THE PURPOSE FOR WHICH GOD SENT HIS SON INTO THE WORLD
Pontius Pilate was manipulated into having Jesus crucified. Whatever his reasons may have been he insisted that the accusation against him, positioned on the cross above his head, was stated clearly for all to understand: "Jesus of Nazareth the king of the Jews." Written in Hebrew, Greek and Latin.
Many of those who looked at the scene there on Golgotha (Calvary) mocked him, including religious leaders and soldiers. They challenged Jesus to make a demonstration by coming down from the cross, if he was indeed the Christ (Messiah), God’s Son. Jesus did not meet the general expectation of what the Messiah would be like. And the majority of the Sanhedrin considered him to be a threat to their ambitions and wanted rid of him.
Conversation on Golgotha
There were two criminals who were crucified alongside Jesus on that hill just outside Jerusalem. Both of them joined in the scoffing directed against him.
During the hours that passed by, these two men had the opportunity to contemplate the condition of their own hearts, even in the middle of their anguish. And they were also confronted by the unique suffering of Jesus and his response to everyone’s treatment of him.
With a blinkered view of the ‘here and now’ and no concern about eternity, one of them continued to speak contemptuously to Jesus: "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us."
Clearly experiencing a change of heart, the other responded to his fellow-criminal’s words, saying: "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong."
He continued, directing his words to our Saviour: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
And Jesus said to him: "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise."
On the cross the Son of God was bearing the sins of the world. And his blood was poured out as the sacrifice that secures forgiveness for all who turn trustingly to him.
Consider that conversation that took place on Golgotha, as it is recorded in the Bible (Luke 23:39-43).
We have no record of what those criminals had done. But the words of the one who turned to Christ in faith reveal that the deeds that they had committed were of such a degree that he considered their own punishment, at the hands of the Romans, to be just and deserved.
He had also become convinced that Jesus had done nothing wrong. And therefore the treatment Jesus had received, at the hand of the various authorities and the people, was totally unjust.
His understanding would have been limited, influenced by the popular opinions of his own time. But something happened there on that day that transformed his thinking and resulted in him believing that Jesus was indeed the Christ (Messiah) … the King. A crucified King whose purpose would still be fully achieved.
All this moved him in faith to ask Jesus to remember him at some future stage. Jesus’ response was however a declaration of abundant assurance, pledging to this new believer that on that very same day he would be with his Saviour in paradise.
Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection was the reason he came into the world, bearing the punishment for our sins
When God sent his Son into the world a virgin became miraculously and uniquely pregnant. An angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to the man she was engaged to and told him: "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:20-21)."
John the baptiser said about Jesus: "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)!"
Prophetically Isaiah had declared: "Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned — every one — to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:4-6)." And as the time of his crucifixion approached Jesus said: "Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour (John 12:27)."
To indicate the way he was going to die he declared: "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself (John 12:32)."
"In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:9-10)."
"We love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19)."
Eternal Life
Those two criminals, as their death was approaching, were there next to Jesus as he was bearing not only the sins of his own ethnic people, but also the sins of the world.
One of them, confessing that he was a sinner, turned to Christ in faith. And Jesus gave him eternal life. Kingdom life.
Redemption & Atonement
However deep a person has sunk into sin, forgiveness has been purchased by Christ for all who repent and believe in him.
Wherever you live, whatever your station in life, whatever you have done, in spite of what your opinion of yourself has been up to this point in time, if you turn believing in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, God will forgive you too and you will be his forever.
FOR FURTHER READING
Matthew 1:18-25
Matthew 26:1 - 28:20
Mark 14:1 - 16:20
Luke 1:1 - 2:21
Luke 22:1 - 24:53
John 1:1-51
John 3:1-36
John 18:1 - 21:25
I am His and He is mine.
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