The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
“The Rescuer”
A passerby at Calvary long ago might have looked with pity upon the Lord Jesus Christ as He hung in shame and impending death on the cross, wishing he could somehow rescue what he perceived as a just man. “He has done nothing to deserve this” the kindly soul might have thought in sorrow, and perhaps even expressed words to the effect (had no Roman soldier been within earshot). If some means had appeared to make rescue possible, the passerby might have become a rescuer of the man he deemed unworthy of so cruel a a fate.
In so doing, he would have condemned himself and the entire human race to eternal condemnation in the lake of fire. “Without shedding of blood is no remission of sin” (Hebrews 9:22). Someone had to die for sin, either those who committed it, or the One sent by God to suffer and die in our stead. Thankfully, no one appeared with these most noble of intentions, but what would have been the most wayward of actions. Christ did die for our sins, and for those who believe, His unjust death becomes the means whereby God can justify sinners without compromising His perfect integrity - “just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Romans 3:26).
A underlying principle of God’s working presents itself in the scenario we imagine. We all wonder at times why He allows obvious injustice to hang ourselves or others on crosses of far less measure and scope than the one planted at Calvary, but nevertheless grievous and intensely painful. The answer, while far from completely understandable to our limited minds, reveals that our Heavenly Father fulfills His purposes not only on beautiful vistas of obviously glimmering grace, but also in sad and dark valleys where seemingly nothing of good can be found. Indeed, some rescues from crosses would jeopardize resurrections to come that will ultimately result in glories of indescribable wonder and “joy unspeakable and full of glory” (I Peter 1:8). Doubtless, our Father takes no pleasure in staying His hand of rescue. He nevertheless always acts in accordance with the glory of the Lord Jesus, and that which perfectly accords with our eternal best interest.
Angels would have certainly presented any well meaning soul from a rescue attempt at our Lord’s cross of Calvary. Nothing was going to prevent Him from from going there - “He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51). Nor was anything going to prevent Him from the completion of His sorrow, suffering, and death that made possible our salvation. In like manner, nothing will stop our Lord from doing that in our lives which is best for us, even it means we must grieve and He must grieve with us. We do well to plant such conviction deep in our hearts, so that when rescue does not come, realization does… “As for God, His way is perfect… All things work together for good to them that love God” (II Samuel 22:31; Romans 8:28).
“We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of Heaven.”
(Acts 14:22)
Weekly Memory Verse
Oh the depths of the riches of both the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!
(Romans 11:36)
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