Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Isaiah 53:4
Ignoble beginnings
My family originated in the Caribbean. My mother’s ancestors were slaves. My father’s heritage consisted of Asian migratory workers, who were followers of eastern religions and left a litany of unmarried mothers behind them.
So, when my dad became a Christian in his pre-teen years, and lived true to that calling until his death at age 54, he literally changed our family history. My mother also was strong in her faith.
Together, they began a radically different chapter in the Robinson family story—one that was only possible because of one Man’s death that occurred more than 2,000 years before their birth.
A life-changing moment
It is impossible for me to express just how much Good Friday means to me as an individual. I have sung about it. Preached about it to crowds across North America and the Carribean. Written poems about it.
I dedicated an entire novel called Bride Tree in which I tried to capture just a portion of the magnitude of Christ’s atonement. Yet all my efforts fall ridiculously short of portraying its true magnitude.
But let me add another thought to the power of that moment. The day Christ died was one of great fear, confusion, and religious turmoil. But, in the sheer chaos of the moment, God was fulfilling prophecy and making history. Isaiah’s words above were coming to pass as were the words of dozens of other inspired writers.
Our present reality
I believe the same conditions are happening right now.
God is again fulfilling prophecy. As nations tremble, as governments reel with confusion, as society launches itself deeper into the conditions of Sodom and Gomorrah, God is about to unfold the greatest part of humanity’s story—the return of Jesus Christ.
Let those who believe in Him rise above the fears that threaten to drag us down. Let us remain confident that Christ is working everything in our personal lives and the world as a whole according to His Divine plan.
