Jesus couldn’t die except by a deliberate, determined act of His own volition, by which He contradicted the contradiction.
Jesus could not die! But He did die!! Let’s take this slowly and see if we can get at least a glimpse of what is beyond the comprehension of the human mind.
Adam was created in the perfection of health and holiness. The blood in his body was of such quality that it was designed to sustain unending physical life in the perfect world. He would have been alive to-day if he had not done something to change, something to contradict God’s plan and God’s order. He brought sin into the world and (James 1:15) and by sin he brought death because sin always (Romans 6:23) pays its wages in death. So every human person since Adam (Romans 7:5) carries within himself the fruit of death in sickness, disease and aging. We know that (Leviticus 17:11) the life of our bodies is in our blood and we also know that our blood cannot provide unending life on earth but only a limited lifespan. The soul that sins (Ezekiel 18:20) will die and that includes every one of us for we (Romans 3:23) all have sinned. That is why, when the Son of God clothed Himself in the human body of the Bethlehem Baby, Jesus had to be born of a virgin. It was absolutely essential. If Jesus had had a human father, He would have inherited the same quality of perishable blood that you and I have and all the descendants of Adam. Because Jesus was virgin-born the Blood that ran in His veins was the holy sinless Blood like Adam had before Adam’s became tainted because of his sin, which carried the promise of universal death.
Now our blood is good for only a limited and malady-haunted lifespan in this world. Adam brought all of us into a hopeless condition of death both physical and spiritual. We are alienated from God and without any hope beyond the grave, only the grim assurance of judgment. There seemed to be no way out because without the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22) there is no forgiveness of sin.
For a certain period of time, God accepted the blood of animals, TEMPORARILY, as an atonement for sin in anticipation of a holy, sinless, human sacrificial Lamb to atone for all the sinful humans which was every one of us who populated this world at any time. But no human, not even one, had blood that was acceptable - - - except Jesus – but we must remember that He (John 1:3) created the world, yet when He (John 1:10) came into the world which He had made, the world didn’t recognize or know him. He came (John 1:11) to His own people and they did not receive or welcome Him. How could He be willing to lay down His life, to end His physical life by shedding, pouring out His Life-Blood for sinners like me?
Why would He be willing? Because – because – because – (2 Peter 3:9) He was not willing that any should perish no matter how much it would cost Him. Jesus could not forgive my sin apart from that horrendous cost which He paid in full.
We know definitely that God the Son had a full and equal part in the (Revelation 13:8) decision made by the Triune God before the foundation of the world and was in full agreement with it, that He would be the sacrificial Passover Lamb. Stop now and let our minds take us back there to hear those amazing words. Does the tone of voice convey to us anything of the stupendous love in God’s heart for humans yet to be created, including you and me? Now we travel on to heaven and listen in awe as we hear God say (Hebrews 1:6) “Let all the angels of God worship Him”.
One more stop on our journey. It’s hard to come down from the glory, praise and worship of the holy angels to the hellish screams of the devil-mad mob (John 19:6) “Crucify Him. Crucify Him”. How much time do we spend in meditation, wonder and worship of the Lamb of God? Just consider the contradictions in the last 2 stops on our trip and all that they involved.
He willingly suffered the anguish of Gethsemane and the agony of calvary so that He could take my sin, my guilt, my punishment on Himself. (My heart is full of tears). Under the suffering, cruelty, brutality, His precious priceless Blood poured out, poured out and down, soaking into the earth to make a Blood Covenant with (Romans 8:19) the groaning creation of redemption of the world and for (Isaiah 53:7, John 1:29) every person who will trust in His shed Blood and atoning death for the forgiveness of their sin, personal salvation and unending eternal Life. We who are born-again believers are saved by the death of the MAN, Who couldn’t die except by a deliberate, determined act of His own volition, by which He contradicted the contradiction. Because of His death He has (Hebrews 7:16) the power to give us endless indestructible LIFE AFTER LIFE.
We were never told that God loved the world but that (John 3:16) God SO loved the world. I believe in and continually experience God’s incredible love but I cannot comprehend the surpassing selfless love of Almighty Sovereign God in His giving up for us the very JOY of heaven.
No human blood will ever be needed to sustain that Life. The Life we need to thrive in heaven is the eternal Life of God Himself and is as endless as God Himself. (My mind falters but my heart dances).
The contradiction of God’s will is always sin and sin is always a contradiction to God’s will and order, a dangerous determination to oppose the Living God, Who will always have the final say. If any of us who are Christians can look at the shining pinnacle of pure love, far greater and beyond all true love stories which ever existed - - and then walk away satisfied that we are not going to hell but having no desire to be fully surrendered to the Lord to be His salt, light, witness in the world, that is a huge contradiction. That person is playing with matches and the tragic consequences are never in doubt.
(Dr. Stanley) “Christian growth is growing in Christ-likeness.” Jesus is to be heard in the words I speak. He is to be seen in what I do and to be sensed wherever I am present”.
An old-time preacher used to pray every day that God would make him an extraordinary Christian. The Holy Spirit can make you and me extraordinary Christians. Are we game for the challenge? I experience God’s love and patience all day, every day, even in the midst of trials and often because of them. God never meets my needs adequately but always abundantly with His lavish grace (Philippians 4:19) according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.