I have been thinking much about this weekend, and what Easter actually means. I obviously know what it is we are celebrating, but I have been really searching to find out what it means to me, and if its actually making a difference in how I act and live my life.
I remember the days when I thought campus church wasn’t something I wanted to continue to go, but this semester has been such a huge blessing being back there and actually hearing teaching on God’s word. Wednesday night was communion and just reflecting on all Christ has done for us, and Johnnie brought up something I had never heard before. Johnnie was telling us again the story of the cross and the amazing sacrifice Jesus made for our behalf. Johnnie told us that right before Christ died, He asked for a drink. We all know from the story, that a Roman soldier dipped a sponge in a kind of vinegar wine, and stuck it up in to Jesus’ face. I often saw this as a moment in the story that was unusually sympathetic for a Man otherwise beaten and abused without reservation. But Johnnie explained to us what was actually going on here.
In those days, apparently, there were bathrooms out in the wide open. People would just sit down, and do their business right there in public. And at these restrooms, there would be servant who had a stick and would clean people as they finished. Shortly after this began, people became infected from contact with other people’s nastiness. So to resolve this problem, they put a sponge on the end of the stick, and would dip it in vinegar wine to sterilize the sponge before cleaning someone else. So when Christ gets a drink right before He says, “It is finished,” he gets a drink of someones dirty, nasty crap water. I couldn’t comprehend, once again, the beating and abuse took on that day.
Yesterday I was at church helping re-arrange some stuff, and for the first time in my entire life I saw a crown of thorns up close. It was massive, and I had one of those moments when just looking at something gave me pain. I stood there and stared at it for a good minute, and when I couldn’t take it anymore, I just walked away.
Again, I started thinking about what it meant in my life, and how I was living. It was humbling to think of all the things I wasn’t doing that I should be doing, and what I was doing that I shouldn’t be doing. I thought to myself that I would never measure up to what Christ expects of me. It was then that I heard that quiet voice whispering to me that works will save no one. Its love and dependence on Christ alone that will save us.
I was reading in Matthew this morning, after Christ had defeated death, became sin for us, and rose again to take is throne once again in heaven. But before He returned to His throne, He left us with the great commission. I read this passage again, looking again for what my life should be looking like, if I wanted to follow Christ. I did a little bit of research on the passage, and found that in verse 19 when Christ says to make disciples of all nations, “baptizing” them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, that the word baptizing actually means to dip over and over, or to dip repeatedly. I kept studying and reading on beyond that point, and read a little bit about what names meant in those days. Names were everything to people in these days. Their name was a representation of everything they did, everything they stood for, and everything they believed in. It made me rethink when people first started calling themselves Christians, that it wasn’t some nonchalant thing to do. It actually carried a lot of meaning and weight with it.
So after I read this passage, I thought about it for a few minutes. I think what Christ was actually saying here, is that the purpose of our lives is to not only baptize believers, but when we come in contact with people, to “dip repeatedly in everything Christ’s life and mission stood for.” In other words, Christ’s mission and life should be so apparent in our lives, people should be drowning in our love for Christ, that they have no option but to ask what the heck is wrong with us.
I thought back to Tuesday night at youth group, we watched a video by Louie Giglio. The Gig was talking about this girl who was an atheist, she had a roommate who she referred to as “fruitcake.” This girls life was so wrapped in Jesus that it looked like pure craziness to this unsaved girl. Long story short, the girl was so immersed in Christ’s love from her roommate, that during a hard time in her life, her roommate humbly and graciously sat down and just listened to her life’s problems. The fruitcake didn’t tell her what she was doing wrong, or offer advice, she was just there. Christ’s love was so apparent, she saw it through the fruitcake.
Again, I thought back to the marathon. I have thought about Travis so much this week. I remember all that he did, unknowingly, during the marathon. I thought to the moment when I was about 500 yards to the finish line, Travis was standing there and he screamed at the top of his lungs, “EVAN! You are doing it! I told you you had this! You are doing it!” Isn’t that was Jesus meant for us to do in life? Didn’t Christ die not only for us, but so that everyone might be saved? Didn’t He die so that when we come across people who have hit a wall in their life, we can stop and show them what needs to change to have a life full of hope? Didn’t Christ die, so that when we share His love with those people, we can wait at the finish line and scream to those we love that we knew they could do it, and that we can now enjoy fellowship with them in eternity with the Loving Creator of the universe?
I was humbled to look at my life and realize how much its dipped repeatedly in my own selfish, negative attitude, that sometimes I wonder how people see Christ through me at all. God gave his son, the one who knew no sin, TO BECOME sin for us! I pray I begin to live like I believe it!
