Jesus the suffering Messiah

An interview with the Lord Jesus

     Most successful men seek to have power over others. Often done by force, sometimes by political intrigue . Jesus was different. When they wanted to make Him a king, he walked away. (John 6)

     John chapter 3 is very helpful to understand the mission of the Lord Jesus. It records an interview with a very religious man. Nicodemus was a teacher of Moses’s law.  Nicodemus acknowledged Jesus as a man sent by God and Jesus replied – “ Unless a person is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” To the puzzled teacher , Jesus explained- 'we are born in the flesh  (with all its sinful tendencies), and we need to be born of the spirit ( with its heavenly connection)'.  Nicodemus was astounded to know that all his religious works were not valid if he wanted to be accepted by God.

      Jesus then revealed the true way. He said that no one can go up into heaven except himself, the son of man, who had come down from heaven. He claimed to be able to speak about things in heaven because he came from there.

       In the conversation, Jesus said that for people to be born again of the spirit, something else must happen. Just as Moses had put a brass snake up on a pole many years before, so Jesus, the son of man, must be lifted up on a cross. Then Jesus made a promise, ‘all who believe in Him would have eternal life’. 

       The record later describes Nicodemus seeing Jesus lifted up on the cross, and he believed in Him, not so much as a king, but as the Saviour who died to take our sins away and gives eternal life .(John 19)

      To understand that the Lord Jesus Christ died for us, makes all the difference. By His death we receive forgiveness, born again by the Holy Spirit to live in love, joy, peace patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control. That is so different to living in the flesh, the natural way. (Galatians 5)

      Even better it is to know that Jesus lives.

Today, look at the death of Jesus in this way and be blest.

johnmckee@internode.on.net

Warnings

Lessons from Bible Warnings against evil.

An oracle spoken against Jerusalem. - Isaiah  22

– "The LORD has taken away the covering of Judah". – This leaves the people and places exposed to the forces of nature and the forces of evil. Verse 8 is like a conclusion at the beginning

The prophet  goes on to explain the problem:

1   They found security and confidence in the 'house of the forest' rather than trusting in the LORD

2   They realized the need for water security, so they built another pool inside the walls. This was smart, but they did not look to the LORD who gave them the water.

3   The call of the LORD to repentance was responded to with feasting and festivity in mockery of the voice of God.

And so the people were left in the guilt of their own sins and the consequences thereof.

4   The end of the oracle describes them pinning their hopes on a man. But the peg gives way, and their security is gone.

Is there a lesson for today?

The Apostle John wrote "the whole world is in the power of the evil one" (1 John 5;19), and the majority feel secure there!

When the call to repentance is raised, so many publicly mock and proclaim 'we are able, we are resilient, we can rebuild, we have resources – like saying, 'we don't need God or we don't want God'.

What should God do?

There are two options:

1    Let them go, as in Romans 1 – God gave them up to their own folly and  it's consequences.

2   Apply justice and judgement as a removal of all wrong and the punishment of the wrong doers.

What would you do?

Isaiah wrote of the devastation of the earth:

"The earth lies defiled under the inhabitants, for they have transgressed  the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse devours the earth....." (Isaiah 24:5)

Is God unjust for letting humans reap what they have sown?

The Apostle Paul describes those who have chosen to be outside God's kingdom – "sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, homosexual, thieves, greedy, drunkards, revilers, swindlers.

If you were God, holy is character, just in judgement, what would you do with people who so corrupted their created purpose?

We have been brainwashed to tolerate sin, to look the other way and because we too are guilty we fail to be offended by wrong. God 'sees red' when He sees sin and so should we! But we are 'dumbed down' by the prevalence of rebellion against God.

So much of history is the story of God seeking to turn humanity back to Himself, back to the right, back to good.

Maybe I should list some of the things we as individuals and society need to renounce. Shall I begin with the list given by the LORD Jesus Himself;

Quote:     "What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,  coveting, wickedness,  deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these things come from within and they defile a person. (Mark 7)

Thus we all stand condemned, and true we have no moral right to judge others, but that does not remove the vertical accountability to God. He, as creator, is the only one with the right to make the rules. We should insistent that His law is final. The call of God is to repent, to renounce sin as sin and not make excuses. This is expressed in the prayer of the tax-collector:

"God, be merciful to me a sinner" – no excuses, no blaming others.

This all sounds so negative, but failure to turn and face up to the truth, leaves people without God and without hope. So when things go wrong, they wonder why and begin the blame game instead of listening to the voice of God. God speaks through His word, the Bible, and shouts to people through difficult circumstances of life.

It is heartening to know that the present pandemic has caused many Christian websites to be overwhelmed with extra viewers. My prayer is that very many will turn to the Lord.

 But what of media and society in general? Pressing on without God seems to prevail.

In light of such a negative article, is there any hope?

YES – the same God who 'sees red' when He sees sin, has made a way for people to be forgiven, to be justified, and accepted as children of God living without fear. This is the Good News!  I know I have sinned, but I also know that I am accepted by God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ the Lord. His death on the cross was what I deserved, but Jesus died for me. 

Now by faith in Him, I am free from condemnation and 'IN CHRIST' God sees, not my sin but His SON. Sure I fail Him, but His Fatherly care brings me back to repentance and forgiveness. His  love takes away rebellion and His promises secure my future!

I pray that every individual who reads this article, will respond to the Good News by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. Just as the Bible is full of God's judgements, so it is full of God's promises of mercy and grace.

In conclusion – God is Holy, God is just

          God is good, God is gracious and merciful

        God has a way to bring people back to Himself

To Him be the praise and the glory now and forever, Amen.

Theres a way back to God

  from the dark paths of sin

There's a door that is open

  and all may go in

At Calvary's cross 

  is where you begin

when you come as a sinner to Jesus

JRM

Easter?????

Easter has links to at least two different festivals of history.

1   The name and timing links to Babylon

This is a description of an ancient Babylonian family—2,000 years before Christ—honoring the resurrection of their god, Tammuz, who was brought back from the underworld by his mother/wife, Ishtar (after whom the festival was named).
 The English term Easter is of pagan origin” (Albert Henry Newman, D.D., LL.D., A Manual of Church History, p. 299).
 Details can be found on the internet and in the book – 'Two Babylons by Hislop.
.

It is not a Bible festival but was slowly introduced into the Christian church about  the second century.

2   The timing has been adapted to the Jewish Passover festival. So what was the Passover?  – 1500 years before Jesus Christ was born, God judged the people living in Egypt because of their idolatry etc. The last judgement was when the angel of death passed through the land to kill the firstborn son in each family.  The LORD God provided a way to escape – by killing a blemish free lamb and applying the blood to the door posts and lintel of their houses. Sure enough it worked and God set the Hebrew people free from slavery. He told them to celebrate this 'Passover' every year at the set time. And so to the present many calendars have mention of the Passover , which changes according to the moon cycle.

When the Lord Jesus Christ celebrated the Passover, just before He was crucified, He said to His followers  "It is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God " (Luke 22.16). 

The Apostle Paul explains more in 1 Corinthians 5:7, "Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us" and he goes on to show that the true celebration of the Passover is the spiritual change within a Christian being lived out as Godly attitudes and behaviour.

John the Baptiser indicated  a similar concept when he identified Jesus as the 'Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world' (John 1)

The Apostle Peter concurs by referring to Jesus as the Lamb without blemish and without spot' (1Peter 1) . Some Christians did continue to celebrate the Passover, but God seemed to end that by allowing the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in AD 70.

 For 2000 years, all over the world, Christians have celebrated the death and resurrection of Jesus by the very simple ritual of 'breaking bread' together', usually once a week.

Remembering Jesus is very uplifting. In our lives of disappointment and distress, it is delightful to think about one who did not fail. To remember His death brings grief, but also relief , for it is in the design of God that forgiveness of sins is granted through His blood shed. It is liberating to remember  that, in His resurrection we have new life, a spiritual life to know God!

It is thrilling to anticipate the fulfilment of His promise – He promised to come a second time, to receive His own people to Himself. And the wonder  of it is, that any person on earth can become one of His own children by receiving Him as Saviour and Lord. (John 1:12)

John McKee

The Bible as a light in the way

The Bible is a book. It has many words. It indeed is special, however we do not worship the book.

God’s word is like a light, shining in a dark world. It shows up ourselves as needing to be restored to friendship with God. It also shows the way for that connection to be made.  God is revealed in the life and words of Jesus Christ the Lord.

Jesus Christ  came into to the world and died on the cross to reconcile us back to God. He paid the debt of our sin to gain our forgiveness. Now that He is risen from the dead  and alive in heaven, He wants to be your Lord and your Saviour.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ today and you will be saved from condemnation. You will be accepted by God now and forever.

All this can be clarified by reading the section of the Bible called Romans along with John and many other places.

Our glorious Lord

Christ did not sin or ever tell a lie

Although He was abused, He never tied to get even.

And when He suffered,  He made no threats.

Instead, He had faith in God , who judges fairly.

Christ carried the burden of our sins.

He was nailed to the cross,

So that we would stop sinning and start living right.

By His cuts and bruises you are healed.

You had wandered away like sheep.

Now you have returned

To the one who is your Shepherd and protector.

1 Peter 2.22 CEV

The Gospel

I must needs return to the message of the Gospel.

Scripture text:

“Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, He was buried and the third day rose again according to the scriptures.”     1 Corinthians 15

History is a witness to the fact that Jesus Christ was crucified. We could refer to historians of that time – Josephus and Tacitus. Also the rejection of the Gospel message by Jews and Gentiles related to the shame of following a once crucified leader. Paul adds significant evidence :- “according to the scriptures” – these scriptures like Isaiah 53, show that the death of Jesus Christ was no accident. Rather had God planned it, God had spoken about it ahead of time and also explained why.

Why did Jesus Christ die?  - because of our sins!

This immediately brings into view the human condition:

.....Lost away from God

.......By natural inclination doing and saying and thinking in disobedience to God

..........Guilty before God’s laws, condemned by God’s judgement.

...............Helpless as to rectifying the problem

Some have tried to cure the problem by education ( for two centuries of enlightenment, the heart of man has not changed), by wealth (wealth and riches increase discontent and selfishness), Religion (humanity continues to be destroyed by man made religions).

The only answer “Christ died for our sins”

When we take sin seriously, admit to God we have a problem, and that we have a history of wrongdoing, then God has an answer:

“God spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all.”

The prophet put it so well:

“All of us like sheep have gone astray, we have turned everyone to his own way, BUT the Lord has laid on Him the guilt of us all.”     Isaiah 53

The promise of forgiveness by the sacrifice of Christ on the cross is liberating. But what about help to change from the old life of sinful habits?

The answer – “he was raised the third day according to the scriptures”   1 Corinthians 15

Because the Lord Jesus lives, we are directed to live new lives and we are given the power to live new, holy, joyful lives.

Every believer is tempted to sin, but the Holy Spirit give us the ability to say ‘no’. When the call of the Lord to live for Him seems beyond human capacity, the Holy Spirit enables us to say ‘yes – by God’s help’

A little chorus puts it well:

‘You rose up from the grave

     To me new life you gave

        Thank you Lord for loving me’

So what is the message of the gospel?

“Let it be known unto you therefore, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by Him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses”   Acts 13

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” Acts 16

There is so much more – the promise of eternal life, the purpose of serving a new master, the welcome into the family of God, the prospect of heaven as home etc.  So much flows from the death and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

johnmckee@internode.on.net 

One dies for another.

Why the Cross?

So much of the teaching of the Bible points to the death of the Lord Jesus. Neither His perfect life, marvellous teaching nor His powerful miracles are the focus of the Bible’s message. Above all else, the Son of God came into the world to die.

What makes His death so important?

The answer is that He died as a substitute, a sin bearer and a Saviour. All people are lost, guilty and helpless before God’s holy law.

How can they escape God’s righteous wrath?

The Bible answer is this – “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” . As an amazing rescue plan, God’s Son volunteered to take the place of the guilty and bear the penalty of their sin.

He Lives – a Saviour!

In raising Christ from the dead, God demonstrated that He accepted the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in the place of sinners. Now all people may be saved by repentance toward God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

He will become your Saviour if you receive Him.

johnmckee@internode.on.net

A good day or a bad day?

People might well ask why a bad Friday is now called ‘Good Friday”

The narrative of Jesus of Nazareth being judged by the Jewish leadership and the Roman governor does not create any joyful feelings. The injustice, the violence, the mockery and then the cruelty of the crucifixion, all point to a very bad day.

 How is it then that Christians all over the world find something good from what seemed so bad and tragic .  If logic were our compass we would be lost for an answer. If the Bible is our compass, we have answers abundant.

One way to understand the meaning of the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ, is to remember links to it in the Old Testament. The Israelites were commanded to bring animal sacrifices to atone for their sins. After many years of practising this, the prophet Isaiah announced that the Messiah would come as a servant, and that His soul would be made an offering for sin (Isaiah 53). By means of His sufferings and resurrection, He would justify many. The Lord Jesus himself referred to these Old Testament scriptures to explain His sufferings. (Luke 24).

Another way to consider the purpose of the cross, is to ponder the words of the Lord Jesus Himself, before and after the event. He said He would ‘give His life a ransom for many’ (Mark 10.45). As a shepherd, He said He would “lay down His life for the sheep”  (John 10). He emphasised that this would be done according to the commandment of the Father. He gave His disciples detailed predictions of His impending death – rejected, spit on, killed etc. When it came to the night He was betrayed, He said to the apostles, “ this is my blood shed for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26.28). Thus we can see that His going to the cross was not accidental or unfortunate. After the resurrection, He said “ It was necessary that Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in His Name”. 
(Luke 24)

Peter was a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and he put it this way   –“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the Spirit.” (1 Peter 3.18)

Paul, who met the Lord Jesus Christ after the resurrection and ascension, commented on the cross as – the Son of God who “gave Himself for our sins to deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.” (Galations1).

We could continue on this subject for a long time because so much of the Bible is occupied with the meaning and effects of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Even in heaven, the song of the redeemed will refer back to the “Blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 5).

How we rejoice that it is God who turned the evil of mankind (at the cross), into a good outcome.

For Jesus Christ it was pain, aloneness, reproach, shame and death, but for those who believe in Him, it is the means of freedom, forgiveness and eternal life (and so much more).

‘Praise Him, Praise Him, Jesus our blessed redeemer

For our sins He suffered and bled and died

He’s our Rock our hope of eternal salvation

Hail Him, Hail Him, Jesus the crucified’

johnmckee@internode.on.net

The Cross of Christ - an investigation

          The death of the Lord Jesus must be understood from the whole of the Bible. In my purposed brief explanations, it is important to see the broad sweep of Divine revelation – from the Lamb foreordained before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:20) through to the Lamb upon the eternal throne (Revelation 22:3). This along with many other pointers, show the crucifixion of Jesus was no surprise, no martyrdom, but rather, as Peter preached “ He was delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God.....” (Acts 2:23).

      To see the final objective of God  - a redeemed people worshipping a once slain redeemer – gives much clarity to understanding the ‘why?’ of so many details. E.g. why He was judged by Jew and Gentile.

     I would like to make another general observation -  in the book of Acts , the death of the Lord is seldom explained as the basis of forgiveness. This is developed in the teaching letters. Forgiveness is in His Name  implies both who He was and the death and resurrection He  accomplished. His death is more often presented as a cause for repentance. When His death is explained in the letters of the apostles, it is often connected to the terms – redemption, ransom, remission, sacrifice, offering, suffering etc. To understand the terms, the Old Testament is vital.

  

      It is most important to notice that often when the Lord Jesus was foretelling His death, He referred to the Old Testament or implied it’s truth  to give meaning to the cross e.g. “ I will smite the Shepherd and the sheep will be scattered.” (Mark 14.27)

    Another preliminary to my investigation is the care needed to discern the symbolism, metaphors etc frequently used in the Old and New Testaments. The one which I will later look at is “shed blood” – is it literal , a metaphor, a  generality or what? Well the Bible does give an answer, and we do well to let the Bible speak for itself rather than force the Bible to say what we want it to say.

     I find I must restrain myself from building a mountain of interpretation upon a minor detail  e.g. The Lord said “It is finished”  - I love the thought that the work of salvation was declared finished and the debt of sin paid, however I have little support from any other scripture that this is the meaning of “It is finished”. It could have referred to the fulfilment of scripture. Or the finish of the suffering , or the giving up of His life.

So let us proceed with due care and diligence!

John McKee  

jhnmckee@internode.on.net

The suffering Saviour

Luke 22/23

My recent meditations of Luke have centred upon the sufferings of the Messiah. These chapters are so full of precious truth. I will recommend some of the profitable ways of meditating on them.

Highlight the verses which contain a prophetic implication – prophecy by the Lord Jesus about His impending death ( It was no accident).

Carefully study the trial of the Jesus – before the Sanhedrin, before Pilate, before Herod – all being illegal by their own standards. It is interesting to see the Lord vindicated as righteous on all occasions. Also note how the Lord controls the situation e.g. before the Sanhedrin He answers no accusations except the one concerning His personal identity. This is just what He wanted – the opportunity to declare before the highest earthly court who He really was. (link this with Daniel 7) Any false messiah would have denied , knowing that under Moses law a false claim to be messiah meant the death penalty.

Before Pilate the Lord Jesus focuses on His identity as being ‘from above’.

Trace through these chapters, the physical suffering of the Lord – being bound, buffeted, scourged and crucified.

Trace again the mental suffering of the Lord – betrayed, forsaken, unjustly tried, spit upon, lifted up on a cross as a transgressor, mocked by soldiers and those who should have given Him praise.   Then go deeper to the spiritual sufferings – the distraught prayer of Gethsemane, the denial of God’s authority in Jewish judgement, the anguish of knowing the awful consequences  for the people of Jerusalem and the  ultimate desertedness of the three hours of darkness.

It is important to observe His unbroken consciousness of God throughout the ordeal. From the prayer of the garden, to the final prayer on the cross, the Lord Jesus was not only in full command of Himself, but also in complete understanding of what was happening in the Father’s will.

His own summary is important - ‘ought not Christ to have suffered these things and enter into His glory.’ (24.26)

It is right to be touched by the tragedy of the cross, but it is so important to be converted by understanding God at work at the cross. This is why the teachings of the apostles are so important.

“God spared not His own Son, but gave Him up for us all”  (Romans 8)

For you, for me.

John McKee    comments welcome johnmckee@internode.on.net 

1 Peter - Theme of a suffering Saviour

The Sufferings of the Messiah

1 Peter
Chapter 1.2 The "sprinkling of the blood of Christ" is figurative language, based on the Old Testament sacrifices, to indicate that the death of the Lord Jesus was and is able to obtain our forgiveness and acceptance with God. Sin which offends God so much, can indeed be removed.

1.11 "the sufferings of Christ" foretold in the prophets. This is an important authority and explanation for what happened when Jesus died. See Isaiah 53 for an example.

1.18,19  "Redeemed____ by the precious blood of Christ" This reflection on Exodus 12, the Passover lamb, is an outstanding statement by the Apostle of what was achieved at the cross. Setting people free from slavery. Buying people back to God.

2.21 "Christ also suffered...leaving you an example".  This is a challenging example of how we should react when persecuted, just like the Lord.

2.24 "bore our sins in His own body on the tree"  He had no sins of His own, and was not obliged to do anything for us, but He willingly took our sins, to set us free.

3.18"Christ also suffered once for sins. the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God".This is a clear statement of  Jesus Christ suffering as a substitute for the sins of the guilty. For those who understand the judgement sin deserves, this is news of great relief. His one sacrifice is sufficient for all time and all people.

4.1 "Christ suffered in the flesh".  As He , in the days of His  flesh, did not take the easy path, or the path of human passion, so likewise  we can be delivered from wasted lives by choosing the same.

5.1 "a witness of the sufferings of Christ".  For Peter, to remember what he saw at the cross, seriously affected his reactions to the command of the Master "Feed my lambs" "feed my sheep"  Peter now as a shepherd, encourages others to  shepherd God's sheep in light of the sufferings of Christ.

This theme deserves much meditation.  I observe many Christians who only think of the cross once a year. How much they are missing of the blessing of knowing the overflowing value knowing the sufferings of the Christ.

Perhaps my reader has never found the joy of forgiveness from God through the sufferings of Jesus the Christ. Today  take time to read Isaiah 53,  and see how God, who knows we are like wandering sheep, chooses to bring us back to Himself through the sufferings of His perfect servant Jesus Christ. Faith in Him will bring to reality the promise of justification and eternal life.

johnmckee@internode.on.net