The Cross - Trees - Deuteronomy 3, Hebrews 4

0:00Life hands us hurt we never asked for, leaving us anxious and secure and stuck. But what if your healing is not only possible, but could actually bring healing to those around you? In her new book, Collide, Willow Weston invites you to start bravely stepping into the places you've avoided because Jesus meets us in our mess. If your past is still haunting your present, if being in self-protective mode is hurting you more than protecting you, if you're longing for wholeness, discover healing with Collide, available now at Amazon.com. Purposely Your Life God's Purpose Listen at Purposely.com Have you ever met a beginning that looked more like the end? Hey, this is Jen. This is the Bible for busy people podcast, and maybe it was a loss, a rejection, a betrayal. In the moment, the ending feels so painful, it feels so vivid. It might be hard to see past it or believe that things will get better.

1:01I think about the times I was rejected while pitching books to publishing houses. Every no felt like a small death, even if they came with encouraging words, just the death of my dream. I felt it so vividly because I really wanted to publish a book, and the nose made me question myself and worry that I couldn't hack it. Every no led me to the right yes, and that led to a journey that was an incredible season in my relationship with God. It also kicked off a really big personal shift for me, so I am grateful for the way it happened. Even though at the time, it felt really, really hard. As we close this week on Trees of the Bible, we will look at the most important one in our faith. The tree that Jesus was crucified and died on. Today is Good Friday, the day we remember and honor Jesus' sacrifice for us. It's interesting that our fall happened because of a tree, and so did our restoration. We talked about the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil at the beginning of this week, and then later on came another tree. This was a tree that bore good fruit to the fruit of grace and life and redemption for all of us, although it didn't seem that way at first.

2:08It looked like defeat. It looked like the end. Let's take a look at 1 Peter 2, starting in verse 21, and we're reading the ESV English Standard Version. For to this, you have been called because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return. When he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds, you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls. We're reading the ESV because while the NIV translates the word as cross, the same Greek word can be translated as tree, and that's how the ESV translates it. We appreciate these thoughts Nathan Aberg shares on the blog Whole Faith Living Earth, which is in the show notes.

3:11The cross, like a flag, is something that our eyes look at so often and that our minds register so symbolically that we don't see what it truly is. What do we see if we really look? We see an object made of wood. We see parts of what used to be a tree. We see the remnant of a tree that was cut down by men with the express purpose of torturing an innocent man to death. We see the perversion of humanity and creation. The tree often used so symbolically in scripture for prosperity as literally bringing life and knowledge in the Garden of Eden, in providing nutrition and healing and shelter like we've talked about all this week, was then torn down by the Romans and made into crosses for the worst of the worst offenders in their eye. It was intentionally designed to be a torturous death. Moving on to Galatians 3, starting in verse 10, it says, For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse. For it is written, cursed be everyone who does not abide by all the things written in the book of the law and do them.

4:15Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law for the righteous shall live by faith. But the law is not of faith, rather the one who does them shall live by them. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written, first is everyone who is hanged on a tree so that in Christ Jesus, the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles so that we might receive the promised spirit, drafted in like Paul talks about in the scripture that we read yesterday. Jesus took on the curse for us as he died on the tree. In chapter 21, verse 22 to 23, again, ESV says, And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he has put to death and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree. But you shall bury him the same day. For a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance. It was a horrifying, shameful way to die on a cross in the Israelite eyes.

5:16And also in the Roman's eyes, who would rarely execute one of their own citizens in such a way. This was the death that Jesus chose to take up for us. It was all to break the curse of sin and how we could never live up to the standard of the law. All of this, how Jesus chose death on the cross that he didn't fight it even though he was innocent, and that he took up the most shameful, torturous way to die, brings up a point that theologian James Cone made in the cross and the lynching tree, where he said that Jesus died in this way to be in solidarity with the worst forms of suffering people endure here on earth. He compares death on the cross to the horrors of lynching and how Jesus didn't set himself apart from how we can suffer, but chose to suffer along with us, even and especially those most oppressed. That leads me to Hebrews chapter 4 starting in verse 14 where it says, Since then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens. Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

6:16For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence drawn near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Jesus suffered to experience to the full extent what we suffer here on earth as humans. He walked that journey with us in solidarity and compassion. We can know that Jesus understands what we go through and cares deeply for us in it all because of his experience being fully human, even as he was fully God. We can be confident before him because of that. As we spend a few days in contemplation of Jesus's death, burial and resurrection on Easter Sunday, I hope we don't skip past the suffering as beautiful and wonderful as Easter Sunday is. That suffering connects us to Jesus and his death breaks the curse for us. I hope we can sit with all of this truth even the uncomfortable parts so that we can fully absorb the sacrifice Jesus made and the incredible resurrected life we get to live.

7:22I'll talk with you again next week, have a wonderful resurrection Sunday. If you are listening to this podcast, I'm going to assume two things about you. First of all, that you're a busy person and second that you are in need of a restful break. Cannon Beach Conference Center is the place for a beautiful coastal retreat, whether it's one of their enriching conferences or your own church or ministry event. You can find out more at 800-745-1546 or visit cbcc.net. Thank you to Cannon Beach Conference Center for sponsoring the Bible for Busy People. Thank you for listening to The Bible for Busy People. If you need prayer or want to go deeper in your faith, visit our show notes. Will you take a moment to share with a friend and leave a review? It helps the Bible get into even more people's minds and hearts. Find more podcasts that will recharge you at purposely.com.

8:44To learn more, visit christa.org.