As we reflect during this week, our hearts are drawn to the cross — the centerpiece of our faith. The cross is where Jesus Christ triumphed over the powers of sin, death, and darkness, and reclaimed what had been lost: us. The crucifixion was not a moment of defeat, but the decisive victory in the battle for humanity’s redemption.
Jesus' death was a confrontation — a cosmic showdown. Sin had enslaved humanity, death held dominion over creation, and the powers of darkness stood as false rulers over the world. But Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, entered into our brokenness not to escape suffering, but to confront it head-on and to overcome it. He didn’t come merely to make a way out — He came to overthrow the whole corrupt system and establish His Kingdom on earth.
N.T. Wright captures this beautifully:
“The resurrection is not an odd event within the world as it is but the turning point of the world, the moment when the crucified Jesus was vindicated as the true Messiah, and the powers were robbed of their authority.”
The resurrection is the climax of the greatest rescue mission in history. In His death and resurrection, Jesus stripped evil of its power, broke the curse of death, and reversed the trajectory of sin that began in Eden.
The Apostle Paul echoes this divine triumph in 2 Corinthians 5:19: “that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them.” This is not the image of a distant deity punishing an innocent third party, but of God Himself — in the person of Christ — stepping into the darkest depths of human rebellion and absorbing its consequences in order to bring us back home.
The cross, then, is not just about personal forgiveness (though it certainly includes that). It’s about the defeat of every power that has ever held humanity hostage. Colossians 2:15 proclaims this truth: “Having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” On that hill outside Jerusalem, Jesus wasn’t losing — He was leading a cosmic procession of victory.
This week is not a slow march toward sorrow, but a sacred celebration of divine justice, mercy, and triumph. Through the cross and the empty tomb, Christ has opened the way of reconciliation, not only between God and humanity, but also for the restoration of all creation. He is the victorious King!
Because He lives, the powers of sin and death no longer define us. We are a redeemed people, called out of darkness and into the marvelous light of His Kingdom. The war has been won. The curse is broken. We have been reconciled to the Father — fully, freely, and forever.
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