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
Cause and Counter…
First things first! For the uninitiated let me unravel the full meaning of the phrase “turning the tables”... The Oxford dictionary sums it up as reverse one's position relative to someone else, especially by turning a position of disadvantage into one of advantage.
Heard of an awl (a pointed object used usually for boring a hole- Deu 15:17) which was “awful” in its work at one time in an individual’s life but after some years became an “awesome” (read very useful) instrument in the hands of that very individual so as to lend a new meaning to lakhs of blind people across the world thence? Welcome to the inspirational Louis Braille story... whose father was a saddle maker in a small village namely Coupvray which incidentally lies in the north-central region of France. His Dad’s workshop was quite close to their house. In his childhood when young Louis (all of 3 years) was playing in his Dad’s workshop, he happened to take the “awful awl” into his hands. He tried to replicate his father’s work of boring a hole into leather with it. However unfortunately -quite accidently at that- he ended-up piercing one of his eyes with that “awful object”. It led to not only instant blindness of that eye but also severe infection of the same whereby the other eye also got infected. Very soon young Loius would sadly enter the world of total blindness with his future seemingly as “dark” as night.
Fast forward by 25 years and what do we “see”? After several twists and turns in his life, Loius Braille had created “raised dotted –system” using an awl (awesome one in this case) of all the 26 alphabets (by piercing holes suitably on the pieces of leather) for the blind to read using their sense of touch. Today, the Braille language is used universally so as to serve as virtually “a lamp in the darkness” for the blind.
In the spiritual realm too, Dear Friends, our Almighty wise God would use for a “counter strike” on the Enemy, the very objects or situation which initially were a “curse” in order they become a “blessing” later on!!!
If Sin (along with it curse) came by the tree which was attractive to the First Adam and co (Gen 3:6), then Salvation had to come through no other means other than a tree which though repulsive to the Final Adam (Luke 22:42-44), would pave the way for reconciliation of estranged relationship between Man and His Creator (2 Cor 5:17-21/6:1-2). Let me repeat the Tree (read Cross) alone would be central to the Almighty’s redemptive plan.
While historically Crucifixion was invented by the Persians in 300-400BC and developed, during Roman times, into a punishment for the most serious of criminals like the Seditionists’, David prophesied about the mode of death of the Saviour a good 1000 years before the First Good Friday (Psalm 22:16).
Let’s once again unravel the secrets behind the Saviour’s crucifixion and marvel at God’s Sovereignity in ensuring the Saviour completed the Redemption plan only on the Tree (Gal 3:13) and not at any other place or through any other means. Charged as He was by the Sanhedrin of blasphemy (Matt 26:59-66), why then did His not enemies kill Him stoning as per the Law (Leviticus 24:10-16,23/1 Kings 21:11-14) as they ostensibly killed Stephen the first Christian martyr (Acts 7:54-60)? The Almighty God in His plan borne out of infinite wisdom (Rom 11:33-34) had pre-arranged everything in a way that the Saviour died an atoning death only on the Tree.
Let the Scripture take over at this stage…
Jesus’ trial before Caiaphas ended in the early hours of the morning. Then he was taken to the headquarters of the Roman governor. His accusers didn’t go inside because it would defile them, and they wouldn’t be allowed to celebrate the Passover. So Pilate, the governor, went out to them and asked, “What is your charge against this man?”
“We wouldn’t have handed him over to you if he weren’t a criminal!” they retorted.
“Then take him away and judge him by your own law,” Pilate told them.
“Only the Romans are permitted to execute someone,” the Jewish leaders replied. This fulfilled Jesus’ prediction about THE WAY HE WOULD DIE-John 18:28-32/John 12:32-33 NLV).
How come “Romans only are permitted to execute someone”? What exactly happened was in 28 AD, the Sanhedrin under Roman pressure divested itself of executing the Death penalty (Source: Talmud Sanhedrin 41a; "Maimonides" Laws of Sanhedrin 14:13). In the case of Stephen’s stoning, the Sanhedrin had “clean conscience” ascribing the stoning to mob fury. In all probability the Jewish legal body got away from the investigative Roman authorities too, ascribing Stephen’s stoning to an instance of public outrage like at the time the Lord used the words “I AM” to describe Himself (John 8:57-59). As Stephen was anyway not-so-popular the whole issue could be “brushed under the carpet” , but in the mind of the crafty Sanhedrin (about 4 years earlier) executing popular Jesus haphazardly represented an act fraught with the risk of His followers rebelling against them (Matt 21:46). However so determined as they were to eliminate Him, they brought the Romans into the picture. Look at how the Sanhedrin changes “colors” in front of Pilate. Not one word is spoken at the beginning about the Jesus’ act of blasphemy for it would not cut much ice with Pilate (he would be least interested in that accusation-Luke 23:1-5/John 19:7-16) so they forcefully sing the “accusatory” song of sedition before Pilate. Now as sedition was the ground of accusation, it followed that crucifixion was the mode of execution of death penalty that sedition entailed. One look at the chain of events brings to the fore our Heavenly Father’s Sovereignty in ensuring the Tree being central to the Redemptive plan (Acts 3:18).
If love for God which can be exhibited only by implicit obedience to His commands (2 John 1:6) was conspicuous by its absence in the behaviour of the First Adam when exposed to the lure of Tree of Knowledge, then by stark contrast the Final Adam (read Jesus… 1 Cor 15:45) personified obedience by wilfully hanging on the Cruel Tree (Gal 3:13) as per the Father’s will (John 6:38/ John 14:30-31) right in the middle of the Earth (Ezekiel 5:5).
If the Tree of Knowledge proved to be a bane for mankind bringing in its wake spiritual ignorance, then again ironically the Tree of foolishness (so-called by the scholarly Greek peers of Apostle Paul- 1 Cor 1:18) has been a cause for manifold blessings to it ushering in spiritual emancipation and enlightenment. Stretching the comparison further, if the enticing words of the sly snake spoken even while “hanging” onto the former brought forth terrible curse to mankind, the energizing words proclaiming completion of redemption plan (John 19:30) spoken by the suffering Saviour even while "hanging" on the energy-sapping cruel Tree of execution (Gal 3:13/ Deu 22:21) have heralded from the First Good Friday onwards the free release from that curse to anyone appropriating it in his/her life (Romans 10:8-10).
If the first Adam hid behind a tree to hide his shame, then the final Adam to cover up “our sin and shame” would be fastened to the front side of the tree completely naked to bear shame on our behalf (Heb 12:1-2). Do not go by paintings which show the Crucified lot wearing loin cloth but rather check history accurately to know the exact truth about the Crucifixion ordeal (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crucifixion.).
Gospel would be a palaver only to the perishing, blinded as they are, by the arch-enemy of every human soul (2 Cor 4:4) but to those being redeemed by it, it is the power of God in action (1 Cor 1:18-TLB).
Finally Dear Friends, if I began my message with a Desi chant then let me conclude it too with a Desi one marveling at the person of Christ…who completed the mission of saving mankind on the Tree which was central to God’s redemption plan…
“Jab Suraj aur Chand bhi mit jayega, Yesu tu hamesha hamare paas prakash banke rahega”. The gist of Rev 21:23 which reads thus: The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. HALLELUJAH!!!
Suresh Manoharan
