Jesus our protitiation
Take your pet lamb, your only beloved lamb. If you don’t have a lamb, get your puppy or your kitten or whatever pet you own. Carry him on your shoulders or in your arms, as you have done so many times before. And while he lays on a pile of stones or on a table out back, pick up a sharp knife, and rehearse in your mind the act you are about to perform. Beg the little animal to forgive you for what you are about to do and beg God to forgive you for your act in the crime you have recently committed and which hounds your conscience. However long it takes, weep and pray for the pain you have caused God, your loved ones whom you have hurt, and also this little pet who had nothing to do with your weaknesses and flaws which seem to so define who you are.
Then, hold down that little friend of yours whom you have fed and brought up and nurtured, who loves you and trusts you as its perfect benefactor in everything. Next, plunge that knife into the heart of your beloved little friend. You cannot refrain from this act; you have to kill this substitute for your sin. You have no choice in this matter; someone else’s life must be sacrificed because of you. Do not stop short of pushing that sharp edge all the way through the fine baby fur and soft, supple skin, and send the point of that knife all the way to the heart.
Don’t stop now! Do the painful act! You must, or you will bear your own iniquity and be cut off from any hope in God forever! God demands this! He has demanded it from the beginning! Do it! Justice requires this because of your sin! Justice must be satisfied! —Divine justice, no matter how badly you feel about it! Justice must be done! Now do it!!!
Gripping with a nerveless, trembling hand, in goes the knife. You stab the helpless thing only once and then drop the knife. Take careful notice of the little one’s face. Watch his eyes as they look to yours for help because that is what he has always done before. Watch his mouth as he sadly stares at you and tries to frame the quiet words, “Please help me, Master. Please take away the pain; oh, take away the pain!... Please, dear Master, please…do…something….” Observe that not a thought of revenge comes to his mind—not a single thought. All you see is love and forgiveness, in spite of your aggression. Keep a careful vigil over this whole scene with your beloved animal, until shock overcomes it and it passes silently into oblivion.
Then, unless you can coldly refrain yourself, collapse on the dead body of that little friend. Weep and let your fury know no limit for the incredible injustice of your sin and what it caused this innocent being. Let its blood stain your face and hands and clothes and let it paint your conscience and resolution and all the halls of your memory. Let its pain become you. Know the mercy and justice of God. Mercy provided you, and justice poured upon Himself. And go and sin no more.
We are approaching the Passover/Easter season. The ancient memorial of the act of the ages is just upon us. The cross of Christ paid the costly price for a world in rebellion in order to reclaim our attention and regain our loyalty.
“Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that He might be just, and the justifier of Him which believeth in Jesus.” (Rom. 3:24-26). “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth: who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously: who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.” (1Pet. 2:22-25).
We become dead to sin and live unto righteousness. Thus God can be just while declaring us innocent. This is a pure act of gracious judicial maneuvering on the irrecoverable sinner’s behalf. No one deserves it, yet no one can deny its power to change confirmed criminals into truly loving and good people. Reclaimed by grace and justice alone—there’s no other way. No atheistic, secular agency can do what the grace of God will do to rehabilitate sinners into the way of life when they see the justice for their sins paid by Himself.
“For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected of men; a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Is. 53:2-6).
Then, hold down that little friend of yours whom you have fed and brought up and nurtured, who loves you and trusts you as its perfect benefactor in everything. Next, plunge that knife into the heart of your beloved little friend. You cannot refrain from this act; you have to kill this substitute for your sin. You have no choice in this matter; someone else’s life must be sacrificed because of you. Do not stop short of pushing that sharp edge all the way through the fine baby fur and soft, supple skin, and send the point of that knife all the way to the heart.
Don’t stop now! Do the painful act! You must, or you will bear your own iniquity and be cut off from any hope in God forever! God demands this! He has demanded it from the beginning! Do it! Justice requires this because of your sin! Justice must be satisfied! —Divine justice, no matter how badly you feel about it! Justice must be done! Now do it!!!
Gripping with a nerveless, trembling hand, in goes the knife. You stab the helpless thing only once and then drop the knife. Take careful notice of the little one’s face. Watch his eyes as they look to yours for help because that is what he has always done before. Watch his mouth as he sadly stares at you and tries to frame the quiet words, “Please help me, Master. Please take away the pain; oh, take away the pain!... Please, dear Master, please…do…something….” Observe that not a thought of revenge comes to his mind—not a single thought. All you see is love and forgiveness, in spite of your aggression. Keep a careful vigil over this whole scene with your beloved animal, until shock overcomes it and it passes silently into oblivion.
Then, unless you can coldly refrain yourself, collapse on the dead body of that little friend. Weep and let your fury know no limit for the incredible injustice of your sin and what it caused this innocent being. Let its blood stain your face and hands and clothes and let it paint your conscience and resolution and all the halls of your memory. Let its pain become you. Know the mercy and justice of God. Mercy provided you, and justice poured upon Himself. And go and sin no more.
We are approaching the Passover/Easter season. The ancient memorial of the act of the ages is just upon us. The cross of Christ paid the costly price for a world in rebellion in order to reclaim our attention and regain our loyalty.
“Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that He might be just, and the justifier of Him which believeth in Jesus.” (Rom. 3:24-26). “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth: who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously: who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.” (1Pet. 2:22-25).
We become dead to sin and live unto righteousness. Thus God can be just while declaring us innocent. This is a pure act of gracious judicial maneuvering on the irrecoverable sinner’s behalf. No one deserves it, yet no one can deny its power to change confirmed criminals into truly loving and good people. Reclaimed by grace and justice alone—there’s no other way. No atheistic, secular agency can do what the grace of God will do to rehabilitate sinners into the way of life when they see the justice for their sins paid by Himself.
“For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected of men; a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Is. 53:2-6).
posted by David | 6:49 AM
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