Getting the Cross
Scripture Reading — Matthew 27:32-44
Sitting down, they kept watch over him there.
Matthew 27:36
This week we’re going to sit down at the foot of the cross to watch. We’ve already thought about the cross being the power of God. Now let’s focus on what that means.
What immediately jumps off the page in our Bible reading for today is that the people who were at the cross just didn’t get it. Jesus hung there for them, and they didn’t get it. The criminals didn’t get it. The crowds didn’t get it. Even the devout religious people didn’t get it.
Many people today don’t get it either. Do you get it? This is extremely important, because your life depends on it—not just eternal life in the future but also your life day to day.
In 2 Corinthians 3:18 Paul states that we are being transformed into God’s image “with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” We can change important aspects of our lives because the Spirit of the Lord Jesus is working every moment to change us. He is doing that today because of what God did to change us 2,000 years ago through the cross of Christ. The present work of the Spirit is based on the finished work of Christ.
Do you get that? When you think you can’t change or when you don’t want to change, say to yourself, “I can change because Christ was crucified for me, and the Spirit is working in me.”
Holy Spirit, help us to get the cross in our heads and our hearts so that we can live by your life-changing power. Amen.
About the author — Stanley Mast
Beginning in 1971, Rev. Stanley Mast has served churches in Missouri, Colorado, and Michigan. After teaching at Calvin Theological Seminary for a few years, he was the minister of preaching at LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, until his retirement in 2012. Stan and his wife, Sharon, enjoy time with their two sons and five grandchildren.
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