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Are We Missing God's Message? By John Ross Schroeder How much do we understand about the meaning behind Christ's sufferings? Do we really appreciate the sacrifice of Jesus Christ?
hat was the purpose of Jesus Christ's first coming? He entered our world for more than one reason--but perhaps His chief purpose was to save us from our sins, reconciling us to God the Father. How much do we grasp the nature of His sacrifice for our sins? Do we deeply comprehend the sufferings and the agonies He endured for our sake? Most believers comprehend something of Christ's sacrifice. But often real depth of understanding is missing. We can be thankful that the biblical writers can help us fill this gap. Jesus Christ wants every Christian to fully appreciate what He went through so our sins could be forgiven. To help us grasp the supreme importance of His sacrifice, we are going to take Christ's journey to Jerusalem with Him. Not in a geographical or chronological sense, but mentally and emotionally, as He approached the time when He would fulfill the basic purpose of His humanity. Subject to the human condition But we should first understand one important principle derived primarily from the four Gospels, the biographical accounts of Christ's life. When Jesus entered our world as a human being, He did not rearrange the lives of others for His own convenience. Nor did He do so to suit His divine purposes, great and important though they were. True, certain Old Testament prophecies had to be fulfilled, but beyond these necessary occurrences He subjected Himself to the rough and tumble of "this present evil world." He certainly possessed the divine power to constantly intervene in circumstances on His own behalf. But He did not, except for a few occasions when He miraculously escaped being seized and harmed because His time was not yet. The biblical record clearly shows that temptations, frustrations and obstacles regularly punctuated His ministry. One of the most destructive first-century heresies was the false teaching that Jesus "did not come in the flesh" (1 John 4:1-3). Many adopted the belief that He was not really a human being in the fullest sense, that He didn't suffer the same temptations to sin that we all experience, that He was not really one of us. Although the apostle John condemned this heresy in the strongest of terms and the biblical record repudiates it, sadly it persists to this day. While clearly affirming His divinity, the Gospels also present a very human Jesus who continually had to cope with the frailties of other human beings. Time and time again Christ asked people whom He had healed not to say anything so as to avoid focusing attention on Himself in a nation where the religious establishment was hostile to His message. The Bible shows that in most instances their excitement and enthusiasm got the better of them and, against His wishes, they quickly spread the news of what had happened. At times Jesus needed periods alone or with the 12 disciples, but the crowds usually managed to find Him. Again Jesus did not use His supernatural powers to manipulate people and events for His own purposes, however important they were. He generally responded to the needs of the people. Christ did not please Himself (Romans 15:3). A strong sense of mission From early on Jesus had a strong sense of mission (Luke 2:49-52). By age 12 He was speaking of God as His Father, and also showing a strong inward tendency to occupy Himself with His Father's will and desires. He knew He had a great purpose to fulfill. Some 20 years later He was with His 12 disciples and Mark recorded that "He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again" (Mark 8:31). Christ soon discovered that the 12 were not fully able to grasp this knowledge. They were not yet converted; they apparently still looked to Him as the Messiah whom they thought would deliver the nation from Roman rule. In any event Jesus had to sternly rebuke Peter for unwittingly letting himself be used by Satan to try to divert the true Anointed One from His ultimate purpose (verses 32-33). Jesus faced near-total rejection from the religious establishment of His day. "He came unto His own and His own did not receive Him" (John 1:11). Humanly, He would have liked to receive some empathy from those closest to Him. Jesus repeated the certain prophecy of His upcoming death in Mark 9:31, "but the disciples did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him" (verse 32, emphasis added throughout). In terms of understanding the purpose of His last visit to Jerusalem, He had to make that final journey to His beloved city virtually alone. The last journey to Jerusalem "Now it came to pass that when the [general] time had come for Him to be received up [crucified], that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51). Jesus was absolutely determined to carry out His mission. Nothing and no one would deter or deflect Him from that purpose. Satan had already tried and failed (Matthew 4:7-11), but now the pressures would increase. It would be in this city that Christ would allow Himself to be put to death for our many sins--making it possible for us to be reconciled to God the Father. From fairly early in His ministry, several passages in the book of John reveal that His final date with destiny as a human being was very much on His mind.
Neither did His brothers. At the very time when He was in mortal danger from the religious authorities, they foolishly advised Him to "show Himself openly to the world" (John 7:4). Then John noted that "even His brothers did not believe in Him" (verse 5). Jesus' reply to them is very instructive. "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil" (verses 6-7). This world, He said, breaks God's holy law with impunity and does not like to be reminded of its sins. Yet this Gospel account tells us that no one up to that time had been successful in arresting or harming Him "for His hour had not yet come" (John 8:20). But Jesus knew full well that when the appointed time did arrive, He would experience a violent, premature death--and yet one that had great purpose and meaning for all mankind. A fate known well in advance Humanly, Jesus was no different from the rest of us. He didn't want to die (Matthew 26:39). But unlike most of us, He knew well in advance the time and circumstances that would surround His death. He knew the exact mode of execution-one of the most cruel and painful methods ever devised by men-the Roman crucifixion (John 12:32-33). In His travels He had no doubt seen the gruesome spectacle of men dying by crucifixion. Such executions were intended to be a public deterrent to challenging Roman authority. Psychologically, this advance knowledge was no comfort at all. In fact, it was the opposite. He lamented: " Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say, 'Father, save Me from this hour?' But for this purpose I came to this hour" (verse 27). Do we, some 2,000 years later, truly grasp the depth of Christ's sufferings for our sake? Do we realize what our sins, collectively and individually, did to this sinless and vibrant young man, our Savior, in the prime of His human life? Not only the humiliation, the terrible beatings and the crucifixion itself, but also the mental anguish He suffered were agonizing. This was to be no ordinary death. Jesus Christ knew He had to take the sins of the whole world--past, present and future--on Himself. He did for us what we could never do for ourselves. Christ's agony at Gethsemane Arriving at the garden of Gethsemane and taking Peter, James and John with Him, He asked the other disciples to wait while He prayed. "Then He said to them: 'My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death. Stay here and watch.' He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And He said, 'Abba Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will'" (Mark 14:34-36). At the time of His greatest agony to date, His most trusted friends could not even stay awake. They were not much help, but the Father strengthened Him by sending an angel (Luke 22:43). Then, with fixed determination and renewed resolve, He said to the disciples, "Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer [Judas Iscariot] is at hand" (Mark 14:42). The humiliation, scourging and suffering soon followed. Later, in the last few moments of His human life, "Jesus cried out with a loud voice . . . , 'My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?'" (Matthew 27:46). Though personally sinless, Jesus at His death took on Himself all the sin of all humanity for all time. Christ had to bear the weight of our sins absolutely alone. This He did completely by Himself! It was an act of total selflessness done under the most difficult of circumstances. It was true heroism to the highest degree possible. That is why Christians must never take His sacrifice for granted. We must never forget that ultimate price Jesus paid in order to blot out our sins. Our appreciation for that sacrifice must endure for a lifetime! An annual reminder of Christ's sacrifice Does God think Jesus Christ's sacrifice is important? He certainly does. In fact, He has worked out a marvelous plan to remind us year by year of that most important act in all human history. The annual Passover is a vitally significant date on the calendar for Christ's followers. When we observe it, we "proclaim the Lord's death till He comes" Paul wrote (1 Corinthians 11:26). In a figurative and spiritual sense, to a small degree, Christians have to walk that path to Jerusalem with Jesus every single year. We are reminded of our own part in His death by crucifixion. Paul tells us that, before we participate in this annual reminder, we must examine ourselves (1 Corinthians 11:28; 2 Corinthians 13:5), knowing we must grapple with "the sin which so easily ensnares us" (Hebrews 12:1).
The annual Passover observance is also a reminder of our sacred covenant with God-that as He willingly gave His only Son as a sacrifice for our sins (John 3:16-17), so we willingly have surrendered our lives to Him, to carry out His will in our lives (Romans 6:6-13). For another year we can proceed to observe the other festivals of God that portray the succeeding steps in God's plan. But the reminder of and acceptance of Christ's sacrifice, marked by the annual Passover, will always be the first and most important step. Recommended Reading: Many of our readers may not have heard much about the Passover and its enormous significance. If you would like to learn more, we offer the free booklet to any who are interested. It includes a comprehensive chapter about the Passover, followed by other chapters thoroughly explaining all God's other annual festivals. The United Church of God also offers two supplementary booklets, and , that discuss the significance of Christ's sacrifice and what it means for you. All three publications are free, and you may request them by clicking here. You can also find them in the "Booklets" section of our Web site at www.gnmagazine.org. Copyright 2001 by United Church of God, an International Association All rights reserved. |
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Other Articles by John Ross Schroeder
Origin of article "Are We Missing God's Message?"
Keywords: Jesus' death passover Jesus' mission
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