Part 2: The Disgrace of the Cross
On the Christian Calendar, this is Holy Week. It’s a time in the life of the church to reflect on the days leading up to Jesus’ death—the events that demonstrate his resolute determination to fulfill the will of his Father.
As we are approaching the Easter Season, naturally our hearts are turning to the cross. The thoughts of many folks are centered around Jesus and His crucifixion.
At the cross of Calvary, the perfect righteousness, justice, and love of God came together, resulting in the only conceivable manner in which our redemption could have been accomplished. This is what justice (getting what is deserved) requires.
If God did not respond to sin in this way, He would not be righteous. His righteousness requires His justice, for without justice, one cannot be fully righteous. But God is also perfect in His love. He is no less a God of love than a God of righteousness and justice. The fact that all three of these aspects of God are present and equal in the character and nature of God makes the cross both necessary and possible.
The cross is an emblem of shame and suffering. It speaks of disgrace to the one who is hung from it. It depicts public humiliation, torture and eventually death. And yet today, it is worn as a piece of jewelry around the neck, symbolizing hope and commitment.
One might ask, why then did God choose such a horrific instrument of death for His Son? There is no way to fully explore the numerous aspects of the cross, nor the vastness of what all aspects mean for us. But let’s consider one part of what the cross is about, as we approach Good Friday and Easter.
The cross was reserved for the most dreadful offenders—murderers, thieves, and insurrectionists. But Jesus did not fit into any of these categories for which crucifixion was the penalty. In fact, when He was tried, Pilate, the Governor declared that he could find no fault in Him. That was very significant, because you see, God’s Redeemer had to be spotless.
This is what the Apostle Paul says about Jesus: God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21).
A Divine Exchange took place on the cross. God laid our sins on Jesus, and gave us His Righteousness. That’s why Isaiah, 700 years earlier, made this prophetic utterance:
Surely, he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted (Isa. 53:4).
Why was this necessary? The prophet Isaiah tells us:
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity (sin) of us all (Isa. 53:6).
As you reflect on the cross today and in the days to come, consider the God “who knew no sin,” yet “became sin on our behalf, in order that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
The cross is where we see the righteousness, justice, and love of God working together for our greater good. May we this Easter season, with thankful hearts, receive God’s amazing love and grace.