JESUS PAID THE DEBT HE DIDN’T OWE
Psalm 49:7-9 No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him - the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough - that he should live on forever and not see decay.
How could the sons of Korah have ever known that there would be someone that could do this, and it would be God’s only begotten Son Jesus Christ? The answer has to be the Holy Spirit inspired them to this understanding. Even for the Christian it is hard to imagine that God would love us so much to do this. There have been through time people that have made great sacrifices for others and even given their lives so others could live, but never to the extent what God did for us. While we were still sinners, even before creation, God devised a plan for the forgiveness and reconciliation of all who would sin against him. II Samuel 14:14 says, “But God does not take away life; instead, he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him.” And then in I Peter 1:20 it also says, “He was chosen before creation of the world, but was revealed in these last days for your sake.”
While becoming a Christian is so easy that a little child can become one, it was not easy for God and certainly not Jesus. Just think of the process of Jesus setting aside his divine state to take on the form of a person even a helpless baby. Jesus went from being everywhere at any given time to the temporal space of a person. While he was without sin and didn’t have the carnal nature, he was tempted in every way as it tells us in Hebrews 4:15. Jesus become a person and had taken up residence in a cesspool of sin and evil. How it must have broken his heart to see others so cruelly treated, even to the point of dying on a cross. I am sure he saw people mistreating animals, and even little children. He no doubt heard husbands and wives yelling at each other. He saw the fear and hate in the eyes of his fellow Jews as a Roman soldier would walk past. He also saw how so few had time for the Lord, and those that did had selfish motives. Even those who claimed to follow the law of God seemed to miss the intent of it. Life on earth was far different than what it was in heaven with his Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit.
As we see in Isaiah 52:13-53:12 the means of our salvation was known by God. Jesus knew what it would take to redeem us from the pit of hell, so we could be not only with him for all eternity but even becoming his Bride and part of his glorious kingdom. He knew how he would be so badly beaten and disfigured that many would be appalled at him. His form was marred beyond human likeness.
Even as a child he was as a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. Jesus didn’t belong on earth. Jesus belonged in heaven at the right hand of his Heavenly Father. He should have been being exalted in praise, adoration and love at all times. He should have had beautiful songs before him, and not the shouts of hatred yelling crucify him. Instead of people yelling, “let his blood be on us and our children's children”, Jesus should have heard cries of seeking his mercy and forgiveness. Jesus knew the very ones that he loved so much and wanted to help would despise and reject him, but he came anyway. He knew he would have many sorrows and be familiar with suffering. Instead of being loved, he would be despised.
Why would God leave his throne in glory to do for us what no other person would do? The answer is his loved us. And it was not a selfish love as so often we have for one another. Jesus love was a Godly love that goes far beyond what any person can comprehend. Jesus knew that if the Heavenly Father, the Holy Spirit and even himself could remain righteous in forgiving us of our sins that an atonement would have to be made on a Godly level. God would have to satisfy his own standards for reconciliation. God would have be crushed in his body and spirit, being punished as our sins were placed on him. This is why no person could tone for the sins of another person. All have sinned and fallen short the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) Everyone stands in need of a savior. It took a perfect lamb so to speak in the form of God without sin to atone for the sins of the world. It took God in the form of man to satisfy his own standard. This is another reason why it was the Holy Spirit and not Joseph that brought life in Mary. Jesus did not have the carnal nature that all other people are born with. Never once did Jesus succumb to temptation and sin, nor did he ever not want to do his Father’s will. In spite of what Jesus knew was before him, he still came to save you and me.
The author of today's psalm was right. There was never a man, or could have there ever been one that could do what Jesus did for us on Calvary’s cross! What a wonderful God and Savior we have in Jesus!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for coming and taking our sin and our punishment on yourself, so we would not have to remain in our sin for all eternity. Holy Spirit, please help us to forever love and appreciate Jesus as well as you and the Heavenly Father. We love you, and we ask this in Jesus’ name.
