Jesus was made sin for us SO THAT we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
In the same night in which He was betrayed, Jesus took the bread and also took the cup (I Corinthians 11:23-25). Familiar words, words we've heard so often, at least at every Communion Service. Have they become so familiar that I skim over the first part of the sentence? -- In the same night in which He was betrayed – the same night -- THE VERY SAME NIGHT -- the night of betrayal.
Would I give a greater gift to someone just when they had destroyed and mocked an earlier gift?
Would I pour out greater love on someone just when they were scheming to undermine and destroy me?
But Jesus, in the same night, the night of betrayal and desertion, the night when our enmity against Him was at its worst, took the cup ..... And we, the “walking dust”, have been rescued from our futile existence and lifted into radiance.
There are so many facets to probe in the suffering cost to our Lord Jesus but one aspect came afresh to me. In recent months we've heard much about self-esteem and a good self-image, etc. But our selfless Saviour never thought about Himself at all until ... He hated Himself! Ponder this. The first time Jesus thought about Himself was when He hated Himself.
The hatred of a holy God for sin is obvious throughout Scripture. BUT JESUS IS GOD, HE IS ALL THAT THE GODHEAD IS; AND HE WAS MADE SIN.
The Father had utterly forsaken Him and He totally despised what He had willingly become. Made sin for us: No wonder the heart-stopping agony began in Gethsemane when the horrendous weight of sin began to be transferred to Him and the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from Him. no wonder He bowed His head and received wordlessly the mocking and spitting and beating and crucifixion; He had to come to take up a CROSS which would mean that He deserved it!
I used to think that the fearfully dark sky, the howling wind and the terrifying earthquake were signs of God's anger against those who persecuted and crucified Jesus.
But no! These evidences of God's holy wrath were against Jesus and He bowed His head and took it all, because He knew that, having become sin, He deserved it. It sounds almost like blasphemy and these thoughts make me tremble. Ineffable mystery -- seeming too sacred for utterance.
Awesome, staggering truth: He took
not only my punishment but He took
my DESERVING of punishment; so that
God is truly just in justifying me!!!
Because of a pre-determined plan in the counsel of the Godhead, the spotless Lamb of God, the One Who was pure, holy, sinless, undefiled, CHOSE, In the same night -- that very night of betrayal and desertion, to accomplish salvation by bearing the full weight of God's just wrath.
There is mystery here, beyond what I can probe; but oh, how I long to be completely free of myself and to love and worship Him as I should.
May we never forget the vital SO THAT ... He was made sin for us SO THAT we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
With love and prayers,