The Cosmic Crux

And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

- Matthew 27:50 -

All the beatings, mockery and false accusations of the previous 24 hours.  All the rebellion, derision and sin of all the ages culminated in this moment.  A sacrifice for all humanity.  A sacrifice for each soul that has or ever will be.

Jesus Himself was on the event horizon of doubt in verse 46, channeling (per se) the first verse of Psalm 22.  And yet in His most desperate hour, the Father sends someone from among the mockers to tend to His needs and let Jesus know that He had not forsaken Him.

In His greatest weakness, Jesus was revealing the height of His perfect strength (2 Corinthians 12:9).  So then, when His body released His spirit a chain of events released a dissembling of all that made natural sense.  The curtain of the temple ripped apart, an earthquake suddenly shook the land, and many holy people rose from the dead (vv. 51-53).

It's no wonder, for the Creator of all that is seen and unseen - the One who had always held all things together (Colossians 1:16-17) - had just completed the ultimate intent of Yahweh. It was an ultimate intent that all eternity hinged upon.  It was, quite literally, the spiritual Big Bang upon which all events past, present and future reference their existence.

Instead of sinking into the event horizon of doubt, Jesus had plunged headlong into the event horizon of reality.

And we are the grateful benefactors.

Why a Cross?

 

There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it.

- Matthew 27:34 -

Why was Jesus crucified on a cross?  We know he was offered as a sacrifice to pay for the sins of every soul, but he could have been sacrificed in a countless number of ways.  He could have been beheaded, His throat slit, hung by a rope, dismembered, poisoned... Cain's lust for another's blood has never run dry since that travesty when he killed his brother.  Indeed, it has only grown more creative over the millennia.

To understand this, we need to go to Psalm 22.  This was a prophesy of the method of execution of the Messiah to come.  It also includes a prophesy of the resurrection and Lordship, but that is not the focus here.

In Psalm 22, David is ostensibly experiencing the Messiah's execution through His eyes, flesh and soul.  In this passage, the Messiah 

• cries out to God, asking why He has forsaken Him.
• is surrounded by others who despise Him.
• is mocked.
• is counted as a criminal.
• is pierced in the hands an feet.
• is stared and gloated at.
• has His clothing gambled over.
• To quote aboutbibleprophecy.com, "There are other descriptions in Psalm 22 that sound like an accurate description of what would happen to the Messiah being crucified, such as the disjointing of bones, the drying up of a person's strength, an intense sense of thirst, a heart melting like wax (Jesus was stabbed in the side with a spear during his crucifixion), and being 'poured out' of one's body. When Jesus was stabbed, blood and water poured out from the wound."

Of particularly impactful note, this Psalm predates this method of execution by about 600 years; that particular art of torment had not been invented yet.

The Son of Man's intent, even from birth I would submit, was to not only be sacrificed for Man. But it was also to show us that it had been His intent from the fall or even the creation of Man.  And finally, He determined that He was to pour His heart and soul into this by refusing to be anaesthetized of the agony of His entire being.

Such is not only the depths of His love for us, but also His passion for us.

Behold the manner of His love! (1 John 3:1)

 

So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?”

“Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor.

“Barabbas,” they answered.

- Matthew 27:17,21 -

Pilate and the chief priests had no clue what was transpiring.  But Matthew is giving us the the privilege to understand a glimpse of it by revealing it in this passage.  Jesus Barabbas means "the Lord saves the son of a father".  Who is the father of humanity?  Biblically, that would be Adam.

Jesus ostensibly took Barabbas' place.  What was the occasion of this substitution?  It was Pilate's custom to release a prisoner on the feast of Passover leading into the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  I submit that it was a diplomatic gesture to the Israelites in commemoration of the time when God set the prisoners free from their captivity in Egypt.

But there's a deeper understanding. Barabbas was guilty of murder and insurrection (Mark 15:7).  He was captive, but he was also guilty - even guilty of murder.  Jesus, the Son of the Father had become the One who would set the son of the father [Adam] free!  

In the oblivious actions of others, Jesus was quietly declaring His impending intent to set the captives free (Isaiah 61:1).  Matthew highlighted it for us so the reader would understand that He was setting the guilty prisoner free by taking on Himself the punishment that was due us.  And what is at the center of the implementing this plan?  It was blood.  The innocent blood of the Passover Lamb would soon set the guilty captive free, and that Blood was about to be upon "all the people" and on their children.

Jesus is a Four-Dimensional Chess Master, who orchestrates events and sets people in place at just the right time to carry out and reveal His loving and just intentions.  

We must not ever underestimate His wondrous sovereignty!

Godly Sorrow, Hearts of Stone, and Guilt unto Death

 

Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.

“I have sinned,” [Judas] said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.” 

The chief priests picked up the coins and said, “It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” 

- Matthew 26:75 - 27:6 -

In the middle of all the chaos, Jesus stayed the course of His ultimate destiny to save humanity from themselves.  But with all this, it is important to notice the attitudes of those whom His life had already touched.

Peter had sworn to stand and defend Jesus.  He had emphatically declared this in the context of brotherhood and the shelter of the Son's presence.  But Jesus knew the deceitful intentions, be they good or bad, of an unredeemed heart.  And when the rooster crowed, He had remembered that Jesus called it right, and it cut Peter to the core of his soul.  His soul was in bitter agony with sorrow.

For whatever reason, Judas had betrayed Jesus into the hands of those who wanted Him dead.  Once he realized what he had done, he was overcome by guilt.  His own sense of guilt compelled him to suicide.  Maybe the burden of guilt brought him to reckless depression.  Maybe it brought him to unbridled panic.  Nevertheless, he went straight to a fatal place of self condemnation. 

The religious elite, pious in their self righteousness, refused to own up to their own wickedness.  Pride had hardened their hearts, even as Pharaoh had done after having released the Israelites from Egypt.  They knew what they were doing, recognized it as evil, yet had set their faces as flint and continued in their nefarious intent.

These are merely three ways the human soul will react to sin, but Jesus paid for our base nature nevertheless.  The good news is the believer knows the other side of the cross!  How we react to our sin in the face of who He is and what He's done is critical as we walk out this relationship with Him, as we work out our salvation this side of eternity.

What Price Freedom?

"The silver trump of freedom had roused my soul to eternal wakefulness.  Freedom had now appeared, to disappear no more forever.  It was hear in every sound, seen in every thing.  It was ever present to torment me with a sense of my wretched condition.  I saw nothing without seeing it, I heard nothing without seeing it, and felt nothing without feeling it.  It looked from every star, it smiled in every calm, breathed in every wind, and moved in every storm."

- Frederick Douglass, The Autobiography of Frederick Douglass -

Freedom is a strange and beautiful thing.  Unless the soul knows what it's like to exist without it, it cannot be desired.  Many have lived without it, and yet have never hungered for it.  Many have lived with it, but have never cherished it.  All souls need the most ultimate form of it.

Few will reach out for it.

The United States of America has set up a framework by which all have the liberty to pursue it.  It has taken a couple hundred years for the framework to be extended to all, from a governmental standpoint.  Nevertheless, I firmly believe that we are there.

And yet the human souls within this land do not take advantage of this framework and continue to submit themselves to slavery.  The slavery to their own flesh.  The whimsical compulsions of another's manipulations.  The whimsical compulsions of others' thoughts.

Listen to the voice of the One Who formed you in your mother's womb!  In this listening you will find the desire and embracing of your true freedom.

God’s Treasure, Treasure Chest, and Treasured Ones

This is what the Lord Almighty says: "In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory," says the Lord Almighty. 8 "The silver is mine and the gold is mine," declares the Lord Almighty. "The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house," says the Lord Almighty. "And in this place I will grant peace," declares the Lord Almighty.

Haggai 2:6-9

Yahveh promises to shake up the world’s status quo to the degree that all nations will flock to lay hold of the world’s most precious commodity, that is, his personal holy presence. This will happen literally as a result of when he fills the second temple with his glory. Yahveh goes on to describe himself as possessing all silver and gold, that is, everything in the Temple treasury belongs to him. All the nations that come to him in his temple to get his presence will become his precious possession.  Yahveh promises that the glory of the second temple will exceed that of the first temple built by Solomon, and, within its precincts, Yahveh promises to dispense peace. The end purpose of the tabernacle and temple was for God and man to live together in peace. Jesus achieves this goal through his cross, burial, and resurrection.

The Old Testament has no record of God’s glory ever coming to the second temple like it gloriously manifested in Solomon’s temple (2 Chronicles 7:1). Yahveh’s shimmering and pulsating glory left the first temple, as recorded in Ezekiel 10, never to return until the arrival of “God in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:19) as recorded in the New Testament! The Ancient of Days visited at least once in Christ when Jesus was 12 years old (Luke 2:41-52), and later as God’s man on a mission from God (Luke 19:41-44). The glory of the second temple exceeded that of the first because Yahveh, mutually indwelling the Messiah, walked in it, cleansed it, taught in it, and healed in it (Matthew 21:12-17). To host the visitation of God in Christ was a privilege reserved for the second temple and not the first.

The mission of the Messiah was to reconcile humanity with God. This he accomplished under God’s guidance and help.

· Jesus is the priest of the New Covenant.

· Jesus is the atoning sacrifice of the New Covenant bringing us peace with God.

· Jesus is the resurrection and our blessed assurance in the New Covenant confirming God’s acceptance of his sacrifice and of us.

God’s acceptance is the foundation for our peace with him. The resulting reconciliation and union of God and Man creates the new temple in Christ.

Not only did God in Christ walk the temple precincts of the second temple, but God in Christ in his people also gathered to meet at the temple for worship, fellowship, and ministry (Acts 3:11, 5:12). So, in effect, the Messiah visited and ministered at the Second temple before his death and afterwards in and with his people! The second temple was doubly blessed! Yahveh’s promise in Haggai 2:9 has been emphatically fulfilled in Christ.

For a brief moment in time the spiritual temple in Christ resided in the physical temple in Jerusalem as promised by God. From there, forgiveness of sins and peace with God and peace from God was administered as promised by God. In due course, the river of God flowed out from that temple through the temple in Christ to cover the earth as promised by God in Ezekiel. That river, the Body of Christ, brought and continues to bring the wealth of God - his precious presence in his precious people - to all four corners of the earth. God lives in a temple “not made by human hands”. He lives in redeemed and regenerated holy humanity.

If you want to know God, go to Jesus! God’s precious personal presence, “the mystery of God”, is found today and everyday exclusively in Christ, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” of knowing God (Colossians 2:2-3). God’s presence is buried in Christ and further buried in his people, the Body of Christ. We who live in Christ have Christ living inside. We are repositories and dispensaries of his precious presence, his glory, around the world today. As repositories of his wealth, we constitute his treasure. He is our treasure, but, in reciprocating fashion, we are also his treasure. Let us give away to others the God who lives inside and around us.

In summary:

· God is the ultimate treasure in life. Seek him!

· Jesus is the ultimate treasure chest revealing the depths of God’s love and power. Take the lid off and look inside the mind of Christ. Be greedy for God!

· We are God’s treasure house hosting God’s treasure chest and treasure. Share the wealth. Freely you have received, freely give!

Grace and peace.

John Reichardt

Fake News and the Divine Double-Down

 

The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

“You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

- Matthew 26:63-64 -

We may think our modern criminal justice system has got serious flaws, but back in the day things were much worse!  For the Jews, the Sanhedrin were the equivalent of the Supreme Court for the people.  This "trial" was basically a kangaroo court.  It was conducted at night and in the High Priest's house (v. 58) - two of many reasons why the "trial" was illegal.  They tried to make it look legitimate by getting people to bring up false testimony, but none of those testimonies agreed.  They finally did get a couple witnesses to agree. (v. 60-61)  Jesus didn't respond - probably for a couple reasons: 1. It wasn't worth a response; it wasn't in His habit to repeat Himself.  2. In fulfillment of Isaiah 53:7.

But apparently Caiaphas became exasperated with it all and basically cut to the chase, asking Jesus "Are you the Messiah, the Son of God?"  Notice that he used the term "Son of God".  Jesus effectively said "yep".  He could have stopped there, but He doubled down by stating that He is a fulfillment of prophesy in the book of Daniel.  It is interesting that He used the term "Son of Man," as in the actual prophesy.  It's also probable that Jesus was equating the two terms.  Nevertheless, Jesus knew that this train needed a bit of a King-sized nudge - a nudge that ushered Him to execution.

It's critical to remember, especially as times are snowballing toward the end of things, that there are always two agendas at hand: the Agenda of Souls and the Agenda of God.  Jesus is unrelentingly committed to the Agenda of God.

Which agenda will you be committed to?