What does Jesus do for us?
What does it mean for us as he says in today’s gospel that he came
to give his life a ransom for many (Mark 10.45)?
There are three main Christian doctrines – the Trinity, the
Incarnation and the Atonement. This morning the readings centre on this last
doctrine, Atonement, how God and humanity are made one by what Jesus
does for us.
How do we understand this making God one with us that Our Lord
achieves?
More importantly how do we not only understand the doctrine but see it
taking effect so that we know God not just only as our maker but as our
saviour?
These are questions that spill out of all three scriptures this
morning.
The Isaiah 53 passage was chosen to illuminate the text I read from
Mark 10.45 at the end of today’s gospel. There Jesus makes a prediction of his
coming Passion which pours cold water on the arrogance of James and John who
thought their Lord was going to take worldly power and wanted part of his
worldly glory. No, Our Lord says, my kingdom will be built from suffering
service. The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his
life a ransom for many.
Isaiah foresaw the lonely figure on Calvary
who would bear the immense burden of sin separating human beings from their
maker and how that sin bearing would cost the suffering servant his life like
a lamb that is led to the slaughter. The passage hints at the tomb of Jesus
given by the rich man, Joseph of Arimathea, verse 9, they made his grave
with the wicked and his tomb with the rich. It concludes with a prophecy of
the resurrection, verse 12. Let’s read it. Therefore I will allot him a
portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because
he poured out himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he
bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Jesus himself gave no explanation of how his death and rising again
made atonement other than to point to this scripture. Only after his
resurrection did his followers reflect more fully upon what Jesus did and does
for us as Saviour.
So we can move on to the second reading by the anonymous author of the
letter to the Hebrews. Here in this letter is the best source of teaching in
scripture on the doctrine of the Atonement. This teaching centres on the
priesthood of Christ by which Jesus takes what he did on Calvary
and pleads it for all time in heaven. It’s this his pleading that we join to at
the Eucharist.
Today’s small section of Hebrews is from chapter 5. We read: Every
high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things pertaining to
God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sin.
[Priests
have a ministry of representing mortals to the immortal God and the immortal
God to mortals. The passage goes on to outline how Christ was appointed high
priest by God but with full sympathy for humanity. He is the Son of God become
Son of Man. In this passage we see graphic evidence of Christ’s humanity. It’s
a powerful account actually of the passion of Our Lord that begins with his
tears in the Garden
of Gethsemane
Let’s read
this account in verse 7: In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers
and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save
him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.]
What does Jesus do for us?
Jesus shows us a God who expects nothing from us he’s not prepared to
go through. But he shows us much more. He shows us God’s love and holiness, our
need of them both and how we can attain to both.
Our Lord brings us atonement. He makes a way for the God of love and holiness
to be one with us in our dignity and frailty.
In giving himself he does so in costly love. He does so on account of
the requirements of God’s holiness. He does so because only by the Cross and
its pleading for ever in the heavenly sanctuary can women and men be won to
glory.
When we look at the Cross we see four things.
We see the love of God fully displayed.
We see the holiness of God in his hatred of sin. The Cross
shows what sin feels like to God.
We see our dignity because this act of atonement is given to
rescue us for eternal glory.
We see our frailty. Where else do we see the terrible
consequences of our sin?
The doctrine of the Atonement is an awesome mystery. We will never
fully understand the doctrine but that won’t stop us seeing it take effect in
our lives so that we know God not just as our maker but as our saviour.
How does it effect our lives?
The Cross is once and for all but Jesus lives as eternal high priest
to plead its benefits. Inasmuch as we
repent of our sins and trust Jesus all that he has done for us comes into
operation in our lives bringing forgiveness, healing, deliverance and freedom
in the Spirit.
As verse 9 of the Hebrews Chapter 4 passage states Jesus has become the
source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. What is salvation other
than an eternal relationship with God sealed on his side by love and ours by
the obedience of faith.
Yes all that Jesus does for us comes to us as we obey. Faith
isn’t a feeling it’s obedience. It has its beginning in baptism, which is our
great ‘yes’ to God and ‘no’ to self. It has its end in the vision of God face
to face with the selfless adoration of all the saints.
The good news of Christianity is very simple.
God made us for friendship. Sin became a barrier to that friendship.
God sent Jesus to lift away that barrier making us friends of God.
Things get between us and God so that we’re not at one. Sin, fear,
sickness, bondage, anxiety, death and the devil get in the way. Jesus brings
atonement – at one ment literally – because what he did in his coming,
his suffering, death and resurrection has established the means to overcome
these evils - if we use them. That means that the words we read today in Isaiah
he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases come true when we
trust his healing power. When we read he bore the sins of many that can
become true in our experience when we seek his forgiveness and become one of
the many who’re made one with God through Jesus.
Atonement isn’t just a doctrine it’s a way of life. It’s living one to
one, heart to heart with God.
This is what Jesus does for us.
No comments:
Post a Comment