(This message series is inspired and excerpted from He Loves Me! by Wayne Jacobsen.)
“What changed these very ordinary men (who were such cowards that they did not dare stand too near the cross in case they got involved) into heroes who would stop at nothing? A swindle? Hallucination? Spooky nonsense in a darkened room? Or Somebody quietly doing what he said he’d do—walk right through death?” – J. B. Phillips, Is God at Home?
What Really Happened on the Cross
“Yes, Jesus was brutally tortured and it was certainly the intent of the Roman guard that the extreme tortures used against him would end his life. That, however, is not the whole story. Nothing they could do would have been sufficient to kill the Son of God. Jesus was neither a victim of the lies of the religious rulers nor of Rome’s corrupt political posturing. No amount of torture would have been sufficient to kill him. Death would only come when he surrendered to it.
For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. [18] No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” (John 10:17-18 ESV)
At any point in the process he could have stopped the torture, called for a legion of angels and wiped out those who were killing him. What an amazing act! I don’t know that I have ever willingly submitted to the darkest tragedies of my life. I rarely feel in control when circumstances turn desperate or when people with evil motives take advantage of me. If I could have called a legion of angels to fix any of my painful circumstances, I would have. I have endured the painful seasons of my life, not because I chose to, but because I couldn’t do otherwise. The only choice I had was whether to respond to them in a Godly way or a selfish way.” (p. 113)
One of the most destructive trends in postmodern culture is the increase of victim mentality. It forces us to blame others which leads to broad contempt and generalized depression and anxiety. In an attempt to lessen the emotional impact of this discontent we have decided that we can make up our own truth. Personalized truth is primarily based on emotional reward. We try and dodge the tough stuff by thinking, victims don’t have choices and therefore no responsibility. What is the most difficult choice you have ever made? What about a time when you’re choice was not to choose and fall prey to the people who decided to choose? Sometimes the best choice comes with great expectations and responsibilities.
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. [17] For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. (Galatians 5:16-17 ESV)
Do all things without grumbling or disputing, [15] that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, (Philippians 2:14-16 ESV)
“A free choice got us into this bondage of sin, so Jesus’ free choice would walk us out of it. His example also reminds us that we are not victims either. Even though disgusting things might be done to us by others, we still have the freedom to overcome evil by putting our trust in him. He still redeems the darkest moments of life with the wonder of his grace.” (p. 113)
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46 ESV)
“Some have taken Jesus’ cry that his Father had forsaken him to mean that at the darkest moment, the Father had to turn his back on the Son. God cannot bear to look on sin, they argue, so that when our sins were laid on him, God had to turn his face away from his Son.
God has never run from sinful humanity. He didn’t hide from Adam and Even in the Garden. They hid from him as he sought them out. It is not God who cannot bear to look on sin, but that we in our sin can’t bear to look on God. He’s not the one who hides. We are. God is powerful enough to look on sin and be untainted by it. He has always done so. He did so at the cross.
…Jesus was not the victim and his Father the victimizer. They were executing a plan they—the Father, Son and Spirit—had devised on the day they first decided to create a man and a woman. They would pay the price together for the relationship they so deeply desired to share.” (p. 114) Why is it important for us to see Jesus, not as a victim, but as part of the Master’s plan?
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.(2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV)
“To say that God laid the guilt of our sins on Jesus so that he could punish him misses the larger point. Jesus wasn’t just guilty of our sins; he became sin itself. Notice the word is in the singular, not talking about the acts of sin, but the very root of it—that self-preferring, self-trusting nature that puts itself above God. Paul wrote that in a moment in time God made Jesus the personification of sin. While that may appear only as a minor subpoint at first glance, it is critical if we are going to understand what really happened on that cross. He didn’t just deal with our sins, but with the very nature of sin itself.
By allowing sin to touch his person through the Son, he would be able to prevail in himself over that which we were powerless to fight. Through the physical body of Jesus, sin came face to face with the power of God, and as we shall see, God prevailed over sin completely.” (p. 115)
He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2 ESV)
“When we fell into sin in a state of unbelief in who God was, sin became an inescapable trap. We couldn’t win over it without trust, and we couldn’t trust while blinded by sin. Thus God takes sin into himself through the physical body of Jesus and accomplishes what the law never could—“he condemned sin in sinful man” (Rom. 8:3). Notice it’s not sinful people here who are condemned, but the sin within them. The reason we are free from condemnation in Jesus is because he condemned sin in himself. It could not prevail over God’s power, and by breaking its power, he opened the door for all who want to be set free of it and live in the life of the Father. …. In the Son God didn’t just punish sin, but he served up the antidote that Christ was able to endure until sin itself was destroyed. Now, all who embrace him can live in the effects of that antidote, prevailing over sin through a growing relationship to the Creator of all.” (p. 116) In light of the sacrifice made for salvation, is it acceptable for a believer to refer to themselves as a sinner?
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1 ESV)
For Your Personal Journey
What comes first to your mind as you contemplate the death of Jesus? Think beyond the physical realities and see what transpired between Father and Son, as they provided a safe place for you from the destruction of sin itself. There is nothing more to do here than to simply express to God our gratefulness for providing such an incredible gift.
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