If you ever wondered how I can talk about, “Man, I struggled with that. I doubt that.” Do you know why? It’s not my righteousness I’m trying to project to you. My righteousness is inadequate for you to get you home, but the righteousness of Christ gets us both there, so I don’t need to be a hero to anyone. We have one. His name is Jesus, and he frees us up from having to project that we’re all together when we now we’re not. Matt Chandler

The above quote is from a recent Village Church sermon, one in their I Am series, about Jesus being the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

This week I have read the texts of Holy Week, the details of Palm Sunday, Mary’s gracious giving of oil, Judas’ betrayal, Jesus’ earnest prayers in Gethsemane, his horrible death, and beautiful resurrection. Pondering the emotions Jesus must have been feeling, and the interactions between him and the people in Bethany, in Jerusalem. Posing questions, imagining scenes in my mind.

Humbled, thankful, emotional, joyful, sad, worshipful.

I think about how Jesus struggled, was tortured, embarrassed, and crucified, with me in mind. With you in mind. With obedience to His Father in his heart.

Hebrews 12:2, “For the joy that was set before him he endured the cross.” Beneath the horror of his pain was the taste of future joy. I believe that. The truest Love, the deepest obedience and trust.

The result of this week, of Jesus dying on the cross and being raised to life 3 days later, is salvation for all who believe. A new plan and purpose, a new place of transforming grace for God’s children and glory to Himself.

Then my mind connects this reality to what Chandler talks about in his sermon. We are free to be human, to struggle, to be compassionate, cheerful givers, and imperfect, because it’s not our righteousness that saves people, or ourselves.

I really like this statement: I don’t have to be a hero to anyone. We have one. His name is Jesus. How amazing.

If you find in yourself a restlessness, a weariness of yourself, an exhaustion from kind of fronting that you’re all-together and so well put together and so successful, if you’re finally tired enough of that, I just want to lay before you God’s invitation to come home. A better version of you will not solve that angst in your soul. More religious activity will not solve that angst in your soul. Moralistic deism will not solve that angst in your soul. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one gets home without him. That’s not arrogant. It’s gracious.

Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and not one of us gets home without Him. Why is He these things? Because He is the truth of God, like in Hebrews 1:3,

“The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.”

He took on my weight of sin, and His death, “It is finished,” erases it forever. God’s wrath that should be for me every minute of every day was completely satisfied that day on Calvary. I am fully clean, whole, loved, known just as I am. No extra fixing on my part, no pretty front, no capability of my own. This gives me life, abundant life!

It’s how we make it home, to our true home, with God for eternity… the way to God, every single day, and on our final day: Jesus, the cornerstone. Because He died, but most importantly, because He lived, and lives today at God’s right hand.

Hebrews 7:25 — “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.”

He is our great high priest who understands, far better than we do, what it’s like to willingly and faithfully endure the sometimes excruciating, momentarily painful will of God for the sake of the eternal joy set before us. Jon Bloom

Thank you, Jesus. (Most of the time this is all my full, humbled heart can say.)