His mother was led into the circle that opened up around the men. She was pale, trembling with fear. The executioner lifted his whip – but before the first strike came down on her back, Shamuël shouted: “Stop! Hang on! This is my mother; I am of her flesh and blood. I will take the punishment for her!” He entered the circle, bared his back and commanded: “Executioner, strike! But not lighter than with the last offender. Do your duty!” Lash after lash came down, until he lost consciousness. Against expectation Shamuël did survive his ordeal. Will we ever know how his mother felt about what she had caused to her son? Shame, wonder, or love resulting from the behaviour of her son must have overcome her.
This event, perhaps more than others in history, illustrates the way Jesus did. He died in our stead. He took our place:
“He Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree (cross), by His wounds you have been healed”. (1 Peter 2:24).
It was not just the physical pain, bad as it was, that caused the suffering of Jesus, the only ever sinless and pure person. It was that He who took on Himself the ugly filth of our sin, as the prophet Isaiah foresaw in a vision from God 750 years earlier:
“He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all”. (Isa 53:5-6)
God’s righteousness and love met at the cross of Jesus.
“God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them”. (2 Corinthians 5:19).
This happened once and for all. This sacrifice for sin is sufficient for all men at all times, and therefore never needs to be repeated. It is God’s grace in action. It is God’s gift to us. A gift, however, becomes mine only when I am ready and willing to accept it. Listen to another illustration:
Recent Comments