T HE K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S -This was never true of David. (Isa. 53:12.) “— and lie w a s numbered w ith the tran sg resso rs; and he bare the sin of m any, and made intercession fo r the tran sgresso rs.” (Psa. 22:8.) “ He tru sted on the Lord th a t he would deliver him : let him deliver him , seeing he delighted in him .” They testified that He saved others and thus set the seal to their own guilt in crucifying Him. In the midst of it all, the silent sufferer was dying to save His enemies. Had Jesus come down they Would never have believed Him. He came forth from the grave but they believed not. They would not come unto Him that they might have life, (Jno. 5:40). He could not save others if He saved Himfeelf. He saved others byrsacrific ing Himself. (4) DARKNESS AND DEATH. “There was darkness,”. “Jesus yielded up the Ghost.” God gave them a sign from'heaven." There was darkness over the whole land for three hours. It was not an eclipse; the paschal moon ’was full. This was the time of His awful grief; three hours segregated from all other hours in history; three hours in which the awful mystery, of the atonement was worked out. God veiled His face. (Hab. 1:13.) “ Thou a rt o f pu rer eyes than to behold evil, and can st not look on iniqu ity.” The Son. of -God broke the stillness of that gloom with the heart-rending cry, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken Me?” God is light. Dark ness is the absence of light. There was no presence of God in that horrible night of His suffering soul. He was treading the wine-press alone, (Isa. 63:3). “ I have trodden the w inepress alone; and o f the people there w a s none w ith m e: fo r I w ill tread them in mine aiiger, and tram ple them in m y fu ry .” The prince of darkness and all of the hosts of evil held cariiival in those hours. He was then indeed made sin, (2 Cor. 5:21.) . “ F o r he hath made him to he sin fo r us, w ho kn ew no sin3 th at w e m igh t be made the righ teousn ess o f God In him .”
269 His cry was the cry of a lost soul. This was the will of the Father, (Duke 22:42). Who spared not His own Son, (Rom. 8:32.) “ He th a t spared not his own Son, but delivered him up fo r us all, how sh all he not w ith him also fre e ly g iv e us all th in gs ?” God laid on Him the iniquity of us all, (Isa. 53:6). In that hour the Lamb of God bore away the. sin of the world, (John 1:29). “ Behold the Lam b of God, whigh taketh a w a y the sin o f the w o rld !” and sanctified His followers with His own blood, (Heb. 13:12). “ W herefore Je su s also, th at he m ight sa n ctify the people w ith his own blood, suffered w ithout the g a te .” In the closing moment, He cried with a loud voice and yielded up His life. The loud voice is the testimony that He had power to lay down His life, (Jno. 10:18). The veil in the temple was rent, (v. 51). God could now come out of the thick darkness and on the basis of the finished work of His Son manifest grace and blessing to lost men. At His birth the darkness was dispelled by the glory of the angels. At His death day was turned into night that our night might be turned into day. PRACTICAL POINTS (1) Pilate washed . his hands, but could not clear his conscience. (2) The Jews sought to shift the re sponsibility, but Christ laid it upon them. (3) “Behold the Man!” Behold the men—and contrast the conditions. (4) For Christ—a robe and reed and a reviling rabble. (5) Christ bore the shame and sin that we might share His grace and glory. (6) The Cross reveals the rebellious heart of the natural man. (7) The fact that He was fbrsaken of God in His dire distress, testifies to the truth that the penalty of sin is separation from God. (8) The death of Christ opened a door in'Heaven for “whosoever will.”
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