By Pastor Greg
A pastor was giving the children's message during church. On this particular Sunday, he was using squirrels for an object lesson on industry and preparation. He started out by saying, "I'm going to describe something, and I want you to raise your hand when you know what it is." The children nodded eagerly. "This thing lives in trees (pause) and eats nuts (pause)..." No hands went up. "And it is grey (pause) and has a long bushy tail (pause)..." The children were looking at each other, but still no hands were raised. "And it jumps from branch to branch (pause) and chatters and flips its tail when it's excited (pause)..." Finally one little boy tentatively raised his hand. The pastor breathed a sigh of relief and called on him. "Well...," said the boy, "I *know* the answer is Jesus...but is sure sounds like a squirrel to me!"
In 586 BC, the Babylonian empire captured Jerusalem, destroyed the city, and began the 70 year captivity at the hands of a king named Nebuchadnezzar. In the book of Isaiah, God declared this would happen because of the sins of Israel. And, indeed, the Nation had all but abandoned God; worshiping just about anything they could get their hands on. The people God had chosen as His own had turned their back upon the One who had rescued them. God had warned His people time and time again to turn away from their sin and return to Him. And if they would not, He would punish them for their sin; they would suffer the wrath of God. But God also went on to declare that once their punishment was over, they would return and be restored.
In Isaiah chapters 51 and 52, God tells His people to look alive; to wake up. The punishment for their sin is over and it’s time to get back on their feet. As a matter of fact, God makes an incredible promise to His people in chapter 51. “This is what the Sovereign Lord, your God and Defender, says: ‘See, I am taking the terrible cup from your hands. You will drink no more of my fury. It is gone at last!” (Isaiah 51:22). God promised that a day was coming when this “Cup of His fury” or the “Chalice of His wrath” would be passed on to His chosen suffering servant. Now, if the cup of God’s wrath is being taken away from them, then to whom will it be given? God’s wrath against sin and unrighteousness still exists, I mean, it’s not like He has gone soft on sin. So then, who will drink of His wrath and fury?
Probably one of the most frequent Bible verses you’ll hear during Easter comes from Isaiah 53. [4] “Yet it was our weaknesses He carried; it was our sorrows that weighed Him down. And we thought His troubles were a punishment from God for His own sins! [5] But He was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed! [6] All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on Him the guilt and sins of us all.” (Isaiah 53:4-6). God promised that one day His wrath will be poured out upon His “Suffering Servant”. The cup of God’s fury will be taken from us and given to the One of God’s own choosing. Do you know who God is talking about? Who does this sound like?
Think back to the whole crucifixion story. Do you recall a time in the gospels when a cup is mentioned? Luke records the words of Jesus as He knelt in passionate prayer. Jesus pleads “Father, if You are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from Me. Yet I want Your will, not Mine”. (Luke 22:42). And again Jesus says to Peter in John 18:11 “Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup the Father has given Me?” Any one who reads this prophesy in Isaiah and then reads the crucifixion account in the gospels should be able to draw the connection. It sounds like Jesus. Jesus was this “Suffering Servant” that God had promised 700 years before Jesus was even born.
I think we need to realize that God’s wrath against our disobedience and our sin has not disappeared. He is just as angry today when we turn our backs to Him as He was back then. His wrath still burns against those who disobey His laws. He is just as intolerant against sin today as He was with these Hebrew people (boy, there’s an image of God many in America don’t like to hear!). Nothing about God has changed. It’s just that His wrath has been taken from us and given to another. It sounds like Jesus is the One it has been given to, and I just can’t get that thought out of my mind.
Is it the fact that God has taken this cup from my hands without even asking that has affected me so? Not really. Is it the fact that He said I will never drink from it again? Maybe. I think that what has impacted me the most is that Jesus did not deserve it. He had never done anything to deserve the cup of God’s wrath. But I did. I keep on expecting to drink form this cup that I know I deserve, but it never seems to happen. I go searching for the chalice of God’s wrath and find that it has already been given to another; one who has done no wrong. I didn’t ask Him to take it. I didn’t freely pass it into the hands of Jesus; God took it from me and gave it to Him. It wasn’t that I was a real good person or had enough stars on the Perfect Attendance chart in Sunday School. I did nothing to earn this. I was a miserable, despicable, sinful person. And yet God snatched this cup from my hands and passed on to the Messiah; our “Suffering Servant”.
[10] “But it was the Lord's good plan to crush Him and fill Him with grief. Yet when His life is made an offering for sin, He will have a multitude of children, many heirs. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord's plan will prosper in His hands. [11] When He sees all that is accomplished by His anguish, He will be satisfied. And because of what He has experienced, My righteous Servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for He will bear all their sins.” (Isaiah 53:10 & 11
I continue to be amazed at the wrath God laid upon His Son. As I said earlier, there are many days when I expect to find this “Cup of Fury” to be pressed against my lips. After all, I had done exactly what God had told me not to do. And every time I see a nail, a whip, a crown of thorns, and especially a cross, I am reminded of the One who is holding the cup I so deserve. I am amazed at the wrath God laid upon His Son; that upon the cross He drank from the cup I should have been holding in the first place.
I think that’s what it means to come to the cross empty handed. When we realize what has been taken out of our hands and given to Jesus, there is nothing left to hold on to. When we admit that we should be the one to suffer and die, the only thing we have left to give as we stand before Him is our life; our soul. How does it affect you knowing that the wrath you deserve has been given to another? How does it affect you knowing that the One who did receive God’s wrath was willing to so? What makes the sacrificial death of Jesus so special to you?
No comments:
Post a Comment