One more move...

Imaged sourced here.

The above picture is of a painting by a French painter by the name of Friedrich Moritz August Retzsch. It's titled 'Checkmate.' The game is for the soul of the guy on the right. The fellow on the left represents Satan, who is gleefully confidant. Why? He's winning. Just look at the pieces taken from the board. And the title of the painting, after all, is 'Checkmate.'

One day, a World Chess Champion was taking a stroll in the Louvre Art Museum, where this painting used to hang. This painting caught his eye, and he stopped to study it. After a few minutes he suddenly cried out in amazement! "The painting is wrong! The devil-man hasn't won! The white king has one last move! One that will tip the balance and win the man the game!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That day when Jesus was on the cross, Satan was throwing a party. He believed he'd won. He was screaming "Checkmate!!!!!" all through Hell. Just like the devil-man in the painting, he was grinning in triumph to himself.

But he'd forgotten one thing.

He was not World Chess Champion.

God was.

And the White King had one more move.


On that long-ago Easter Sunday, the second Jesus took his first breath in that dark tomb, the King moved... and the tide was turned. Our souls were rescued. The World Chess Champion had won again!

When our souls are deep in despair, when we've reached the end of our rope, when we have no moves left... 

the King has one more move.

Cassie xoxoxo

P.S. Credit to my pastor for telling this story at church today, and this site for more info.