The Meaning of the Cross, Day 36

Welcome to the week eight and day 36 of our series, “40 Days of the Cross.” Each day, we have looked at a word that helps us to better understand the meaning of the cross. Today’s word is rejected. 

Throughout the ministry of Jesus, the Son of God faced rejection. On the eastern side of the Galilee, Jesus healed a demon possessed man. The people from the surrounding communities pleaded with Jesus to leave their land. When Jesus was in Nazareth, the town He grew up in, the town was so upset by the things He said that they wanted to throw Him over a cliff! 

I have a friend who has stood on that cliff. He tells me, it’s a long, long way to the bottom. In the events that led to the cross, Jesus faced yet another rejection: when the Roman governor offered to release a prisoner to the people of Jerusalem, he offered them either Jesus or the murderer Barabbas. And as Jesus looked out upon the people He loved, He heard them cry, “We want Barabbas.”
 

The ultimate rejection was a call for Jesus to be crucified, a call for Jesus to die upon a cross. The cross was symbol of the rejection of Jesus. Jesus had told the Pharisees a parable about the rejection of the cross. In Matthew 21, Jesus tells them the story of a vineyard owner who leased out his vineyard to tenant farmers. When the time came for the owner to receive his share of the crop, he sent his servants to collect, but instead of paying their fair share, the tenants killed the servants. Finally, the owner sent his own son to collect. But the tenants rejected the son and killed him too. Then Jesus asked the Pharisees what the owner should do to those tenants. The Pharisees said that the owner should put the tenants to a miserable death. This is how Jesus responded: “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?’” (Matthew 21:42).
 

Yes, the cross is a symbol of rejection. But this is a rejection that God used as the cornerstone to build His Kingdom. The rejection of Jesus led to the cross, and the cross led to our acceptance by God. His rejection leads to our acceptance. It is because of the cross that we do not have to worry about being rejected by God. Because of the cross we no longer have to fear being disconnected from God the Father. Because of Jesus' rejection on the cross, we are reconnected. We’ll talk more about reconnection tomorrow.

After we pray, I encourage you to meditate upon the idea of the rejection that Jesus faced which led to the cross, and how that led to our acceptance. Thanks for reading today. 

Heavenly Father, I am brought into Your Kingdom because Your Son was rejected, rejected even to the point of dying on the cross. Thank you for that sacrifice. Let me stand in confidence when I am rejected by men for Your sake. You are my example. In the name of Jesus, amen. 

Continued tomorrow