CBC Update
Dear Friends,
With Easter fast approaching, I’ve turned my mind toward the most important event in our Christian calendar: the celebration of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.
In preparation for Easter, I’ve been reading the Passion narratives from the four Gospels each week. These begin in Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, and John 18. These accounts of Jesus’ betrayal, arrest, trials, mocking, abuse, death, and burial are referred to as “Jesus’ Passion.”
We often associate the word passion with romantic love, but the word used in connection to Jesus comes from the Latin word for suffering—passio. And yet, as we think about Jesus’ death on the cross and all that led to it, love and suffering go hand in hand to describe both what happened to Jesus, and why it happened. Jesus suffered greatly—because of His love for you and me.
As I reflect on Jesus’ Passion—the betrayal, the unjust trials, and the brutality of the crucifixion—I’m reminded of these powerful words from Romans 5:
Romans 5:6–8
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Did you notice who were the objects of Jesus’ Passion? Who Jesus died for? The powerless. The ungodly. The sinners.
Too often, the Church has used these kinds of labels to judge people and keep them at a distance. But these are the very people Jesus had in mind. These are the people Jesus died for. These are the ones Jesus loves.
- Do you feel powerless? Jesus died for you—because He loves you.
- Do you feel ungodly and far from God? Jesus died for you—because He loves you.
- Are you all too aware of your sin and failings? Jesus died for you—because He loves you.
Grace & peace,
Pastor Ian