Jesus Anticipated The Cross
What do you think of when you read the following: “Anticipation”? OK. Maybe it’s more like: “Anticipation. Anticipa -a -tion. It’s making me wait.” Do you remember? That’s right…ketchup. More specifically, Heinz Ketchup. (You can Youtube it if you don’t understand why anyone would think of ketchup.)
The marketing effort was to demonstrate how “thick and rich” Heinz ketchup was. It did not pour out of the bottles quickly like those other watery, tasteless brands did. It was Heinz. It came out slow and thick.
Being a ketchup connoisseur myself, Heinz makes a mighty tasty ketchup.
I know true chefs are disappointed, but sometimes ketchup is a necessity to top off a nicely prepared hamburger or basket of French fries. The commercials of the 1970’s and 1980’s wanted us to think that the Heinz ketchup that took so long to come out of the bottle was worth the wait. The quality of the taste would outweigh the time it took to pour. Let the anticipation build and enjoy the result.
In our “I need it now” culture, the experience of anticipation has been replaced with fast food, microwaves, overnight delivery, and “google it” when we want something. Anticipation is a lost art.
Notice that Jesus anticipated the cross. He did not look forward to it like we do a birthday party. He looked forward to the cross with the weight and the realization of everything that would be accomplished through His willingly sacrificing Himself for the sins of the world…for my sins…and your sins.
In Matthew 16:21, Matthew records that Jesus began to reveal to His disciples that He was going to Jerusalem to die. He was anticipating the victory that would be accomplished on the cross for us. He even began to explain to His disciples that He would be resurrected.
Yet, they had great difficulty understanding what Jesus meant by all these descriptions of what would come. Peter, probably speaking for the whole group, took Jesus aside and “began to rebuke Him” (Matthew 16:22). Can you believe that? Peter correcting Jesus. Peter rebuking Jesus. Peter telling Jesus, “No, Lord, it can’t happen that way.”
Peter missed the fact that Jesus was anticipating the cross because that was God’s plan for redeeming sinful men, women, teenagers, and children. The cross and resurrection would be a glorious event where the price of sin is paid and the victory over death is won. Peter did not anticipate Jesus dying. But, Jesus did.
We have the advantage over Peter because we can look back on the results of the cross. Peter did not anticipate the cross like Jesus did. Peter didn’t get it. I’m afraid too many just don’t get the full meaning of what Jesus achieved for us on the cross. Ask God to grant you a deeper understanding of the cross so that you can even see why Jesus would anticipate the cross and why we should celebrate the cross.