Friday: Further Thought – Tried and Crucified
Daily Lesson for Friday 20th of September 2024
Read Ellen G. White, “In Pilate’s Judgment Hall,” Pages 723–740; “Calvary,” Pages 741–757; “ ‘It Is Finished,’ ” Pages 758–764, in The Desire of Ages.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
“Pilate longed to deliver Jesus. But he saw that he could not do this, and yet retain his own position and honor. Rather than lose his worldly power, he chose to sacrifice an innocent life. How many, to escape loss or suffering, in like manner sacrifice principle. Conscience and duty point one way, and self-interest points another. The current sets strongly in the wrong direction, and he who compromises with evil is swept away into the thick darkness of guilt.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 738.
“Upon Christ as our substitute and surety was laid the iniquity of us all. He was counted a transgressor, that He might redeem us from the condemnation of the law. The guilt of every descendant of Adam was pressing upon His heart. The wrath of God against sin, the terrible manifestation of His displeasure because of iniquity, filled the soul of His Son with consternation. All His life Christ had been publishing to a fallen world the good news of the Father’s mercy and pardoning love. Salvation for the chief of sinners was His theme. But now with the terrible weight of guilt He bears, He cannot see the Father’s reconciling face. The withdrawal of the divine countenance from the Saviour in this hour of supreme anguish pierced His heart with a sorrow that can never be fully understood by man. So great was this agony that His physical pain was hardly felt.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 753.
Discussion Questions
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The theology of Christ's substitutionary death has become the subject of some fairly intense debate both within the Seventh-day Adventist Church and in the wider Christian community. I did some research on the topic using search engines and mostly I got responses that concluded with the observation that there are many nuances to this discussion and no clear answers. Part of the problem is that folk who take up this argument often form their own definitions and vigorously defend their ideas based on those definitions.
Here are some observations about Seventh-day Adventists that I have picked up from my research (Note these are not my ideas; I am simply asking you to think about them):
I am not sure that we would agree with these all perceptions. Nor do I believe that it is essential to our salvation to understand all the nuances that are represented here.
I like Ellen White's simple summary:
If we accept God's love and live within that love, then the argument is won.
A liitle Sabbath viewing for you: In Celebration of Willie Wagtail Birds
Genesis 1:21 "And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good."
Thank You Maurice!
Thank you Maurice for the fascinating glimpse into your world of Australian birds. I really enjoyed watching.
Thank you and Happy Sabbath!
I agree, Maurice. I accept that Jesus died in my place, but I know that the experience of salvation is one we will be studying for eternity. Our understandings are faulty and I will not be one to condemn those who "downplay" the substitutionary atonement. I'm not saying I agree with everything they say, but often overreactions reflect that the way we presented things in the past was not entirely correct. I think we need to be humble.
Even if all of this were a simple fable, what a fable would that be! Empathy so strong of a God for His creatures that made Him want to be like them, not in sin, but in skin, to feel all the pain they were feeling! God's pain was more substantial than ours! God's pain for the fallen humanity got Him "crazy"! Crazy in our yes, because nobody understood His sacrifice! But now we know, and from the bottom of our pit, we look up and see more than a Savior; we see Love stamped on His name! What a precious God we have!
We feel grief as we read of the account of Jesus’ suffering and crucifixion. But we have not the slightest idea of the full extent of His suffering at the hands of Satan and his evil minions in His time of agony leading up to and on the Cross.
Can you perceive what He was experiencing that led Him to cry out “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me???
The grief of every heavenly being who saw all of this play out before their eyes must have been terrible, yet they could not lift a hand to prevent it. The outcome and wages of sin (our sin), which Jesus had to suffer, must take their course.
Was Jesus able to see through to the victory of the Resurrection morning???
Or did He go to the Cross wondering if this was the final separation from His Father and from Heaven???
How do you feel about God and all of heaven standing by, letting this happen?
This scenario brings to mind another climactic time which is soon to come. We’re seeing evidence of the withdrawal of the Holy Spirit from the earth as disaster, loss of moral compass, war and depravity increase. God forbid that any of us should be subjected to the suffering that will take place before Jesus comes. Yet, as with Jesus at the Cross, we may find ourselves caught up in the end-time troubles, feeling that God has forsaken us.
How important it is to know our wonderful God enough to trust Him through those times, and to have our eyes and hearts fixed upwards, beyond this world to the Earth made new, and to Heaven restored.
Praise God for Jesus’ salvific act, and for the enduring presence and work of our Comforter and Counsellor.
Thank-you Maurice for the research on our beliefs. I believe Christ died for our sins so that we may be counted in His kingdom because we have been born again. Indeed, the basics you have given us set us on the road to sanctification of a lifetime.
Let me bring in explanatory words from the inspired pen of Ellen White.
"The Jewish elders had commended the centurion to Christ because of the favor he had shown to "our nation." He is worthy, they said, for "he hath built us a synagogue." But the centurion said of himself, "I am not worthy." Yet he did not fear to ask help from Jesus. Not to his own goodness did he trust, but to the Saviour's mercy. His only argument was his great need.
In the same way every human being can come to Christ. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us." Titus 3:5. Do you feel that because you are a sinner you cannot hope to receive blessing from God? Remember that Christ came into the world to save sinners. We have nothing to recommend us to God; the plea that we may urge now and ever is our utterly helpless condition, which makes His redeeming power a necessity. Renouncing all self-dependence, we may look to the cross of Calvary and say:
"In my hand no price I bring;Simply to Thy cross I cling."
"If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth."" Mark 9:23 The Ministry of Healing 65.1 to 65.4
I believe Christ gives us the power to overcome. The essential item for us is to live a Christian life today. How do we do that is found in 1 John 2:1. We are admonished not sin, now if we do sin, take it to our Lord in prayer, in His arms He will take and shield us. And we will find solace there, or comfort if you prefer. 🙏
Thank-you Maurice also for the WagTail pictures. A Seventh-day-Adventist we can wag our tail happy with the Truth. I agree let's be careful not wag tails with a swollen head. Just rejoice in the Lord.
Philippians 4:4-5.
This quarter's lesson brings to mind a song.
Lord I lift Your name on high
Lord I love to sing Your praises
I'm so glad You're in my life
I'm so glad You came to save us
You came from heaven to earth to show the way
From the earth to the cross, my debt to pay
From the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky
Lord I lift Your name on high
Lord I lift Your name on high
Lord I love to sing Your praises
I'm so glad You're in my life
I'm so glad You came to save us
You came from heaven to earth to show the way
From the earth to the cross, my debt to pay
From the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky
Lord I lift Your name on high
You came from heaven to earth to show the way
From the earth to the cross, my debt to pay
From the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky
Lord I lift Your name on high
You came from heaven to earth to show the way
From the earth to the cross, my debt to pay
From the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky
Lord I lift Your name on high
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Rick Doyle Founds
Lord, I Lift Your Name on High lyrics © Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publ., Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publishing
Luke 23:25 “He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.”
The clearly innocent Jesus is found guilty. The clearly guilty Barrabas is found innocent. Here is the first substitution at the Cross….. We are all Barrabas. Are we as shocked and dumbfounded by all this as Barrabas must have been? How did his life change? How am I living out this reality that I, too, am a released captive?