The Difference Between Jay-Z and Jesus Christ

"Then Jesus gave a loud cry, 'Father, into Your hands, I commend my spirit.' And saying that, He gave up His spirit." - Luke 23:46

Weird title, but here's what went through my mind - I was listening to Kanye West's tribute to Jay-Z, Big Brother, and I thought to myself, "wow, Jay's really accomplished a lot in his career." I thought of his line about selling out the garden in a day and imagined how proud and accomplished he must have felt standing at the front of the stage, spotlight on him, and multitudes of adoring fans calling out his name. And then my mind turned to Jesus, and how His most crowning achievement was death upon a cross, dubbed a king by a mocking crowd and a crown of thorns placed on His head. When I thought of Jay, I pictured what it would be like to be him and look out at the crowd, but to imagine what Jesus must have felt looking out is a harsh reality check stressing our own sinfulness.

Be Jesus for a moment, and picture yourself looking down from the height of the cross, hanging there as a spectacle for all to see. Before you are people laughing at you, making fun of you, some feel quite proud of themselves to see you dying, while others, like your own mother, are at the foot of your cross in tears…your best friends aren't there - they've left ashamed of you, denying they even know you. All this you're looking down at while you slowly die. They're all before you but the excrutiating pain running through your body can't let you think straight. Your body shakes, absolutely trembling after the fever that's kicked in from the whipping. Flesh, muscle, and bone ripped off in shreds. Now you hang crucified with large, rusty nails hammered into your hands and feet. The position your body's in doesn't let you draw in air, and you want to push yourself up to let the air come in, but the weight of your body on your wounded feet is too much to bear so you have to endure the struggle for air. The wind is strong and stings against your bleeding flesh and your head hurts from the thorns sticking into the side of your head; the blood coming from those puncture wounds pool up around your eyes, mixing with your own tears, and you can hardly see a thing. Regardless, you know they're all down there - the sinners, the hypocrites, the poor, the rich, those who love you and those that hate you, all those you are literally dying to save, those you love so much, all of them. Yet, as weak as you are, as much as you have been beaten, mocked, hated on, spit at, hurt, embarrassed, laughed at, made to cry, this is your biggest achievement, your triumph over sin and over death.

It's awesome to be praised and rooted for when you're on top of the world, but only our Lord Jesus Christ is strongest at His weakest and dying on a cross.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for conquering death so that I may have eternal life in You. I never want to forget what You went through for me and I am honored You went to the cross for me. In Your Name we pray, Amen.