The 3 most important things in life
3 most important things in life
(Mark 15:33-39)
1. The Sacrifice of the Cross
All the suffering Jesus suffered when He was crucified was the suffering of atonement. Jesus refused the wine mixed with myrrh so that he could personally feel the “pain of redemption” to atone for human physical pain (verse 23). Also, even after being crucified, Jesus was mocked by people, and from the third hour (9 am) to the ninth hour (3 pm) he was hung on the cross and shed all his blood. Why was Jesus, the Son of God, mocked by people and suffered so much? It is because the way of salvation is opened only by the blood of that cross.
After all, the core truth of Christianity lies in the cross. People like miracles and blessings, but they don't like crosses. However, real miracles and blessings are given when we understand the cross rightly and live the life of the cross. The most unhappy life in this world is ‘a life of bearing the cross on others’ and the happiest life is ‘a life of bearing one’s own cross’. You must have the cross to have the glory of resurrection, and you must cross the Jordan River to enter the land of Canaan.
Here is the most practical opposite of the cross. It is egoism or calculationism. In the end, mission and sharing are essential to living the life of the cross. To gain true faith, you must break free from stinginess. Wealth is not given to accumulate, but to share and save souls. Only the wealth shared for those in need is the source of the heavenly reward. Therefore, you need to know how to open your clenched hands. When you open your hands, your heart expands, your heart expands, your face expands, your home expands, your business expands, and your life expands.
2. Walk with God
From noon to 3 o'clock when Jesus was crucified, the sun should be at its strongest, when darkness came over the whole earth (verse 33). The scene has a symbolic meaning that God turns away and does not see it. The greatest suffering on earth is being turned away from God. On the other hand, the greatest blessing on earth is that God is with us. In that sense, the saints have already received the greatest blessing on earth. Because if you believe in Jesus, God has promised to be with you until the end of the world.
Sometimes, when we are faced with hardship, Satan comes to us and makes us think as if God has forsaken us, and make us complain and complain. "God! Why did you create this situation? You are too much.” Sometimes, the thought of God's neglect is more painful than the hard work itself. At that time, do not be deceived by Satan's tricks that keep instilling such thoughts, and do not lose faith that God is with you until the end of the world, no matter how difficult it is.
The fact that the saints are suffering is not evidence that God has turned away. Then God comes closer. The purpose of the belief is not successism, to gain money, power, and fame, and to be successful. The life of faith is to believe that God is with us forever, to do God's will in any situation, and to become God's joy. God will not turn away from the saints no matter what happens, because God disregarded the substitutionary disregard for Jesus when he was carrying the cross. Be sure of that fact, and under no circumstances give up your faith, service, devotion, and hope.
3. Seeking God
When the Lord died, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom (verse 38). At that time, the veil of the sanctuary was woven by 300 priests, and it was about 15 cm thick and had 72 folds, so it could not be easily torn by human force. When the Lord died, a miraculous event occurred when the veil was torn from top to bottom. It is a symbolic event that implies that anyone can draw near to God.
In the Old Testament times, no one could enter the Most Holy inside the veil. Only the high priest could enter once a year on the Day of Atonement for the rite of remission of the entire sins of all the people. The veil was miraculously torn, meaning: “From now on, anyone, not just the high priest, may enter the Most Holy!” In the New Testament era, there is no need for a high priest or Godfather to act as an intermediary to go out to God, and all believers can boldly and directly go to the throne of God. Jesus opened the way through the cross.
We must actively seek God. Seek God daily in prayer, singing, and meditating on His will and mission. Do not give up on your pursuit of God even if there are difficult times in your life of faith. Also, don't give up on your mission even if things don't go your way, and don't give up on your prayers even if your prayers aren't answered. If you do not give up like that, you will be given the mysterious grace of God that transcends your thoughts, and in the end, if things don't go as planned, you will experience a greater blessing later.