Jesus the Christ

[Maryanne Winder Lester]

Jesus, the Christ

I remember last summer when my favorite cat, Whisper, died suddenly. She had gone off by herself and we couldn’t find her for about 24 hours. We even thought she had somehow gotten out of the house. We searched and searched but couldn’t find her. Then during the night, I woke up and saw her at the water bowl. But she was obviously sick. She could hardly walk. She jumped on the bed and lay down between us. Within a few hours, she stretched and took her last breath. She didn’t cry out or struggle at all. She died peacefully. I’ll never know what happened to her or why she died since she was a young and apparently healthy cat. I wept like a baby.

Right after Whisper died, my husband walked outside to be by himself for a few minutes. When he came back inside, he had tears in his eyes. But he revealed to me the reason for those tears. He told me that God had spoken to him outside and asked him, “I gave My life for you. How often have you cried for Me?” Those words were profound to me, because they were so true.

Last night, we had the honor of attending our Empowerment Service at New Birth. The guest pastor was the anointed Bishop T.D. Jakes. He has written a new book, “From the Cross to Pentecost, God’s Passionate Love for Us Revealed.” When he spoke last night, he gave me new insight into the significance of the cross and the death of Jesus. And I wept. It took me from last summer to last night to realize the significance of what God spoke to my husband after Whisper died. I guess I’m a little slow sometimes.

Christians, and even many of those who aren’t yet Christians, know the story of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For us Christians, it is the foundation of our Christian belief. It is what we know to be true. It is our hope. In my own Testimony, I wrote about the first time I had a real conversation with God, where He actually spoke to me. He showed me a vision of Jesus on the cross and the Holy Spirit said to me, “He died for you.” In that vision, Jesus was not like I had previously seen in pictures. The Holy Spirit allowed me, for just one brief moment, to feel the pain as well as see the picture. I felt the weight of His body, pulling on the holes made by the nails that pierced his flesh and bones. I felt Him as He tried to keep Himself from slumping down so He could breathe. I felt the pain of the thorns of His mock crown as they scraped against his skull. I saw His bloody battered body. As gruesome as this vision was, all I could feel in my own heart was His love.

We should read the Gospels of Matthew, Mark , Luke and John every day to remind us of the life and death of our Savior and the pain and torture our precious and sinless Jesus had to endure for us. Bishop Jakes told us last night, “You cannot have the crown without the cross.” We strive for that crown. That’s what we are pushing toward every time we are thirsty for the Word and it drives us to pray, go to church and read the Word. But we have to remember where all this started. It started with the cross. When Jesus was walking on water, making a basketful of bread and fish feed a multitude, healing the blind and the lame, raising Lazarus from the dead and spreading to Good Word to all who would listen, He was surrounded by happy and loving people. But, in the 3 hours He hung on the cross, where were those people? Peter had denied Him, Thomas had doubted Him, Judas had betrayed Him and the rest thought the Promise was dying with Him. Only His mother, her sister and a prostitute stayed near Him.

During those 3 hours that Jesus hung on the cross, darkness hovered over the earth. And when He gave up His Spirit and breathed His last breath, even the Earth that God had created mourned. Matthew 27 51-54 states, “Then, behold the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, ‘Truly this was the Son of God!’”It wasn’t the nails or the crown of thorns, or the beatings or the sword piercing His side that killed Him. It was our sin. And when He died, He took it with Him for all eternity!

In our own lives, there is always a period of darkness. But, there is power in that darkness. During these periods of darkness, God’s mercy is revealed. It is during these periods of darkness that many of your friends will leave you. Sometimes God will let the world forsake us so He can show us He is always there. But when our personal darkness passes, it is because God brings us through. This would never have been possible without the sacrifice of His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. It started with the cross.

My sincere thanks to Bishop T. D. Jakes and my own shepherd, Bishop Eddie L. Long for bringing this marvelous teaching to me last night. I thank the Holy Spirit for allowing me to receive this message and fully understand the power behind these words so I can share them with you today. I thank God, the Father of all creation for His infinite wisdom. And I thank Jesus the Christ, my Savior and Redeemer, the greatest love of all, for sacrificing Himself on the cross so I could live.

Maryanne Winder Lester

4/21/2010