2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
I’m led to continue discussing the traits of a kinsman-redeemer. So, far we have seen four of them: 1) He must be a blood relative; 2) He must be able to pay the price of redemption; 3) He must have the desire to redeem; 4) He must be willing to redeem. There was more to say about the fourth one, as I ran out of space yesterday. So, today’s message will be on that. When we looked at LK 22: 42, we saw Christ’s attitude displayed. He was battling His flesh, but was willing to do whatever the Father’s will would be. That night in Gethsemane was described in remarkable detail, and it was only the beginning of the suffering that Christ, our Kinsman-Redeemer, would endure on our behalf. He sweated blood, felt the frustration of His disciple’s falling asleep when He needed their companionship, knew He would be arrested, tried and killed due to His omniscience, and understood the enormity of the sacrifice He was about to make. Still, He remained obedient and righteous to the very end. The incident at the time of His arrest when Peter cut off the high priest’s slave’s ear further reveals Christ’s character.
LK 22: 49-51, “When the disciples who were with Jesus saw what was going to happen, they asked, ‘Shall we use our swords, Lord?’ And one of them struck the high priest’s slave and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said, ‘Enough of this!’ He touched the man’s ear and healed him.” JN 18: 10-11, “Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s slave, cutting off his right ear. The name of the slave was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter, ‘Put your sword back in its place! Do you think that I will not drink the cup of suffering which My Father has given Me?’” At this time, Jesus knew that Peter would deny Him three times, but our Savior was never to give up on His impetuous disciple. We know that, because Peter would eventually go on to be the head of Christ’s church in Israel.
I have mentioned before that I read an article printed several years ago in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that intricately described the physical suffering and changes that go on during crucifixion. It was titled “On The Physical Death of Jesus Christ” and was written by Wm. D Edwards, MD, Wesley J. Gabel, Mdiv., and Floyd E. Hosmer, MS, AMI in the March 21, 1986 issue of JAMA., vol. 5, no. 11. I give you the bibliography here in case you want to access this article for yourselves. While this is by no means pleasant reading, it is very important in giving us some kind of idea of the physical suffering our Messiah went through. That is only a part of what He endured. The rest was suffering of a much greater kind, spiritual suffering. There is no doubt in my mind that the most difficult part of Christ’s Atonement was His temporary separation from the Father. There are a myriad of Scriptures that give us ample evidence that Christ remained in constant contact with the Father throughout His earthly life until His crucifixion, JN 14: 9, 11 and JN 16: 32 are examples. So is JN 5: 19, “So Jesus answered them, ‘I tell you the truth: the Son can do nothing on His own; He does only what He sees the Father doing. What the Father does, the Son also does.” Christ, like any of us who are real believers, understands His dependency on the Father. That bond is so precious to Him, that when it had to be temporarily broken, our Lord arrived at the moments of His greatest suffering.
PHIL 2: 8 really puts this concept succinctly, “He was humble and walked the path of obedience all the way to death-His death on the cross.” We tend to forget the beatings at the home of Caiaphus and the scourging at the hands of the Romans that took place beforehand too. Those simply added to the suffering the Son endured. Is it any wonder that He asked the Father to removed this cup of suffering the night before in Gethsemane? Yet, He faced it anyway. God’s plan prophesied in IS 52: 14 came true. “May people were shocked when they saw Him; He was so disfigured that He hardly looked human.” That would surely explain Mary Magdalene’s difficulty in recognizing Christ when He appeared to her at the tomb in MK 16: 1-7 and JN 20: 11-18.
Of course, we may find enormous comfort in what happened to Christ after His suffering. PS 110: 1 and other citations tell us that He was eventually raised to heaven to sit at God’s right side “until His enemies were put as a footstool under His feet.” We know that Christ’s separation from God was both necessary (so He could take on the sins of the world) and temporary. We also know He was raised as “the first among many brothers” [RO 8: 29], God’s way of letting us know that we too can be resurrected and inherit with Christ the Kingdom of God. Had our Kinsman-Redeemer not obeyed His Father and taken on His cup of suffering, we would have nothing positive to anticipate. We would have been trapped in a sinful existence that could only lead to the lake of fire and sulfur. Satan would have been the victor, and Dear Ones, that’s not God’s plan. Instead, if we endure in our faith, we can look forward to an end of evil, pain, suffering, and loss. We can anticipate walking streets of gold with the Father, permanently filled with His light and drinking the life-giving water that streams from His heart. In the meanwhile, HE 7: 25 tells us what Christ now does for us. “And so He is able always to save those who come to God through Him, because He lives forever to plead with God for them.”
PRAYER: O Lord, long ago in Isaiah’s time, You were kind enough, through his prophecies in IS 53, to allow people to know that their Messiah would actually come and carry out their redemption. IS 53: 6-7, “All of us were like sheep gone astray, each one going his own way. But the Lord made the punishment fall on Him, the punishment all of us deserved. He was treated harshly, but endured it humbly; He never said a word. Like a lamb about to be slaughtered, like a sheep about to be sheared, He never said a word.” IS 53: 10-11, “The Lord says, ‘It was My will that He should suffer; His death was a sacrifice to bring forgiveness. And so He will see His descendants, He will live a long life, and through Him My purpose will succeed. After a life of suffering, He will again have joy; He will know that He did not suffer in vain. My devoted Servant, with Whom I am pleased, will bear the punishment of many and for His sake I will forgive them.’” Even David, who came before Isaiah, was allowed to know and share this wonderful message. PS 20: 6-7, “Now I know that the Lord gives victory to His chosen King; He answers Him from His holy heaven and by His power gives Him great victories. Some trust in their war chariots, and others in their horses, but we trust in the power of the Lord our God.” Dearest Abba, Your message gives us hope and honors us, because we know that You only allow those You esteem to see the future. That message provides us with sufficient motivation to see Satan for the loser he is and to endure whatever pain, suffering, and loss he sends our way. Our victory over death has been made possible by the faith You gave us, the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, and the power of Your word believed, which comes to us through the Holy Spirit. We honor You today with our humble confession, our utmost thanksgiving and praise, and our faithful obedience pledged. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.
Tomorrow’s message will be about the fifth trait of a kinsman-redeemer. There are many rich and wonderful citations to give us deeper insight into God’s provision and His will for us. Each day our loving Abba showers us with blessings, ones that we can best appreciate through taking time every day to spend with Him reading His love letter to us, the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit does the rest. It is He Whom God sent Who allows us to see those magnificent messages and lessons the Father has for us. It is Christ, Who takes our prayers to the Father and pleads together with the Holy Spirit on our behalf. God’s plan is the output of His love, compassion, and patience for us. The Lord endures in righteousness as our Covenant Partner. His promises will be kept. We should be forever thankful and respond in kind. God loves each one of us-the greatest gift we can receive. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn