The MAN Christ Jesus: His agony, torment, abandoned and cursed, total aloneness - - who is that? Who is coming? In the wilderness temptation, Satan left Him for a while (MATT.4:11) but now he is back in full force. Of course he cannot touch the Son of God but the Son of Man in the tortured weakness of His humanity - - Satan hoped his onslaught to taunt, torment and seduce Him might tempt Him to get through it as a solitary Figure only. That would mean He could be no Saviour. Satan’s final attack against the Son of man was in Gethsemane. Because of what the Son of man went through, every believer can now get through into the Presence of God.
His triumph in Gethsemane paid the way to reveal the awful and glorious depth of meaning of His Cross at Calvary. The empty tomb required an earthquake to shout the victory of the Cross and the magnificent conqueror - - THE MAN CHRIST JESUS. “It is finished,” the faith and triumph of a dying MAN (JN.19:30).
I feel like a grasshopper, my mind is jumping all over, so many verses are crowding into my thoughts. I’m stopping first at (2COR.12:9) because never before was such combined Human weakness and Divine power displayed. The Cross is where God and sinful man merged with a thunderous crash of Divine judgment. That crash was on the heart of God and the way to LIFE was opened because the dying MAN said.”It is finished, holy justice is avenged, paid in full”.
My thoughts are going to the Great Tribulation. Why? It’s such a dark place. Other thoughts are crowding in - - do I easily receive salvation, never meditating on the cost? Do I accept forgiveness and think too lightly of my sin?
It is easy for us to blame Judas and Pilate and glibly say that Jesus died for the sin of the world. Remember – consider – meditate - - what anger, lying, pride, carnality thrives within us who have been redeemed? Each and every one of us in Adam’s race had a share in putting Jesus on the Cross. Guilty Judas and Pilate were our accomplices. Dig into the overwhelming amazement that the Son of man would willingly take our place in judgment so that we, the people of God could be cleansed and spiritual people. Now I’m thinking of the Great Tribulation when never-repenting, God-hating rebels will cause the vilest sins to increase and expand beyond our comprehension. Exactly where we would be if God had not called us to a place called Mount Calvary? We read of the awful judgment coming in the Great Day of the Lord. Was that like the avalanche of Divine wrath poured out on Jesus? Was this what He meant by “It is finished”? What was finished? The complete avenging of outraged, holy Justice. Never forget how very personal this is. It was my sin, your sin that hammered the nails into His living Human flesh on the Cross. My fingerprints were on that hammer! How can I fathom grace that is greater than all my sin?
Oh Calvary, dark Calvary
My sins, my sins, my Saviour,
How sad, on Thee it falls.
Look up! I see glimmer of light and a shining reason. God made the sinless One to be sin for us (2COR.5:21) SO THAT we might be made the righteousness of God in HIM. That is our position and we need to co-operate with God, the Holy Spirit to make the SO THAT increasingly real in our experience. Oh, think – remember – meditate and let us die to every interest and involvement that was never in Jesus.
Each of us, (including you and me personally,) is immensely valuable to God because of the tremendous price He paid for us. Value is determined by cost. Let me not squander my value!
Come into the sunshine. There is a victorious and glorious and joyful climax to all of this. It is not that God forgets our sin - - the astounding atonement of Jesus was so complete and final for us, there is nothing for God to remember against us. What was our outstanding account simply does not exist anymore in time or eternity. There is no condemnation (RO.8:11) for us who are in Christ Jesus. While God is changing us (2COR.3:18) from glory to glory, He is making all things work together for the good of HIS PURPOSE (RO.8:28-29) to conform us to the image of His dear Son.
Let us ask the wonderful, willing Almighty Holy Spirit to give us a burning heart of love for Jesus and to impart to us the holiness of Jesus. That in all things pertaining to me, HE might have the preemminence.