But the angel answered and said
To the women,
‘Do not be afraid,
for I know that you seek
Jesus who was crucified.
He is not here;
For He has risen,
As he said. Come, and see
The place where the
Lord lay.’
Matthew 28: 5-6
Due to the blindness of men it was fit that the Savior would be recognized as God through the performance of acts in His human body. Such things as casting out demons, His authority of evil spirits, and their response to this would give no cause for doubt that indeed He was the Son, the wisdom and power of God. Even by means of His death on a cross whereby the earth shook by a quake, and the sky darkened, the veil of the temple was rent in two, His cry of victory, also shown by His suffering on the cross that He was not only man, but God and the Savior. Men were in awe of all the happenings at the crucifixion, that even the mundane things of this world were a slave to Him and bore witness to the fact that He was God as they bore witness to him as its Master. All these things revealed God the Word to men. This indeed is the very center of our faith and even by those speaking in accordance with all these acts and other acts performed by Jesus Christ while on earth, and the credence given to those events by men, all reveals Him as God and as the Son of God.
The question is in regard to Jesus Christ having to become incarnate? Why was it that the incorruptible God had to become corrupted, the One who made all things out of nothing? How do we understand this great mystery? Jesus Christ who is the only true image of the Father, for He is the very essence of the Father, He is the Wisdom of the Father, and only He then could as creator of all things from nothing re–create the likeness of God, the image of God in men. Only Jesus Christ could give to mortal man immortality, and only the Word Who orders all things and who alone is the Father’s true and sole–begotten Son could teach men about Himself and could abolish the worship of idols. Besides all of that there is no other reason for any other debt that needed to be paid, all men are subject to death. Having proved who He is, God, the Son of God by all those things He accomplished and demonstrated while He was here on earth, therefore proving His Godhead by those works, He then dwelt among us so that He might offer the sacrifice of behalf of all by surrendering the temple of His body to die in the place of all; thereby settling the account with death and free man from the condemnation of the primal transgression. By this act on the cross, His crucifixion, He not only freed man from that primal transgression, by this He showed Himself mightier than death and this He did by His resurrection from the grave as the first–fruit of the resurrection.
All this was accomplished by the good pleasure of God and of the things by which He in His loving wisdom thought fit to do. Jesus Christ having been born of the virgin Mary and taking on a real human body was itself mortal and liable to death. Yet, by means of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the very Word of God it was loosed from the natural liability so that corruption could not touch it. Two mysterious and marvelous things occurred at once for the death of all was consummated in the Lord’s body, yet because the Word was in the body, death and corruption were in the same act utterly abolished. Death had to be actual for man and that death was death for all men, therefore when Jesus Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice on the cross all sin, all death, the complete payment was made for that death, that primal transgression that has plagued mankind from the beginning of sin in the Garden of Eden by Adam and by Eve. The Word of God being incapable of death and by the Word assuming a mortal body was so that He might offer it as his own in place of all men, even to suffer for the sake of all men so that He might bring to nothing, that sin, Satan himself could not have the power of death over Him and now by His death He destroyed Satan who had the power of death: “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death he might destroy him who had the power of death, that is the devil” (Hebrews 2:14). The Death of Jesus Christ was sufficient for all men but only applied to give life eternal with Him for those chosen by God before the foundation of the world: (Romans 8:28-29). Jesus’ death must be sufficient for all so that sin could be destroyed, for if He had not destroyed sin, sin that caused death to all men, then sin would still remain and His death would not have accomplished the will of God who purposed that all sin would be abolished. This abolishing of sin was accomplished on the cross and Satan was destroyed and until all those elected by God are brought into the household of the Father, and given to the Son, Satan is loose and death remains for man.
But have no fears, Jesus Christ our Savior has died on our behalf, for we believe in Him and no longer die, there is no longer any threat of the law. Condemnation has come to an end, and now by the grace of God given to those whom He gives it, and sealed by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, corruption has been banished, done away, we are loosed from our mortal bodies, that is in God’s good time whereby we will obtain a better resurrection, we do not perish or be dissolved, but shall rise again, death having been abolished by our savior. Just as Paul the apostle wrote: “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory’ (Isaiah 25:8). ‘O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?’ (Hosea 13:14); (1Corinthians 15:53-55).”
If the essential thing was that Jesus Christ was to surrender His body to death for all man, why did He not do so as a Man Privately? Why was it necessary that He die publicly, to go to the length of a crucifixion? Could not this be accomplished in private and would it not be more suitable for Him to have His body die with honor rather to be disgraced upon a public crucifixion? Why did He have to endure such a shameful death? This argument is purely a human argument and does not align with the fact that Jesus Christ was Divine and was even in His human body worthy of His Godhead. Men die due to their natural weakness and under the results of that natural weakness; but Jesus Christ was not and is not weak, He is the Power of God, and the Word of God, and Very Life itself. Now, if He had died quietly it would have looked as if He did so in accordance with the nature of His human body, in a bed, so to speak as with many men. If this occurred then He would be not so different from ordinary man. Yet, due to Him being the Word of God, God Incarnate, the Very Life, how then could He fall sick, the One who healed others? How could that body weaken and fail by means have which others are made strong? You might add that was it not possible then for Himself to prevent His own death? To do so then would have been and impediment to His resurrection, that which was necessary so that death would be overcome and be abolished. You might cavil and object in this manner: “Did He not hunger?” Yes, He did hunger because of the nature of His body, the very property of a human body, it hungers, but He did not die of hunger, He was the Lord and it was His body that hungered and He could not die for He came with a purpose to take on a human body so that He could offered that body, the body of a man, a sinless man, to pay the debt required. While Jesus Christ died a ransom for all, he did not see corruption, His body rose from the grave in perfect soundness, for it was the body of none other than Life Himself.
Could not Jesus Christ in the very least avoid the shame of the designs of the Jews who were against Him? Could He not have guarded His body from death altogether? How unfitting that would have been for him. If it was and was unfitting for Him to die by His own hand, being the Word of Life, so then it would not be consonant with Himself that He should avoid the humiliation, the suffering caused by others and the death that was caused by others. Jesus Christ pursued the purpose for which He came to be incarnate, that is by the very means of His nature, being God, the Son of God, the Wisdom of God, and the Very Life, He could not lay aside His body out of His own accord and escape the plotting of the Jews. Was this a sign of weakness on His part? No! For this action was not any limitation or weakness in the Word, for He both waited for death in order that death would be abolished, he came to make an end to that primal transgression that man inherits, sin which brings death. Jesus Christ accepted death by the hands of man, thereby completely destroying death by the means of His own body.
Death of Jesus Christ was not the final end for His incarnation. The supreme object of His coming was the resurrection of the body. The resurrection of His body was the supreme victory over death and it is our assurance that He had Himself conquered death and that the promise to the children of God would also be accomplished; that is they too would be raised from the dead, death has no hold on the children of God. This pledge for the future was that by His resurrection and His body not seeing corruption, we have the assured token that our lives would not die eternally, but be raised to life, for He is Life. Now, if He had died due to sickness or by any other means than He Himself surrendering His body to die publicly, and that in His time was to die on a cross, He would have neglected the purpose of His coming and we could not put our faith in all the miracles that He did showing Himself to be God, God incarnate. People would have no injunction to laugh at Him for He would not have been able to stop any disease upon Himself nor anyone else for that matter. We could not have proper assurance that our lives would live again. But this He did not do!
There are those that front a theory that all that occurred when Jesus died was that His body was concealed somewhere, not dead, possibly all He did was faint, or pretended to die, and then to suddenly appear and say that He rose from the dead. All this would have accomplished is to stoke the flame of stories, or fables, tales, because there would have been no witness to His death. How then could anyone believe His resurrection? Death had to precede resurrection, for without death there could not be resurrection. If all was done in secret with no eyewitness death without a resurrection, no proof could be forwarded as proof or evidence, there would be no support for the Doctrine we hold as the foundation for our faith. Therefore, His death demanded that it be public where eyewitness could be proof of His death and witness for His resurrection for He appeared to some 500 men and when the narrative was written some of those people would still be around, further, any vocal narratives attesting to His resurrection would have been scoffed at and proven not true. All was done publicly in order to convince men that He was the Word, the long awaited for Messiah, and to declare the immortality of His body, so that He might present Himself as Life, and for all to believe that He was life. How could His disciples have any boldness to preach and teach regarding His death, and resurrection, and to hold out to people that the promises of God was and will be fulfilled? People could believe for they were eyewitnesses to His death. But the Pharisees refused to believe and even in some cases caused others not to believe, yet there were many who believed, those given the grace of faith to believe and had the support for their faith by being witness to His death and to His resurrection. But this would not have occurred if His death and resurrection were done in secret. How could there be an end to death, payment for the justice of God, for the primal transgression? By His death and resurrection He proved the incorruptibility of His body and any argument against that fact is null and void.
You may still object, cavil with possible objections as to whether or not Jesus Christ could not have provided for a more honorable death? Even if He did die and rose again, surely as God incarnate He could have provided for a different death and resurrection. He could have avoided the ignominy of the cross. If He had done so then He would have given ground for suspicion that His power over death was limited to the particular kind of death which He chose for Himself, and this would give reason for disbelief. Death came to His body, and not from Himself but from His enemies, and this in order that as Savior he might utterly destroy and abolish death by whatever means they offered Him. He was Life of all, our Lord and Savior, and did not arrange the manner of His own death, for if He had done so then it would seem that He was in some way afraid of death. No, He accepted death, even death on a cross, publicly displayed for all to see, and as terrible as this was He bore that affliction due to others and He faced this horrible death, in order to destroy death. There is a paradox associated with His death and resurrection: for the death that they thought to bring upon Him, to dishonor Him, to disgrace Him, has become the glorious monument to the defeat of death. By the death of One Man, death was defeated and abolished. Even in His death He preserved His body whole and undivided, sot that there should be no excuse thereafter for those who would divide the Church.
If any honest seeking Christian wants to know why He suffered death on a cross, I offer no other explanation. The Lord Jesus Christ offered for our sakes the one death that was supremely good. He came to become the curse that had been laid upon man: “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written (Deuteronomy 21:23)”Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” (Galatians 3:13). And by the manner of His death He draws “all” men to Himself: “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself” (John 12:32). Some will use the term “all” to mean everyone, yet the Greek is clear that the meaning is that He would draw certain ones, and all that God had given to Him will be drawn and come to Him, and this was due to the payment made by Him to pay the debt for man, and this by His death on a cross and by His resurrection. Jesus Christ came and overthrew Satan, and through His death, publicly done, His resurrection experience by those who saw Him after His death, and now the gates of heaven are open to all those who were enabled and drawn to Him, no one opened those gates He did this all by Himself as Lord of all: “Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates” (Psalm 24:7-8)! It was we who needed His death, His resurrection, and it is we whom He Himself bore in His own body, that the body which he first offered to death on behalf of all, and then made it through it a path to heaven, a path for us.
This time of the year when our thoughts turn to the event that occurred some 2,000 years ago, the death of Jesus Christ, but more so we turn our attention to the fact that He rose again, was seen by more than 500 people, and by doing so, dieing, rising from the grave, He as given to us the assurance that He was and is the Savior, the Messiah, and that He is the very foundation of our faith. We have a sure hope, not some notion that God came, rather that God came, and all of His children are saved, life eternal is the future for all of God's children. The question is: "Do you hear the call of God?" If so, then turn your hearts to Him, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.
Evil men do not
understand justice,
but those who seek
the LORD
understand all.
Proverbs 28:5
Prepare Your Hearts For Our Savior Reigns
Richard L. Crumb
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