The Cost

<p>Michelangelo&rsquo;s works explored many facets of the life of Jesus, yet one of the most poignant was also one of the most simple. In the 1540s he sketched a pieta (a picture of Jesus&rsquo; mother holding the body of the dead Christ) for his friend Vittoria Colonna. Done in chalk, the drawing depicts Mary looking to the heavens as she cradles her Son&rsquo;s still form. Rising behind Mary, the upright beam of the cross carries these words from Dante&rsquo;s <em>Paradise</em>, &ldquo;There they don't think of how much blood it costs.&rdquo; Michelangelo&rsquo;s point was profound: when we contemplate the death of Jesus, we must consider the price He paid.</p> <p>The price paid by Christ is captured in His dying declaration, &ldquo;It is finished&rdquo; (John 19:30). That term for &ldquo;it is finished&rdquo; (<em>tetelestai)</em> was used in several ways&mdash;to show a bill had been paid, a task finished, a sacrifice offered, a masterpiece completed. Each of them applies to what Jesus did on our behalf on the cross! Perhaps that&rsquo;s why the apostle Paul wrote, &ldquo;May I never&nbsp;boast&nbsp;except in the&nbsp;cross&nbsp;of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world&rdquo; (Galatians 6:14).</p> <p>Jesus&rsquo; willingness to take our place is the eternal evidence of how much God loves us. As we contemplate the price He paid, may we also celebrate His love&mdash;and give thanks for the cross.</p>