Jesus. Jesus and you!

The Greatest Victory is often in Defeat.

The crowds were stirred up and excited. They could sense the blood that was about to flow. They had carefully been planning these events for months. They had incited and stirred up hatred amongst many, and now the many had come out to gain victory.

A huge crowd was gathered, excited with the prospect of winning. They were eventually going to see "Justice done". Their victim had been cornered and betrayed into captivity. He had been captured and all that remained was the final act, the slow death of their victim and then victory was theirs.

The nails were pounded through the hands, the feet were nailed and the beaten victim was set on the cross, hung between two low life criminals to slowly await the impending death and the ultimate defeat through death. His capturers taunted and mocked Him. Surely this man that hung there on the cross so meekly and seemingly without any power, could not have been the man that they had tried for so long to corner and capture. Why had this man so readily accepted this death on the cross that would means His end forever. His capturers were probably a little disappointed that it was so easy. There was no fight to it. The only smal bit of resistance was when one of this man's friends had drawn a sword and cut off the ear of one of the soldiers, and even then this Man had commanded His disciple to put away his sword. Why He even picked up the severed ear and replaced it on the soldier and healed it (Luke 22:51).

After hours hanging there on the cross, this man who had claimed to be so great, suddenly cried out and then there was no life found in Hid body. Why was it so easy. Even the worthless robbers that had hung next to Him outlived Him.  Surely the victory over this Man should have been better, sweeter. Surely He should have at least put up a fight. Why had he so easily accepted "Defeat". Even when we taunted Him before he died, instead of fighting back at us, He merely said "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Life returned to normal, except of course for those that mourned the death of the Man that had been their hero, the man that they had witnessed performing so many miracles. This Man that they had come to accept as being the Messiah, the Son of the living God, had been taken away from them. Doubt entered their minds and fear gripped them. They had openly been telling everyone how this Man was truely the Messiah and that nothing could defeat this Man, and now He was dead and gone. What were they going to do? Was this Man who died so easily really the Messiah that they thought He was?

Yet on the third day, when they went to the tomb, His body was not there. Instead there was a angel that gave them instructions, telling them that there was no defeat, but that victory had arrived. Suddenly over the next days, a realisation came upon the whole area, that what the people who were against Jesus had thought to be a great victory, had became their biggest defeat ever. He was not dead but He is alive!!

The Christ had risen, and not only had He risen, but also defeated death and sin, and had secured the keys to hades. He had secured the ultimate victory in what all had first believed to be defeat. The price had been paid, and now the devil and his demons had been defeated once and for all eternity. They thought they had won the war, but they Lost!

Often times will come before you, when all are against you and it appears as if the ultimate defeat is going to overtake you. Have faith and the knowledge that our Lord Jesus takes defeat and turns it into victory. The greater the defeat appears to be, the greater that the victory will be. Nothing is impossible for Jesus, so place your faith in Him. Allow Him to take control and handle your situation.

My God is the God of miracles and the condition for a miracle is impossibility. So when the situation appears to be impossible, just sit back, smile and say, "Ok Jesus, it is your situation, take this thing that appears to be defeat and turn it into a great victory, so all may see that you are The Christ, that lives inside of me."  Praise Jesus!