Nov 7 - Luke 23:21

They kept shouting,

"Crucify, crucify him."

Luke 23:21

One of the most convicting Holy Week hymns is "Ah, Holy Jesus." Take a moment to reflect on the second verse:

Who was the guilty?

Who brought this upon thee?

Translation: Who's fault was it that Christ was crucified?

Alas, my treason,

Jesus hath undone thee.

Who's treason? Who's fault? Why was Jesus "undone"? The song says it my treason, my fault, my undoing.

'Twas I, Lord Jesus,

I it was denied thee;

I crucified thee.

Ouch.

Many years ago, I preached this theme during Holy Week. Afterward, a man came up to me. A retired pastor, he was profoundly angry. "What you preached today is cruel. Hateful! If you blame us for Christ's death, we'll be crushed. A good Lutheran pastor," he said, "is supposed to preach grace."

I listened. I didn't respond. But he wouldn't like my answer. If he waited long enough, I would have said, "There are two kinds of grace -- cheap grace and costly grace."

• Cheap grace says, "Your sins don't really matter." Costly grace says, "Your sins nailed Jesus to the cross."  
  
• Cheap grace says, "Don't worry about your sins. God forgives." Costly grace says, "Your sins do matter. In fact, be convicted of your sins. But rest assured -- God forgives."
  
• Cheap grace says, "They kept shouting, 'Crucify, crucify him.'" Costly grace says, "In my daily thoughts words and deeds, I keep crucifying him."
  
• Cheap grace says -- play this out -- "If it was 'they' who called for the crucifixion, then when Jesus cries 'Father, forgive them,' he's talking about who? Other people (or at best people in general)." However, costly grace says, "If it is I who crucify thee, then it is I who personally gets the forgiveness. 'Father, forgive Ed.'"
  
• Cheap grace says, "Live however you want." Costly grace says, "Live faithfully, respectly, joyfully, and boldly because God has forgiven you boldly."

The old retired pastor didn't want to be crushed. Well, I don't know about you, but I want 100% of the crud crushed out of me, and I want God to build me back up to bigger than I am on my own!

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's like

a glass of fine wine

(I'm a moldy grape who's been crushed

and by the gracious hand of the master,

turned into something more exquisite

than I could be on my own.)