ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE ON THE CROSS

One thing I have found very fascinating in N.T. Wright’s newest book, “The Day The Revolution Began” is the exploration on what is meant by “forgiveness of sins” in the context of the story of Israel.

Throughout the Old Testament scriptures, we read over and over again how God established His people in a “Promised Land” only to have them rebel against Him – or sin – and then being exiled as punishment.

This is the consistent picture throughout the Bible story: God blesses His people – They sin – He exiles them from this good land – They repent of their sins – He restores them to their land.

This pattern is first established in Genesis chapters one and two. God creates a beautiful world, places His wonderful creatures in a garden, they sin and are exiled from the garden.

The rest of Israel’s story is simply this same narrative repeated over and over again with slight variations.

So, if we keep this in mind, then “forgiveness of sins” means the end of exile and the opportunity to return once again to the good land where the people are once again living under the rule and reign of God.

Jesus, the Messiah, arrives on the scene and proclaims that the Kingdom of God is at hand and the gates are wide open to anyone who wants to return to the “good land” provided by the King Himself.

Because of the death of Christ, we are no longer exiled from God or His “good land” [Kingdom] but freely encouraged to return home, once and for all.

Wright also makes another interesting point later on in his book about how Jesus was falsely accused and crucified for “our sins”. He was not a violent revolutionary, although the people of Israel certainly wanted Him to be. In fact, this violent rebellion was in their hearts – not in His heart. Yet, Jesus suffers the penalty for their sin of violent rebellion, which under Roman law was crucifixion.

Think about that: The people’s sin was that they wanted a violent rebellion against Rome. Jesus did not want this. The penalty for violent rebellion against Rome was crucifixion. The people were eager for this rebellion and in their hearts this desire for violence against Rome was equal to actually committing the sin. 

Remember Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount about how looking at a woman with lust was equal to actual adultery? The same principle is in effect here: The people wanted a violent rebellion and the wages of that sin was crucifixion on a Roman cross. But who suffered the punishment for that sin? Was it the people whose hearts were crying out for armed rebellion? No. It was Jesus, the Messiah who came urging them all to love their enemies, bless those who persecuted them and walk the extra mile whenever a Roman soldier handed them their pack to carry.

In this way, Jesus died "for their sins". Their sin was a desire for rebellion. Their penalty was crucifixion, but Jesus took their place on that cross and suffered their fate.

This act of love indicated that their sins were forgiven and that now their exile was over. They could now return home and live once more in the “good land” of the Kingdom of God where Jesus would be their King.

This is Good News. The exile is over. We are free to return home, forever. Our Abba is throwing wide the gates of His Kingdom and welcoming any and all to come and live in his “good land”.

“Repent! The Kingdom of God is at hand!” – Jesus, Messiah.

-kg

Why Did Jesus Die? by Kevin Carter

[Guest Post]

NOTE: This post was written in response to the previous post about whether or not the Father turned His face away from Jesus on the Cross.

[As] Rob Bell pointed out on one of his podcasts, the connection with those words [“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”] and a common prayer that was prayed based on the Psalms when one neared Death. That [revelation] was part of one of the original understandings that started to unravel my belief in God's hatred of sin requiring death and judgment.

I now realize, that there are many other ideas for why Christ had to die. There are two that are compelling to me, and I take them both seriously:

WHY DID JESUS DIE?

1. He died to show us how to live. Christ's entire life was meant to be something we followed. He was not interested in controlling people's moral actions, instead every action was meant as a means of self-sacrifice so that others may have life and have it more abundantly – right here, right now on Earth – not just in a reward in the afterlife.

As a result, His life could have ended no other way than in death as a proof to us that our lives are not ours, but are to be given out in service of others, even if it means we have to give up our own life so that others may experience better life.

His resurrection was then a reminder that even in death, it isn't an end to us, but that God has power over life and death and there is more for us. Death isn't an end, but only a beginning and so giving it up for another isn't a terrible end to life, but a beautiful beginning.

2.He died because we required a sacrifice. The view that resonates the most with me however is that Christ's death wasn't because God could not bear to look at sin and required death and blood to overcome his aversion to it, but that we could not look at sin without requiring blood and vengeance. The entire sacrificial system was simply man's best effort at serving a loving, Holy God in light of our own understanding of intrinsic evil in and amongst us.

[NOTE: Remember that Caiphas, the High Priest, said, “It is better for one man to die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed.” He meant that in a practical sense, not spiritually.]

God however has always loved us, always called us towards a more beautiful, peaceful life by overcoming that evil around us rather than having it control us. God has never required a sacrifice for His love, we simply assumed He did.

[NOTE: See Jesus in Matt. 9:13; 12:7; and also Heb. 10:8; Ps. 51:16, Hosea 6:6, 1 Sam. 15:22]

As a result, God also knew that humanity would never be free to truly bring about the Kingdom of God on Earth if they were hampered by a transactional system that left them in bondage. So Jesus died, not so that God could forgive us of our sins, but that we could.

To me that makes His death even more beautiful.

It's always troubled me that God set up such a broken and dirty system whereby God allowed sin into the world, but then required death of anyone entangled by it.

Instead [this view] shows us that God never required the death of Jesus for His own ends, but freely gave it for ours.

Those two ideas have radically changed the way I interact with the world around me in light of Christ's life, and I'll never go back to where I was before.

FOR MORE ON THIS ISSUE WATCH "THE BEAUTIFUL GOSPEL" by Brad Jersak VIDEO

Debunking the Myth that the Father turned away from Jesus on the Cross

On the cross, Jesus cried out, “My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me?”

From this single sentence, many bible teachers and pastors have theorized that it was in this moment that the Father looked away from Jesus – because of all of our sins being laid upon Jesus – and it was in this moment that Jesus experienced separation from the Father for the only time in all of eternity.

As dramatic and poetically compelling that might be, the truth is simply this: The Bible nowhere supports this theory.

So, where does it come from?

Well, apparently the teaching that the Father actually did forsake Jesus on the cross, and that Jesus experienced separation from the Father comes from a few assumptions:

First, the assumption that God is too holy to look upon sin.

Second, the assumption that Jesus’ cry from the cross at that moment was meant to communicate that His Father did actually forsake him.

Let’s take these two assumptions one at a time and see if they are true.

Is God really too holy to look upon sin? Not according to the scriptures.

Instead, we see all throughout the Bible that God does indeed look at mankind. We see that God’s eyes move to and fro over all the earth, searching the hearts and minds of His people. [See 2 Chron.16:9; Job 31:4; Jerem. 16:17; Zech. 4:10; etc.]

“And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” – [Heb. 4:13]

Q: What would happen if God wasn’t able to look at sin?

A: It would mean that looking at us would be pointless because all He could ever see was a world full of sinful people [which is everyone].

The doctrine that God is too holy to look upon sin is actually based on one single verse of scripture in the Old Testament that says:

“Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.”  [Habbukuk 1:13]

But if you keep reading that chapter what you’ll notice is that Habbukuk wraps up that statement by asking: “So, why do you?”

In other words, the question is asked assumptively, but then the question itself is cast into doubt as the prophet observes that God does indeed look on evil after all.

Another verse that is often used to support this idea that God is too holy to look upon our sins is found in Isaiah where we read:

“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” [Isaiah 59:2]

But if we keep reading [a good idea as you can see], we read:

“The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one,
he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm achieved salvation for him,
and his own righteousness sustained him.” [v.16]

“As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit,who is on you, will not depart from you…” [v.21]

So, here, in the very same chapter, we read that God DOES look, and that He DOES see our sins, and that “[His] Spirit…will not depart…”

Finally, let’s look at Jesus. He was the “exact representation of the Father” and he was the only one who had ever seen God and who came to reveal the Father to us.

What do we notice about Jesus? Does He, as God in the flesh, avert his gaze when surrounded by sinners? Hardly! Instead, those sinners are his closest friends. He spends so much time with them that the religious elite [who, by the way, were too holy to spend time with sinners], criticized him for it.

So, is God really “too holy to look on our sin”?

Absolutely not!

Second: When Jesus says, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” doesn’t that mean that His Father really did forsake Him?

No.

This statement from Jesus was a quote from Psalm 22 which begins:

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?” [v.1]

But, this is a Messianic Psalm. In this Psalm we also read prophetic statements like:

“…they pierce my hands and my feet.” [v. 16]

“…They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” [v.18]

Perhaps Jesus is quoting this Psalm because he hopes to point out how these exact words are being fulfilled in their midst?

Note also what this same Psalm has to say about what God is doing:

“For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.” [v.24]

Wait…what?

The Psalmist says that they will pierce the hands and the feet of the Messiah, and that they will divide his clothes and cast lots for his garments…and that God “will not hide His face from him”.

So…once more I need to ask: “Did the Father turn His face away from Jesus when He was on the cross?”

No. Not even once.

Finally, notice that Jesus affirms that His Father will never abandon Him:

“Jesus replied. “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” [John 16:31-33]

Notice that Jesus not only affirms that His Father will not leave him [even though the disciples will], but that this abandonment by the disciples and the ever-present nature of the Father occurs at the same time: While Jesus is hanging on the cross!

This really should not surprise us.

God promises all through the scriptures that He will never leave us or forsake us.

Jesus reminds us that He will be with us always, even unto the end of the age.

[See Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5; Deut. 31:6, Isaiah 41:10, etc.]

So, to recap:

The Father did NOT look away from Jesus while He was on the cross.

God is NOT too holy to look at sin. [Jesus did it all the time]

God will NOT leave or forsake us, either.

I hope that helps!

If this has blessed you, please share it with your friends on social media.

Thanks!

Keith

*NOTE: Written with assistance from insights gleaned from Brian Zahnd, Brad Jersak and others.

For more on this:

Brad Jersak: A Beautiful Gospel in Chairs

A cry of dereliction?