Which would you prefer? Would you prefer being a “substitute” or long-term or permanent? What’s the difference?? To be a “substitute” doesn’t lend itself to a degree of permanence. Does it? Let’s think of it this way. Can you think of anyone or anything that was substitute, but also permanent? What did I hear you say? Oh, I heard you say something like, “Jesus Christ,” right! He was our substitutionary atonement. You got the answer right. He was treated like a common criminal. He was rewarded [if I may use that word] with the most egregious and horrible of deaths in use in the Roman Empire. Why did he die? Why was He executed? What was behind it? Who decided it? Who carried it out? Listen to this! Jesus Christ was “a threat to the powers that be.” He was a national threat, meaning that His enemies said, “the Romans are going to take away our Temple privileges and our nation!” Of course, they must also have been concerned about all the taxes being collected by the tax collectors who were getting paid on the side. Remember how the moneychangers were collecting money in the Temple for the animal sacrifices, doves, animals, etc. Jesus was breaking up “their playhouse.” He was a threat to the entrenched political and religious systems in place. The accusers were political and religious entities: The Chief Priests, Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scribes, the elders composing the Supreme Court, the Sanhedrin. Caiaphas made that great prophecy, even though he did not know what he was prophesying, he did it unwittingly. He did not know that he was prophesying even until the end times by saying, “You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” Now this he did not say on his own authority, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of god who were scattered abroad. (John 11:49-52; Ephesians 1:10; 1 Peter 2:24)” No less than ten times was He either attempted to be arrested and attempts to kill him! After the raising/resuscitation of Lazarus, they were really incensed against Him. When confronted with dire circumstances, such as attempting to be stoned with large stones and thrown off a cliff, he would miraculously convey himself through the crowd escaping death. Why did he do this? Was he afraid? He was fully human and fully divine. But as the day of confrontation was dawning and He saw the time of His departure was coming near, he sequestered himself away more secretly, because He knew that he had to do The Father’s work and wait until the exact timing that The Father had told him before He was to be hung, hands/wrists nailed, ankles stabbed with sharp large nails, a horrendous unimaginable torturous death.
One of the statements which I have grown to appreciate greatly is Christ’s grace and forgiveness as He hung on the cross; when he is nailed to the cross, exudes the principle of forgiveness. Yes, my wonderful readers who I appreciate greatly, this is what happens when you begin to trod into the bureaucracy and tear down their strongholds. They are threatened and go after people. The Bible says we set ourselves out to be prey when we are doing God’s work. But, our Almighty Father is alive and well watching what we are doing and all will be called to accountability for all their deeds, whether good or not. Thank you for reading! Happy New Year!!!
Ask Dr. Jeanette Parker™; Articles copyright © “Inquiring Minds Want To Know” Jeanette Parker is Founder/Superintendent of Today’s Fresh Start Charter School www.todaysfreshstart.org [email protected] thanks for reading!
