Let
us pray, Lord Jesus Christ, You were led to be crucified between two thieves on
Golgotha. You had led a sinless life,
but for our iniquities You suffered and died to set us free from sin, death and
the devil. May we understand Your
sacrifice fulfilled the plan of salvation and freed we Your sinful children
from the wickedness of the devil. For
You chose death in order to free all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel
from our sins. AMEN.
The prophet Ezekiel provides for us a clear understanding how we
should approach our meditation this evening.
With the understanding that the book of Ezekiel was “to explain why
God’s glory departed from Israel and how His glory would return”, Ezekiel in
prophecy, but also truth says that God “does not have pleasure in the death of
the wicked”. Yet tonight our text from
Isaiah clearly says that Jesus Christ was among the wicked.
Hear from Isaiah how Jesus Christ, our suffering servant is
numbered among the wicked.
9 His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with
a rich man in His death, Because He had done no
violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
It is clear that Jesus Christ was crucified with
the wicked. Sentences of death for
criminals was more common in Biblical times and the two thiefs on the cross on
Jesus right and left had apparently been sentenced for their crimes. They were wicked men. And Jesus Christ though innocent of any sin,
became sin and took our wickedness upon Himself and suffered for each of
us. For Jesus “had done no violence”
that deserved death, Jesus Christ had not broken any law, but chose to take
upon Himself our sin and be numbered among the wicked.
For Jesus Christ had done no sin in the eyes of
man nor in the eyes of God. Being
completely sinless, Jesus Christ innocence was irrefutable. Jesus Christ had not broken any of the 10
Commandments that Moses had brought down from God. Jesus Christ intent was to preach and
proclaim the ultimate fulfillment of the law of God. As Ezekiel had told, God’s Glory would be
revealed through His innocent death on the Cross of Calvary for the sins, not
of Israel alone, but for the entirety of mankind of all time and all place. Jesus Christ would bear the burden of mankind
on the Cross and pay the full ransom of all by His death on Calvary by His
perfect life of committing no sin.
And Jesus suffered on the Cross of Calvary for
you and for me. He bled innocent blood
from the wounds of His hands and feet, side and back for you and for me. Jesus Christ endured the shame of being cast
among the wicked, jeered by the crowds, spit upon as He carried His Cross for
you and for me. Jesus Christ could have
called down legions of angels to protect Him, but in humility and a life of
grace suffered a painful death, for you and for me.
For this was the plan of salvation complete in
the simple, yet profound act of the Word of God incarnate in the flesh of Jesus
Christ. Jesus Christ taken on this
journey between rulers and the Cross
kept silent and bore our grief’s and cares, though He was marred, despised,
forsaken and afflicted was questioned, but endured scourging, bruising,
piercing and having our iniquity and sin fall upon Him. But in true servant fashion, Jesus did not
come into the world to condemn the world, but by being cast among the wicked,
saved us from our wickedness and through His death on the Cross of Calvary for
the entire world, offers all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel eternal
life. AMEN.
No comments:
Post a Comment