The haze of torch smoke dancing through an overcast darkened sky. The fuzzy figures of the multitude of people. Who were these that were glaring, snarling or maybe fretting at Him? He envisioned this through His swollen blood shot eyes. All the while, He heard sounds of thunder and lightening. Chants of hate and persecution echoing His blood filled ears. The pain raged from His blistered, blackened soles. On up towards His dismantled shins. To the unbarring pressure within the thoracic cavity caused by broken ribs and weakened muscles. All the way up just below the crown of thorns on His head. He suffered…..He bled…..He died. Who was this man? Who would take much punishment for crimes He did not commit? A man whom scholars and theologians alike have attempted to minimize to a mere man. Man? Deity? The One True God? Let us examine these possibilities.
Western civilization has taught us not only social, economical, and habitual ways of life of early man. It has shown us that man has always had this idea of a higher power. We find this to be so as evidence of tribal civilizations selecting to worship things as simple as a rock, tree, sun, moon, etc. Often times these items served a purpose to the certain tribes. For instance, they understood without a tree they had no shade or material for building shelter. Thus they saw this figure as an idol, or to say an item of worship simply because this thing served a great purpose to them. The problem was that in the process of worshiping a certain idol for a specific thing, they in turn had to worship other items or idols to make their idea of existence complete. Thus creating polytheism, or the belief of more than one god. So we can clearly see that from the beginning of time, man has always attempted to mar the very idea of God.
Among many tribes who worshiped gods to the likes of Dagon, Baal, Dianna, and many others. There was a nation who decided to worship not a statue, a rock or an item of any kind. For there was something in them that drove away from such idol worship. Many probably didn’t understand, but they knew their blood line was a special one. One that derived from the lineage of Seth, the third son of Adam and Eve. Whom was born to him a son of whom he called Enos. “Then began man to call upon the name of the Lord.”(2) It was this Hebrew nation who decided to call upon one Lord, but an invisible God at that.
Moses had treaded for days climbing boulders, tracking through strong ground, battling through the elements of Mount Horeb, all the while tending to his father-in-laws flock. When suddenly God appeared unto him in the form of a burning bush. Informing him of his plans to free His people from Egypt. In the midst of this Moses asks the question. “ Who shall I say that sent me?”(3) And God said, “ ….I AM, has sent you.” And he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.”(4) So there stood Moses amazed by what he was seeing and amazed by a non-consumed burning bush speaking in God’s voice. Providing him instruction concerning the great exile of His people from Egypt. More so he was puzzled that when he asked for his name he answered him quiet arrogantly and provided him not his name or did He?
The early morning crowd affront the temple in Jerusalem watched in awe as Jesus forgave sin, fronted Himself as the Light of the world and witnessed His divine proclamation of His deity to the Jews. He said,” Ye are from beneath: I am from above: ye are of this world: I am not of this world.” (5) Now that’s exciting, because he just stated He’s from heaven. He continues… “ I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.”(6) Several thousand years later Israel was still in limbo concerning the name of the Lord, and here is Jesus proclaiming, “I Am He”. Moses would have been ecstatic to know that the Great I Am was no other than Jesus himself. The teacher whom taught in the temple the scriptures that He Himself inspired to be written.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (7) What a concept. From the get go the Word was and it was this spoken Word that created this world. (Psalm 33:6) There is but one creator, which is God. (Genesis 1:1. Genesis 2:7) The Jews knew this, thus the words of Jesus’ proclamation of being equal with God was blasphemy to the Jews. Yet He too created this world. “ He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not.” (John 1:10) Though they knew him not, thus the creator, God himself was persecuted by the same people He claimed to be His since the great fall of man.
So after Jesus had exploited Himself as God. Traveling from town to town, temple to marketplace, gardens to hillsides. Teaching, preaching, ministering, aiding, healing, feeding, blessing and so on. It was time for Him to fulfill the prophecy of the scriptures concerning the redemption of His people. The Jews knew that the Lord of hosts, the Holy One of Israel was to be their redeemer. They had heard the story of Abraham obeying God’s order by sacrificing Isaac his son. They remember how Isaac asked the question, “My father…, behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Thousands of years after sacrificing unblemished lamb after unblemished lamb, here was Jesus, the carpenter’s son. Who taught those before of his equality to God. He himself was going to provide the perfect sacrifice.
As John the Baptist focused on this man from Galilee, there was no question in his mind who this man was, for he stated, “Behold the Lamb of God.”(11) For this was no ordinary man, this was the Lamb of God. Who was here to take away the sin of the world. John knew who Jesus was. He opened his gospel with the proclamation of the “Word” at the very start. He continues by making no haste that this “Word was God.” That all things were made by Him and no other. Then he makes certain that we know that, “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” Now here He was the one true perfect God, fulfilling his promise as his people’s redeemer.( Isaiah 4: 7-4, 43:3-11, Psalms 106:21) For he was here to offer himself as the perfect sacrifice.
Gasping for air as his lungs collapsed and the pain was horrendous from His broken shins. Jesus could have complained and no doubt could’ve simply passed on. As He had already suffered other forms of punishment. Though He was on this cross He was not powerless. For He Himself stated “all power is given unto me.” He knew when he was going to let go. The time was not yet come. He was still reaching, even at the cross. The Roman soldiers around Him felt His presence. The Scribes and the Pharisees knew what they had done. For they knew that no man could suffer through the punishment that Jesus went through and still hang on a tree. Commanding the skies to darken and thunder to roll.
“Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”(12) No they did not and He knew it. Once again His people turned from Him and trusted in fables, false teachers, lovers of men. They forgot that He, I Am, was their redeemer. Jesus, God Himself robed in flesh. He hung on that tree on Mount Calvary. He knew exactly what He was doing. For he knew that through His death , He was finally going to reach His people. Then He lifted His head and cried with a loud voice, “ Father, into thy hands I command my spirit: and having said this He gave up the ghost.” (13)
