Hammer and Nails to the “Word made flesh”

Hammer and Nails to the “Word made flesh”

Luke 23:26-29; talks in detail about the crucifixion of Christ. As horrendous as the pounding hammer sounds to our spiritual ears, Isa 22:23, says, “I will fasten Him as a nail in a sure place” (KJV). ‘Sure’ “in a transitive sense to make firm, to confirm…. To stand firm; to be enduring; to trust.” The cross is the open door which no man could shut. As unfathomable as the whole process seem to be for this perishing world, the cross is a means by which God chose to position Jesus Christ in the seat of honour for the house of His Father.

Religious leaders, with their ill fitted robes of self-righteousness, hiding their flint foreheads behind the phylacteries aimed to kill Jesus Christ, and were looking for a perfect time to seize Him. The voices of the people and the priest were too hard for Pilate and overruled him to go contrary to his convictions and inclinations. Pilate could not deal more barbarously with Jesus than to deliver Him to their will, who hated Him with a perfect hatred and whose tender mercies were cruelty; Luk 23: 25.

An innocent bystander on the way was forced to carry His Cross, “And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus.” Luk 23:26. Christ had been beaten up so badly, and the severity of the beating administered depends upon how long the officials, wanted the victims to live. After all it was a holiday week end, and the religious leaders wanted to be home for supper, and if the “criminal” dies early it helps their holiday celebration.

The Scriptures talks about two other criminal men, led out with Christ to be crucified fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy that Christ “was numbered with the transgressors” Isa 53:12. Christ was crucified between them as if He was the worst of the three. He was not only treated as a transgressor, but numbered with them, as the worst of them.

The most crucial event of all happened when they came to a place called skull.” And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.” Luk 23:33.

Crucifixion is the most inhumane way and unimaginably painful, and this kind of capital punishment was targeted as a deterrent for rebellious slaves, and is forbidden to any Roman citizen how serious the crime they committed may be. Can we open our spiritual eyes and ears and extrapolate our imagination for a minute? They took the hammer and the nails on the Cross to the King of Glory! The nails are driven securely into the wood on His flesh for us. I could never fully grasp how such human atrocities occurred at the free will of humanity.

Calvary, Kranion, [is] the Greek name for Golgotha- “the place of a skull”- an ignominious place, to add to the reproach of Christ’s suffering. But this suffering has become the most significant, because here He triumphed over death.

The darkening of the sun at noon-day and the rending of the temple veil indicates the Divine significance of these events. The curtain drops on our scene in the form of darkness which lasted three hours, and the Light of the world was about to be extinguished, and he breathed His last into the Father’s hands; “Father into your hands I commit my Spirit;” Luk 23:46. This cry marked the exact moment the sins of the humanity; past, present and future were heaped upon Christ and the fullness of God’s wrath was poured out on Jesus Christ. Sinless Christ was hanging life-less on the Cross, and the extent of humanity’s sin was so great He was separated from His Father.


“And you being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all the trespasses; blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way nailing it to his cross.”Col 2:13-14.


To secure the keys to the house of David and open the door of salvation to the whole world, to those who would enter, God drove His Son like a nail in a sure place; a firm place and an enduring place. By doing this God took the written code, finally fulfilled in His Son, and cancelled our debt. Can we imagine? With every pound of the hammer, God was nailing down redemption for mankind!

A state of sin is a state of spiritual death. As the death of the body is the corruption of it, so sin is the corruption of the soul. Ever since the fall in Gen 3; man in his sinful state is morally impotent and has no spiritual power. By the virtue of our union with Him, effectual provision is made by taking away guilt of sin and breaking the power of dominion of it.

The curse of the law is the handwriting against us; and this was removed when God removed us from the curse of the law through His Son, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law: for it is written, cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree.” Gal 3:13.

The misery which we as sinners sunk into leads us to be under the curse and condemnation of the law. The love and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the whole salvation plan of God’s love is that Jesus Christ has submitted to be made curse for us, so that He might redeem us from the handwriting which is against the human race. This leads a way for the human race to have a happy ending, by not only escaping the curse but inheriting the eternal blessing to be His heir of salvation.

Jesus Christ’s immediate request for Father’s forgiveness sanctified the cross for its enduring the work through all of time. “Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God; but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Phil 2: 6-8.


References:
1. The Matthew Henry Study Bible, ‘The best of Matthew Henry’s notes in a handy one volume’ Reference Bible, King James Version (Iowa Falls: World Bible Publishers, Inc.1996)
2. Thomas Nelson, ‘The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments’ (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982)
3. J. Vernon McGee, ‘Psalms’ (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1991)
4. Jesus the One and Only, ‘Beth Moore’; (Life Way Press, Nashville, Tennessee, 2007).
5. The New King James Bible, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982.
6. Prayers to Move Your Mountains, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2000.

The Mock Court - The Ultimate One!!

The Mock Court - The Ultimate One!!


“And they smote Him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon Him, and bowing their knees worshipped Him. And when they had mocked Him, and put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him.” Mark 15: 9-10;

The cost for each one of us and the world to be a new creation was far beyond anything, and no one can fathom! There is nothing pretty about being in a mock court which is ultimate, but it was necessary to overcome the grave in God’s ultimate plan.

The original word for envy, ‘Phthonos’ in Mk 15:10, means: “envy, jealousy, pain felt and malignity conceived at the sight of excellence and happiness.” Generally compromising people can not stand the sight of excellence in others; and very miserable people can not afford to see happiness in others. Envy is deadly and it can kill anything from contentment to killing people.

Jesus was before the council of elders and according to Luk 22: 66-67a; “And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people and the Chief priests and the Scribes came together, and led Him into the council saying, ‘Art Thou the Christ’” shows that He was subjected to all illegal proceedings all through the night. Self-righteousness looked ill-fitted for the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and they had a hard time hiding their flint foreheads behind their phylacteries.

Treason, murder and felony are the three crimes that are usually punished by the sword during Roman times, and only Barabbas was guilty of the above. The irony of the whole thing is that the only reason Christ was standing before Pilate and other leaders because He was exactly who they “tried” Him for being. The accusers could not see the truth for themselves, Christ was found guilty of being the Son of God. “Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And He said unto them, Ye say that I am.” Luk 22: 70.

Pilate has discerned personally the malignancy of religious leaders and the first reason to exercise caution was recorded in Matt 27: 19; “When he was set down on the judgement seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.”

“Jesus answered, Thou couldst have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin” in Jn 19: 11; which shocked Pilate and from then on he sought to release Jesus. I believe Pilate’s inside told him that Jesus was exactly who He said He was. Pilate we see as the ultimate consummate unprincipled politician had the authority he needed but lacked the courage to change. Pilate offered several times to simply punish Jesus with severe beating, but the religious leaders want Him dead because their hatred was pretty serious. We are seeing the inhuman side of humanity, and we can agree that given over to our natural urges and instincts we are more violent than the beasts of the field.

Herod the King had no intention of believing Christ whatsoever, and he absolutely epitomizes human arrogance. The unfolding events in the ‘mock court’ recorded in Luke 23: 8-12 and in the midst of the frenzy, friendship developed between Pilate and Herod. Neither Pilate nor Herod could find any basis for the charges against Christ; Luk 23: 14-15, and Herod mocked and belittled the Son of God.

“As many were astonished at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man and his form more than the sons of men.” Isaiah 52:14; described Christ’s appearance when they all had done their share. They have stripped, mocked, flogged, spat, struck again and again the fullness of the Godhead bodily. The crowd want Jesus to be crucified, and they were together and had their share of mocking and want Barabbas to be released in His place.

Does any one there knew that whom they pierced is the bright and morning star, the alpha and Omega, the anointed of the Lord, the beloved Son of God, the radiance of His Father’s glory, the light of the world, the Lily of the Valley, the Prince of peace, the seed of David, the Son of righteousness, the blessed and only potentate, the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords, Immanuel and is the salvation of the whole world? The mocking humanity never realized how ever they belittled Christ; He can not be, because He is King of Kings and the coming King.

Let us think for a minute; David, the Son of righteousness could have explained His way out of this ‘mock trial’; but He did not. He looked down on the very humanity who were persecuting Him, gave himself to His Father’s will to deliver them from the power of darkness; Col 1:13-14. Can we think for a minute about God’s ‘dying love’ for the ‘perishing world’?

References:
1. The Matthew Henry Study Bible, ‘The best of Matthew Henry’s notes in a handy one volume’ Reference Bible, King James Version (Iowa Falls: World Bible Publishers, Inc.1996)
2. Thomas Nelson, ‘The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments’ (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982)
3. J. Vernon McGee, ‘Psalms’ (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1991)
4. Jesus the One and Only, ‘Beth Moore’; (Life Way Press, Nashville, Tennessee, 2007).
5. The New King James Bible, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982.
6. Prayers to Move Your Mountains, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2000.