30th Mar 26 | 13:54
Studies by Book
Luke 23 01-05 THE KING AND HIS KINGDOM 02 Luke 23 01 The extent of God’s love for man
📖 Luke 23:1-5
Mon08Nov2021 – The extent of God’s love for man - Luke 23:01-05 - THE KING OF THE JEWS (02) - Bible reading: Galatians 3:10-14
Man was able to execute his evil intentions on Jesus. There was no remorse, or kindness that we see in man. It was out-and-out evil, in its full display. Yet, even as we were executing our wickedness on God, He was working out His plans of love and goodness for us.
This is the nature of God and this is how He created us to be, in the beginning. We have gone far away from the personal profile that we once had, which Christ is restoring into us. We are not able to fully comprehend His great love with which God has loved us.
We, as those who have experienced and understood, to some extent, the love of God, have a great responsibility. A responsibility to be those who carry the message of God to people and plead with them to turn to their loving Saviour.
Luke 23:1 Then the whole multitude of them arose and led Him to Pilate.
We have looked at two reasons why the Jews took Jesus to Pilate, to be crucified by the Romans.
Let us consider this matter a little more.
According to Jewish law, a blasphemer must be stoned to death. Leviticus 24:16 And whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall certainly stone him , the stranger as well as him who is born in the land. When he blasphemes the name of the LORD, he shall be put to death.
This is what they implemented on Stephen. In the case of Jesus, though the Jews had judged Jesus to be a blasphemer, why did they not want Jesus to be stoned to death?
The Jews were determined that the worst punishment possible must be inflicted on Jesus. The worst form of death, at that time, was the death on a cross, which the Romans conducted.
The death on the cross was excruciatingly painful. The Jews were determined that Jesus must undergo this painful death.
Friends, I encourage you to watch this 6-minute video. This is a medical perspective of the crucifixion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-EVfxABSoU
Not only did Jesus have to go through intense physical agony for us, but He was also subjected to ridicule, humiliation and the shame of what took place before and at the cross.
Here was the loving God, who came searching to restore man to Himself but what did we do to Him? We sent Him to the cross. It is this contrast that must shock us.
Man’s heart is desperately wicked. Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?
What we see here is the picture of our own hearts. Unless we accept the condition of our hearts, only then do we have hope. It is the Lord alone who can cleanse our hearts.
Jesus had to be crucified by the Romans, which was also a fulfilment of prophecy – Here are some of the prophecies of how Jesus would die. Psalms 22:1-31, Psalms 69:1-36; Isaiah 53:1-12; Daniel 9:26; Zechariah 13:7
Why was it necessary for Jesus to be crucified?
Galatians 3:13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, " CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE "),
Jesus had to be crucified, for He chose to become a curse for us.
The Jews and the Gentiles, both had their hand in the crucifixion of Jesus. What was truly taking place was that Jesus was taking man’s curse on Himself, by becoming a curse for us, by hanging on a tree.
What is this matter of being accursed?
Deuteronomy 21:22-23 “If a man has committed a sin deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, (23) his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not defile the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance; for he who is hanged is accursed of God.
This is what the Jews wanted to inflict on Jesus. They wanted Jesus to become accursed of God.
Who are the truly cursed ones? It is those who do not continue in all that is written in the book of the law. It was the Jews as well as Gentiles, who are accursed, for we have not kept all that is written in the law.
Deuteronomy 27:26 ' Cursed is the one who does not confirm all the words of this law .' "And all the people shall say, 'Amen!' "
Galatians 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT CONTINUE IN ALL THINGS WHICH ARE WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO DO THEM."
Jesus had no sin in Him and so there was no curse on Him. John 8:46 Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?
John 8:7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, " He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first ." John 8:9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
Jesus became accursed to deliver us from being doomed by God.
Man schemed and implemented his evil plans against Jesus and had Him crucified, but God, in His love, was reaching out to man at his worst point of evil.
God took the very same evil act of man and converted the same to be, man’s point of redemption.
Thought to ponder
Can we fathom the depth of God’s love for man?