What Happened at the Cross?
The death of Jesus on the cross was the greatest and most important event the
world will ever see. In a day in which things are being stripped of their
importance and trivialized, I want us to look again at the cross and see what
the Bible says happened there. Some people refer to John 3:16 as "the gospel in
a nutshell." I believe the gospel is too great to be fully grasped so easily. It
is simple enough to be understood, yet complex enough to be pondered for a
lifetime. Thus the greatness of it's author -- the Lord God Almighty. Just what
happened at the cross?
1. Atonement was made for our
sins. In the garden, God told Adam that he could eat freely from the
fruit of every tree, "but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you
shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die" (Gen.
2:17). Adam ate of that tree, and he died. He began to die physically that day,
but more importantly, he died spiritually. His sin caused a separation between
himself and God (Isaiah 59:1-2). He needed to make atonement for this sin, but
was powerless to do so. Thus began the great theme of the Bible, God's scheme of
redemption.
Death was the penalty for sin, that was the price that had to be paid. The Law
of Moses called for the sacrifice of bulls and goats. Their life was given and
their blood was shed, but to no effect, "For it is not possible that the blood
of bulls and goats could take away sins" (Heb. 10:4). It couldn't be just any
death. It was a man's soul that was lost in the garden, atonement required a
man's death. But, it couldn't be just any man. A sinless soul was lost in Eden,
only a sinless man could make atonement. Thus, the perfect Son of God had to
die. "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21). Only in the death of Jesus is this
wrong made right and God's righteous judgment satisfied. In the cross we see the
painful reality of what has been said, "He paid a debt He didn't owe because we
owed a debt we couldn't pay."
2. Prophecies were fulfilled. Our Lord's
death on the cross was no accident. It was planned in the mind of God before
time began (Acts 2:23). It was foretold to the world through the prophets. The
suffering servant of Isaiah 53, the pierced hands and feet of Psalm 22, no
broken bones of Psalm 34, given gall and vinegar in Psalm 69, and beaten and
spat upon in Isaiah 50. All of these pointed to Calvary.
One of the proofs of the inspiration of the Bible is fulfilled prophecy. Jesus'
death on the cross is a part of that. This wasn't made up, nor was it an
accident. Matthew uses fulfilled prophecy to convince the Jews of his day that
Jesus was the promised Messiah. Jesus Himself also foretold His death (Matt.
16:21, 17:22-23, 20:18-19). If He hadn't died on the cross, He would have proven
Himself a liar and a false prophet (Deut. 18:15-22).
3. The Old Law was put away. "And you,
being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made
alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out
the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us.
And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross" (Col.
2:13-14). That old law was nailed to the cross with Jesus. When He died, the
veil of the temple was torn in two (Matt. 27:51), signifying the end of the law
it represented.
That law of Moses was taken out of the way. God said it would be: "Behold, the
days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house
of Israel and with the house of Judah - not according to the covenant that I
made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out
of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I
disregarded them, says the Lord" (Heb. 8:8-9). We now live under the law of
Christ (Gal. 6:2). We don't live under a combination of the law of Moses and the
law of Christ. Some principles are carried over from that old law, but we are
living under and new and better covenant.
4. Enmity was abolished. "For He Himself
is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of
separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of
commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man
from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in
one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity" (Eph. 2:14-16).
The law that separated Jew from Gentile is gone. The gospel truly is for all.
"Then Peter opened his mouth and said: 'In truth I perceive that God shows no
partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is
accepted by Him'" (Acts 10:34-35).
5. The love of God was displayed. "But God
demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ
died for us" (Rom. 5:8). Could God have done any better? What more could He have
done? Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's
life for his friends" (John 15:13). Hours after He said this, He did it. He laid
down His life for His friends, His enemies, you and me. If you ever begin to
doubt God's love for you, ever wonder if He really knows and cares about you,
remember the cross. There has never been a greater act of love.
Perhaps you have read the following before: "I asked Jesus how much He loved Me.
'This much,' He answered, then stretched out His arms and died."
6. A perfect example in suffering. Times
of suffering are going to come to all of us. We will all face trials various
times in our lives. How can we make it though it? Jesus' death on the cross left
us both encouragement and an example. "For to this you were called, because
Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His
steps: Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth; who, when He was
reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but
committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in
His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for
righteousness - by whose stripes you were healed" (1 Peter 2:21-24).
Jesus' death on the cross not only paid the penalty for our sin, it also showed
us that we can endure any suffering that we have to face. If Jesus can endure
the cross for us, then we can endure anything for Him.
By Heath Rogers
From Expository Files 9.10; October 2002
