Mark 15:35-39 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.” One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said. With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”
With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. Why did Jesus have to pay such a high price for the salvation of men? Why did God demand such an awful price for man's redemption? If men are basically good as many think, why the death of Jesus on the cross? Are we not considered by God, as with all creation, to be "good?" Is God mistaken: has He forgotten that when He made us, He declared us "very good?" We read in the Bible, So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27) The general consensus of most men and women, even Christians, is that if we are God's creation, created in his image, we are basically good. We are quite sure God will accept us into his presence, his domain, because He made us, and we can add that our good works probably outweigh our bad deeds. If this goodness over badness is not true, surely his mercy and grace will overshadow any of our base animalistic or selfish tendencies. We know John wrote, And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. (1John 4:16) Many today believe the cross and its symbolic meaning as an avenue to God is a primitive belief, much like worshipping idols made of stone, silver, or gold. The cultural and societal elite especially reject this idea of Jesus' death as a propitiation for sin, for as people of the enlightenment and science with an understanding of the cosmos and the existence of all things, they are not bogged down in superstition and mythology from the past. They and others ask who needs this Jesus thing on the cross or even the idea of God!
Christ's death birthed Christianity. Without the cross and Jesus' subsequent resurrection, eternal life with God does not exist. Christianity is not a way of life or a compilation of good works to please God. Christianity is Jesus Christ in us through the Holy Spirit's indwelling power: Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27) We who place our trust in Jesus have his life in us. He is our righteousness. He died for us who ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. With that knowledge, we placed ourselves on thrones and made ourselves gods to ourselves, deciding what is right and wrong, good or evil. We know the evil of murder, drunkenness, debauchery, adultery, fornication and the like, but we do not understand that when we usurp God's authority, we sin against the One who made us. The Bible says, There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. (Proverbs 30:12) The prophet saw: All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way. (Isaiah 53:6) From our self-appointed thrones, we feel we have the privilege, the right, to instruct, to tell, to decide, to judge, to criticize, to punish, to reward, others. We put our wisdom, our knowledge of good and evil in front of everyone else's. This is the self that God dealt with on the cross. Why do we fight, devour each other, get hurt feelings, blame others, criticize, gossip, hurt others with our words? Why, because we want to be in control on our thrones. Uncontrollable self or absolute power corrupts absolutely. That is why we have policemen in every community, for the human race needs control to prevent chaos. Everyone who is eating this breakfast probably understands we need policemen to keep us from speeding on the highway. We speed because we are natural law breakers. We tend to do things based on our own needs, not on the needs of others. Jesus died on the cross for the needs of others. Only a perfect sinless lamb could satisfy God's wrath on sin. Jesus was that lamb. No speeder on the highway could die for mankind, for he deserves punishment for his waywardness. Jesus had no waywardness; He always did the will of the Father.
Carnal man will never understand the cross. The good, righteous man without Christ will never understand the cross. To these people the cross is foolishness. Today's scripture tells us why the cross was needed: The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The work of the cross brought mankind into the Holy of Holies, the very presence of God. In the Old Testament, only the most worthy of the priests could enter the Holy of Holies. If he was not worthy, he would experience God's wrath, death in that inner court. Imperfection is not allowed in the presence of a perfect God. Today, we who place our faith in Jesus Christ's holiness enter into the very presence of God. In fact, we who are saved by faith are temples of the living God, always in the presence of God. Praise Him for that! The cross and its work will never be out of date. The 21st Century, as with all previous centuries, has been a century of violence. Wars and rumors of wars surround the globe; conflicts and disputes are everywhere. Divorces and family squabbles are alive and well. The social media has made criticism, gossip, and disrespect an art form. All this can be classified as violence. We have said before that in Noah's time, The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. (Genesis 6:5) Jesus implied that people will be their own gods in this violent world: “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. (Luke 17:26-27) Living life consumed with your own self-interests or what you think is best for you or others will not bring you a release from sin or please God. Your throne-like existence will become a prison: only Jesus can set you free. He came to set the captives free. Yes, we were created "good," but as Paul wrote, sin was living in him, and he said, I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. (Romans 7:18) Therefore, we need an ark, which is Jesus Christ and his saving work. IN HIM, we will land safely in heaven, forever to be with God. Praise him today for paying the price for all who call upon him! Glory to the Lamb for sinners slain!
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