Verses for Vessels

Easter Lights... 9&10

"He was buried like a criminal, but in a rich man’s grave; but he had done no wrong and had never spoken an evil word. But it was the Lord’s good plan to bruise him and fill him with grief. However, when his soul has been made an offering for sin, then he shall have a multitude of children, many heirs. He shall live again, and God’s program shall prosper in his hands." - Isaiah 53:9-10 TLB

IT'S GOOD FRIDAY!!!

Three strikes and out...

Today in the church calendar marks the commemoration of the last breath and death of Jesus Christ at the Cross of Calvary nearly 2000years ago. It was a horrible and brutal end, facilitated by lies and propaganda against an innocent man. Beyond the false accusations, Jesus was stripped naked and beaten severally with Roman whips. These flagrum (as the whips were also called) were made of leather thongs or cords attached to a handle, and, to which were attached pieces of metals (zinc or iron) at intervals along its length. The purpose was to do the most damage to its victim, as with every strike, the ropes would wrap round the victims body and the metals bits would rip through skin and tissue as the punisher pull them back towards himself. He also had a crown made of spike laden thorn bush which pierced his crown and forehead. Bruised, battered and barely able, he was then nailed to the Cross. The Cross consisted of the cross bar, which he was made to carry, and the stripe, an upright fixture at the site upon which the cross would later be hung. Jesus crucifixion required that a 7-9 inch nail was pierced between his wrists and fore arms while flat on his back and arms outstretched on the cross bar. After the cross bar has been positioned and affixed to the stripe, his feet were then driven through with the third nail. It was designed to be a very painful and slow death. Today we approach the Cross of his suffering with a quiet sobriety. He is not breathing anymore. He is dead. So why would such a dark day be good?

Vicarious

We see through the eyes of Isaiah what has happened here. Our Prince has been dispatched like a common criminal, a rebel. There were two others on either side of his cross, both criminals, or more precisely, they were convicts of banditry. Maybe they were part of the Jewish resistance or they had taken the law into their own hands to protest some perceived injustices of Rome. But their own testimonies suggest that they accepted that their punishment was justified 1. Yet it was with these lot, and among these sort, that they placed him to die; they had the same sentence 1. But wait... I thought he was innocent. Of course he was. He simply took the place of another. When Pilate asked who they would like released as part of his customary amnesty, they ALL cried out, release Barabbas!! 2. Barabbas had been imprisoned for involvement in an uprising. But they preferred to slay the innocent and set the guilty free. They all laid their hands on ...the Lamb of God, who was to take their sins away. So when we see him hanging on that tree among thieves and criminals, we must remember it was an exchange for which the people pleaded. Caiaphas confirmed it when he said, "It is better for one to die than for all to die."3 And die among criminals, as one of them, he did. Isaiah in today's verse says it was all part of God's plan to punish him for our sins.

Silent no more

Remember the silent witnesses? Well, the thing is, at some point, their conscience gets the better of them and they want to do all they can to make it right. But what could any of them do? It was now too late. Jesus was dead. Yes indeed he was. But there was one more thing left before his chapter in this life was fully closed. He had to be buried. One silent witness, it would appear, had been bearing under the weight of injustices meted out at this innocent man. Even the manner and circumstance of his death was most ignoble. At this point he could not stand it any more. He could keep silent no more. He was named Joseph of Arimathea, a rich man and a member of the Sanhedrin. If he could not speak up in Jesus's life, he perhaps, felt confident enough to intervene for his corpse. He had not consented to the decision to crucify Jesus 4, neither did he protest. Mark thought he was bold 5, but John thought he was fearful 6. I think he was courageous, and courage can abide in spite of fear. (He was accompanied by another silent witness- Nicodemus 7). So now he had found his voice, and requested Pilate for the body of Jesus which he buried in a tomb he had prepared for himself. And so was fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy: 'he was buried... in a rich man's grave'.

He saw me

The lights were out on this side of eternity for Jesus. He was dead. But he could only have made it this far because of what and who he saw. He was looking forward to a different kind of future for all mankind. He was looking for a different sort of offspring to children of natural descent. Jesus had an irrepressible joy over an eternal outcome as promised by his Father. The book of Hebrews affirms that he endured the cross, for the joy that was set before him 8. He was willing to make his soul an offering because of this joy. This joy, I believe, speaks of the hundreds of millions of souls of men and women who would find freedom, faith and access to our Heavenly Father again, by faith in him. Halleluyah!!! In those moments, just before his eyes were shut in death, he saw you and me. He saw the fornicator finding grace and redemption. He saw the swindler finding peace and contentment with God. He saw the murderer experiencing God's forgiveness. He saw the single mum trusting God in Christ for all her help. He saw the local pastor holding on in faith. He saw the atheist deciding to believe. He saw the rebellious youth, surrendering to the grace of God. He saw the abused and the abuser; the slave owners and the slaves; the gay and the straight; the Jews and the gentiles; the living and the dead. He saw the offsprings of his faith who will fill the Father's kingdom forever because of him... and he was satisfied to say... "IT. IS. FINISHED."9

In him; by him...

God also saw his pain, his anguish and his suffering. But more than anything else, the Father saw his faithfulness. Therefore God through Isaiah declared that all his pleasure and purposes in Christ will be perfected. At the Cross, and by the Cross of Jesus Christ, all of God's purposes and pleasure for you and I have been perfected and will prosper. Do you have a vision from God? Do you have a dream he placed in your heart years ago? Or maybe you are still searching for what it is you are here to do. You can trust the words of Isaiah. When we find God's pleasure, there is only one place where you are guaranteed that it will run its favourable cause for you, and that's in the hands- the bruised nail pierced hands, of the suffering Prince. Of a truth, the works of our hands may fail; but the Lord's pleasure is certain to prosper in his hands. So why not cast the vision, dream, and expectation, into his hands, and trust him today. God will prosper his promises IN CHRIST JESUS. In Jesus, death is not the end. He died to make faith in God work for you. All God's promises are yes in Christ Jesus; we only need to say 'amen' to affirm our stake and take delivery of our portion 10.

Stay

It is GOOD FRIDAY, because his death brought us the GOOD NEWS. But his death was not his end. Today's verse also did say: "He shall live again". So keep a close watch at that tomb....

PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank you for staying faithful till the very end, just for me. I am grateful that because you died I can have forgiveness and the light of life. Thank you for this good news we now have. I praise you today and always for making God's promises to me, sure. In Jesus name, amen.

REFERENCES:

1). Luke  23:40-41;   2).Matt 27:17-21;    3).John 18:14;    4).Luke 23:51;    5).Mark 15:43;    6).John 19:38;    7).John19:39-41;    8).Heb12:2;    9).John 19:30;   10).2 Corithians 1:20