Sunday, April 08, 2007
Choose Who It Is In the Details
Remember Isaac? The ram appeared as a substitute sacrifice for Abraham’s son. God’s Son is become the Substitute as He climbs the same geographical location, Mt. Moriah. The time and place are epic for the Lamb…foretold by ancient history when Israel’s father, with Isaac, and Israel’s founder, at the first Passover, painted the future Messiah’s atoning death. This alone should be enough for the faithful to recognize Him and yet, God threw in a bonus—the detailed picture by Israel’s prophet Isaiah.
“Assigned a grave with the wicked (between two thieves)…and with the rich (Joseph of Arimathea) in His death” ~Isaiah 53:9
“They divided My garments among them and cast lots for My clothing.” (Another portrait from David’s Psalm 22:18) John records the conversation among soldiers at the Cross, “Let’s not tear [the garment that was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom]. Let’s decide by lot who will get it.” ~John 19:24
The detail is astounding. Jesus, even as pain gripped Him, cried out the first words of David’s prophetic Psalm 22. Do you actually believe this was manipulation? David wrote the song something like a thousand years prior. I’m sure Jesus was busy spinning conspiracy to mislead the world with a firm nudge toward David’s word painting of the Passion. Truth is, the Son was speaking the Word, expressing the agony of David’s poetry, and His own. Okay, you suspect the gospel writers of producing a yarn. Surely someone would have pointed out the lie by blurbing such things as, “He never said that, and they didn’t cast lots, His robe WAS torn and His bones WERE broken”…refuting the fulfillment of Psalm 34:20! Rome would have been all over it. John clearly reminds everyone willing to hear, in his gospel, the prophet Zechariah predicted, “They will look on the One they have pierced.” Sure enough, a soldier was making certain the Christ, Son of the Living God, was dead when he indeed pierced Him. (19:34) No one ever denied that these things happened. And the rest is history.
“Assigned a grave with the wicked (between two thieves)…and with the rich (Joseph of Arimathea) in His death” ~Isaiah 53:9
“They divided My garments among them and cast lots for My clothing.” (Another portrait from David’s Psalm 22:18) John records the conversation among soldiers at the Cross, “Let’s not tear [the garment that was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom]. Let’s decide by lot who will get it.” ~John 19:24
The detail is astounding. Jesus, even as pain gripped Him, cried out the first words of David’s prophetic Psalm 22. Do you actually believe this was manipulation? David wrote the song something like a thousand years prior. I’m sure Jesus was busy spinning conspiracy to mislead the world with a firm nudge toward David’s word painting of the Passion. Truth is, the Son was speaking the Word, expressing the agony of David’s poetry, and His own. Okay, you suspect the gospel writers of producing a yarn. Surely someone would have pointed out the lie by blurbing such things as, “He never said that, and they didn’t cast lots, His robe WAS torn and His bones WERE broken”…refuting the fulfillment of Psalm 34:20! Rome would have been all over it. John clearly reminds everyone willing to hear, in his gospel, the prophet Zechariah predicted, “They will look on the One they have pierced.” Sure enough, a soldier was making certain the Christ, Son of the Living God, was dead when he indeed pierced Him. (19:34) No one ever denied that these things happened. And the rest is history.
Conspiring? More like retiring. His followers were tired and forlorn. Plotting and planning? Do you hear them saying, “We should get ready for the resurrection celebration bash on Sunday!” NOT! AS far as they knew, IT WAS OVER. They felt like their guts had been ripped out, heart and soul. Did they even notice the quaking earth, the opening graves, the dark sky? Did anyone tell them that day how the veil to the Holy of Holies had been torn beginning at God’s end, the top and going down? The Day of Atonement was not like THIS—no hope could be mustered. These sorely dejected people didn’t even know to be watching for the High Priest to emerge from the Temple! Much less Christ from the grave! There was fear among the followers. A few had the semblance to arrange the Master’s burial. There was no wondering if the sacrifice had been acceptable! WHO KNEW the mission was accomplished?
But the life of Christ, His blood offered on the Bronze Altar of the heavenly Temple by Jesus, the High Priest, WAS sufficient, ample, satisfactory; Himself without spot, Ha Meshiah sealed the deal! One moment in eternity—Mel Gibson’s attempt to capture the enormity with the drop from Heaven to Earth, in slow, epic motion, provides a visual but can we wrap our small minds around it?
“…without holiness, no one will see the Lord” so come “to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.” ~Hebrews 12:14 & 24 (Abel, whose sacrifice was acceptable to God and whose blood was shed for righteousness’ sake: Abel’s blood did not get Abel into heaven. Christ’s did.) Praise be to God. AMEN.
But the life of Christ, His blood offered on the Bronze Altar of the heavenly Temple by Jesus, the High Priest, WAS sufficient, ample, satisfactory; Himself without spot, Ha Meshiah sealed the deal! One moment in eternity—Mel Gibson’s attempt to capture the enormity with the drop from Heaven to Earth, in slow, epic motion, provides a visual but can we wrap our small minds around it?
“…without holiness, no one will see the Lord” so come “to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.” ~Hebrews 12:14 & 24 (Abel, whose sacrifice was acceptable to God and whose blood was shed for righteousness’ sake: Abel’s blood did not get Abel into heaven. Christ’s did.) Praise be to God. AMEN.
