Often the times that most influence our lives come from bitter-sweet moments; times of deep distress mingled with times of unspeakable joy. Which bitter-sweet moment instantly comes to your mind? A wrong turn that made you late for an appointment but prevented you from being involved in an accident? Having to relocate, leaving good friends and neighbors only to connect with amazing people in your new location? We all have them, don’t we? Bitter-sweet moments or as my grandchildren call them “sappy” — a combination of sad and happy.
As mothers, we know the intensity of birth pangs followed by the joy of holding a newborn baby. We have watched that same infant become a teetering toddler, repeatedly falling before learning to walk with confidence. We have bandaged wounds, comforted aching hearts, and waved goodbye to mature progeny, venturing out on their own. Each stage carried with it bitter-sweet moments — moments of pride mixed with closing of chapters in our relationship.
Just like every mother, Mary, the mother of Jesus, witnessed all these moments and more.
Could any bitter-sweet moment be compared to Good Friday — the betrayal and murder of One completely innocent? On the heels of Jesus’ triumphant entry came His execution. Did the heart-wrenching pain of Mary’s sorrow allow her to remember the words of the old prophet, Simeon, spoken years earlier over her infant son,
” … This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
Luke 2:34-35
Bitter-Sweet Moments
Then the resurrection! Bitter-sweet moments encapsulating time and releasing the pivotal events which define Christian faith. Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday fulfilled thousands of years of prophecy. Salvation, redemption, and victory over sin and death burst forth in magnified voice, “It is finished!”
Roman powers could neither hold Him to the cross nor keep Him in a grave. Christ’s substitutionary death took our place and paid for our sin, not His.
“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
Isaiah 53:5
In those bitter-sweet moments, Jesus demonstrated the enormity of His love for us:
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8
The resurrection of Jesus Christ proved His divine nature while guaranteeing eternal life for all who would believe in Him.
Slow Down and Listen
As Christians, we may easily lose the wonder of these significant events. Their repetition dulls our hearts to the magnificent of grace of these bitter-sweet moments. This Easter may we slow down enough to listen — to hear the age-old story with fresh vision and tender hearts.
“And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”
Colossians 2:15
All creation groaned, waiting for the day that long-time slaves would be freed from the bondage of sin and death. Far more than historical, Jesus’ death and resurrection must also become personal and transformative.
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.“
Galatians 2:20
Believe and Receive
Do you believe Jesus’ death paid the price for your sins? That His death paid a debt you owed to God and could never pay? Will you receive His sacrifice on the cross as a substitute for you? The transfer cost Him everything and us nothing.
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”
Romans 10:9-10
In some ways, this might sound far too simple. And yet in another way, it requires us to confess Jesus Christ as Lord in full submission to His will and ways. When we will believe these things in our hearts and confess Him as our Savior, we participate in the salvation He has provided. Far more than lip service, this leads us to radical life transformation.
What an exchange! What a marvelous, outrageous extension of unmerited grace! The worthy giving Himself for the unworthy. The holy becoming a substitute for the vile.
There is no more powerful or significant message. May those bitter-sweet moments that occurred over two thousand years ago become more than a historic event. May they become personal and transformational. With all my heart, I invite you to receive Him today.
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