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THE KING’S BUSINESS
Jesus Crucified LESSON XI. John 19:16-22, 25-30. (Read 16-30. Memorize vs. 26, 27). “Christ died for our sins.”—1 Cor. 15:3. DAILY BIBLE READINGS Mon., June 4—John 19:17-30. (The Lesson).
JUNE 10, 1917. G olden T ext :
Tues., June 5—John 19:31-42. Wed., June 6 —Matt, 27:27-44. Thurs., June 7—Matt. 27:45-56.
Fri., June 8 —Luke 23:26-43. Sat., June 9—Luke 23 :44-56. Sun., June 10—Matt. 27:57-66. EXPOSITION ANQ PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
vs. 16-18. “Then delivered he Him there fore (Then therefore he delivered Him) unto them to he crucified: (.) and they took Jesus, and led Him away. And He hearing His cross went out into a (They took Jesus therefore: and He went out, bearing the cross for Himself, unto the) place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha; where they crucified him, and two other with Him (with Him two others), on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.’’ Pilate did not wish to crucify Jesus (see preceding verses). He knew He was innocent of the charges brought against Him and ought to go free. But rather than incur the hatred of the Jewish authorities, he yielded to their demand for His blood and became a party to the murder of ,the Son of God. Many a supposedly good man today is tak ing a part in His crucifixion rather than surrender to Him and pay the price of open confession of Him. “They crucified Him,” what a world of meaning in those three words ! What a revelation there is in them of thé wickedness of the human heart and its intense hatred of God (cf. Rom, 8 :7) ! God sent His own son down to men, Him who was the perfect manifes tation of God’s own infinite goodness, wis dom and love, and "they crucified Him." How those awful words lay the pride of man in the dust. And humaiy nature is just the same today as it was then. If Jesus were to appear on earth today and to live as He lived before, teach as He
taught before, make the same demands upon men as He made when He was here upon earth, and upbraid the. greed and oppression and hypocrisy of civil and eccle siastical powers as He did when He was here, they would crucify Him again. Indeed many are crucifying Him today. The world’s bitterest hate was visited not upon a bad man, but upon the best man who ever lived, the one perfect man that this earth ever saw, the God-man. This clearly reveals what man is at heart; but on the other side, what a revelation we have in these three words, “They crucified Him,” of the love of Christ and of God the Father. The Lord Jesus might have been sitting upon a throne, the throne of the universe, but instead of that He is hanging upon a cross, a cross of shame and agony and death. Why ? For love- to you and love to me. He leaves the throne and hangs upon the cross that we may escape the cross and sit upon the throne. (Gal. 3:10, 13; 2 Cor. 5:21). The pain that Jesus suffered no imagination can con ceive, and He suffered it all for us (Isa. 53:6). The physical suffering was not the severest agony that Jesus bore (Ps. 69:20; Matt. 27:46). But He does not ask our pity (Luke 23:27, 28; Heb. 12:2). The crucifixion of Jesus was a part of God’s eternal purpose of love and redemption, but that does not lessen one whit the guilt of those who crucified Him (Acts 2:23). This crucifixion was an exact fulfillment of prophecy (Ps. 22:16; Isa.’ 53:5; Zech.
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