more than Your own body

How comforting, Jesus.  How comforting that You love us more than Your own body.

. . the Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took a loaf of bread, gave thanks for it, and broke it in pieces, saying, “This is my body that is for you. Keep doing this in memory of me.” (1 Corinthians 11:23b-24, ISV)

Barabbas

The name Barabbas means, “Father’s son” in Aramaic. It’s interesting to me that the crowd called for Pilate to release “Father’s son” instead of the Father’s Son.

I have read or watched that scene many times, and recently participated in a reenactment of it. Mostly I was struck with how awful it was that they called for a murderer over the Prince of Peace. Then again, he had led an attempted rebellion (Mark 15:7) – he was a hero of the people. But the recent miniseries “The Bible” showed me a new perspective: Barabbas’s.

He was a murderer, condemned to execution. He was on death row, knowing today was the day he would be lead off to die a most horrific death. What was he thinking of in his last hours? His family? Those who fought alongside him? Those who were too afraid to? His failed plans? Shattered dreams? Regrets? Was he sorrowful for what he’d done? Ashamed his revolt had failed? Angry at those who had captured him, or those who failed to join him? Expectant that others would rise up against Rome after he was gone? Did he remember the Passover custom? Was he hopeful he’d be the one released?

The time came. Soldiers led him from the cell and brought him before an angry crowd. Did he yet understand? Also before the crowd stood a man so badly beaten He hardly looked human. Did he know Who it was? Then he must have heard them shouting his name. Was he filled with pride that they wanted him? Or sorrow for this Man, condemned to die in his place? Did he understand the only innocent man was giving up His life, so Barabbas could go free? Did he later become a follower? Did he live for Jesus now that Jesus had died for him?

Whatever this did in Barabbas’s life, the questions are the same for us. I was a criminal, justly condemned to death for my crimes. Where do my thoughts turn? Regrets and failures? Shame and sorrow? Anger? Hope? But I go free because an innocent man took my place. He died for me. I’ll live for Him.

“Then [Pilate] released Barabbas to them. But after having Jesus flogged, he handed Him over to be crucified.” – Matt 27:26

Then God released me. But after the sin of the world was poured out on Him, Jesus faced the full wrath of God in my place.

–From Ben’s Pen

The bullies

He did not choose to stand in for us because we were being bullied.  We were the bullies.  And He still chose to take our place.

Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. (Matthew 27:38-45, NIV)

The Fight

We must realize that Satan is

fighting

for our souls.

He is stronger than us, and he knows it.  He will always take our souls away from us, no matter what battle we would wage against him.  We can

fight

any way we like in our own power and we will never resist him.

–But–

Satan is weaker than Jesus, and he knows it.  Satan will never take souls away from Jesus, no matter what battle Satan would wage against Him.  Satan cannot

fight

hard enough to conquer God.

Satan has killed the Son of God, the only Person of the Godhood who can be killed (because Jesus chose to wear mortality over His immortality that He might die for us).

Satan can do no more to Jesus, except that he can strike at His followers, and this is not to win the war, but a lash out of vengeance.  But even if Satan fells a follower of Christ on the battlefield, he cannot claim the body.  Jesus was once dead, paid totally for sin, and holds the keys to Hades and Death on a keyring.

Jesus has been raised by His Father to the highest of glory and honor.  He sits on the throne of God and rules all kingdoms under His feet.  If He claims someone, He has them forever.  And if He walks on enemy ground, the enemy falls on their knees before Him.  The very breath of His mouth will one day kill Satan.  That’s how mighty He is.

We can

fight

And Satan can

fight

But God can

fight.

I do not trust in my bow,

my sword does not bring me victory;

but you give us victory over our enemies,

you put our adversaries to shame.

In God we make our boast all day long,

and we will praise your name forever.       Selah

(Psalm 44:6-8, NIV)

‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty. (Zechariah 4:6b, NIV)

Who is a Perfect, Willing Sacrifice with Infinite Ability?

There are two kinds of sacrifice:

• Imperfect
• Perfect

There are two kinds of perfect sacrifices:

• Unwilling (tragic)
• Willing (redemptive)

For a sacrifice to cover our sins eternally, the sacrifice must be

• Perfect (only good)
• Willing
• Infinite in ability, and therefore able to carry all of humanity’s sins

Where do I find a perfect, willing sacrifice, infinite in ability?

This is the heart of Christianity.

C.S. Lewis wrote a series of allegorical stories called The Chronicles of Narnia, and, in the first book he wrote, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, he paints a picture for us of what the sacrifice of Jesus Christ would look like in a different world (in an imperfect way, since C.S. Lewis was not perfect himself, as he would be the first to say).

C.S. Lewis believed that you often don’t see things when you are in them, but that if you step outside of them, you can see what you have actually been in[1].  He called this “looking at the beam [of light]” rather than “looking along the beam [of light]”[2].

Thus came The Chronicles of Narnia, a stepping outside of our world to see the earth-shattering effect of Christ’s redemption.  In the Narnia series, Christ is described as Aslan, the lion who rules the land of Narnia and beyond.

In the blog Why Do I Need a Perfect Sacrifice? Part 2 I referred to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and made this statement: “Aslan is perfectly good and Aslan is truly innocent, but he is put to death for crimes that a selfish, spoiled, ruthless boy commits.”

This is the first characteristic of Aslan: he is portrayed as perfect.  He does not sin: he does not choose evil, engage with evil, or enjoy it.

There is a second fundamental characteristic of Aslan that I did not discuss in that blog: He chooses to die for Edmund.  He is not like Boxer in Animal Farm in that he is tricked or forced into dying for Edmund.  Aslan comes to Narnia for the very purpose of dying.

He elects himself to pay for Edmund.  Aslan chooses himself for at least three reasons:

• He is the only one who is perfect (that is, totally good).
• He would rather suffer and die than allow anyone he loves go through this.  He is willing.
• He is the only one who can break the stone table by his death.

This story has become a classic for many years not because it is an original idea, but because it is a reflection on an original idea that came from God Himself: God becoming man, coming down to save all who would place their sins on Him.

Redemption through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the core concept of Christianity.  This great redemption is what sets Christianity apart from all other worldviews and also what makes it incompatible with all other worldviews.

The true Christian is the person who places their hope and faith in Jesus Christ as the ultimate sacrifice and the ultimate redemption.  And they will follow Jesus.  (I know from personal experience, having been a person who thought you could be a Christian and not even follow Christ until Christ in His great grace one day opened my eyes.  And now I follow.)

Where do I find a perfect, willing sacrifice with infinite ability?

I find it in Jesus Christ my Lord and Master.

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.  Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. (Romans 3:22-26, NLT)

____________________________________________________

[1] From The Narnia Code book by Michael Ward, 2010, Chapter Two “The Beam of Light”, in discussion of C.S. Lewis’ essay Meditation in a Toolshed.

[2] From The Narnia Code book by Michael Ward, 2010, Chapter Two “The Beam of Light”, page 17, in discussion of C.S. Lewis’ essay Meditation in a Toolshed.

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