Series on "The Message of the Cross" – (15)
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 12675 |
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December 10, 2006 |
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 {The Order of Publication}
The Crucifixion
1.God's Providence Found in Jesus' Clothes
2.The Reason Jesus was Nailed through His Hands and Feet and the Differences in Recording of the Two Robbers
3.God's Providence in Not Breaking Jesus' Legs and the Spiritual Significance of Jesus' Shedding of His Blood and Water
The Crucifixion (2)
"But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities…the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him" (Isaiah 53:5-6).
Thorough knowledge of God's Providence in Jesus' crucifixion will enable us to fathom the love of Our God from the depths of our heart and lead passionate lives in Christ. In this issue, the reason Jesus was nailed through His hands and feet and the recording of the two robbers who were crucified either side of Him will be addressed.
1.The Reason Jesus was Nailed through His Hands and Feet
Most forms of execution end in a relatively short amount of time without bringing about much pain upon the body. Crucifixion, however, inflicts an excruciating amount of pain for a long period of time. When a person's both hands and feet are nailed to a wooden cross, which is then erected perpendicular to the ground, all of his weight moves downward in his body and greater pain is inflicted upon the very spots where the nails pierce. Furthermore, as the executioners avoid nailing vital parts of the body, the person bleeds continually and is subject to pain and suffering until the moment he breathes his last.
For what reason did Jesus have to be nailed through His hands and feet? It was to redeem man from all sins he did and would commit with his hands and feet.
As we find Jesus telling us in Mark 9:43-45, "And if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, {where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.} And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than having your two feet, to be cast into hell," so many people today do things they ought not with their hands and go places they ought not with their feet.
The sinless Jesus redeemed us from our sins we commit with our hands and feet by being nailed through His hands and feet and bleeding to death. Therefore, anyone who has accepted Jesus as his Savior can receive forgiveness without cutting off his hands and feet when he repents and can even rid himself of all sins by the power of the Holy Spirit. In order to forgive our sins and prevent us from falling to the fires of hell, Jesus subjected Himself to the brutal suffering on the cross.
Yet, among those who profess their faith in Jesus and claim to repent of their sins with their lips, many of them still live amidst sin. 1 John 1:6 tells us, "If we say that we have fellowship with Him and [yet] walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth." Moreover, as Galatians 5:19-21 remind us that those who practice "the deeds of the flesh" are not to "inherit the kingdom of God," anyone who claims to have repented from the depths of his heart cannot repeatedly commit the same sins.
If you truly believe that Jesus was nailed through His hands and feet and suffered on the cross because of your sins, you could not sin ever again. How could you commit the sin of crucifying Jesus yet again? Of course, people with little faith may sin time and again. If they repent from the depths of their heart and strive to rid themselves of sin, however, God will give them forgiveness and grace and the strength to throw out all sins.
2.God's Children Set Free from the Curse of the Law by Faith
Jesus was cursed on our behalf by shedding His blood and by being crucified, and we who believe this have been forgiven of all our sins and have been set free from the curse of the law. God's children who believe and have thus accepted Jesus as their Savior have been released from disease, weakness, poverty, and all other kinds of disasters.
Therefore, God's children who have accepted the Lord and live by God's Word are always under His watchful eyes. If trials and suffering come their way even if they live by God's Word, these trials are intended for blessing. In times of such trials and suffering, they ought to keep in mind God's Word in James 1:12, "Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which [the Lord] has promised to those who love Him"; overcoming trials and suffering with thankfulness will bring forth blessings in both spirit and flesh.
What should you do if trials and sufferings come your way because you had failed to live by God's Word? It is time for you to quickly repent and turn from your ways of old. Once you destroy the wall of sin and pray by faith, trials and suffering have no choice but to be driven away. In some instances, you may face difficulties not because of your sinning but through mishaps. Even in such times, God will do His work according to your faith if you trust in Him.
As Jesus was thus cursed on the cross, anyone can be forgiven of his sins by faith and set free from the curse of the law. Does this mean our confessing, "Lord, I believe!" will warrant us unconditional forgiveness?
As the Bible tells us in 1 John 1:7, "[I]f we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin," forgiveness of sins is conditional upon our "walking in the light." Nowhere in the Bible do we find, "We can still receive salvation despite sinning."
Jesus also tells us in Matthew 7:21, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven." Keep in mind that forgiveness will be given and perfect salvation fulfilled only when we accept Jesus as our Savior, repent of our sins, strive never to sin again, and walk in the light.
3.The Differences in Recording of the Two Robbers
When Jesus was crucified, many people had gathered and were insulting and mocking Jesus. On either side of Jesus were two crosses on which two robbers were crucified. Of them we find in Matthew 27:44, "And the robbers also who had been crucified with Him were casting the same insult at Him." Then from Luke 23:39-44, we find one of the robbers "hurling abuse" at Jesus and the other robber "rebuking him."
How can the difference in the recording be explained? This was part of God's work so that readers of the future generations could get a more vivid imagery of the event. Draw a picture in your mind: three crosses standing atop Golgotha, a large crowd gathered to witness impending executions, and Roman soldiers trying to fend off a flood of additional onlookers with spears and shields.
In such a rowdy circumstance, if a person was standing on one robber's side, she would have been able to hear clearly what he was saying but not so clearly the words of the other robber. In other words, the repentant robber's rebuking of the other robber who was insulting Jesus may sound as though the repentant robber were actually rebuking Jesus. Yet, the people standing by the repentant robber's side or Jesus could clearly hear the words of both robbers and Jesus and make accurate recording of the incident.
Of course, the almighty God is able to reveal to the writer of the Bible every detail that transpired. By allowing such differences in the recording, however, God has made it possible for people who read the Bible in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to have a vivid picture – comparable to seeing a movie on a large screen in a well-equipped theater – of Jesus' crucifixion.
Therefore, when we come across parts of the Bible that are not in agreement with our ways of thinking, instead of judging them by fleshly thoughts and standards, we ought to first understand the spiritual significance in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, now that we have learned the reason Jesus was nailed through His hands and feet, our own hands and feet must no longer be vehicles of sin but blessed messengers spreading the love of Our Savior. May each of you take this a step further and come to understand God's Word in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and enjoy all the authority and blessings to which you are entitled as a child of God, in the name of Our Lord I bless!
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