September 11, 2010 Are You Crucifying Jesus?

September 11
Are You Crucifying Jesus?
Read Mark 15 - 16

Mark 15:32 “Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.”

THE CRUICIFIERS were mocking Jesus. They didn’t really believe he would come down off the cross. They even said they’d believe him if he came down off the cross, if he escaped the death and agony they had condemned him to suffer.

Guess what. He did “come down off that cross”. He left agony and death on his Resurrection Morning!

I wonder if any of the men taunting Jesus that day stood by their word and believed in him as their Lord when they heard he was no longer in the grave? I think some may have. It is true that in the early church were some who had been Pharisees.

I wonder if the Pharisee Saul was there that day watching Jesus die and mocking him? He would one day see the Living Lord “off the cross”. And Jesus transformed him into the Apostle Paul.

Yes, Jesus has come down off the cross to transform your life, too! Do you believe that? Or do you keep him “on the cross” preferring your way to his life transforming ways?

I’ve heard people say, “If God gets me that ____ I want, then I’ll believe.” Does that kind of comment mean we are crucifying our Lord? Does it mean we are saying, “I don’t really believe you can do what you say.” Are we spiritually hanging him on a cross, and we’ll only trust him if he “comes down” and does what we want?

Jesus is down off the cross. He is alive. His transforming power is for you. Believe this and live in him.


Pause and Consider: what you say and do—do you “crucify” your Lord, keep him on the cross, in any way?