No Procrastination to the Cross

I think it is human nature to procrastinate when there is something lingering that needs to be done, but you don't want to do it. We are all guilty of it, some more than others. It might be that chore you dread on the to-do list at home that has been there for days or weeks, waiting to be crossed off (I'm familiar with that one!). Or, the homework assignment that can wait because right now the NCAA Tournament is on t.v., and you have to make sure the team you picked in your bracket wins (I may, or may not, be familiar with that one, too!). In any case, everyone is guilty at one point or another of putting tasks off that we don't look forward to doing.

In a MUCH greater sense, Jesus had a task that he knew must be done; paying for humanities sins on the cross. In his flesh, he did not look forward to doing it. We are familiar with the prayer he prayed on the night of his betrayal in the garden of Gethsemane. "My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine" (Matthew 26:39). If there was ever a battle between the flesh and the Spirit, this was it. Eternity hung in the balance for all of mankind based on Jesus' decision to willingly go to the cross and die an excruciating death.

What has struck me this Easter weekend, though, was that Jesus was confronted with this decision not only that night in the garden, but everyday of his life. And everyday, he chose to save us. Below are some examples from scripture of the horrible task that Jesus knew awaited him, but he did not procrastinate. He pushed forward to complete the task of saving us.

"From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead." (Matthew 16:21)

"After they gathered again in Galilee, Jesus told them, 'The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead.' And the disciples were filled with grief." (Matthew 17:22, 23)

"As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside privately and told them what was going to happen to him. 'Listen,' he said, 'we're going to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die. Then they will hand him over to the Romans to be mocked, flogged with a whip, and crucified. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead.'" (Matthew 20:18, 19)

"When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, 'As you know, Passover begins in two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.'" (Matthew 26:1, 2)

"So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again. Then he came to the disciples and said, 'Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look - the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Up, let's be going. Look, my betrayer is here!" (Matthew 26:44 - 46, italics mine)

I once heard it said that the same tools that Jesus used in his daily work as a carpenter, a hammer and nails, were the same tools that were used to crucify him. Can you imagine your everyday job being a constant reminder of the horrible death that awaited you?  Every time Jesus put hammer to nail, it was a reminder of the price he would pay to save us. So, on this Good Friday, I give thanks to Jesus for choosing the cross that night in the garden. But, I also give him thanks for choosing the cross everyday of his life, never procrastinating in his task of moving toward Jerusalem and the day of his crucifixion.