Rejoice in the Murder of Jesus

by Joel Taylor
From the 5 Pt. Salt Blog

[From Pastor Bill - We talked in our morning service this past Sunday about “What Justice Looks Like” and took some time to discuss the problem of believers rejoicing over the demise of any wicked person, no matter what they have done, no matter what their actions, as their death ushers them into God’s presence and thus into His judgment for all eternity.  Though we can surely be glad that such a terror is gone, and rejoice that he will no longer do or inspire the horrible things that he and his organization did (not that others may not pick up where he left off…); we ought to be sober and think with a kind of sadness, as Jesus did when looking and weeping over Jerusalem, when we think of the hardness of heart and the deception that blinded this man’s eyes to the very end. 

When we see men rejoicing over his killing, as Biblical Christians, we ought to be conflicted.  There are some who are saying that our Seals went in and executed bin Laden, and while I am not by any means a legal mind, it seems to me that is not far from the truth.  It is also not far from the truth that he (bin Laden) badly needed and deserved executing.  Hidden and protected where he was; ill and feeble (apparently as accounts tell us) it is clear that he would never be brought to conventional justice. And so, much as I dislike our President, I give him credit for acting when he had the opportunity.

As I watched the various groups rejoicing over the news of bin Laden’s killing, one of things I couldn’t help thinking of was the killing our Lord on that day so long ago. Joel Taylor over at the 5 Point Salt Blog talked about this very ably:]

  

The Murder of Jesus

If Jesus died merely to set an example, what example would that be? If His death was some kind of humanitarian lesson, what was that lesson? He was murdered. Executed. His death was a death of capital punishment. He died the death of traitors, murderers and robbers. Why wouldn’t we be angry that an innocent man died such an unjust death? If that was all it amounted to, it is the ultimate act of social injustice. His moral teaching was rejected by everyone, as was demonstrated by His crucifixion. A murderous rebel was asked to be released in His place. But in this we see what He actually was accomplishing at the cross. Jesus didn’t die merely to set an example of selflessness; He died as the selfless Savior in the place of selfish man. As Isaiah explained 730 years before,

“He was wounded for our transgressions; bruised for our iniquities…by His stripes we are healed”
(Isaiah 53).

Christians rejoice in the death of Jesus because He was sacrificed in their place. He, Himself, took the wrath of God that we deserve for our sin. Far from being something that we should mourn over, the murder of Jesus is the greatest cause of rejoicing. Its efficacy is attested to in His resurrection from the dead. God the Father accepted the sacrifice of Christ as a suitable sacrifice for the sins of His people. When the Father saw the blood of His infinitely beloved Son poured out at Calvary, His just wrath was satisfied. He gave proof of this by raising Him from the dead.

Innumerable voices tell us to leave the supernatural out of the Bible; but, to do so is to divest Christ’s death of all meaning. It is to rob Jesus of all glory and power; and make His death a meaningless act of stupidity for which we ought to mourn. If no one gets saved by the death of Jesus, it was all in vain. It also makes the ethical teachings of Jesus the most pathetic attempt at reform the world has ever seen. If Jesus was merely a man, why would anyone listen to Him. His message was essentially: “You must be perfect. You’re all messed up. I’m perfect. Come to me and I’ll heal you.” But, as God manifest in the flesh, we find in His death the complete eternal salvation of all who believe in Him. So to all the people in the world today who are burdened by the weight of your failure to live up to the ethical standard of perfection, rejoice in the murder of Jesus. Mourn over your sin, while you joyfully look to the one who is “Just and the Justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

[Pastor Bill Farrow - How very different the death of this killer who, for years now has had to hide caves and secret places to avoid the punishment he deserved, from the Son of God who came and sought out the authorities and presented Himself to them – freely and openly – challenging them saying

“No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” (John 10:18)

We that God for One Who came and gave Himself for His people, rather than requiring them to give themselves for his purposes he lives in some splendid place…Amen?]