In the old western movies, hope comes when the cavalry arrives to save the day. In the Bible, hope comes from the cross.
The cross was the logical consequence of the life Jesus led. Jesus was different than us. He responded to aggression with self-sacrifice. When he was attacked, instead of retaliation,, he went off to heal somebody. He suffered at the hands of his enemies but he didn’t try to make them suffer. A few observations about Jesus will help us to better understand the hope that comes from the cross.
The first observation is that Jesus was a very quiet savior. The Bible says, “He will not wrangle or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.” Jesus did not call attention to himself. He thought it was alright if he was overlooked. He was more interested in making a difference than in making a statement. We are inclined to look for hope from people who promote themselves, but Jesus didn’t do that. He was a quiet savior.
The next observation is that Jesus took the side of the little guy. The Bible says, “he will not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick.” Jesus took the side of fragile people, needy people, broken people. He seems to have enjoyed the company of the poor more than he enjoyed the company of the rich. We are inclined to look for hope from people who have influence and clout. Those weren’t Jesus’ people. He took the side of the little guy.
Our last observation is that Jesus promised to bring justice to the world. The Bible says, “He will proclaim justice to the Gentiles, he will bring justice to victory.” In the Bible, “justice” means overcoming the effects of sin. Jesus not only forgave our sins, he overcame the effects of our sins. Even after our sins have been forgiven, we are still living in a sinful, broken, unfair world. Jesus overcame evil and death on the cross, and will bring the day when all suffering and sorrow are no more. Jesus will bring justice to the world.
In our sermon this Sunday, we will look at how hope comes from the cross.