Monday, March 9, 2015

Matthew 27:45-56

Just four more days of Matthew: The King and Kingdom!  It has been an incredible study.  There is nothing better than diving in to the Gospel and seeing Jesus our Savior!  The next few days cover some of the most important events in the history of Jesus, and we need to take in every morsel of wisdom about our King and the Kingdom we serve in.

I am at my desk with computer, Bible(s), coffee, pens, highlighters, journal, concordance, and Bible dictionary spread out ready to start.  Are you?  Let's go ahead and read through Matthew 27:45-56.  You can also read it HERE!!!


Can you imagine this 6 hours of agonizing pain?  Jesus became obedient unto death, "and yielded up His spirit."  “Oh to have heard Him say, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”  These words were not spoken from mere physical pain, but expressed under the burden of the sins of the world.  In our place, He was made sin and endured the wrath of God's righteous anger in His very being.  In that moment those incredible words were spoken, the iniquity of us all was laid upon Him.  Isaiah 53:10 says that it pleased the Lord to bruise Him, and put Him to grief.  The burden of our sin, the weight of our transgressions, the heaviness of the curse caused Jesus, The King, to feel forsaken. 

I imagine that many of the Roman soldiers and the large crowd who gathered to mock Jesus saw nothing remarkable about Jesus' death, but a debt had been paid and a way was made for every believer to have life.  The righteousness of God was satisfied!  The death of Jesus made a way for God to be completely Holy and completely merciful.  (I am truly sitting here almost unable to breath!  The weight of the truth of what Jesus has done is almost too much.  It makes me want to cry, yet it makes me want to shout!  I feel like the Psalmist in Psalm 139 who said, "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. Hallelujah!)

Victory over Satan!  No wonder the earth quaked!!!!!!  I think everything in the earth trembled because of the amazement that God sent His own Son to be the atonement for the sins of all mankind.  No greater love will we ever know! 

Of all the incredible things that happened that day, let us not forget that "the veil in the Temple was rent in two".  This heavy curtain separated the Holy of Holies which only the priest was allowed to enter.  We need to really get this!  The 3 hours of darkness probably had people on edge.  The earthquake that split rocks probably left them in shock.  But the veil, rent from top to bottom, surely must have pierced their hearts because it declared the end of ceremonial law.  These ordinances and sacrifices had served their purpose in redemptive history but Jesus had come!  The mercy seat was no longer needed.  Performing priests, animal sacrifices, and burning incense no longer a requirement.  The High Priest had come as the Lamb of God and was slain.  It was pleasing before the Lord as is incense to the  nostrils to make Him the True Mercy Seat.

These signs convinced the Centurion and those with him to say, “Truly this was the Son of God!”  My prayer is that this is also our confession!  I'm running to the Mercy Seat where Jesus is calling.  He said His grace would cover me.  His blood will flow freely.  It will provide the healing!


   

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