much consideration to in quite a while. . . was Jesus scared?  I thought about it and told her that I think he was, because when he prayed to God, he asked that the cup be removed from him.  But I went on to explain to them that he loved us so much that he knew it had to be done. . . "Not my will, but Thine be done".

He knew the pain and anguish that was coming.  He knew that everyone would turn their back on him. . . including his Father.  But he did it anyway!!

How many of us could say that we'd do the same?