Self, by Sarah Tummey.

This is the third instalment in Sarah’s excellent series of 6 devotionals for the season of Lent.

So much has been written about this, but while we’re on the subject of what Jesus gave up, I must include the most important gift: Himself. “Then Jesus went with His followers to a place called Gethsemane. He said to them, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’ He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with Him, and He began to be very sad and troubled. He said to them, ’My heart is full of sorrow, to the point of death. Stay here and watch with Me.’ After walking a little farther away from them, Jesus fell to the ground and prayed, ’My Father, if it is possible, do not give Me this cup of suffering. But do what You want, not what I want.’ Then Jesus went back to His followers and found them asleep. He said to Peter, ’You men could not stay awake with Me for one hour? Stay awake and pray for strength against temptation. The spirit wants to do what is right, but the body is weak.’ Then Jesus went away a second time and prayed, ’My Father, if it is not possible for this painful thing to be taken from Me, and if I must do it, I pray that what You want will be done’” (Matthew 26:36-42).

Have you ever been frightened, and tried to take charge of a situation to make it go your way? Jesus lived His entire life knowing He couldn’t seize control. He did nothing on His own, but only what He saw the Father doing (John 5:19). Nowhere is this more evident than in the garden at Gethsemane. He knew everything that was about to happen to Him, and felt the pain of it. As the Good News Translation says, the sorrow in His heart was so great that it almost crushed Him. But if Jesus wanted to live as God’s Son, instead of committing the sin of rebellion, He had to do God’s will and give His life.

Why? The short answer is, because of us. From the moment that disobedience came into the world, everyone in the human race was born into a state of sin, hostile to God and naturally inclined to do wrong. Before Jesus was born, God had an agreement with His people Israel. Their priests offered sacrifices to cover their wrongdoing and make them acceptable to God, but the wrongdoing was never removed completely. When Jesus came, He was called the Lamb of God (John 1:29) because He was to be the once-and-for-all Sacrifice who would take away the sins of the world. All our wrongdoing, He took on Himself when He died on the cross.

That’s why He had to give His life – to make us acceptable to God; His life for ours. All we have to do is see our need and receive from Him: His very self, put to death in our place. “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15).

To read more from Sarah, please visit her blog.
Or, to find out more about her music, please visit her website.