The death of Christ
February 14th, 2009I just finished chapter 7 in John Stott’s Basic Christianity. I can’t do a better job of depicting the meaning of Christ’s death on the cross than he’s done. This quote is from pages 117-118.
… “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Jesus Christ had no sins of his own; he was made sin with our sins, on the cross.
As we look at the cross, we can begin to understand the terrible implications of these words. At twelve noon “there was darkness over the whole land” which continued for three hours until Jesus died. With the darkness came silence, for no eye should see, and no lips could tell, the agony of soul which the spotless Lamb of God now endured. The accumulated sins of all human history were laid upon him. Voluntarily he bore the in his own body. He made them his own. He shouldered full responsibility for them.
And then in desolate spiritual abandonment that cry was wrung from his lips, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” It was a quotation from the first verse of Psalm 22. No doubt he had been meditating during his agony on its description of the sufferings and glory of the Christ. But why did he quote that verse? Why not one of the triumphant verses at the end? Why not, “You who fear the Lord, praise Him!” or “Dominion belongs to the Lord”? Are we to believe that it was a cry of human weakness and despair, or that the Son of God was imagining things?
No. These words must be taken at their face value. He quoted this verse of Scripture, as he quoted all others, because he believed he himself was fulfilling it. He was bearing our sins. And God who is “of purer eyes than to behold evil” and cannot “look on wrong” turned away his face. Our sins came between the Father and the Son. The Lord Jesus Christ who was eternally with the Father, who enjoyed unbroken communion with him throughout his life on earth, was thus momentarily abandoned. Our sins sent Christ to hell. He tasted the torment of a soul estranged from God. Bearing our sins, he died our death. He endured instead of us the penalty of separation from God which our sins deserved.
Then at once, emerging from that outer darkness, he cried in triumph, “It is finished,” and finally, “Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit.” And so he died. The work he had come to do was completed. The salvation he had come to win was accomplished. The sins of the world were borne. Reconciliation to God was available to all who would trust this Savior for themselves, and receive him as their own. Immediately, as if to demonstrate this truth publicly, the unseen hand of God tore down the curtain of the temple and hurled it aside. It was needed no longer. The way into God’s holy presence was no longer barred. Christ had “opened the gate of heaven to all believers.” And thirty-six hours later he was raised from death, to prove that he had not died in vain.