Tag: Lent

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My Atonement

Then the Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When any man of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of animals from the herd or the flock. If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer it, a male without defect; he shall offer it at the doorway of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the Lord. He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, that it may be accepted for him to make up the blood and sprinkle the blood around on the altar that is at the doorway of the tent of meeting. He shall then skin the burnt offering and cut it into its pieces. The sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, the head and the suet over the wood which is on the fire that is on the altar. Its entrails, however, and its legs he shall wash with water.  And the priest shall offer up in smoke all of it on the altar for a burnt offering, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the Lord.   (Leviticus 1:1-9, NASB)

This Lenten Season, we remember Jesus’ sacrifice.  But in the Torah, we get a picture of sacrifices that Jesus eventually would fulfill.  The book of Leviticus has commandments which God passed through Moses, which were fulfilled by the sons of Levi, which were how to perform the sacrifices.  Let’s look for Jesus in God’s instructions. 

Leviticus 1:9 image.  Found at Impact bible.org Blog, https://blogs.bible.org/the-five-fire-sacrifices-and-offerings-of-israel-the-burnt-offering/. 

First, Jesus was “without defect.”  He lived a perfect life, free from sin, so that He was an acceptable sacrifice to the Father.  Next is the blood.  God demands blood for atonement of sins.  God commanded that the blood of the sacrifice be “sprinkle[d] around on the altar that is at the doorway of the tent of meeting.”  Jesus’ sacrifice had much blood.  We are cleansed  from all of our sins by His blood!  Finally, “the priest shall offer up in smoke all of it on the altar for a burnt offering, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the Lord.”  Jesus is, indeed, that Soothing Aroma to the Lord! 

Per God’s command, sinners were required to repeat this process every time they sinned.  Believers in Christ Jesus have been forgiven.  Once we have called upon the name of the Lord to be saved, we only have to confess our sins to Him!  Jesus is my Atonement! 

Worship:  “O The Blood,” by Selah
Worship:  “Nothing But the Blood,” by Hillsong UNITED
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Prophecy XIII

From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”  (Matthew 16:21-23, NASB)

This account is from Apostle Matthew.  He was an eye witness as Jesus began to prepare the disciples for what was about to take place, His arrest, torture, crucifixion, and resurrection.  Other Gospel accounts speak of the apostles’ grief, or their failure to understand.  But Matthew’s story tells of Simon Peter’s “rebuke,” and Jesus’ declaration that Peter was a “stumbling block.”

Jesus’ prophecy of His own coming demise must have been hard to understand.  He had been telling the disciples that He was the Son of God.  He had performed miracles and healed the sick and the crippled.  How could the authorities arrest this Man and put Him to death?  And what was this about being “raised up on the third day”?  

Peter to the rescue!  He wouldn’t let the prediction of Jesus’ demise come true.  He, along with the Zebedee brothers, was part of Jesus’ inner circle.  He would be Jesus’ bodyguard.  Jesus would have nothing to worry about.  He would talk some sense into Jesus, straighten Him out.  What could go wrong?  Wait, what? 

“Get Behind Me Satan.”  Found at Catholic for Life, https://www.catholicforlife.com/tag/get-behind-me-satan/

Satan?  Jesus rebuked Peter’s rebuke by calling him “Satan.”  “A stumbling block.”  That he was “not setting [his] mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”  Many of Israel’s people were looking for a political Messiah Who would expel the Roman occupiers and rule Israel with justice.  The disciples, despite all the time they spent with Jesus, didn’t comprehend what this was all about.  Jesus didn’t come to the earth He created to free them from Rome, He came to free them from their sins.  To do that, He had to go to Jerusalem, and present Himself as the Lamb of God, a sacrifice acceptable to God the Father. 

Imagine how Peter felt at Jesus’ rebuke.  Not long before this, during a discussion about Who Jesus is, he had confessed that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  (Matthew 16:16)  Jesus praised him, and was ready to hand him the keys to the kingdom of heaven.  Now the Christ was calling him “Satan”!  Did Peter have a demon?  I don’t know.  Perhaps Jesus was giving him a wake-up call.  After all, He had The Plan, The Big Picture, and He wanted Peter on board. 

Ever since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, God had a plan of redemption to bring men and women back to peace with Him.  He would eventually send His Son to earth, and He would act as a sacrifice.  He would take the punishment we deserve as a substitute for our salvation.  We deserve to die for our sins.  Jesus paid the price for us.  Our part is to accept His sacrifice, and ask Jesus into our hearts. 

Worship:  “Victor’s Crown,” by Darlene Zschech and Kari Jobe
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Prophecy XII

Reproach has broken my heart and I am so sick. And I looked for sympathy, but there was none, And for comforters, but I found none. They also gave me gall for my food And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.  (Psalm 69:20-21, NASB)

Psalm 69 is another written by King David, a portion of which is recognized as a prophecy of the suffering that Jesus Christ would endure at the end of His life on this earth.  Its title is “A Cry of Distress and Imprecation on Adversaries.”  There were many times that David felt anguish as his enemies pursued him, and many times he asked God for help in defeating and punishing them.  The parallels with what Jesus felt at the end of His life are interesting. 

First, there’s the reproach that “has broken my heart and I am so sick.”  Jesus was abandoned by His friends, the disciples.  Worse, His Father turned His back on His Son during the hours of torture and crucifixion.  Jesus also suffered humiliation and mocking from people as He hung on the cross.  Physically, He became so sick in the Garden of Gethsemane in anticipation of what was about to happen, He began to sweat drops of blood. 

Jesus, too, would look for sympathy and comforters, and find none.  He took several of the disciples along to the Garden.  He asked them to stand watch while He prayed.  They fell asleep.  Not once, but three times.  When the crowd came with swords and clubs to arrest Jesus, His friends scattered.  Simon Peter later denied knowing Him three times. 

Psalm 69:20 image.  Found at Bible Hub, https://biblepic.com/41/psalms_69-20.htm

Part of Matthew’s account of the crucifixion includes the fulfillment of the prediction “they gave me gall for my food.”  Gall is a kind of poison.  From Matthew:  “And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull, they gave Him wine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink.”  (Matthew 27:33-34)  

Matthew also tells of the completion of the prophecy “and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”  Again, from Matthew’s narrative, as Jesus was about to die:  “And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, ‘This man is calling for Elijah.’ Immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink. But the rest of them said, ‘Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him.’  And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.”  (Matthew 27:47-50)

I wonder if what Jesus went through and experienced is a picture of hell?  Hell is described in the Bible as a place of agony.  It’s a place where if one is sent, he will be separated from God for eternity.  King David uses the term “reproach.”  He says there would be no sympathy, no comforters.  Those sound like good descriptions of hell.  Jesus went through all that, and He was separated from the Father while He endured it.  Jesus went through hell, which is what we deserve.  He took the punishment we deserve so we don’t have to.  To escape God’s wrath, we need to accept Jesus’ sacrifice, and make Him the Lord of our lives.  Accept God’s most precious gift of Jesus.  That’s what Lent and Resurrection Sunday are all about. 

“Thy Rebuke Hath Broken His Heart,” from “Messiah,” by G.F. Handel.  Performed by the Bethany Oratorio Society of Lindsborg, Kansas. 
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Prophecy XI

And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed—and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”  (Luke 2:33-35, NASB)

The text is a portion of Dr. Luke’s account of Simeon’s encounter with the Holy Family just days after Jesus’ arrival on the earth He created.  The second chapter of Luke documents that after eight days (the Law of Moses required eight days for the mother’s purification), Joseph and Mary took their Baby to the Temple to present Jesus to the priests for circumcision and dedication, and to offer a sacrifice.  (vv. 21-24)  
They met Simeon, “righteous and devout,” who was “looking for the consolation of Israel.”  Luke says that the Holy Spirit told Simeon he wouldn’t die before he would meet the Messiah.  (vv. 25-26)  The Holy Spirit told Simeon just Who this Baby was.  Simeon took Him in his arms, and thanked the Lord in what is known as “The Song of Simeon.”  (vv. 27-32)  That’s where we pick up the text above. 

In a story normally told during Advent, Simeon’s prophecy is important for Lent, as he foretold the anguish Mary would experience in the future.  But first, Simeon predicts that Jesus “is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel.”  Jesus Himself would say that He came to save sinners, not the self-righteous, which was a criticism at the Pharisees.  He says that Jesus would be opposed, such that “thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”  Jesus was opposed by the Temple elites, who ironically claimed to be looking for the Messiah–just not this One.  Especially during the critical last week of Jesus’ life on His earth, we see revealed the thoughts from many hearts. 

Screen Shot 2017-02-02 at 2.46.18 PMThe Sword that Pierced Mary’s Soul.  Found at https://taylormarshall.com/2017/02/sword-pierced-marys-soul.html

Simeon tells Mary that “a sword will pierce even your own soul.”  I’m sure Mary didn’t understand.  She had just given birth to the Savior of the world, HER Savior, HER Lord.  What could possibly go wrong?  Yet “the sword” would be seeing her son after being tortured beyond recognition; watching as He tried to haul the cross to His place of execution; watching as they nailed her boy’s hands and feet to the wooden cross; and finally, watching as He hung dying, while the people and the priests mocked and insulted Him. 

The prophecy of the “sword” which would pierce Mary’s heart is part of the Christmas story, and an integral part of the story of Resurrection Sunday.  The encounter with Simeon at the Temple left Joseph and Mary “amazed at the things which were being said about Him.”  It had been quite a week.  Simeon’s prophecy must have left Mary wondering . . . 

Worship:  “Mary Did You Know?” by Mark Lowry
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Prophecy VI

For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.  (Isaiah 53:2-3, NASB)

The Lord God has opened My ear; And I was not disobedient Nor did I turn back. I gave My back to those who strike Me, And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting.For the Lord God helps Me, Therefore, I am not disgraced; Therefore, I have set My face like flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed.He who vindicates Me is near; Who will contend with Me?  (Isaiah 50:5-8, NASB)

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.  The Lenten Season is meant to prepare our hearts to remember the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who came to the earth He created, with the intent to offer Himself as a sacrifice.  If we acknowledge that sacrifice, and turn to Him for forgiveness of our sins, then we will be made right with God the Father, and enjoy fellowship with Him in heaven for eternity. 

The Old Testament prophets not only foretold of the advent of Messiah, but prophesied of the way He would live and die.  Let’s look at the passages above from Isaiah. 

Isaiah 53 passage:  This excerpt is part of Isaiah’s description of “The Suffering Servant.”  As part of God’s plan, Jesus left the majesty and comfort of His heavenly home and humbly came to His earth on the greatest rescue mission in history, to save you and me.  He took the form of a man (“He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him . . . “).  There was nothing visibly different about Him.  Humans would have expected God to appear in a much more stately (Godly) form.  Jesus was “despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief . . . ”  Most people, and certainly the ruling elites, rejected His message.  They tortured, then crucified Him.  In His humanity, He must have been brokenhearted.  “We did not esteem Him.”

“Despised and Rejected of Men,” by Sigismund Goetze (1866-1939).  Found at Cassandra’s  Musings, http://cassandramusing.blogspot.com/2017/03/despised-and-rejected-of-men.html

Isaiah 50 passage:  Jesus was entirely obedient to His Father’s plan.  Even as He was preparing for the horrific torture that was about to happen, He asked God to “remove this cup” from Himself; but just as quickly, “not My will, but Thine be done.”  Jesus submitted Himself to the horrible abuse He suffered.  He knew that His Father had His back.  Therefore He wasn’t worried about what men could do to Him.  That’s a great lesson for all of us who have trusted in Him for our salvation! 

“Messiah,” by George Frideric Handel, is traditionally a Christmas piece.  But the piece covers the prophecies of Messiah’s birth, life, death, resurrection (“Hallelujah”), and beyond.  Below is a movement based on the passages above. 

Worship: “He Was Despised,” from “Messiah,” by G.F. Handel. Performed by Laura McAlpine, mezzo soprano; and David Briggs, organ.

It’s a tradition during Lent to give up something one loves as a manner of sacrifice.  ALS has left me with not much left to sacrifice.  So . . . I think I’m going to give up playing golf.