Christ, our Bridge

He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; 
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows." Isaiah 53:3-4

I remember sitting at the kitchen table with my dad six months before he went to Heaven. I had been wondering what was going through his mind regarding the shortness of time that we were told he most likely had remaining. It was a beautiful talk, one which he shared his love and concern for Mother and the beautiful life that they had shared. He knew the daughters would be there for her, but I think the reassurance was comforting. He shared with me that he certainly wasn’t fighting leaving this world but that he did frequently wonder ‘how it was going to go down.’ He said that he had complete peace with God calling him home, but the anxiety was more about the manner in which he would go. We ended the talk with him speaking from his heart testifying to God’s mercy and faithfulness in whatever way the Lord chose. I will never forget the peace that I felt from him during this conversation. And God was merciful…kind …faithful. As Daddy was surrounded by Mother and the girls the Lord took his hand and peacefully walked him home.

As I sit here remembering that special time, the cross comes to mind. Jesus too was facing the end of his life as He fully understood that He had come to fulfill the prophesies made in the Old Testament. Jesus was walking out His final days this week so many years ago. He was looking towards the cross on earth, not in retrospect from Heaven. Jesus was both fully man and God so I’m certain He understood just how ‘it would go down.’ Unlike Daddy, Jesus would finish His earthly walk in a torturous and horrifying manner. Jesus suffered like no other man so that we wouldn’t have to. While we weren’t even yet born, we were on His mind as He was walking that final week out.

As we go about our week leading up to the empty cross may we consider how Jesus must have felt… fear…anguish…sadness. Being fully man, He experience ever emotion that we have experienced and more. The can’t get over the cross and I don’t ever want to. Easter is my favorite holiday because without it I would never again see my loved ones. Christ is the bridge of hope…the bridge of divide that your loved ones and my loves ones have crossed. So I will consider the struggle that Jesus must have had as the end of earthly life was coming to a close.