But wait for the promise
Jesus knew His time on earth was short, and soon He would ascend to His Father in heaven, said to the apostles, but wait for the promise of the Father, which you have heard from Me (Acts.1; 4-5). Jesus spoke to the apostles
telling them that shortly they will be empowered by the Holy Spirit, in whom He will send to them when He gets to heaven (Jn.16:7). Because Jesus talked about heavenly things the Disciples did not understand the words that Jesus had just spoken to them, nor,
did they, like us, know what it would cost Jesus to obtain the Fathers promise so He could give the Spirit to them as well as today’s Christians.
God’s sacrificial Lamb
Jesus was chosen by God to be a sacrificial lamb as payment for the sins of the whole world (Jn.3:16). But, Jesus had to die the death prepared for Him by His Heavenly Father. As God’s precious lamb, standing before His executioners, while being
oppressed, afflicted, stricken, bruised, and grieved for our sins, Jesus did not open His mouth in retaliation but was obedient to die the death God had planned for Him. The death chosen by God in which Jesus was to die, had to be agreed on by Jesus’
total surrendered to the will of His Father (Lk.22:42).
Jesus trusted in God
In keeping with the intentions of God, Jesus could not resists, or, fight against those who
were trying to Kill Him. Jesus had to voluntarily surrender his will and His life, to His Heavenly Father (Jn.10:15, 17, and 18). In other words, Jesus had to trust the Lord, to raise Him up again, from the dead (Acts.4:8-12). There are three reasons why Christians
can trust in the promise of God:
1) God cannot lie (Titus 1:2).
2) God is faithful (1-Thes.5:24).
3) Not one promise failed
(Joshua 23:14).
Jesus death was prophesied
To secure the Holy Spirit for every believer, Jesus had to suffer many things at the hands of His adversaries (1-Peter
3:17-18). The word “sin” is such a tiny word, but it cost Jesus so much pain and suffering when He died on the cross for the sins of the whole world (1-John 2:2). Thus, Jesus died the death which God had planned for Him, therefore, fulfilling
the scriptures which the prophets had prophesied, concerning the way Jesus was to die for humanity (Matt.26:52-54).
Jesus suffered mental anguish as well
Jesus not only
suffered physical pain to pay for our sins; He suffered mental anguish as well when:
(1) Judas betrayed Him with a kiss
(Matt.26:47-50).
(2) When His servant cut off the ear of the high
Priest (Matt.26:51).
(3) When all His Disciples forsook
Him and fled
(Matt.26:56).
(4) When Peter followed Jesus at a safe distance.
(Matt.26:58).
(5) When Peter denied Jesus three times
(Jn.18:15-27).
(6) When the chief priest, the elders, and all
the
Council falsely accused Him (Matt.26:59-61)
(7) When Jesus had to keep silent when
Questioned by the high priest (Matt.26:62-63).
(8) When the high priest and those with him spat
In Jesus’ face, beat Him; and others slapped
Him, and mocked Him, (Matt.26:65-68).
(9) When they scourged Jesus and delivered
Him
To be crucified (Matt.27:26).
(10) When the governor’s soldiers stripped Jesus
And put a scarlet robe on Him (Matt.27:28).
(11) When the guards twisted a crown of thorns
And put it on Jesus’ head, and a reed in
His right hand (Matt.27:29).
(12) When
His captives spat on Him, and struck
Him on the head (Matt.27:30).
(13) When the executioners gave Him sour wine
Mingled with gal to drink (Matt.27:34).
(14) When the guards mocked Him, took the
Robe off of Him; put His own clothes on Him,
And led Him away to be crucified
(Matt.27:31).
(15) When His Heavenly Father forsook Him
(Matt.27:45-46).
Jesus’
cry from Calvary
While nailed to the cross, Jesus only cried out twice, once when He shouted to the Lord, forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do (Lk.23:34). And the second time Jesus cried saying,
Father, why have you forsaken Me (Matt.27:46).
Jesus choose to die for sinners
Jesus was arrested, tried, judged, sentenced, and now He is being led to a place called
Golgotha, where they will crucify Him for our wrongdoings.
It’s crucial that we understand that Jesus’ death had to be voluntary on His part, in other words, the death chosen by God, in which Jesus was
to die, had to also, be Jesus’ free will, to die for the ungodly.
Could Jesus stop His execution?
Could Jesus stop His execution if He so desired?
Yes, in four instances Jesus proves by His statements that He had the power to stop His Fathers preplanned death chosen for Him, by God.
1) When Judas and a detachment of troops approached
Jesus, He said to them, whom are you seeking? They answered Him, Jesus of Nazareth,
Jesus said to the soldiers, I am He, and all those who came to arrest Jesus fell to the ground.
How can you arrest God? Jesus had to restrain His powers and allow the army to capture and subdue Him (John 16:1-9).
2) When Jesus prayed in the Garden of
Gethsemane,
saying, Father, if it is your will,
Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not
My will, but yours, be done (Lk.22:41-44).
3) Jesus, while being arrested by a multitude
of people, sent by the chief priest and elders, said to them, do you think I cannot call on My Father, and He will at once send thousands of angels to protect
Me (Matt.26:47-53).
4) While Pilate was interrogating Jesus, He said to
Pilate; you could have no power at all against
Me, unless it had been given you from above
(Jn.19:1-42). Jesus’ refusal to cry out and ask
His Father to save Him from death, by
Crucifixion, proves it was the will of Jesus, to
Lay down His life for you and me; no one took
His life from Him,
Jesus laid it down willingly,
As payment for our sins (Jn.10:17-18).
Christ suffered for our sins
Christ suffered
for us, leaving us an example, that we should follow His steps: “who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth” “Who when He was reviled, did not revile in return; When He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to
God who judges righteously; Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree (1-Peter2:21-25).
The crucifixion is designed to inflict pain
Death by crucifixion
is designed to not only kill But to also inflict as much pain as possible on the condemned before they die, no wonder Jesus’ sweat became like great drops of blood, unlike us, Jesus knew the pain, suffering,
And
the death awaiting Him (Lk.22:44).
Jesus was flogged by His captors
Before they crucified Jesus, they first flogged Him. Again, the Executioners
stripped Jesus of His clothing and tied His hands to a pole above His head in preparation for the scourging. The Executioner flogged Jesus with a short whip consisting of Leather thongs with small balls of lead attached to the ends of each. They beat Jesus
on His shoulders, back, and legs. Jesus was beaten to near death before the beatings stopped,
What kept Christ on the cross?
What kept Jesus on the cross? Surly
it was not the guards, or the nails in His hands and feet. There were only two things that secured Jesus to the cross:
1) His promise to do the will of His Father
2) It
was love that kept Jesus on the cross,
His love for you and me;
This is why Jesus stayed on the cross.
Jesus laid down His life
at Calvary for us His children.