Without His sacrifice, there would be no hope

Last night at bible study, we were talking about Palm Sunday and the significance of Christ's sacrifice and that He stayed 'on mission' and went to the Cross, His ultimate goal, despite temptation to give the people what they wanted in the form of an earthly ruler. He asked for the cup to pass from Him, but prayed that in the end God's will be done.

He could have easily given the people what they wanted, but He and His Father knew that what they wanted was not what they truly needed. A worldly kingdom easily passes away, and rulers are temporary and forgotten. What the people thought they wanted was a man in a castle, commanding an army of men. What they got was a Savior on a cross, single handedly defeating Satan's army. The fortress that is our Lord is so much stronger and provides lasting protection against Satan, our enemy. By staying on mission, Jesus was able to defeat sin and death in a powerful blow that would ring out for eternity.

Sometimes it is hard to step back from our own little world and wants and needs and be a 'big picture' person and understand that what we want isn't always  what we need. Our own narrow minded, little picture views tend to get in the way and can even be foot holds for Satan to undermine us with.

I find it interesting that as we were talking about this in our discussion that we began to talk about our shortcomings and all the ways we fall flat as Christians and feel defeated, just when we seem to be going the right way. It seems the more we try to do what we know we need to do, the more we are tempted to stray. I'm not saying that we are thrown huge stumbling blocks, but we are subtly undermined - with excuses to not attend a bible study that would be encouraging, or an encounter that gives you a bad taste in your mouth for the rest of that day.

When I think of Satan's attempts to take down the body of Christ, there are the HUGE and obvious, horrible things, like the attacks in Alexandria yesterday, where worshiping christians were attacked and killed. However, those can be used for the Glory of God. May will come to Christ because of the very attempt to silence Him. Satan knows that. He uses tiny, sometimes 'innocent' distractions, excuses, bad moods and petty arguments, etc. to bring down the stronghold that should be the body of Christ. Most of these can not be been by others and may not even be noticeable and recognizable as challenges or stumbling blocks at the time.

I was thinking about that yesterday and the word undermining kept coming to mind. Of course, there is the typical definition of undermining that everyone thinks of, and it is applicable, but I think of the actual etymology and root of the word.

Modern Undermining Definition: verb (used with object), undermined, undermining. to injure or destroy by insidious activity or imperceptible stages, sometimes tending toward a sudden dramatic effect. to attack by indirect, secret, or underhand means; attempt to subvert by stealth.

Etymology of Undermining: Undermining was originally a method for bringing down a castle wall by digging a tunnel under the wall, then collapsing the tunnel. (I would add, that this can not be seen from the ground level - it all happens under ground, invisible to those above)

Countermining: A counter mine is a mine dug to allow defenders to attack miners, or destroy a mine threatening their fortifications. 

It doesn't take very many conversations with me to discover I have some what of a passion for history. I absolutely love that no event is an island. Everything one does, every thing that happens has a ripple effect and can effect history significantly for good or for bad. I also love understanding history and the 'back story' of so much of the world and politics, culture, religion and even the reason we use the words we use. Bear with me as I entice (or bore) you with a bit of history.

Undermining is a concept taken from medieval warfare. The undermining of a castle wall or tower was one of the most feared events by medieval land owners and Lords.

In order to undermine, they would dig a subterranean passage under the walls or tower of the castle for the purpose of gaining access or to collapse the structure.

Mining was in response to the stone keeps, towers, and walls that could not be burned or battered down with primitive siege engines. While digging the tunnel, the sappers would build wooden supports. After completing the tunnel, kindling mixed with hog fat, would be placed near the wooden supports. After the placement of all the flammable material the men would be ordered to leave the tunnel, with the exception of the torchman. He would set the tunnel on fire and run for the tunnel opening. As the wooden tunnel supports burned they would collapse, the stone walls, or towers would also collapse. 

At times, the tunnel would collapse pre-maturely and trap all who were doing the tunnel work. Mining was a very risky type of employment, and not for the faint of heart. Countermining was often the only defense against the mining attack, and in order to counter mine a tunnel, you had to dig deeper and you had to dig several tunnels, not knowing exactly where the enemy tunnel would be. The goal was to collapse the enemy tunnel before his could reach your castle walls. 

In order to countermine, you had to think ahead and be prepared. You had to be aware of the weaknesses of your castle and know where the enemy would most likely attack. Because medieval people were nearly constantly at war, they knew that attacks were almost inevitable, and often would have countermines prepared for the attack that was sure to come in the future. Another way they defended against the effects of countermining was by building strong round towers that were more able to stand firm even when undermined or even hit with trebuchets. 

The name of the LORD is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.~Proverbs 18:10

Tie them on your fingers as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart.~Proverbs 7:3 

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.~Deut 11:18

Being prepared ahead of time, when we relate this back to our Enemy, Satan, is to know what the Sword of the Spirit (the bible) has to say. It means being ware of yourself and your own weaknesses, and surrendering them to the Lord and asking for fortification that you can stand and stand strong against the attacks that WILL come your way. It is recognizing that the enemy is out there and he is real. It is knowing that you are not alone and the army of the Lord is behind you. It is being open with your fellow members of the Body of Christ and allowing them to stand with you in your struggle or weakness, and being in prayer together and for one another. 

Being prepared is making sure you have a firm foundation for your faith and standing strong on that foundation, even when the world around you seems to be crumbling. 

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”~Matthew 7:24-27

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?  Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”~Luke 6:46-49

Another way to protect against undermining was to build your castle on solid ground that could not be excavated using primitive tools. Dover Castle is a medieval castle in Dover, Kent that is a great example of building a castle on rock. It was founded in the 11th century and has been described as the "Key to England" due to its defensive significance throughout history. It is the largest castle in England and is one of few that are described as completely 'intact'. It was never successfully undermined or overtaken. It was used for centuries as a military stronghold and even played a strategic role in WWII and was a planned fortress escape during the Cold War. 

Because of the solid rock it was built on, attempts were made to undermine it but it always successfully defended its self against invasion. There was hand-to-hand combat, but it was never overtaken. It has stood the test of time as a fortress and as a symbol of a great nation. 

Thank you for indulging my love of history. The information may have been a bit much, but I hope you see the importance of the history and the significance of understanding the meaning. Military history and strategy is not just for medieval kings and Lords, it is for God's people as well. We are fighting a spiritual battle every day that we have no hope of wining except for using the 'battle plans' and 'weapons' given to us in God's word. If we bind the Word of God on our hearts and prepare our lives for following the Lord, we will be prepared for what comes our way. Some days we may feel defeated or scared, or not capable of fighting on our own, but that is where our fellow believers come in and lift us up. "Where two or more are gathered in My name, there I am also!" In the end, we must never forget that God is on our side. The same Jesus who died on a wooden cross, was buried and raised again, who defeated sin and satan is at our front, back, and flanking both of our sides and is fighting for us. He has charge of armies of angles who are God's warriors and are fighting for us even when we do not realize it. 

The significance of Jesus dying on the cross and staying on-mission is to give us tools to defeat satan and to be able to have hope for an eternity with Him. Without His sacrifice, there would be no hope. Had he simply given the people what they wanted, he would have literally been King of the Jews, and no one else. Salvation and hope for the future would not even be a concept. Grace and salvation based on the blood of Jesus would not be either. Any forgiveness would only be done by man and by blood shed of an animal.

Our entire social structure and lives as most of us know it would be unimaginably different had it not been for the Cross. Human rights issues, Health Care, Education, Economic Development, Democracy, Science, etc. has all been either a direct result of christianity or furthered because of it. 
Check out this website for a great list of good things that have developed out of the christian faith. 

As we go into Holy week, and we reflect on the importance of Jesus' death, I am incredibly thankful for the life I am able to live because of it.