The story of Jesus’ passion is the heart of the greatest story ever told. God’s own Son become man willingly submits to the death of the cross because it is His Father’s will. He offers His life as a sacrifice to the Father to carry out the love of God and ransom a race of sinners. The Son suffers to the point of being forsaken by His Father. The Father accepts the offered sacrifice and declares man justified. The preaching of the cross of Christ speaks directly to our own hearts. It sharpens our awareness of our natural sinful condition. In the cross we see the horror of our sin and its consequences. In the cross we have to face where we would be without Christ. It moves us to sorrow and repentance. The preaching of the cross assures us of the forgiveness of all our sins. It frees us from guilt. It liberates us from fear of death and the judgment. There are many sounds that grow tiresome with repeated hearings. There are other sounds we never tire of hearing: a beautiful piece of music, the sound of a loved one’s voice. Let the passion history of our Lord be to us a somber yet beautiful melody—the voice of our God speaking to us in love. We cannot hear it too often. |
