Him hath God exalted with His right hand, to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. Acts 5:31
If we had been strangers in Jerusalem on the day Jesus was crucified, and if we had gone to Calvary to witness the event, we would have noted several striking aspects of that great scene. One of those would have been the placard, or accusation, that was nailed to Jesus’ cross. The words ‘This is Jesus, King of the Jews’ would have caused us to wonder why these people were executing their King. And as we gazed on the sight, we might have wondered how such a One could have been called King, wearing a most unregal crown twisted from cruel thorns. Also striking at that scene would have been the mockings of the crowd, declaring that this Man saved others but could not save Himself. Cries from the malefactors who were hanged with Him, pleading for Him to save Himself and them, were certainly unusual for such an execution scene. Today’s text addresses these two striking aspects of Calvary’s great event.
Remember, it was man’s rejection and mockery that placed the crown of thorns on Jesus’ brow. But it is God’s acceptance of His great work of redemption that exalts Jesus from Gethsemane’s sorrow, Golgotha’s suffering, and Gethsemane’s separation, to Glory’s supreme height. Although the marks of those mocking thorns will forever remind us of His shame and suffering, we appreciate that His brow is now adorned with Heaven’s highest glories. Our grateful hearts accord to Him the title of King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He Who we once despised sand rejected is now adored and accepted as our Prince. The mocking accusation of the placard on the cross is now a truth most precious.
Although the mockers could not know the significance of what they were saying, they spoke truth when they declared that Jesus could not save Himself. God’s great eternal plan of salvation is based on the offering of the Son. Nothing could prevent the Father from sending the Son nor divert the Son from completing His work. Saving Himself was never an option nor a possibility. Only by submitting to man’s indignities and God’s judgment for our sin could he complete the work required to atone for our sins and to qualify to be our Saviour. The mocking cries of Calvary’s tormentors are now cause for us to bow in deepest gratitude.
We have experience repentance and forgiveness of sins, because of One who we recognize today as our Prince and our Saviour. -Jim MacIntosh