(Today’s audio reading on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0gahgOTM7EQaMKOFACEr31)
“They…nailed him to the cross.” (Matthew 27:35)
The cross means, “I give up.”
“You’ve got me.”
“I have my arms out in total surrender.”
He voluntarily gave up his right to fight back, come down from the cross, or enjoy even a breath of fresh, full air in his lungs. No way to even wipe his brow, scratch his nose, apply pressure to the pain points.
But beyond that, the extended arms sent a clear message to all who were watching: others have control over me. They win. I voluntarily lose. I give up myself. And unless someone intervenes in a powerful way, I will die right here.
I know that some say that extended arms are a sign of him saying how much he loves us. “He opened his arms wide, and said I love you this much, and then he died.” We can read that into it. It doesn’t exactly go like that, but I can see it.
What I hear is,
“I love you all this much, to die for you.
I can’t fight back,
can’t resist,
can’t overcome my foes.
“Well, I could if I wanted to; I could ask my Daddy and he would take care of it for me! But I choose not to.
“What I do choose is to love completely, sacrifice totally, extend love to those who won’t care or won’t notice or who will never hear. The extension of my arms is an invitation to extend the boundaries of God’s Kingdom to those who need to enter in. No matter the pain, the personal cost, and the possibility of rejection in this grand scheme, I will still do it.”
In response to Jesus extending his arms out for us on that old rugged cross, I wonder what we extend back to him? We are aware of his position of complete and voluntary surrender. What position do we take in response to him?
“Father, thank you for the extended arms of Jesus, which embrace us with your love and full affection.”
Freddy Boswell 