Compels

I am reading a great book called "Chasing God" by Angie Smith. In her book, Smith talks discusses how Christ's love compels us. The word compels means "to hold together; to press on every side; to hold completely." Smith talks about farm animals and how they are pressed together in a small pen when the farmer wants to tag them to treat them. The farmer knows each animal and loves them.

I want to think about "compels" like a crowd at a sporting event. They are pressed together cheering for their team. They may not know the people next to them, but by the end to the game they will have rubbed up against them multiple times as they yell on their team to hopefully a victory. Another example comes from my day today. I took a taxi into town to get some groceries. I was put in the middle of the back seat of the small car sandwiched in between to people I had know idea who they were, but each of us needed a ride to town.

Today is Saturday, the day between the cross and the empty tomb. While hanging on the cross, Jesus was put in between two people that He did not know. All three were receiving punishment, but not all three deserved it. Christ in between two people heard the crowd calling His name. They were chanting and cheering on the pain.

crucify...

Crucify...

CRUCIFY!!!!!

The crowd like one of a sporting event, may not have know the person next to them, but that didn't matter, they were yelling for a victory. They were yelling for defeat.

And then Jesus, sandwiched in between two criminals, looks at the crowd and asks God to forgive them. Forgive them for sin. Forgive them for cheering for the wrong team.

Friends, it was you and I who were cheering for the wrong team. We didn't care who was next to us. We didn't care what they looked like, smelled like or what they were wearing. We were cheering on the defeat of the One who was cheering for us.

Christ's love compels us. It pushes us up to people we don't know and desires us to show them what team to cheer for. I am grateful that the story doesn't end at the cross. The story doesn't end on Friday. We have Easter, because Christ loved us so much He was willing to listen to our cheers for His death. Through those cheers He looked at our hearts and still saw the good. Through the cheers He heard the cries of people who once loved Him turn their back on Him.

Friends, we were cheering for the wrong team. While we were cheering for His death, He through His pain was cheering for our life.