Lenten Season Message-The "centrality" Of The Cross!!!-Part 2

CENTRALITY OF THE CROSS!!!-Part 2

Continuing to focus on the subject “Centrality of the Cross” in the 2 Part series, now let’s cast the spotlight on other related subjects…

Of Cloth and Cleric…

Now our Saviour is a Glorified High Priest that at His matchless Royal Name, every knee would bow and every tongue in the universe confess that He is the Lord (Philippians 2:10-11). No wonder, when He appeared in all His glory to His beloved disciple John in the Island of Patmos, that the latter simply couldn’t take it in and simply gave up the ghost (figuratively speaking that is- Rev 1:17).

Ever wondered why High Priests and Kings (they too were “middlemen”-David and Solomon prayed on behalf of the people- 2 Sam 24:17/25 / I Kings 8:22/54) would wear predominantly purple clothing (Exodus 39:29), doubtless the color of our Lord’s Divine attire too, during His glorious appearance to the exiled Apostle? Consider the following two Scripture portions and the answer would emerge…firstly Numbers 15:37-40

Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel: Tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue thread in the tassels of the corners. And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the LORD and do them, and that you may not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined, and that you may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for your God.”

The Blue hem in their attire would remind the Jews of the Almighty up and beyond the blue sky, as it were, whenever tempted to sin thus restraining them from lustful acts of flesh. So virtually blue symbolized the Divine presence. Now consider this Scripture-Isaiah 1:18 - which reminds one of the color of man’s sins…

“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.”

Time to reflect on an ethereal scene…on one side is the Almighty symbolized by blue and on the other is a sinful man symbolized by red color with the High-Priest (who carries the best interest of both the parties in his heart) standing in the middle bringing about the reconciliation between the two. Literally the High-Priest (the Cleric of those days) is God’s representative before men and vice versa. You mix blue and red, and lo and behold, what do you get purple-the middle color, so to speak! Eureka…no Hallelujah!!! Now consider what colored clothing Jesus had to wear en-route to the Cross…let the Scripture takeover…

And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him-Mark 15:17

Quite unwittingly, Jesus’ enemies were conveying a message as to Christ’s mediatory role in the Almighty’s redemptive plan by donning Him with purple cloth much like what the High Priest Caiaphas did with his words (John 11:49-52).

Of Covenant and Carry…

While the primary function of the Priest in OT times entailed that he be a middleman between God and His Covenanted people, men of the High Priestly clan of Kohath (second son of Levi - Genesis 46:11) had some functions to perform in the affairs of the Tabernacle, the indispensable one amongst them was that of carrying the Ark of the Covenant (Numbers 7:9). It needs to be noted here that while, objects of the Holy Tabernacle such as the Brazen altar, the Bronze laver could be transported by an oxcart, the Most Holy Ark of the Covenant (the title itself says it all) which symbolized the very covenant relationship between God and the chosen nation of Israel(the Ark virtually stood in the middle, as it were, as a witness to that relationship), had to be carried on the shoulders of those of the Priestly clan. MIND YOU, NOT ANY OTHER LEVITICAL CLAN LIKE GERSHONITES OR THE MERARITES BUT ONLY THE KOHATHITE CLAN TO WHICH BELONGED AARON, THE HIGH PRIEST. Any volition of this Law would entail severe punishment, as King David tragically would “discover” later (1 Chronicles 13/15:11-15)!!!

In our prevalent dispensation of Grace, THE CROSS is the symbol of the covenant relationship between God and Christians. Period. (Galatians 5:11/ Galatians 6:14). In this context, would not tears of gratitude flow copiously from our eyes, when we consider the fact that our unparalleled High Priest (related to the Kohathite clan through His Mother’s side-Luke 1:5, 36) too carried the New Testament “Ark of the Covenant” i,e THE CROSS on His shoulders? The Almighty who can guide a King’s heart like a stream of water (Pro 21:1) had doubtless historically moved a Roman ruler’s heart too, to pass an edict on “the guilty” bearing their own cross, in order the situation described in the Scripture (John 19:17) comes to pass. OUR HIGH PRIEST HAD TO BEAR THE COVENANT SYMBOL OF THE GRACE DISPENSATION ON HIS SHOULDERS. The genesis of many of the startling New Testament events can be traced to acts which symbolized them in the Old Testament. However to grasp the beautiful meaning behind those acts and connect them to New Testament epoch-making events we need to make the Psalmist’s prayer our own “Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.” – Psalm 119:18