Embrace part 3
There were two brothers. And they didn't exactly get along. The younger brother was a swindler. He stole his brother's birthright, and his first-born blessing. Then he ran away and hid, for fear that his big brother would, well, kill him. He had what they refer to as a "guilty conscience." So when it was time to come home, he was big time nervous. Terrified, in fact. He was so sure that he was going to get punished for all of his wrongdoings that he instead of just living his life he was doing everything he could to avoid the punishment he KNEW was coming. And then this happened, "And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept" (Genesis 33:4). A little bit of mercy, and grace, went a long long way. An expected loving embrace changed everything. The brothers were united again. Reconciled. This story is a type and shadow of Jesus and us. He represents the older brother (in this case. Because He also represents Jacob. It's the Bible, after all. It's ALL Jesus.) And Jacob (again, in this case) represents us. The world. Humanity. Doing wrong and running to avoid punishment. So afraid that God is mad at us that run FROM Him instead of running TO Him. Even though the truth of the matter is, He opened His arms wide on the cross and wrapped us in a loving embrace. "To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5:19). Don't we get it? It doesn't matter what we've done. What we've done doesn't define who we are. JESUS defines who we are. He is our true identity. The inner man. The hidden man of the heart. And if He would go so far out of His way to prove His love for us that He would literally give His life for us and give His life to us... doesn't that say all that needs to be said? If, instead of delivering the punishment we so fully deserved He would run to us, and embrace us, and fall on our necks, and kiss us... if, instead of giving an eye for an eye He would turn the other cheek... if, instead of being mad AT us, He's actually mad ABOUT us... doesn't that free us up to treat each other in the same way? God didn't impute our trespasses onto us. Even though we rejected Him, and beat Him, and spat on Him, and mocked Him, and literally nailed Him to a cross and murdered Him. We did the worst thing you could do to somebody. And He cried out, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." He wasn't even mad. He didn't even fight it. He submitted. He surrendered. And in so doing He won. He finished the work. He took the accuser's best shot. He took DEATH'S best shot. And He rose again from the grave. Giving us--not the punishment we deserved but--everlasting life. Giving us abundant life. Eternal life. Resurrection Life. He gave us HIS life. Everything He has and everything He is, is everything WE have and everthing WE are. Because instead of disqualifying us, instead of punishing us, instead of ostracizing us... He embraced us. He forgave us. He loved us.