how did Jesus come to save us?

How did Jesus come to save us?

1. He came gently…and… he came to upset the world to its upright position.

Matthew 21:5 "Say to Daughter Zion, 'See your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

Phillippians 4:5-7 reads "Let your gentleness be evident to all, for the Lord is near…"

God came near to us through appearing in human form through His son Jesus.

”The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.”
John 1:14-17 (MSG)

And, just 7 verses after Matthew 21:5 he was flipping tables. He came gently and he came to flip some tables. Make no mistake, my Savior comes in power in this tightrope he walks - one of truth and grace.

I love how Ian Simkins puts it
"It's here that we see, not a passive, apathetic Jesus, but one who is moved to assertive action when he encounters the mistreatment of those with the least amount of resources or social standing to defend themselves. He cares deeply that "empty religion" not be perpetuated, especially not to the detriment and denigration of those most in need. Jesus isn't casually annoyed by these indiscretions, he flips tables."

Matthew 21: 14 also reads "The blind and the lame came to him at the temple and he healed them."

Jesus was preaching, teaching, walking, being praised, and being questioned all in the same text. Yet we see his ability to push past all the noise to heal, redeem, and set the captives free and set the religious people straight.

2. He came to give me everything in exchange for all of me.

What is everything? His life in exchange for ours to become one.

Matthew 21:17 (the end of the chapter that the same verses from above come from) reads "And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night."

Mark 14: 1-6 set right after this moment is a story that is near and dear to my heart. Let's read a few verses together.

"While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.

“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

This woman broke her most expensive thing and laid it at his feet. Untangling her hair to sweep it across the feet of her King.

I wonder if she knew she was preparing him for his burial?

I wonder if she knew what she was doing would be told as a memory marker of the Gospel we get to preach?

Lord, may my life echo beautiful things just between you and me. Take all my expensive things, I lay them all at your feet. They may have cost me, but I give you everything because your sacrifice is what bought me. Bought me freedom and bought me this unexplainable peace.

Who knew your last breath would be the only one that could change my past once and for all?

3. He came to show us His saving grace with truth.

"For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people." Titus 2:11

Now the whole world could see Jesus, a living spectacle on display of grace on the day that God became sin’s boss on that historic day.

My Savior on a cross - hung for the sins of all. Bled for the sake of us.

Jesus breathed his last to claim our past and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Now we get to be His, and he is ours, our lovely God, who came to devour any notion that the sting of death has any power any longer. The bottom line, God, became mine and it's something I pray I'll never get over. Made me eager to do what is good, and now my prayer is that may it be my heart for Him and for every person to experience.

May his word be my food.

His presence, my nourishment.

Holy Spirit, my sustenance.

Sustaining me. Holding me when I'm weak.
Constantly reminding me of who He is and that he holds my heart in his hands.

Let him be your go-to. Your number one. Stay in sync with His spirit. That's how I'm trying to be…syncing up with my God and letting my Savior be the one saving me!

In reflecting on the profound significance of Holy Week, I find myself drawn into the depths of a love story unparalleled in history.

From the gentle arrival of my Savior to the flipping of tables, Jesus exemplified grace intertwined with justice, truth woven with love. He came not only to redeem us from darkness but also to intertwine His life with ours, offering us a new identity as His own. As we ponder the costly sacrifice and sacred grace displayed on the cross, I am compelled to surrender all of me at His feet, just as the woman with the alabaster jar did.

Through His sacrifice, Jesus not only purchases our freedom but also empowers us to live lives eager to embrace goodness.

Let us not merely hear this message, but let it resonate deep within, guiding us to sync our hearts with His, finding sustenance in His presence and strength in His Spirit. For in Him, we discover not just a Savior, but a constant friend and Father, forever holding our hearts in His hands.