Jesus’ Message // Romans 10:17

We are a week away from Good Friday, the day we remember Jesus’ death on the cross for our salvation. Jesus declared, “It Is Finished!” just before He breathed His last. That was to say that the ransom for our captivity to sin and death had been paid and God’s wrath completely fulfilled. As we see in today’s verse — knowing we are saved by God’s grace through faith — faith comes from hearing about Christ’s message. This takes me to Mark 8:31-32a where we read, “[Jesus] then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this…” (NIV). This was the message Jesus sought to instill within His disciples about the reason He came, which was to die and then prove His power over death in His resurrection. As we reflect on this holy day, I hope you’ll think about how Jesus’ message might have struck His disciples. They couldn’t quite comprehend the message about dying and rising again. We have the benefit of historical hindsight to know that Jesus rose from the grave and lives still; yet, we can struggle at times about what all this means for us today. Friend, Jesus DID die for your sins. He DID bury them in the tomb that is empty still after He walked out triumphantly. Jesus DOES live still and offers you the gift of eternal life when you place your faith and trust in Him. Will you? I can’t think of a better gift to give to God during this holy season.