A History Lesson

Those that know me, know that I teach World History at the local high school. There's a history lesson I've been wanting to post here on this blog and one I've been putting off for quite a while, but I feel compelled, even driven, to go ahead...

You see, there's a line, that's been drawn down through the ages. And on that line, there stands an old rugged cross. And on that cross, there's a battle that's raging, for the gain of man's soul or its loss.

On one side, march the forces of evil, all the demons and devils in hell. On the other, the angels of glory. And they meet, on Golgotha's Hill.

The earth shakes, with the force of the conflict and the sun refuses to shine. For there hangs God's Son in the balance, and then, through the darkness He cries!!!

IT IS FINISHED!!! The battle is over!!! IT IS FINISHED!!! There'll be no more war!!! IT IS FINISHED!!! The end of the conflict!!! IT IS FINISHED!!! And Jesus is Lord!!!

Ok, so by now, some you might have recognized that these are the lyrics from "It Is Finished," made famous by the Gaither Vocal Band. Historians, not just the Gospels, write of the accuracy of the earthquake and the eclipse that occurred at the time of Christ's death, but there might be those who question, much like my students, "What does something that happened thousands of years ago have to do with today and more importantly, me?"

That's why the second verse is so important:

Still in my heart, the battle was still raging. Not all prisoners of war had come home. These were battlefields, of my own making. I didn't know, that the war had been won.

But then I heard, that the King of the Ages had fought all life's battles for me. And that victory was mine for the claiming. And now, praise His Name I am FREE!!!

IT IS FINISHED!!! The battle is over!!! IT IS FINISHED!!! There'll be no more war!!! IT IS FINISHED!!! The end of the conflict!!! IT IS FINISHED!!! And Jesus is Lord!!!


That's how it matters to you and to me. I know that there are those that doubt that God could ever love them because of all the things that they might have done or even continue to do. But it doesn't matter, He fought all life's battles, He paid the price, and now, praise His Name, we're free. That battle is over, IT IS FINISHED, Satan has lost and Jesus is Lord.

That brings up another lesson.

There are some Christians (and others) that refuse to watch Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ because of the violent depiction of Christ's death. They complain, and maybe rightly so, that it is too violent and too over the top, questioning why it must be so.

Why? Go watch the History Channel or the Discovery Channel or any of the others. There you will find some revisionist historian arguing that Christ really didn't die on the Cross, that He only fainted and was removed by the disciples and nursed back to health (or some other ludicrous explanation).

Are you serious?

That's why The Passion of the Christ had to show the brutal beating that Jesus endured, to show that ONLY three days after that He was made whole, save the scars in His hands, feet, and side. Think about this, would his disciples have followed a beaten and broken Christ, knowing that their belief could be a death sentence? No, they'd seen Him beaten and crucified, dying one of the most horrible deaths known, and yet three short days later, He stood amongst them, alive and WHOLE!!!

My only complaint is that the movie glosses over the the Resurrection, for without it, the Crucifixion would be just one of thousands that the Romans doled out. In fact, Crassus had crucified over 6,000 of Spartacus' followers on the Appian Way. For the reasons mentioned above, the Resurrection is as important, if not more important, than the Crucifixion.

So why do I choose this time to give you this lesson. In the words of a Kris Kristofferson song:

Try me Lord, if You think there's a way, I can try to repay, all I've taken from You. Maybe Lord, I can show someone else, what I've been through myself, on my way BACK to You.