‘And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.’ Thomas saith unto Him, ‘LORD, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?’ Jesus saith unto him, ‘I am the way...’ (John 14:3-6) ‘Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.’ (Matthew 7:13-14) ‘Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.’ (Mark 8:34-35) Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. (Psalm 119:9) The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, ‘Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’ (Isaiah 40:3)

When Jesus was asked concerning the way to His Father’s house, of which He spoke of in the book of John, he replied by telling His disciples that He is the way. When the same disciple asked Him to show the way, Jesus once again pointed to Himself.

Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, describes the way to destruction as a path travelled by many, and the way to life as being trodden on by few. The reason why the way to life is so narrow is because it is a single-file line following Jesus Christ directly towards the road to Calvary, back to the crucifixion as the way to eternal life.

Jesus preached to His disciples about the importance of self-denial. However, without a clear grasp of how this can be done, people will not know what they need to do in order to obtain eternal life.

Jesus told His disciples they must lose their lives by sacrificing all for the sake of Jesus Christ, but without Jesus providing the example of self-denial and losing His life, the way on how to accomplish what He commanded was not understood or comprehended.

Before the covenant of grace through faith in Jesus Christ, God gave the Israelites, His chosen people, the law and the testimonies, which, if the Israelites obeyed and walked in, would receive the favor of God. He ordained His word, and those who walked in the word of His law, which proceeded out of His mouth, would be cleansed of sin because they would not walk in the way of sin because of God’s clear leading based on His law.

However, the Israelites were purposely not given an example to follow, but instead were given just the precise letter of the law without any providential manifestation on the clearest way to follow the law. This allowed the nation of Israel to be tried, tested, and proved by allowing them to attempt to walk in God’s way without clear understanding of what His law was trying to create within the hearts of the Israelites. This led to rebellion, strife, confusion, and, eventually, idolatry, selfishness, and hypocrisy.

The Israelites, in 1 Samuel 8:5, asked for a King from God, in order for them to be like other nations. God was displeased with this request, but in order to reveal His way to the nations of the world, He sovereignly ordained the line of David, where the perfect example would come, of whom the whole world would be able to follow in order to completely fulfill the requirements of God’s law written on their hearts.

When Christ Jesus came into the world, as God incarnate, God manifested to the human race, God manifest in the flesh, He provided all men, women, and children with the way to follow, obey, and keep God’s word for us to follow; and this way is the way of the cross.

People are not easily swayed by words, but people are more inspired by the actions of individuals. God will require everyone to give an account for every word spoken, but it is by our fruit, or outward expressions of either righteousness or wickedness, that we shall be known whether we are of God or of the enemy, the devil.

Jesus Christ, by providing us with the way of the cross, has shown us the perfect way to follow, if we desire to obtain the perfect power of God through His resurrection from physical death. If we want His life, we must take His sufferings; and we will know the way to take His sufferings if we learn of His cross.

Jesus Christ prepared the way of the LORD for us by looking upon the cross, His eyes fixed upon the one way of salvation: life through death by the crucifixion of Himself, bearing the burden of our sins for the offer of forgiveness once repentance of the heart, due to the sight of the only begotten Son of God dying for the ones who crucified Him, is accomplished in the soul of an awakened sinner.

Jesus Christ proved Himself as the strength of God manifest through His perserverance, temperance, and humility in the face of such cruelty and agony while dying upon that old rugged cross of Calvary. The LORD Jesus Christ exemplified the life of God, and the fruit of the Spirit, while laying against the wood, allowing those nails to pierce His flesh, scrape His bones, and crush His nerves, bringing spasmodic agony only reserved for those who commit the most heinous and vile acts ever committed by man could ever describe completely and accurately.

This is the way of the cross, and the LORD has given it to us as the road map to heaven, so to speak. The map to eternal life has been discovered by the living Son of God, Jesus Christ! Through His sufferings, sacrifice, and submission, we can look upon the cross and order our steps to follow Him into eternity just like Him.

By looking at His example on the cross, and believing in Him while partaking of His faith while on the cross, anyone who has allowed the Spirit of God to break his or her heart due to the sight of the Son of God dying on the cross, taking the punishment for our sins, taking the wrath of God upon Himself in order to release us from the debt owed by our carnal, wicked, evil actions against God, may partake of everlasting life through His everloving and gracious power through Jesus Christ, the risen Son of God.

Jesus Christ was born of a virgin named Mary, who was betrothed to a man name Joseph. The Holy Spirit descended upon Mary, and she was miraculously found with child without ever consumating a relationship with another man.

Joseph thought his bride-to-be had committed adultery against him, and was ready to call off the wedding. We can imagine how he must have felt when he first heard the news of her pregnancy. The thoughts of confusion, betrayal, and love lost would cause anyone to weep and wail against the injustice of such an act. Thankfully, the LORD gave Joseph the comfort he needed by revealing to Joseph His divine will: to bring the Son of God, the Son of Man, to earth to save His people.

We can only speculate what other people may have said concerning Mary’s pregnancy. History records certain religious Jews claiming Jesus as a son of an adulterous relationship, yet ignoring their own adultery against their own relationship with God.

Why did God purposely allow His Son to appear as if He was born of an adulterous relationship? Calling upon Jesus Christ means calling upon the only begotten Son of God, and the only way to benefit from the gift of salvation, the eternal gift of God’s grace for the repentance and remission of our sins, is revealed in our acceptance in the miraculous wonder of God during the incarnation of God upon this land. If one does not believe in the virgin birth of the Lamb of God, who has saved His people from their sins, then their only option is to believe Jesus Christ is the bastard son of an adulterous relationship. If anyone truly looks at the life of Christ, and accuses Him of being a product of a sinful relationship, thereby using that as an excuse to reject Jesus Christ, the person’s heart is sadly reprobate without any consolation of eternal life dwelling within the soul.

How can anyone look at the life of Jesus Christ and assume the miraculous miracle of His birth was a fraud to cover an adulterous relationship? Jesus’ virgin birth outlines a good opportunity for one to believe the Bible regardless what is seen in the world. A reluctance to the supernatural power of God will only lead to the poverty of the soul and the poor judgment of a wicked heart, waiting and going about to do what is necessary to wrong other people in spite of themselves.

The Lord Jesus Christ requires us to look for others in faith towards their good, but if we think evil concerning another at all times, this means the love of God does not reside within their heart. Faith in the virgin birth declares to the Christian the purity of faith in the soul of an individual who declares, "I believe the Bible word for word, because Jesus Christ is better than my sinful heart."

Jesus deserved to be born in a palace of gold, and laid in a crib made of diamonds, wrapped in a velvet scarf with silk fringes upon it, but instead He was born in a stable, laid in an animal’s feeding trough for a crib, and wrapped in animal’s clothing. He did this to show us His condescension towards man, and to begin His life in the way of the cross; of voluntary submission and voluntarily allowing Himself the lowest position when He deserved the best.

Even though He was born in Bethlehem to fulfill the prophecy concerning the Son of David being born in Bethlehem of Judea, from the prophecy in Micah 5:2, Jesus deliberately appeared to be from Nazareth, which would give the Jews a reason to not believe Him.

Jesus deliberately humbled Himself to the point where He worked physically with His hands as a lowly carpenter. Instead of becoming some great political leader, or great warrior in battle, He became a lowly servant for meager wages in a small town off the coast of Judea.

During His public ministry, Jesus risked His cleanliness by touching lepers, which was against the law of Moses, and touched dead people; which also, according to the law of Moses, made any man unclean who touched a dead person.

Jesus risked His own personal holiness by allowing the sins of the world to be placed upon Him while on the cross of Calvary. He risked damnation for all time because of the sins of the world placed upon Him. He risked it all for all of us.

Jesus deliberately chose as one of His closest friends and disciples a sanctimonious theif, who would eventually betray Him to be crucified. Jesus chose the one who would lead the crowds to kill Him, and not until the Passover did He even let Judas know Jesus’ knowledge of his eventual betrayal.

Jesus did not prevent the soldiers from beating Him, nor did He recoil at their strikes. He took it all from them at their full blows.

Jesus did not try to defend Himself, nor His doctrine, when standing before the religious council, who were ready to kill Him at a moment’s notice.

Jesus did not try to prove to Pilate His rightful, lawful, legal authority as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

During the crucifixion, Jesus did not turn off His nervous system in order to eliminate the pain. He felt every moment of the cross at full blow. He also did not receive any liquids that would dull the pain while dying on the cross. He took the full blow of the pain, suffering, and torment of the cross.

Jesus appeared to be a treacherous blasphemer, a false prophet, and a sorceror, but He did not even once try to renounce the people’s accusations against Him, nor did He attempt to save His reputation.

Jesus showed great restraint in not calling down the legions of angels to kill His persecutors, even though in doing so, He would have been completely justified for destroying all mankind.

Jesus forgave the penitent theif even after the theif mocked Him, according to Matthew 27:44.

Jesus allowed Himself to hang naked upon the cross, thus making Himself to become a curse according to the law of Moses, for cursed is every man that hangs upon a tree. Jesus, knowing this verse probably very well, did not attempt to leave the cross or escape the cross, even though He knew this curse was in the law of Moses.

Jesus allowed the poepl to reproach Him, make fun of Him, shame Him, and mock Him while dying on the cross. He would have been completely justified if He proved Himself upon that cross, but instead He lay silent against the cross of Calvary.

Jesus did not try to prove He was the Son of God, nor did He attempt to prove His miraculous power or divine nature, while on the cross.

I can imagine criminals trying to talk the guards out of killing them, offering them all sorts of rewards and glory, but Jesus did not talk them out of nailing Him to the cross.

I can imagine criminals holding their hands together as tight as possible in order to prolong the soldiers from hammering the nails into their hands, and trying to escape and squirm from the hammer and nails, but Jesus allowed them to nail His hands against that old rugged cross without any restraint necessary.

Jesus did not let the guards, nor anyone else, to reproach His disciples once, even through they had forsook Him and left Him. Even though His friends were not there for Him when He needed them, He did not blame them for the cross, nor did He utter one ill word against them.

Jesus endured the cross without murmuring or complaining. Jesus didn’t want God’s pity, nor did He want man’s pity, but instead pitied man for doing this to their Lord.

Jesus never spoke one word against His accusers or His killers. Not one.

Jesus did not resist them at any time, nor did He attempt to escape the torture or death of the crucifixion.

The LORD Jesus Christ proved Himself to us, despite all these things that seemed against Him as the real living manifestation of God in human form, by revealing to us all the strength of God: complete self-control: having the power and ability to justify yourself, but letting go of yourself in order for God to justify you instead. Jesus could have legitimately done the opposite of all these things and still be righteous, holy, blameless, and the one and only begotten Son of God, the King of Kings, and the rightful Lord of Lords; but instead He went throught he cross in order to provide us with the way of the everlasting life, which is the way of the cross: having the power, ability, and right to justify yourself legitimately, but instead voluntarily allowing God to do it instead, which brings Him glory, honor, praise, as well as the credit for doing the work.

When the Lord Jesus Christ spoke those words, "Father, into thy hands I commend my Spirit," He made the perfect proclamation of faith in His Father: Even though all these things at the cross was happening, which made it look like Jesus would not receive the throne of David, or even fulfill the promises made to Abraham and the patriarchs, Jesus resigned Himself to His Father, knowing that His Father would be just in justifying jesus christ as the one true heir of the throne of david.

By raising Jesus from the dead, becoming the author and finisher of our faith through His proclamation of faith in His Father at the cross, we may have access to God through faith in His Son, that His blood shed on the cross will act as the perfect sacrifice for the remission of our sins, becoming us the righteous of God through faith; like as God the Father looked upon Jesus as righteously giving Himself up for us at the cross, He will reward us for agreeing with Him in His judgment of raising Jesus from the dead by giving us eternal life with Jesus in heaven forever.

May the glory of God fill us all and raise us up from death to life in Jesus’ name! Amen.