Marleen

Phil 2:5-11 Discribes in such a poignant way the contrast of Jesus being in very nature God, humbled himself took on the form of a man and then went to the cross in full obediende to His father. These verses are so awe inspiring! Jesus who was with God in the beginning - left His gory and majesty and is born as a man - and in obedience He suffers and goes to the cross - resolute - so we can be reconciled to God. And our attitude the writer says should be that of Christ Jesus who being in very nature God... humbled himself.... I always go back to these verses because they make me stop and think and 'ponder' and I stand in awe...

The punishment for sin fell on Jesus. He took it all and did not open his mouth.

Sin needs to be punished. But the punishment did not fall on me... it fell on Jesus. It must have been the most awful moment ever when the sin of me and of the whole world was placed on Jesus who was the sinless one. That moment my dirty rags were exchanged with his righteous robes. The weight of the ugliness of the world was laid on the King of Kings - on the very son of God Himself - who is God. He loves me like nobody will ever love me. He cannot help BUT LOVE ME because He is LOVE!

Jesus knew what his mission in life was. For the joy set before Him, He went to the cross. Every verse which was mentioned refers to His coming suffering.

In Isaiah we can read - he would remove the sin of many people or nations. Jesus' sacrificed himself for 'the world' for 'everyone'. But not everyone will accept what He did for them. Some will turn away and will not have their names written in the book of life.

Sin is costly and has consequences. Blood needed to flow to show how much God hates sin but loves the sinner. We cannot come before a Holy God stained by sin. We need the covering of the blood of the Lamb of God. Thank God Almighty God has provided my robes of righteousness because of the sacrifice of Jesus His Son my filthy rags are washed in his blood. God's nature is LOVE and Justice and compassion in perfect balance.

All the sacrifices in the world wouldn't have done them any good. They needed to have a humble and contrite heart before God. God in His mercy and wisdom and compassion, offered them a way out. The law and the sacrificial system showed them HOW FAR OFF the mark and how serious sin is to a HOLY God. The only sacrifice sufficient was Christ.

We still need to come before our heavenly Father and confess our sins. Jesus has become the 'substitute spotless Lamb' for us. It's His blood that was shed so we could be forgiven. We don't bring a Lamb or a pigeon or anything like that, but the Father in Heaven has provided the lamb for us, Jesus His Son. Who fully man and divine is the ONLY sacrifice that would be sufficient for me. Blood still needs to flow so we can be reconciled to God, but it's the blood of His Son, the Saviour of the world.

We as modern West European People living in 2008, would even have problems killing a chicken. It's not part of our lives anymore. We now buy everything 'killed for us and even completely cut up in the pieces we like'. 'Blood' is something that is FAR AWAY from our daily lives. it is foreign to me to have to kill an animal.

For the Hebrew people of John's time, a 'lamb' and sacrifice would almost have been one and the same. John preached repentance of sins. The listeners would have thought of: - The lamb that God provided for Abraham - The blood of the Lamb that was on the doorpost of the homes of their forefathers (Exodus) so the angel of the Lord did not slay their first born. 'Sin of the world' was radical because the Israelites were the chosen people. They stood out from the rest as it were. And now John comes with this saying... reconciliation was offered to everyone! Not just the Israelites. This must have been quite a chock to the hearers in John's day.