Thursday, March 10, 2005
John 18:11 Jesus commanded Peter, "Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?"
JESUS IS NO FOOL
Many who do not believe in Christ or His mission think that there are many different ways a soul can be saved. To them, it doesn't matter which false god you follow as long as you "believe in something." To them, Buddha, Allah, or any number of a thousand others are sufficient for gaining rest and comfort after death.
If it is really true that there are many paths to heaven, then Jesus was a fool for going to the cross, wasn't He? If Baal could take care of business just as well, then why go for the crown of thorns? Why endure the flogging, the mockery, and the torment to save a world lost in sin if the job had already been done by someone else? Would a scientist today spend a lifetime of sweat and toil to create an incandescent light bulb when Edison already found the way a hundred years ago? What a fool Jesus looks hanging on that cross if salvation can really be found elsewhere.
But Jesus is no fool. He knew there was only one death valuable enough to pay for the sin-guilt of the entire earth. He knew that if He did not bear the wickedness of mankind in His own body on the tree, nobody else would. He knew that the Heavenly Father had not sent a thousand saviors, He had sent only One.
For this reason, in a most supreme act of wisdom and love, Jesus drank the cup of bitterness to the very bottom. 