The Heart of Jesus' Death
Day 23
by Gini Crawford, MSW
God's kindness and patience
Kindness and patience are two qualities that are a must to be loving, and of course God has them. A kind person is one who is loving, good-natured, gentle, helps others, forgives and is gracious. A patient person is one who is not prone to hasty anger, has self-restraint, patiently endures, isn't vengeful and is loving. Just think of a person who isn't kind or patient, they aren't very pleasant to be around to put it mildly. Are you a kind and patient person? (Micah 6:8; 1 Corinthians 13:4).
God is kind and patient, and Jesus Christ is proof of that. Just think of the stories in the Gospels and how Jesus lived out kindness and patience. Even on the cross, He was kind to the people around Him. He patiently took God's wrath for us. We live in a world where kindness isn't common, yet we have Someone Who is so determined to be kind to us, He went to the cross for us. We are told in Ephesians 2:6-7, as Christians we are seated with Jesus on His throne in heaven (of course figuratively, but in reality that is how close Jesus is to us, and how certain heaven is), so that God can shower us with His grace in kindness in the ages to come: "... and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." Beautiful promise we have for eternity because of Jesus' kindness, isn't it?
A missionary couple was living in an extremely poor village to plant a church. Their neighbors avoided them because they were foreigners. Out of kindness they would buy extra food and medicines to share. Even though the neighbors didn't like them, they were glad to get the food and medicine. As time went on their neighbors started to warm up to the couple because of their kindness. The villagers even started coming to their Bible studies. Share a time or two when you felt God's kindness through others? What is your default reaction when someone isn't kind to you?
Jesus our propitiation
Jesus had to be like us in every way so that He might become the propitiation for us – the sacrifice that is an acceptable substitute for us. Hebrews 2:17 says, " ...he had to be made like his brothers in every respect ... to make propitiation for the sins of the people." Jesus is our propitiation, which means that Jesus' death on the cross was the sacrifice that bore God's wrath to the end, and in so doing so changes God's wrath towards us to favor. (1 John 2:2). Beautiful meaning isn't it?
God's dilemma was how to satisfy His righteousness and its demands against sinful people, and at the same time love us sinners. So God put forward Jesus Christ to be our propitiation (1 John 4:10). Jesus as our propitiation allowed God to patiently hold back His just anger against our sins - even before the cross - because Jesus satisfied the demands of God's righteousness and justice, thereby making Him just and the justifier of all who have faith in Jesus.
...Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 3:24-26 ESV®
To consider: We are told in 1 John 4:10 that because of God's love Jesus is our propitiation, "In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins". Remember, God is One, so in reality our triune God took His own wrath and punishment against our sin, to satisfy His own justice and righteousness. That is sacrificial love at its most fierce strength, isn't it? Explain Jesus as our propitiation.
Life Application
God waits for us to find Him
God pursues you, urging you to turn to Jesus so you can avoid hell and receive eternal life. God waits to have compassion on us. He wants to gather us to Him in love. (Isaiah 30:18, 54:7-10).
For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live. / Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? / ... This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth ... / The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. Ezekiel 18:32; Romans 2:4; 1 Timothy 2:3-6; 2 Peter 3:9 ESV®
Repentance as a rule is the whole process of turning from sin to God. It involves a shift in mindset, moving from a desire for wrongdoing to a longing for God and an abandoning of a self-centered life to embracing a God-centered one. Repentance also entails recognizing your need for Jesus because you understand your sinfulness, and consequently, placing your faith in Jesus as a result of this desire to turn away from sin and toward God. God's kindness leads us to repentance – to Him.
Even though you run after things contrary to God, He patiently waits for you. A woman had been looking for the meaning of life and thought she had found it in the new age movement. This woman came by my house in New Mexico decades ago to drop something off. I asked her in, but she stated she was heading to the power vortex of the universe in Sedona, AZ. I didn’t know what to say to that because God is the power of the universe, so I prayed. Her daughter, a friend of mine had been sharing with her mom for many years that the truth about the universe is found in Jesus Christ and His Word. As the years went on she listened to her daughter and found the true purpose of life in Jesus Christ. Her daughter added the rest of the story: In my mom's last years as her mind began to fail her, she wore a large cross, often holding it tightly in her hand. When asked why, she replied, "So I will remember what is important." The cross of Jesus, reminded her that "He carried in his own body on the cross the sins we committed. He did this that we might live in righteousness, having nothing to do with sin." (1 Peter 2:24-25).
As you awaken each morning, remember, God loved you so much He patiently waited for you to believe in Him. He died to be able to show you His kindness. So seek Him with hopeful anticipation. Invite Him to walk with you not only through the difficulties of life when you are desperate for His help, but also through the good times when you tend to forget Him. Read Isaiah 54:7-10; Romans 2:4; Ephesians 2:4-7; 1 Timothy 2:3-4; Titus 3:4-6; 2 Peter 3:9. Briefly explain each passage.
Describe God's kindness and patience.
Reflect on 2 Peter 3:9.