Hi friends,
As we solemnly reflect upon Good Friday, I invite you to join me in meditating on the profound goodness of God, so magnificently revealed in the self-sacrificial love of Jesus.
This day marks a stark reminder of the consequences of religiously-sanctioned violence.
Around 2,000 years ago, religious leaders conspired with the Roman state to extinguish the embodiment of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control by crucifying Jesus.
They sought to silence the Son who called humanity away from hatred, conflict, violence, impatience, cruelty, wickedness, unfaithfulness, harshness, and impulsiveness. It was for this radical call to repentance that Jesus was murdered.
Yet, as we approach Resurrection Sunday, we prepare to celebrate the undeniable truth: God raised His Son from the dead.
God gave…
Man killed…
God raised…
God unequivocally declared His victory over the darkness of religiously-sanctioned violence, affirming that death is not His instrument but an enemy to be conquered. For if death were of God, His kingdom would stand divided. But God is the source of life, not death.
From this, we learn a beautiful truth: God is unequivocally Christlike in His actions towards all—friends and enemies alike.
You and I may not always act in a Christlike manner.
But do you know who does?
God.
Christ’s coming unveiled the full nature and character of our Father. While Moses brought the law, Jesus brought “grace and truth.” It was through Christ that we were first introduced to the entirety of God’s grace. “God in Christ” was a mystery hidden in the Old Testament, now revealed, showing God Himself working to reconcile the world to Himself.
Understanding God’s grace and goodness compels us to change our minds (“repent”) — not only about our previously misguided (and often hostile) views of God, but also about our enemies.
The New Testament affirms that Jesus is the mirror image of God. In His face, we see the heart of the Father.
Looking at Jesus—His actions, His teachings, His sacrificial love—we see God’s true nature and character.
Jesus proclaimed a Kingdom where love reigns supreme, enemies are loved, and the cycle of violence is broken not with more violence, but with forgiveness and grace.
God looks exactly like Jesus, and Jesus reveals precisely who God is— a God unwilling to wield violence against his own creation, even when they make themselves hostile enemies to his will in their minds.
Rather than destroy His creation, God embraced self-sacrifice and suffering to redeem all.
In Jesus, we witness God’s willingness to share in our sufferings and His strength made perfect in weakness.
If we seek to know God, to understand His will, and to embody His presence in the world, our gaze must be fixed on Jesus, for in Him the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.
Take heart, for God is forever Christlike, drawing us closer to His heart through His unfathomable love and grace during this holy weekend.
You can watch the full teaching video replay here.
In peace,
Jerry Robinson
TrueRichesAcademy.com
