The Message of the Cross (15) The Reason Jesus Was Nailed through His Hands and Feet
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July 05, 2020 |
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 “But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).
Jesus suffered from the crucifixion in the providence of God who wanted to save mankind, who had all become sinners. Then, what is the meaning in the providence in which Jesus was nailed through His hands and feet?
1. The Reason Jesus Was Nailed through His Hands and Feet
Most forms of execution end in a relatively short amount of time without bringing about much pain upon the body. Crucifixion, however, inflicts an excruciating amount of pain for a long period of time. When both hands and feet of a person are nailed to a wooden cross, which is then erected perpendicular to the ground, all of his weight moves downward in his body and even greater pain is inflicted upon the very spots where the nails pierce. Furthermore, as the executioners avoid nailing vital parts of the body, the person bleeds continually and is subject to pain and suffering until the moment he breathes his last.
For what reason did Jesus have to be nailed through His hands and feet? It was to redeem man from all sins he committed and would commit with his hands and feet.
Mark 9:43-45 reads, “If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, [where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched]. If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell.” The sinless Jesus redeemed us from our sins we commit with our hands and feet by being nailed through His hands and feet and bleeding to death.
Therefore, anyone who has accepted Jesus as his Savior can receive forgiveness without cutting off his hands and feet when he repents and can even rid himself of all sins by the power of the Holy Spirit. In order to forgive our sins and prevent us from falling to the fires of Hell, Jesus subjected Himself to the brutal suffering on the cross.
Yet, among those who profess their faith in Jesus and claim to repent of their sins with their lips, many of them still live amidst sin. 1 John 1:6 tells us, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” If you truly believe that Jesus was nailed through His hands and feet and suffered on the cross because of your sins, you could not sin ever again.
2. Walk in the Light to Be Set Free from the Curse of the Law
The sinless Jesus was cursed on our behalf by dying on the wooden cross, and we who believe this have been forgiven of all our sins and have been set free from the curse of the law. Those who believe and have thus accepted Jesus as their Savior have been released from diseases, infirmities, poverty, and all other kinds of disasters.
Therefore, God’s children who have accepted the Lord and live by God’s Word are always under His watchful eyes. If trials and suffering come their way even if they live by God’s Word, these trials are intended for blessing. James 1:12, “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” As said, overcoming the trials with thankfulness will bring forth blessings in both spirit and flesh.
What should you do if trials and sufferings come your way because you failed to live by God’s Word? It is time for you to quickly repent and turn from your ways of the past. Once you destroy the wall of sin and pray by faith, trials and suffering have no choice but to be driven away. In some instances, you may face difficulties not because of your sinning but through mishaps. Even in such times, God will do His work according to your faith if you trust in Him. As Jesus was thus cursed on the cross, anyone can be forgiven of his sins by faith and set free from the curse of the law.
Does this mean our confessing, “Lord, I believe!” will warrant us unconditional forgiveness? As the Bible tells us in 1 John 1:7, “But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin,” forgiveness of sins is conditional upon our ‘walking in the Light.’ Nowhere in the Bible do we find that we can still receive salvation despite sinning.
Jesus also tells us in Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.” Thus, forgiveness will be given and perfect salvation fulfilled only when we accept Jesus as our Savior, repent of our sins, strive never to sin again, and walk in the Light.
3. The Differences in the Biblical Accounts of What Was Spoken by the Two Robbers
When Jesus was crucified, many people gathered and were insulting and mocking Jesus. On either side of Jesus was a cross on which two robbers were being crucified. Concerning them we find in Matthew 27:44, “The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words.” Then from Luke 23:39-43, we find one of the robbers “hurling abuse” at Jesus and the other robber “rebuking him.”
How can the difference in the recordings be explained? This was part of God’s work so that readers of the future generations could get a more vivid image of the event. Draw a picture in your mind: three crosses standing atop Golgotha, a large crowd gathered to witness the impending executions. There were Roman soldiers trying to fend off a flood of additional onlookers with spears and shields.
Under such rowdy circumstances, a person who was standing on one robber’s side would have been able to hear clearly what was being said by the robber, but not so clearly the words of the other robber. In other words, the repentant robber’s rebuking of the other robber who was insulting Jesus may sound as though the repentant robber was actually rebuking Jesus. Yet, the people standing by the repentant robber’s side of Jesus could clearly hear the words of both robbers and Jesus and make accurate recording of the incident.
Of course, the almighty God is able to reveal to the writer of the Bible every detail that transpired. By allowing such differences in the recording, however, God has made it possible for people who read the Bible in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to have a vivid picture of Jesus’ crucifixion that is comparable to seeing a movie on a large screen in a well-equipped theater.
Therefore, when we come across parts of the Bible that are not in agreement with our ways of thinking, instead of judging them by fleshly thoughts and standards, we ought to first understand the spiritual significance in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, now that you have learned the reason Jesus was nailed through His hands and feet, you should receive forgiveness of your sins by believing this. I pray in the name of the Lord that your hands and feet will be blessed messengers spreading the love of our Savior, and you will come to understand God’s Word in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and enjoy all the authority and blessings to which you are entitled as a child of God.
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