American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, “The name of Jesus is not so much written into history as it is plowed into it.” Sooner or later we must all face the ultimate question of what we will do with him.
There are at least four alternatives:
1. You may be indifferent to him. Pilate sought to wash his hands of Jesus. He thought he could decide not to decide about him. That is never really an option to us. We don’t have to make up our minds, but we do make up our lives. Time keeps marching on, and by our indecision we decide against Christ.
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2. We can reject him. Like the angry mob that cried out for Jesus’ blood, we can chose to reject him and seek to be rid of him altogether.
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3. We can serve him reluctantly. We can be like Simon of Cyrene, who was compelled to carry Jesus’ cross for him. He did not do it willingly; he did it out of necessity because a soldier ordered him to do so. Many people go to church, act religiously, and give to worthy causes not because they want to but because they feel they must.
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4. We can accept him and acclaim him joyfully. This is what the Roman centurion did as he watched Jesus die upon the cross. He declared freely, “Surely this is the Son of God.”
Without a doubt this is what we ought to do with Jesus. He is the Son of God who died on the cross for our sins. He is the Lord and Master of all of creation and the rightful ruler of our lives. If we are wise, we will accept him and acclaim him also.