Easter meditations |
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The example of the cross - 10 April 2009
The famous Antarctic explorer, Ernest Shackleton, reportedly placed the following advertisement in a newspaper:
Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages. Bitter cold. Long months of complete darkness. Constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success.
Not a very attractive proposition, is it? I imagine that many enthusiastic explorers were dissuaded from applying! But this was no doubt Shackleton’s intention. He knew that his own path would be marked by hardship and struggle, and he knew that those who followed him must be prepared for the same.
The Lord Jesus was equally clear about the hardships that awaited him, and just as honest about the likely cost to his followers. In Mark 8, when Peter finally recognised Jesus as the Christ, Jesus immediately began to explain that he himself ‘must suffer many things and that he must be killed’ (Mark 8:31). Anyone wanting to be Jesus’ disciple ‘must deny himself and take up his cross’ (v. 34) and follow him.
We’re already seen that Jesus turned aside God’s wrath from his people and defeated the devil at the cross. Let’s now think about the third great achievement of the cross: it provides the ultimate example of sacrificial service of others.
This seems to be a lesson that James and John had trouble grasping. They were going up to Jerusalem (Mark 10:32), where Jesus knew that death awaited him. Let’s pick up the story from v. 35:
And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, ‘Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.’
Always a smart move: try to get someone to agree before you make an outrageous request. The conversation continues with Jesus’ reply (v. 36):
And he said to them, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ And they said to him, ‘Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.’
They’re asking for the places of ultimate privilege among God’s people. They want to sit at the top table in his everlasting kingdom. They want the places of honour in the New Creation; they want the highest reward.
The interesting thing is that Jesus doesn’t actually rebuke them for desiring places of honour. It would have been easy for Jesus to say, ‘No, you can’t have the high places. In fact, you shouldn’t even be seeking them. You should want to have nothing at all – ever – in the kingdom of God.’
But he doesn’t say this. He tells them that they don’t know what they’re talking about, and he tells them that it is his Father’s prerogative to grant blessings in the New Creation. But he doesn’t criticise the desire for blessing. On the contrary, the Bible explicitly encourages us to seek blessings from God. Take Psalm 37:4, for example:
Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
So what was the disciples’ problem? The answer comes later, when the rest of the disciples hear about this conversation, and start arguing among themselves.
And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. And Jesus called them to him and said to them, ‘You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. (vv. 41-44)
Here’s the problem. Jesus’ disciples are competing with each other, striving for positions of authority. They all want to be the boss, and they want it now. They want to be in charge, they want to be respected, and admired, and privileged, and they don’t want to wait. And they certainly don’t want any hardship along the way. They’re acting just like the rest of the world – just like ‘the rulers of the Gentiles’ (v. 42). They don’t want life to cost them anything. They want God’s blessings at the expense of everyone else.
Again, notice that Jesus doesn’t criticise the desire to be ‘great’. On the contrary, in vv. 43-44 he assumes that it is a good thing! But he gives a simple recipe for achieving true greatness: ‘whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.’
This is the route to true greatness: slavery. If you want to be first (and you should, according to Jesus), you need to place yourself at the bottom of the pile. You need to place everyone else’s concerns above yours. Because the first will be last, and the last first.
And who’s the ultimate example of true greatness? Where do you have to look if you want to see how to be ‘first’? Look at v. 45:
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Jesus’ death on the cross is the ultimate example of true service. He did the costliest thing possible, to bring the greatest benefit possible, to as many people as possible, all at his own expense. Jesus was a slave, and Jesus is our example.
So whenever you find yourself in any situation, at any time where you’re not sure what to do, just ask yourself this simple question: ‘What would a slave do’? Because that’s what Jesus would do. So it’s what we should do.
This is the example of the cross.
The victory of the cross - 9 April 2009
The devil frightens people. He only appears quite rarely in the Bible, but when he does he appears so evil, and seems to possess such extraordinary power, that in many parts of the world people live in constant fear of him. This is certainly true in countries where witchcraft and demon-worship are common. It may be less true in the secular West, but maybe we’re mistaken. Maybe we’ve underestimated the devil! Maybe we should be more worried about him than we actually are!
Certainly there are lots of questions that Christians might ask about the devil. What does the devil do? Does he have any power over us? And if so, has Jesus done anything to defeat him? We find the answer to these questions in Zechariah 3.
In Zechariah 3, the prophet sees a vision of a heavenly courtroom, in which Joshua the High Priest, representing God’s people, stands before Almighty God. Beside him stands Satan, the devil, and here we discover what Satan does. Look at v. 1:
Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.
Satan accuses God people. Indeed, the name ‘Satan’ means ‘accuser’. Satan stands before God like a prosecution lawyer, listing the sins we have committed against God. ‘Look!’ he says to God, ‘Look at those people, whom you have created! Look at their wickedness! Look at how they mistreat each other! Look at how they ignore your law! Look at how they make other gods for themselves, and ignore you, the only true God!’
Satan’s case is well founded, for his accusations are true. For v. 3 says, ‘Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments.’ These filthy garments symbolise the sin that defiles not only Joshua, but all of God’s people.
This explains why the Bible describes Satan as ‘the one who has the power of death’ (Hebrews 2:14). Satan has no power of his own to impose the death penalty; only God can do that. But Satan stands before God, demanding that he should impose the penalty that he – God – has stipulated. And since God is a righteous judge, he cannot ignore the charges that Satan brings.
So it seems that Satan is a powerful enemy indeed. He holds the power of accusation – he accuses us of sin before God. And because we have sinned, he holds the power of death, because death is God’s penalty for sin. God cannot lie, so sinners cannot live.
How is this great enemy to be defeated? We discover the answer in vv. 4-5:
And the angel said to those who were standing before him, ‘Remove the filthy garments from him.’ And to him he said, ‘Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.’ And I said, ‘Let them put a clean turban on his head.’ So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD was standing by.
In Zechariah’s vision, God’s provides a wonderful solution to Joshua’s predicament: a change of clothes. His filthy garments, symbolising his sin, are taken from him, and replaced with clean robes, ‘pure vestments’ (v. 4).
This means that Satan no longer has any power over him, because his accusations are now not true. Joshua has been purified. He no longer stands before God defiled and guilty, but pure and sinless. Satan says, ‘Look at this filthy, loathsome sinner!’ And God replies, ‘Where? I can only see a man dressed in white robes, a righteous man, a priest fit to serve in my temple.’ Satan’s accusations are silenced, and so Satan’s power is broken.
This is a vivid picture of what Jesus Christ did to break Satan’s power over all his people. Just as Satan stood before God, accusing Joshua of sin, so also he accuses each of us. He stands before God brandishing a list of sins – sins of which we are all guilty. ‘Look at those people,’ he says, ‘Look! Look at their wickedness! Look at how they mistreat each other! Look at how they ignore your law! Look at how they make other gods for themselves, and ignore you, the only true God!’
But God took that list of sins out of the hand of Satan, and nailed it to the cross of Christ. The sins that God’s people have committed are the sins for which Christ died. Listen to how the apostle Paul described what happened at the cross:
And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. (Colossians 2:13-15)
According to Paul, the ‘record of debt’ was cancelled. The list of sins was taken away, and was nailed ‘to the cross’. Christ died under the condemnation due to us for our sins. This means that Satan no longer has any power over God’s people. He can accuse us all he likes, but now his accusations are false. Just as Joshua stood before God dressed in pure vestments, so also we stand holy and righteous in God’s sight.
Satan’s hold over us is broken; we need not fear his accusations.
When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
This is the victory of the cross.
The deliverance of the cross - 8 April 2009
Perhaps you remember when the news broke of the genocides that took place in the early 90’s during the Bosnian war. Or perhaps you’ve heard reports of abuses during the conflict in Iraq, or of the appalling mistreatment of young children closer to home.
These events are not just ‘bad news’; they’re sickening. They’re hard even to listen to. They’re so ghastly that TV presenters sometimes warn us beforehand, ‘You may find some of these images disturbing.’
We find something similar in Psalm 22. This Psalm is the first-hand account of how a king – King David of Israel – suffered terribly at the hands of his enemies. Like all the Psalms, it speaks also about a greater king, the Lord Jesus Christ. And so Psalm 22 vividly depicts the trial, suffering and death of Jesus.
As we read through the Psalm, perhaps you noticed how accurately it describes the events of the first Good Friday.
Consider how Jesus was rejected by so many of his own people. Then look at v. 6:
I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people.
Consider how the chief priests and the scribes taunted Jesus, saying, ‘He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe’ (Mark 15:31-32). And then look at vv. 7-8:
All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; ‘He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!’
Consider how Jesus hung naked as the soldiers gambled for his clothing. Then look at vv. 16-18:
Dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet. I can count all my bones – they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.
This Psalm – written many hundreds of years before Christ – paints an eerily accurate picture of his suffering and death. And it’s an image we might well find disturbing.
I wonder, what would you think about a man who suffered in this way? If you heard a report on the radio of such a barbarous act of torture, how would you feel about the victim? Perhaps you would feel pity. Perhaps you would feel outrage – how could people do this to each other? Perhaps you would feel helpless, frustrated, powerless to prevent such a shocking injustice. All of these feelings would be quite understandable.
But how would you feel if you discovered that the victim had suffered willingly? If he had resolutely set out for the city where he knew he would be tortured, if he had rebuked those who tried to stop him? If he had prayed that his heavenly Father would actually bring about his death, and despite his understandable terror, had willingly submitted to his Father’s will? Perhaps you would think he was insane. Yet Jesus did all these things (Luke 9:51; Mark 8:31-33; 14:36; John 17:1).
Surely you would want to know why. What drove the Lord Jesus Christ to suffer willingly in this way? We hear a hint of the answer from his own lips during the final minutes of his life. As Jesus hung on the cross, he quoted from part of Psalm 22. But he didn’t choose any of the verses we looked at previously, despite the accuracy with which they describe his experience. Instead, he quoted the very first words of the Psalm: ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ (v. 1)
This tells us what was foremost in Jesus mind. It was not the physical trauma of crucifixion; it was what lay behind it: the anguish of being forsaken, abandoned, by God. According to the Bible, being abandoned by God is a punishment for sin. God abandons those who have abandoned him, following gods of their own making. This is something that all people have done, in one way or another, and so this terrible fate is what all people deserve.
This takes us to the heart of the meaning of Good Friday. Christ suffered the punishment that sinners like us deserve, in our place, so that we might be spared from it. What made the cross so appalling was not, in the end, the crown of thorns and the nails. It was not the rejection of his own people and the brutality of the Romans. It was the experience of divine wrath, abandonment by God, that Jesus endured in our place. And Jesus suffered this in order that we might be delivered, rescued from it.
This is the deliverance of the cross.