“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8 (ESV)

As I was looking through the hymnal, I came across this hymn from Fanny Crosby. The title struck me immediately – Tell Me the Story of Jesus. I thought, this could be a plea from those who don’t know Jesus and want to hear his story for the first time, or also a request from those who have walked with Jesus many years and want to hear his story once again. Our hearts cry out, “tell us the love story that continues forever!” Like the first verse says, write the story on our hearts:

Tell me the story of Jesus;
Write on my heart every word.
Tell me the story most precious,
Sweetest that ever was heard.
Tell how the angels, in chorus,
Sang as they welcomed His birth:
“Glory to God in the highest!”
Peace and good tidings to earth.”

With the birth of Jesus, God brought forth the way for peace to be restored between himself and mankind. God once walked in the cool of the evening with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, but their sin broke that peace and separated them from God, and all their children as well. Our sins left us desolate and without hope, but John 3:16 tells us God desired a reconciliation, and he provided the way through his only Son. Ephesians 2:13 says, “but now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” The birth of Jesus was only the beginning of God’s amazing love story. The next verse reminds us of the great cost Jesus paid to bring us back to God:

Fasting alone in the desert,
Tell of the days that are past-
How for our sins He was tempted,
Yet was triumphant at last.
Tell of the years of His labor;
Tell of the sorrow He bore.
He was despised and afflicted,
Homeless, rejected, and poor.

Jesus was born to reconcile us with God, but the road he had to travel to complete this work would cost him his life. He was born and lived among us yet was despised and rejected by the very ones he came to save. When everyone turned on him and called out “Crucify,” he allowed his father’s plan of reconciliation to continue. He didn’t try to defend himself or put a stop to the atrocities but obeyed his father all the way to the cross. The story continues:

Tell of the cross where they nailed Him,
Writhing in anguish and pain.
Tell of the grave where they laid Him;
Tell how He liveth again.
Love in that story so tender
Clearer than ever I see.
Stay, let me weep while you whisper:
Love paid the ransom for me.

On the cross at Calvary Jesus didn’t simply die a cruel death; a marvelous exchange took place. Isaiah 53:6 says that “all we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned – every one – to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” And in 2 Corinthians 5:21 the exchange is explained further and states, “for our sake he (God) made him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” God’s wrath was poured out on his Son so His Son’s righteousness could be given to us. Jesus fulfilled his Father’s plan of reconciliation through his death on the cross, then God raised him from the dead on the third day, victorious over sin and death. Through the blood of Jesus, we who were far off have now been brought near to God, and we are called His own. This is amazing love, and we get to be part of this greatest love story. Oh yes, tell us this story again and again, until the words are written on our hearts.

Tell me the story of Jesus;
Write on my heart every word.
Tell me the story most precious,
Sweetest that ever was heard.