I also see another parallel: Jesus first appeared to Mary whom I believe is representative of Eve who was first to eat the forbidden fruit. In this, Jesus said to all women everywhere who look to Him: the curse is reversed. In Him, there is no longer a hierarchy. As it was in the beginning, male and female, equal in authority, so it is now in the Kingdom…in the New Covenant cut and ratified by His blood.
"But as I’ve pondered, I’ve decided that the cross is even more than that".
Oh, I'm so glad you are thinking along those lines. Indeed, the Cross is *far* more than anything we can imagine.
From my blog:
"Whatever you need the Cross of Christ to be, for you, it will meet that need. It’s often been said that at the Cross, God meets all the deepest needs of mankind. Reconciliation with God? Check. Healing? Check. Forgiveness? Check. Putting to death of the ‘old nature’? Check. A sacrifice? Check. Demonstration of God’s love for us? Check. I myself no longer see the Cross as being the place where Jesus was sacrificed as a Lamb to appease a wrathful god. But if you yourself need the Cross to be the place of sacrifice, then God is big enough, and the work of Christ at Calvary is huge enough, to meet that need. And that’s fine. Others will likely have different needs, and that’s fine too".
The Cross is indeed far greater than we can imagine!
Love this! Thank you. The empty tomb meant that death now works backwards. In the New Heaven and Earth, suffering does too. It returns to us as joy many times over.
Really nice pondering! I think it will be a lifelong pondering for me as well. I found another facet recently after reading a book on scapegoating. With humans, we are always blaming and scapegoating — it is a terrible and destructive human social/psychological pattern. Christ eliminated the need to do that permanently. 🙏🏽💜
Thanks for this! I really needed this reminder.
I also see another parallel: Jesus first appeared to Mary whom I believe is representative of Eve who was first to eat the forbidden fruit. In this, Jesus said to all women everywhere who look to Him: the curse is reversed. In Him, there is no longer a hierarchy. As it was in the beginning, male and female, equal in authority, so it is now in the Kingdom…in the New Covenant cut and ratified by His blood.
Love this one!!
"But as I’ve pondered, I’ve decided that the cross is even more than that".
Oh, I'm so glad you are thinking along those lines. Indeed, the Cross is *far* more than anything we can imagine.
From my blog:
"Whatever you need the Cross of Christ to be, for you, it will meet that need. It’s often been said that at the Cross, God meets all the deepest needs of mankind. Reconciliation with God? Check. Healing? Check. Forgiveness? Check. Putting to death of the ‘old nature’? Check. A sacrifice? Check. Demonstration of God’s love for us? Check. I myself no longer see the Cross as being the place where Jesus was sacrificed as a Lamb to appease a wrathful god. But if you yourself need the Cross to be the place of sacrifice, then God is big enough, and the work of Christ at Calvary is huge enough, to meet that need. And that’s fine. Others will likely have different needs, and that’s fine too".
The Cross is indeed far greater than we can imagine!
Also lovin' your C. S. Lewis reference :D <3
Love this! Thank you. The empty tomb meant that death now works backwards. In the New Heaven and Earth, suffering does too. It returns to us as joy many times over.
Yes, yes!!
Really nice pondering! I think it will be a lifelong pondering for me as well. I found another facet recently after reading a book on scapegoating. With humans, we are always blaming and scapegoating — it is a terrible and destructive human social/psychological pattern. Christ eliminated the need to do that permanently. 🙏🏽💜
Yes he did!