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T HE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
“For in t h a t s h e h a s ^ m r e d t h i s o i n t m e n t o n m y b o d y , s h e d id T t f o r m y b u r ia l.” Now Joseph lovingly w raps it in linen cloth and, as John tells us (John 19:39- 42), assisted by Nicodemus (another secret disciple un til now) lays it away in his own new sepulchre. In w hat unexpected ways does the Lord raise up friends for Himself, and in what stran g e ways are His friends led to m in ister to Him! QUESTIONS (1 ) Was Jesu s’ crucifixion prophe sied? (Psa. 2 2 :6 ; 16:8.) (2 ) Was th ere any one to pity Him? (Psa. 69:20.) (3 ) Had He saved H imself could we have been saved? (John 3:14, 15.) (4 ) Will He be king of Jews and Gentiles, and when? (Rev. 19:11-16.) (5) Did th e dying th ief bring com fo rt to Jesus by his prayer? (John 5: . 22, 23.) - (6) Did th is th ief have what Paul longed for? (Phil. 1:23.) (7) When th e veil was ren t what door was opened for all believers? (Heb. 10:19, 20.) (8) Did Jesus lay down His own life?. (John 10:17, 18.) ate Christianity rests upon certain his toric facts. The first g reat fundam ental' fact is th e actual atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ. His resurrection re quires th a t he really DEVOTIONAL died. Had he only COMMENT swooned upon the P . W. P a r r cross there m ight have been resusci tation, bu t th a t is not resurrection. A man does not merely fain t away when a Roman spear is th ru st into a vital spot. The issue of blood and w ater from the rup tu red pericardial sac showed th a t death had already taken place. The Roman soldiers were fam iliar enough w ith death to recognize it when they saw, it, and they forbore the useless
mutilation of a lifeless body. The marvel is th a t Jesus, being what he was, could have died a t all. Death is the resu lt of sin, bu t h e was holy,' harm less, undefiled and separate from sinners. He could never have died a so-called n atu ral death eith er from sickness or decay. We cannot agree w ith those who say, “Christ was not here to die, bu t he died be cause he was h ere.” The cross was his objective from the first. He came in to the world to die. The Gospels give us the fact of his death and th e Epistles give us the sig nificance and the in terp retation of it. Death is the fru it of sin. Physical death is separation of soul and body. Spirit ual death is th e separation of the soul from God. E tern al death is spiritual death perpetuated. The Saviour suffered physical and sp iritual death. The im mediate cause of his physical death was a broken h eart. Separation from God broke his heart. The cry of agony, “My God, my God, why h ast thou forsaken m e?” was not the raving of delirium . It was a terrib le reality. The dying Christ was not the victim of a hallucination. “Thou h ast made him to be sin for us who knew no sin.” He was th e antitype of th e Old Testament sin-offering. He had been forsaken by his disciples. He was now forsaken by his God. I t -was th e inevitable reaction of Divine holi ness against sin. He trod the wine press alone. The manner in which he finally yield ed up his life is most significant. It was far from the usual way in which men die. The streng th gradually ebbs. The voice sinks to a whisper. A t last th e b reath stops w ith one expiring sigh and all is over. “Jesus, when he had cried w ith a loud voice, dismissed his sp irit.” W hat is the meaning of this cry? It is the. battle Cry of victory. It is th e shout of tr i umph which bu rsts from the lips of the victorious w arrior as he tu rn s th e tide of battle from defeat to victory and hurls
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