What is one of your greatest accomplishments? Maybe it’s purchasing a house or a car? Maybe it’s starting a family? Or it could just be ticking off some items on a bucket list?
In 2024, I had the privilege of ticking off one of my bucket list items while on a mission trip in Egypt. A small group of us from Australia had ascended from St Catherine’s Monastery to the top of Jebel Musa—otherwise known as Mount Sinai. Our hike began in the very early hours of Sabbath morning. Escorted by a local Bedouin guide, the path was challenging as the terrain was rocky and uneven.
We were often overtaken by other Bedouin, leading camels. As the Bedouin walked past, they teased us with the prospect of an easier ascent on the back of their camel—for a fee of course.
After a few hours, the bags we were carrying felt like heavy weights on our backs, and our legs began to hurt. Despite the cold, the wind and the steep ascent, our group powered through what seemed like an eternity in the dark, only being able to see a few feet in front of us with the help of a small plastic flashlight. This is what I imagine Jesus must have felt like when He came to this earth as a baby, arriving in darkness and only being able to see a few steps ahead as He made decisions that would impact the whole world.
Jesus would have been uncomfortable. It would be the hardest thing He would ever have to do. His life was full of challenges, and at every turn He faced doubt, scorn, jealousy and anger from not just His enemies, but also His family and His closest friends. Just like the path up to Mount Sinai, the years Jesus spent on earth were rocky to say the least.
Early on in Jesus’ ministry, He was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. Jesus was offered authority and glory over all earthly kingdoms, with the promise that He wouldn’t have to suffer the fated cross—in exchange, all the devil asked for was worship (Matthew 4:8-10).
“The eye of Jesus for a moment rested upon the glory presented before Him; but He turned away and refused to look upon the entrancing spectacle” (Confrontation 52.4).
It seemed a small price to pay for such a great reward. Jesus wouldn’t have to do the hard yards, He wouldn’t need to suffer pain, to feel the weight of our sins on the cross and He would still technically gain this world.
While the act to stop His own execution would have been an act of judicial justice because Jesus was innocent—to do so would have been an act of selfishness. In gaining the world through this method, Jesus would have failed in the plan of salvation.
As Jesus nears the end of His ministry, and His life, He finds himself in the Garden of Gethsemane—the weight of His decision to save humanity has become all too real. He had just been betrayed by one of His closest friends, and the darkness of the world was pressing in around Him (Matthew 26:36-46).
Again, He is faced with the same temptation: to choose an easier path than the one set before Him. The Bible tells us that while He was struggling with this decision, Jesus experienced such extreme agony, to the point that His sweat became like “great drops of blood, falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44).
What comes next is the most heartbreaking, as the people His Father had created turn against Him in the most violent acts of torture.
As Jesus hung on the cross, He felt a darkness like we have never seen before. A darkness that no ray of sun could pierce, and no modern-day flashlight could illuminate. This was more than just being in the dark, it was a feeling of separation between Himself and the Father (The Story of Jesus 145.1).
“Angels rejoiced as the Saviour cried, ‘It is finished!’ The great plan of redemption was to be carried out. Through a life of obedience, the sons of Adam might be exalted finally to the presence of God” (The Story of Jesus 147.4).
Once we reached the top of Mount Sinai, our group positioned ourselves on a rock and waited for the sun to appear. As the sun hit the mountain, we felt all the tiredness, the sore muscles, the complaints drift away. The hike had been worth every uncomfortable minute that had transpired and we were rewarded with a view of the sunrise.
Jesus was in the tomb, resting, right where He needed to be. Waiting in the darkness for the Father to call His name, so that He would rise again.
Imagine Jesus inhaling for the first time as He slowly wakes up. Maybe there is a sigh of relief that escapes from His lips as He exhales into the cool air, followed by immense feelings of joy, satisfaction, triumph.
“Jesus came forth with the tread of a conqueror. At His presence the earth reeled, the lightening flashed, and the thunder rolled” (The Story of Jesus 155.8).
As Jesus steps out from His tomb, all the heartache, the pain, the sorrow melts away. All the things that He has suffered up until this point were worth it. His mission was accomplished.
While I have photos that prove my achievement of reaching the top of Mount Sinai, Jesus has physical scars that serve as a constant reminder of what He has achieved, and what He will achieve. Our salvation secured through His sacrifice.
I imagine that Jesus in heaven bears these scars like trophies, proudly displaying them to all who ask. I can picture Him getting excited all over again as He recounts these events, knowing that there’s still more to the story and the best part is yet to come.
As Jesus thinks about His time on earth, He thinks about you. He envisions a time when He will finally get to be reunited with you, to hug you, to spend time with you, to talk to you face-to-face. Everything has been leading up to this moment—the moment when there will be no more separation between the Creator and His people.
While there is nothing wrong with wanting to achieve things in life, having goals and ticking things off a bucket list, this is a reminder that the greatest thing you could ever do is to say yes to Jesus.
You are Jesus’ greatest achievement. The Creator of this universe thought that you were worth risking everything for. Isn’t that something to celebrate?
This Easter, as you spend time with your friends and family, don’t miss the opportunity to pause and reflect on the sacrifice that was made for us. To say yes to Jesus, because He has already said yes to you.
Kymberley McMurray is the digital marketing coordinator at Adventist Media.
