The Cross & The Fruit of the Spirit

Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…

The fruit of the Spirit are character qualities that manifest in the life of one controlled by the Holy Spirit. I would argue that all were present at the passion of the Christ. It was at the cross that the true nature of Jesus Christ was revealed.

Please allow me to elaborate:

Jesus’ 3.5 year ministry was limited to almost strictly to the Jewish nation (Mat.15:24)
During this time, arguably, He was rather cagey about his true identity (“cagey” = secretive; guarded; cautious; holding his cards close to his chest).  Examples provided below:

• His miracles captured people’s attention, but then He spoke in parables.
• Those who experienced His healing power were commanded to speak nothing about Him. (Mat.8:4  16:20  17:9  Mark 7:36  Luke 8:56)
• Demons recognized Him but were commanded to keep quiet.  (Luke 4:41)
• People had a measure of faith in Him due to the miracles He performed. But Jesus held no confidence in them to reveal Himself entirely. (John 2:23-25)
• Jesus spoke plainly to His disciples.  Nevertheless they failed to grasp His true nature & purpose. (Mk 4:34  Jn 14:9  Lk 18:31-34; 24:16)

Consider then the following:

• The Gentiles began to seek Jesus after His triumphant arrival to Jerusalem.  Rather than capitalize on an opportunity to expand His ministry, Jesus instead announced His impending death:  “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.” (John 12:23b)

• As Judas left the disciples to betray Him, Jesus declared:  “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him.” (John 13:31b)

• With His crucifixion imminent, Jesus lifted His final prayer to God the Father:  “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You.” (John 17:4b)

What did Jesus mean by suggesting He would be  “glorified”?  Such terminology seems to indicate a pleasant backdrop of fluffy clouds, brilliant light and wellness of being rather than the moment of an ugly, wretched and gruesome death by crucifixion.

The Bible Dictionary defines “glory” as such:

“The glory of God is the worthiness of God, more particularly, the presence of God in the fullness of his attributes in some place or everywhere.”

“Attributes” are the characteristics or inherent qualities that make a person who they are.  If God’s glory is the full display of His attributes, then to “be glorified” is to be revealed for who you really are.

Jesus declared the time of His glory had come.  He was saying that now His true nature would be revealed on the cross!  On the cross, all the characteristics of the Divine Nature were on display for the world to see!

Here are the characteristics  of the divine nature:

Galatians 5:22-23  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”

The characteristics of the Divine Nature are the fruit of the Spirit as listed in Galatians 5:22,23.  These qualities were all on display at the passion of the Christ.  Only the Divine could display these qualities in the moment of an unjust and suffering death.

No ordinary man could carry himself through the experience of the cross as Jesus did.  But Jesus was no ordinary man.  The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ was both 100% Man and 100% God at the same time.  The Man suffered death.  But in death, His Divinity was revealed.

A battle hardened centurion presided over the crucifixion of Christ.  Promoted to his position of authority through years of sacrifice and duty to Rome, he no doubt had witnessed the death of many a man.  But something in Jesus’ death caused the centurion to recognize that Jesus was no ordinary Man.

Mark 15:39
“When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, “This man truly was the Son of God!””

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And now, a brief look at the fruit of the Spirit as they apply to Christ on the cross.  With each word you will see a numeric which indicates the reference in Strong’s Concordance to the original Greek word along with a brief descriptor of what the word means:

Love:  g0026  agape  sacrificial love affection or benevolence
selfless, sacrificial love was the motive for Christ’s action.
Cross was His ultimate demonstration of love.
For god so loved the world that he gave… (John. 3:16)
Giving vs. sacrifice:  when a chicken and pig collaborate to produce a breakfast plate of ham & eggs, the chicken makes a donation but the pig is required to make total sacrifice!  When Jesus did His part for the redemption of mankind, it required total commitment.  Which is why Jesus felt kinship to the widow who gave two mites to the offering plate.  She gave of her livelihood whereas the rich gave out of abundance.  When it comes to giving in the kingdom of heaven, it’s about percentage, not amounts.

Joy: g5479 cheerfulness, calm delight
Same Greek word used for “joy” in Galatians 5:22 is also found in Hebrews 12:2
For the “joy” set before Him, Jesus endured the cross. We live in a sanitized society in North America. We rarely see the starkness of death as it really is. People are well cared for in hospitals and nursing homes. When they pass away they are quickly and quietly ushered away to funeral homes to be properly prepared for presentation. Images of traffic fatalities and violence on the streets is not readily available in mainstream media. We are spared the stark reality of it all. People go about their daily lives – out of sight, out of mind. It’s hard to possess anything more than an academic understanding of death by crucifixion, much less how extraordinary it is that Jesus possessed joy in the midst of it. There is nothing worse than meaningless suffering. But Jesus’ suffering had meaning. There was purpose to His death. He was able to see through the veil of time & space to understand the purpose for His suffering. He saw the travail of His soul and was satisfied.

Peace: g1515 to join (making the two one)
Peace means being in agreement with God. It means accepting His will for your life. If that requires making some changes then so be it. He is not in the business of negotiating terms and conditions. He is not making concessions or compromises. He offers great and precious promises but the terms and conditions are entirely of His design. He is God Almighty, after all. Peace means being wholehearted and fully committed to a particular direction without internal conflict. Living in agreement with the Creator’s purpose and plan produces peace. Peace is not based on circumstance, it’s a condition of the heart. Peace rest when all hell is breaking loose. Jesus, true to His identity and in agreement with God, embraced the cross appointed for Him. Man was at enmity with God until Jesus Himself became our peace, through the cross, bringing reconciliation between God and man.

Patience: g3115 otherwise known as “long-suffering” = forbearance, fortitude (intestinal fortitude = guts) patience, endurance, steadfastness, perseverance
As the saying goes: when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Patience enables you to “stay the course” and to “finish what you start”. There is no honour in shrinking back in the day of adversity. Jesus said that it is wise to count the cost before you build. As it applies the to cross, I think the point is clear: Jesus persevered to the end. When it all starts getting real, every fibre of your being wants to call it quits. But patience hangs in for the long haul.

Kindness: g5544 moral excellence;
I keep a stash of good quality coffee at work. The other day I went to make myself a cup. Someone joked, “Are you making that for me?” LOL! We all had a good laugh over that but I altered my actions that day. I made that coffee and gave it to him instead. He had no expectations of course, he was just joking. But he really did want a coffee and when I convinced him that I was serious, that I wanted him to take the coffee, and he accepted it. I’m pleased to report he enjoyed that cup of coffee. He said, “Thank you. That was very kind of you.” It’s easy to be self absorbed, but kindness adopts an outward focus. You take notice of what makes a difference in people’s lives and you step up to deliver. What may seem insignificant to you may mean a lot to someone else. Even when you’re having a bad day, you can still choose kindness. An outward focus can help you get through your biggest personal battles. Look to Jesus, our example: He prayed for others while He Himself was on the cross (Luke 23:34).

Goodness:  g0019  goodness, ie. virtue or beneficence;  uprightness of heart & life, goodness, kindness
Benevolence is the disposition to do good, an act of kindness, a generous gift
.  The cross itself an act of kindness for fallen man –  a generous gift for the undeserving.  Through the sacrifice of an innocent man, the guilty go free.  Only one Person qualified to make that sacrifice on behalf of all mankind.  Jesus was willing to accept the assignment.  He had a disposition to do good, to offer an act of kindness.  The cross was the ultimate example of that benevolence.

Faithfulness:  g4102  persuasion ie. credence, moral conviction ;  the character of one who can be relied upon.
The Father had a difficult and important task to be completed.  He needed a qualified candidate to whom He could entrust this responsibility.  Jesus’ character was tested and in the wilderness.  He was proven reliable.  (Luke 20:16)  The Father’s confidence in Jesus was not misplaced.  Jesus was faithful to complete His task, even to His own hurt.  (Ps.15:1-4).  Jesus’s choice to go the distance was also based on a confidence of character – He put His trust in the trustworthiness God and the truth of His word.  On this basis He completed His task.  Though facing death, He knew He would live again.

Gentleness:  g4236  gentleness; by implication humility; meekness
gentle = mild in temperament or behavior; moderate in action, effect, or degree; not harsh or severe
Speaks to emotional stability.  Not given to extreme displays of emotion.  Some people have a low threshold of tolerance for discomfort.  If anything goes wrong the whole world has to hear about it.  Meanwhile, others have left a legacy of facing torture and not reveal military secrets.  Moody people are victims of circumstance. Spirit led people are victors.  They live above circumstance.  Living by faith is intentional.  Living by faith means making choices based based on conviction, not emotion.  Jesus lived by faith, not feelings.  When faced with harsh injustice and false accusation He kept His emotion in check.  In the face of physical, emotional and spiritual violence He was resolute.  His deportment was stable throughout.

Self control: g1466  self-control (especially continence); temperance
the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, esp. his sensual appetites
sensual = of or arousing gratification of the senses and physical pleasure (especially sexual)  “gratifying the senses” – not a strictly sexual reference

Death by crucifixion is a physically gruesome death. Not at all gratifying. I’m sure that in His humanity, Jesus would have preferred to live and not die.  I think it’s safe to conclude that he would have been comforted to have the nails removed from His extremities and to be treated with proper medical attention.

Safe to say that rejection and persecution by the very people He came to save was emotionally scarring. I’m sure that, in His humanity, He would have preferred to hear His accusers apologize for their persecutions, and acknowledge His true identity.

It would have been more intellectually stimulating to hang out with the good old boys at the city gates and engage in friendly banter about the Word of God, the weather or even talk about who’s likely to win the big game tomorrow between Jerusalem and Damascus. Perhaps, in His humanity, He would have preferred to keep a low profile, to have a home to retreat to from all of life’s demands – a place of rest and rejuvenation, where family and friends meet and enjoy one another’s company.

Instead, in the weakness and shame of His humanity, He remained on the cross, suspended between earth and sky before a jeering, cursing crowd of scheming, unreasonable ingrates.  He had the power to call on legions of angels to exact revenge on the injustice of it all.  But instead, He remained on the cross until the bitter end of His humanity.  He could have had all this world has to offer, but instead He embraced the cross.  He had eyes to see beyond the veil of time and space.  He understood all that glitters isn’t gold.  He demonstrated self control while on the cross and in doing so revealed His true nature:  Divinity at the very core.

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To conclude:
There is a cross appointed for anyone who would wish to follow Christ. (Matthew 16:24)
It is not a cross of your own choosing.  It is appointed.  Embrace that cross.
Your true identity is revealed only as you embrace the cross that is appointed for you.
Take up your cross.  Let all the world see who you really are.
The unbelieving will mock you. The religious will misunderstand and persecute you.
Well meaning people may try to dissuade you from taking up your cross.
But the hungry and battle scarred of this world will recognize Christ in you and find hope through you (Mark 8:33).