Our Sin - An Exceedingly Greater Weight Than the Cross
From the very onset may we say that this article is not given with the intention of focusing upon Christ's bearing of the cross. The very core of the Gospel; the strength of its message is this: it is not in the bearing of a Roman cross, but in the bearing of our sin. It is in Justification; it is in imputed righteousness. As heavy a load as was the cross to carry, our Lord bore upon himself an exceedingly greater weight as He walked up the hill to Calvary - that of the sins of his people. "By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities" Isa. 53:11. "He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors" vs. 12. May the Lord grant that we ponder anew the glories of the unfathomable riches of the Gospel.
It does appear that some analogy regarding the cross might be in order since there are some misconceptions adrift.
"And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross" Matt. 27:32. "And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross" Mark 15:21. "And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus" Luke 23:26. "And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called in the Hebrew Golgotha" John 19:17.
It may be noted that the first three gospels make mention of Simon the Cyrenian, but make no mention at all of Jesus ever bearing the cross. John, on the other hand, makes no mention of Simon, yet it is he alone who speaks of our Lord bearing his cross.
For Simon to be compelled to bear the cross of a convicted felon would be regarded by men to humiliate, to degrade, to bring dishonor and disgrace upon him. Yet our Lord records his name, even his sons' names, as a memorial to him in the canon of scripture! And not just once, but in three of the gospels! "And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian . . .and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus." True, Simon was bearing His cross - but Jesus was bearing the exceedingly greater weight; Simon's sin. A word of admonition: "Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the camp. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach" Heb. 13:12,13. Christ has borne the exceedingly greater weight of our sin: shall we not bear the cross, following him?
It is commonly depicted in our Easter pageantries that Jesus stumbled and fell under the weight of the cross; thus the reasoning of compelling another to bear His cross. Here we have another case where the assumptions of men become conclusions, having no scripture given to substantiate their reasoning. There is no place to be found where Jesus stumbled, or faltered, or fell - or failed! (excluding Matthew 26:39 where Jesus fell on his face, and prayed - that sort of falling is commendable to say the least!)
"It seems, at first he carried the cross himself, as Isaac carried the wood for the burnt offering, which was to burn him. And this was intended, as other things, both for pain and shame to him. But after a while they took the cross off from him, either, in compassion to him, because they saw it was too great a load for him. We can hardly think that they had any consideration of that . . .Or, they were afraid, lest he should faint away under the load of his cross, and die, and so prevent what their malice further intended to do against him: thus even the tender mercies of the wicked (which seem to be so) are really cruel."
Matthew Henry's Commentary, Vol. V. page 423.
Notice again: "Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall. . . And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on, and led him away to crucify him. And as they came out [from the common hall with Jesus] they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name." Matt. 27:27,31,32. This seems to agree with Matthew Henry's thoughts: that Jesus carried the cross but a short distance from the common hall. The Jewish leaders in a maddening frenzy continued to shout, "crucify him, crucify him." Those Roman soldiers dared not let anything happen to Jesus before he was nailed upon the cross, less the fierce hatred of the Jews be turned upon them. Little did they know that the determinate council of God had predestined the crucifixion; that Christ is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. In view of eternal things, our sins were laid upon Him in eternity past; thus the imputing of sin unto him and the imputing of righteousness upon Abraham and the Old Testament saints. In view of the earthly, our sins must have been laid on Him as Caiaphas and the others declared Him "guilty of death." As such we must conclude this time to be when "The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." Then began the wounding, the bruising, the stripes at the hands of men; likewise that he was "stricken, smitten, afflicted" at the hand of God.
Christ, our sin-bearer.
"he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him" Isa. 53:2. But the great marvel is, despite our depravity, our lack of comeliness and our being void of any beauty, that He should desire us.
"He is despised and rejected of men . . .and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not" vs. 3. Oh the abundant mercies of God! It is we who should have been despised and rejected of God. It is He who in righteousness should have hid his face from us. It is He, who knowing our utter worthlessness, should have esteemed us not; yea should have cast us as it were upon the fiery heap of Gehenna.
The Gospel according to Isaiah.
"Surely he hath born our griefs, and carried our sorrows . . .he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities . . .with his stripes we are healed.
"we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. . .The Lord hath laid on him theiniquity of us all." Consider this: that all our sin, from Adam unto the last of our sins yet future - were ALL heaped upon our Lord. We are not considering monthly payments here! No. ALL the payment was due - and ALL the payment was made for our transgressions that day upon the cross, upon a hill called Calvary. Again, no payment had been made; ALL was now due; and payment was made in full! Amazing! All of the Donald Trumps and Bill Gates in the world could not with their combined assets, ever pay the price for even one of our sins! -- but Jesus paid it all!
The Day our sin was laid upon Him.
"And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled . . .And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy, what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death" Matt. 26:57,63-66. He is guilty of death.The trial is over. The judge called for the verdict. The entire room full of "jurors" unanimously thundered forth their answer: We find Him guilty as charged! Now Isaiah 53 is put into motion, its prophesies making known both temporal and eternal. "God hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." NOW will he be stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. NOW will men wound him, bruise him, lay the stripes into his back. Abraham, in sorrow of heart would have slain Isaac and offered him upon the altar; but of the heavenly Father it is said, "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief." And of Christ: "he hath poured out his soul unto death." "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!" Rom. 11:33.
Look at the very next verse: THEN did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands" vs. 67. THEN Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands" John 19:1,2.
Moving down to verse seven of the same chapter: "The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God."
The Law. Deuteronomy chapter 21, verses 21 and 22: “And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;)
“A law for the burying of the bodies of malefactors that were hanged, vs. 22. The hanging of them by the neck till the body was dead was not used at all among the Jews, as with us; . . .it was usual, by order of the judges, to hang up the dead bodies upon a post for some time, as a spectacle to the world, to express the ignominy of the crime. . .Now it is here provided that, whatever time of the day they were hanged up, at sunset they should be taken down and buried. . . He that is hanged is accursed of God, that is, it is the highest degree of disgrace and reproach that can be done unto a man. . .Those that see him thus hang between heaven and earth will conclude him abandoned. . .”
Matthew Henry
Take note. Those Jews are going to follow the letter of the Law: you can count on it! Deuteronomy 21: “If a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be put to death, and thouhang him on a tree. . .” Would they dare use the Law against the Law-giver? Absolutely! O.K. What about the blasphemy issue? They’ve got that covered too. “and the Israelitish woman’s son blasphemed the name of the Lord, and cursed. And they brought him unto Moses. . .And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Bring forth him that hath cursed without the camp. [sound familiar?] And he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death.” Leviticus 24:11a,16.
“For mine enemies speak against me; and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together, Saying, God hath forsaken him: PERSECUTE HIM AND TAKE HIM; for there is none to deliver him” Psalm 71:10,11. They were so sure, weren’t they? The Roman cross will suit their purpose quite nicely! And no one will ever know of their treachery - will they?
“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me” Psalm 22:1 & Matt. 27:46. While this is a grievous cry that pierces our hearts, those Jews were elated upon hearing it! Remember what we just read? “He that is hanged is accursed of God. . .it is the highest degree of disgrace and reproach that can be done unto a man. . .those that see him thus hang between heaven and earth will conclude him abandoned.” “My God, my God, why hast thou FORSAKEN me?” To the Jewish leaders this was an admission of guilt!He has committed sin worthy of death! He is accursed of God. Therefore he is abandoned of God. What further proof was needed? Is this the man who would be the Christ, the King of Israel? And he admits with his own mouth that the God of Israel has forsaken him! He has discredited himself. This man has brought shame upon the people of Israel; he has disgraced them and has been an embarrassment in front of the Romans. Let them know that we “receive him not.”
“The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away“ John 19:31. As we are told, the Romans had no such law, that criminals should be taken down on the evening of their crucifixion. But for the Jew, it had to be done! If a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day;(for he that is hanged is accursed of God.” Again, those Jews can be counted on to fulfill the Law! Isn’t it amazing how man can do his worst wickedness, and still be fulfilling the purpose of God?
“Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree” Gal. 3:13.
“He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” John 1:11,12
| “His visage was so marred more than any man,” Isa. 52:14 | “As of a lamb without spot or blemish” I Peter 1:19 |
| "No beauty that we should desire Him” Isa. 53:2 | “Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” Psalm 96:9 |
| “We hid as it were our faces from Him” Isa. 53:3 | “We beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father” John 1:14 |
| "We esteemed Him not” Isa. 53:3 | “Unto you therefore which believe He is precious” I Peter 2:7 |
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