Proverbs 3:30 Do not accuse anyone for no reason— when they have done you no harm.
There are often lengthy discussions as to how much injustice there was concerning Jesus’ crucifixion. Statements like, “He was an innocent man.” “He was a good man who did good things for people.” “He was a just and holy man who had been framed by the religious ruling class.” These statements seem to be the repeated reasons why some folk express that it was unreasonable that the Lord should have suffered so cruel a punishment because Jesus was such a good man. Acts 10:38 And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
Think about it. The Romans had perfected the cruel art of crucifixion. They had been doing it for hundreds of years, and it was a common punishment used on slaves, Christians, disgraced soldiers, and undesirable foreigners. The system was so well worked because crucifixion was a slow death and there was a faint hope possibility of being taken off the cross if the one being nailed had been found innocent before he or she died. Which meant in itself, that there were innocent, good, and just people who had been falsely condemned to the torture of the cross. Not unlike finding out years later that a prisoner on death row had been found innocent after DNA results proved that the person had been wrongfully jailed for something he or she had not done.
What was it that made the crucifixion of Jesus so historically important, world-changing, and eternally binding? If it was only that Jesus was innocent, good, and just that made His sacrifice acceptible to God, then why not accept all the other innocent, just, and good martyrs who sacrificed their lives? There had been plenty of Godly men and prophets who had come before Jesus, who had been killed for doing what God had asked them to do. Jesus talked about them with the rulers of the synagogue. Luke 13:34a O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! Heb. 11:37 They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they died by the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, destitute, afflicted, and mistreated. Why were the lives of those holy men who were mistreated and murdered not an acceptable sacrifice to take away sin?
What we call innocent and what the Lord calls innocent are two different views of innocence. As I said, many who had been crucified were innocent of the crime that got them nailed to the cross, but they were not innocent of everything in life or innocent of the sin they had been born into at birth. Jesus was not only an innocent man but a sinless man as well. Jesus’ sacrifice of His life was the one whom God could accept because Jesus was the perfect sacrifice that would cover and take away the sins of every person who ever was, is, and will be. 2Cor. 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
I agree that it was unjust and insidious for the religious leaders in Jerusalem to commit deicide by falsely accusing Jesus and rigging the system to have Him crucified. But God had an eternal plan hidden in Christ that allowed every soul entrance into the presence of God the Father and would allow every person to be accepted and seen as the righteousness of God through Christ if Jesus was accepted as their personal saviour. What an incredible mystery and miracle that had been concealed from the evil one. From the first day after man had sinned, God declared a saviour would be sent to deliver mankind from the bondage of Satan, death, and iniquity, and Satan wouldn’t see it coming. 1Cor. 2:7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glorification. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
Had Satan understood the power and mystery veiled in Christ, he would not have instigated the crucifixion of Jesus. When Jesus was nailed to the cross and the moment He shouted, “It is finished,” it was finished for Satan and all his minions as their days became numbered. Eternal hell awaits them all. They should have read the proverb. Prov. 3:30 Do not accuse anyone for no reason— when they have done you no harm. That same shout on the cross was the beginning of the liberating force that saved us from eternal death. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead confirmed life for evermore.
We who are in Christ, have been made the righteousness of God through the sacrifice and blood of Jesus. The Lord’s sacrifice allows us to walk as innocent beings before our God. Are we innocent of all things in life? I doubt it because being human means we will mess up. However, through Christ, we are now accepted as innocent before our Heavenly Father. This is all possible because of Jesus and the finished work He has done for us. What an amazing gift God has given us. Let us be grateful for our salvation that has been paid for at such a great cost. Jesus is Lord!
True, The sacrifice of Jesus, the pivotal point for eternal life.
Dido to that first comment by anon!!!
Thank you, Norm! The most AWEfilled happening in human history! You have laid it out so clearly that it causes the Spirit inside to well up in a glorious songs of thanksgiving and praise!
Blessings my brother!