Showing posts with label Forgiveness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Forgiveness. Show all posts

24 HOURS-Week 4: God is No Longer Behind the Curtain

Posted by Randy | Labels: , , , , , , , , | Posted On Saturday, March 27, 2010 at 7:57 PM


"…Jesus said, 'It is finished.' With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." (John 19:30 NLT2)

In that moment, as Jesus died, he had accomplished what he came to do – his death paid the price for our sins. His mission was finished – freedom and forgiveness had been won for everyone for all time who puts their trust in Jesus. (see previous post)

But one of the most curious statements about this incredible moment is often lost on us until we understand what's really being revealed:

"And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom." (Mark 15:38 NLT2)

1/50th Scale Model of Jewish Temple in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus

I remember the first time someone explained to me the significance of this statement – it was huge to me. What I learned was that the Temple was believed by the Jews to be the place here on earth where God specially resided with His people. Yet, not in the entire Temple but in a special portion of it called the Holy of Holies. Behind a curtain sat the Ark of the Covenant, which the Israelites had carried with them for centuries, since the time God instructed Moses to build it and place the stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments in it. This site, behind the curtain in the Temple, was the holiest site in all Judaism.


Drawing of the Ark of the Covenant

Temple Lay-out

It was here that the high priest entered only once a year, after an elaborate cleansing ritual, to offer a sacrifice for the sins of the people. No one else had direct access to God – they had to go through the priest. Yet, this sacrifice had to be repeated each year.

But, when Jesus died, this curtain, that separated us from God, was torn by God – from the top down, from God to us. We no longer had to go through intermediaries to talk to God. Jesus became our great High Priest, who offered himself as the one full, perfect, complete sacrifice for all people, for all time, as the Lamb of God. Now sitting at the right hand of God the Father, Jesus intercedes for us on our behalf. You and I don’t need any other human being to do that for us again.

"So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever. Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant." (Hebrews 9:11-15 NLT2)

"So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most." (Hebrews 4:14-16 (NLT2)

Through Christ, God is no longer hidden behind a human curtain of empty rituals and sacrifices. Jesus is our full access, back-stage pass to God, and he intercedes for us as our High Priest forever so that we can receive God's mercy and grace.

Last Words, Lasting Message

Posted by Randy | Labels: , , , , , , , , , | Posted On Saturday, October 10, 2009 at 12:01 AM

Courts generally consider the dying words of an individual to hold great weight. In Luke 23 we see Jesus saying three things as he hangs on the cross. We can be sure each thing he says is very important.

After he was nailed to the cross, Jesus says in verse 34: "...'Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing.'" After having been beaten, mocked, ridiculed, wrongly accused and nailed to a cross, Jesus offers forgiveness to those around him. Here we see the heart of God for His children, who time after time wronged Him, yet He still loves and forgives. I honestly have a hard time imagining this level of love, yet I know that through Christ in me, God calls me to this as well. I fall terribly short, but this moment on the cross holds out for me the ideal, the goal, the perfection of love that I aspire to, only by the grace of God.

Luke also tells us that Jesus was crucified between two criminals. One of them taunts Jesus, saying, "'So you're the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself - and us, too, while you're at it!'" (vs. 39) The other criminal, though, responds, "'Don't you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn't done anything wrong....Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.'" (vss. 40-42)

Jesus is suffering excruciating pain as he hangs on the cross, facing his last hours of life on earth, yet his concern isn't for himself but for this repentant criminal. Jesus utters the second thing on the cross, "'I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.'" (vs. 43) Jesus offered forgiveness, and now he offers love and hope to this man dying next to him. Jesus said he came to seek and save those who were lost, and even as he hangs on the cross facing his own death, he never forgets his mission and purpose. In these last minutes, he enables one more man to follow him into eternity.

If I want a picture of what matters to God, I can't miss it here. Jesus Christ lived and died for us. He never lost sight of his mission, even in his last hours. And he gives us this picture to show us his level of commitment to his mission. We, the church, are the body of Christ in the world today, and his mission is our mission. His level of commitment must become our level of commitment, so that we can remain faithful to him. If he died a horrible death for me, any discomfort I may sometimes experience in seeking those disconnected from God is a small price to pay for all he's done.

But Luke also records Jesus' last words, a prayer, before he dies on the cross: "'Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!'" These words are a quote from Psalm 31:5, with the addition of the word, "Father." And these words from Psalm 31 were traditionally taught by every Jewish mother to her child as the last thing the child would say at night. This prayer of faith as he closed his eyes, was a statement of faith in the Father. No matter what he had been through, Jesus trusted his Heavenly Father (and our Heavenly Father) to care for him.

In his last words, Jesus showed his undying love and concern for us and all those disconnected from God, and his complete trust and faith in his Heavenly Father. He models for us the life he calls us to live, as well. By ourselves, we cannot forgive or love or have this level of faith, but when Jesus is at the center of our lives, His Spirit grows the heart of Jesus within us. And by His power, Jesus' words and actions become ours!
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