Dec 12
15
He drank it up—every drop!
(Brooks, “The Golden Key to Open Hidden Treasures”)
“Who can comprehend the power of Your wrath?”
Psalm 90:11
Jesus Christ comprehends it, for He underwent it!
His whole life was made up of suffering.
From His birth to His death, from His cradle to the cross,
from the womb to the tomb, —He was a man of sorrows!
Behold His bodily sufferings— the crown of thorns on His head,
the smiting of His cheeks, the spitting on His face, the scourging of His body,
the cross on His back, the vinegar in His mouth, the nails in His hands and feet,
the spear in His side, His crucifixion and death on the cross —might well astonish us!
Behold that head, before which angels cast down themselves and worshiped—crowned with thorns!
Behold those eyes, which were purer than the sun—put out by the darkness of death!
Behold those ears which heard nothing but halleluiahs —hearing the blasphemies of the multitude!
Behold that lovely face—spit on by such beastly wretches!
Behold that mouth and tongue, which “spoke as never any man spoke”—accused of blasphemy!
Behold those hands, which freely swayed the scepter of heaven—nailed to the cross!
Behold those feet, “like unto fine brass” —nailed to the cross for man’s sins!
Who can behold Christ thus suffering— and not be struck with astonishment?
1 Peter 3:18, “Christ has suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous.” This is . . .
the wonderment of angels, the happiness of fallen man, and the torment of devils—that Christ has suffered. The doleful tragedy of His sufferings is unutterable!
The sufferings of Jesus Christ were very great and heinous. What agony, what torment was our Savior racked with! “He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief!” Is. 53:3 He was a man of sorrows—as if He were a man made up of sorrows! He knew more sorrows than any man, yes, than all men ever did! We never read that Jesus
laughed at all, when He was in the world. His whole life was filled up with sufferings.
How deep were His wounds! How weighty His burden! How full of trembling His cup, when He lay under the mountains of the guilt of all the elect!
How bitter were His tears! How painful His bloody sweat! How dreadful His death!
Lamentations 1:12 is very applicable to Christ— “Look and see! Is there any pain like Mine, which was dealt out to Me, which the Lord made Me suffer on the day of His burning anger?” What sufferings
can you think of, which Christ did not suffer? Christ suffered in His birth, and He suffered in His life, and He suffered in His death. He suffered in His body, for He was diversely tormented. He suffered in His soul, for His soul was exceedingly sorrowful. He suffered in His estate, they parted His clothing, and He had nowhere to rest His head. He suffered
in His reputation, for He was called a Samaritan, a devilish sorcerer, a drunkard, an enemy to Caesar, etc. He suffered from heaven, when He cried out, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?” He suffered from the earth, being hungry. He suffered from hell, Satan assaulting and encountering Him with his most black and horrid temptations. He began His life lowly and basely, and was sharply persecuted. He continued His life poorly and
distressedly, and was cruelly hated. He ended His life woefully and miserably, and was most grievously tormented with whips, thorns, nails; and, above all, with the terrors of His Father’s wrath and horrors of hellish agonies! Who can compute how many vials of God’s inexpressible, insupportable wrath, which Christ drank? Yet, He drank it up—every drop, leaving nothing behind for His redeemed people—but large draughts of love and salvation!
The death of Christ on the cross was . . . a bitter death, a sorrowful death, a bloody death.
The bitter thoughts of His sufferings put Him into a most dreadful agony: “Being in an agony, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was as great drops of blood falling to the ground.” Luke 22:44
Nothing could fasten Christ to the cross—but the golden link of His free love! Oh, what a wonder of love is this—that Jesus Christ, who is the author of life, the fountain of life, the Lord of life—that He should so freely, so readily, so cheerfully lay down His life for us!
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When Jesus said, “It is finished,” He addressed HIMSELF.
It was a word of triumph–a calm, reposeful utterance; a dying word–but the word of a dying conqueror.
His soul-struggle seemed now over. Stretched as He was, a humiliating spectacle, upon that cruel cross, and excruciating as was the bodily anguish–yet light–the light of heavenly joy–seemed to have streamed in upon Him before He sent His spirit away. As we have often seen the sun in the heavens, after wading for hours amid black and murky clouds–as we have seen the hidden globe of fire, as it dipped behind the horizon-line, sending a gleam of dazzling brightness athwart the whole landscape–a parting burst of glory before the night-shadows fell–so it would seem with the Great Sun of Righteousness. After hours of unutterable darkness, which had their exponent in blood-drops, and in the piercing cry of God-desertion–lo! a gleam of radiance breaks from His eclipsed soul–suffusing His own dying countenance with triumph, and the world with hope! The cross is, for the instant, changed into a kingly throne. The thorn-crowned Monarch “sees of the travail of His soul and is satisfied.” It was the moment when the great program of His incarnation-work had reached its climax. He had the sublime consciousness that the battle was won, the ramparts were carried, and He, as the moral conqueror, was now planting His banner on their heights.
If, even in the anticipation of this moment of victory, “Wisdom” had exultingly said, before the foundations of the world–“Lo, I come; I delight to do Your will, O my God”–what must have been His delight when He placed the last stone on the consummated Temple, and looking down the vista of a glorious future, beheld “a multitude which no man can number” casting their ransomed crowns at His feet! If there is joy among the angels even over “one sinner that repents,” what must now have been the joy of the Lord of angels, when He had in view the millions on millions, who in all coming ages, would exult in that cross as their chief glory? It is enough; He need keep the chariots no longer waiting, that are ready to bear His spirit away–“His right hand and His holy arm have gotten Him the victory.” The great redemption is achieved. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. Extract from John Macduff
Time for taunt, and insult, and cruelty!
(Horatius Bonar, “The Surety’s Thirst”)
“The soldiers mocked Him, too, by offering
Him a drink of sour wine.” Luke 23:36
This is the last venting of man’s enmity against God; the last drop of the old serpent’s venom poured upon the holy Jesus! “This is the heir; come, let us kill Him!” Man has got God into his power; he has got the Son of God hanging helplessly on a tree; and his enmity
to God now gives full vent! He can mock God safely now. Thus man’s hatred of God comes out in all its bitterness; and it does so, just at the very point where God’s love was coming out in its fullness. Never did love and hatred, kindness and enmity–so meet together.
Never was love so requited, and kindness so mocked, as here.
That very thing, which ought to have softened them, and drawn out their profoundest sympathies–is that which calls forth insult, which extinguishes pity, which steels them against the Sufferer’s cry, which rouses all hell in their bosoms! Towards God they are as devils!
Now is their time for taunt, and insult, and cruelty! So long as Jesus is going about, doing miracles, they are afraid to touch Him. But now, when He is dying on a cross, they may hate and mock Him as they please! Now, when the lion of the tribe of Judah is in chains, and expiring of His wounds–they may trample on Him at will.
O man, such is your heart! Such is the extent of your enmity to the God in whom you live, and move, and have your being!
Herein is love; not man loving God, but God loving man; so loving man as to persist in His great work of grace, notwithstanding man’s utmost hatred and rejection! Here is God’s provision, not only for man’s pardon–but for his fullest joy. The Surety thirsted that we might not thirst!
He drank of the vinegar–that we might not drink it! He drained the cup of wrath–that we might never taste it! He was wounded that–we might be healed! What love! The love of the Just to the unjust; the love of the Holy to the unholy; the love of the Heavenly to the earthly;
the love of the Creator to the creature; the love of Jesus–infinite and divine!
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Your eyes will see the King in His beauty!
(Philpot, “Daily Words for Zion’s Wayfarers”, 1893)
“Your eyes will see the King in His beauty!” Is. 33:17
Where in heaven or on earth can there be found such a lovely Object as the Son of God? If you have never seen any beauty in Jesus . . . you have never seen Jesus, He has never revealed Himself to you, you never had a glimpse of His lovely face, nor a sense of His presence, nor a word from His lips, nor a touch from His hand.
But if you have seen Him by the eye of faith, and He has revealed Himself to you even in a small measure, you have seen a beauty in Him beyond all other beauties, for it is . . .
a holy beauty, a divine beauty, the beauty of His heavenly grace, the beauty of His uncreated and eternal glory.
How beautiful and glorious does He show Himself to be in His atoning blood and dying love. Even as sweating great drops of blood in Gethsemane’s gloomy garden, and as hanging in torture and agony upon Calvary’s cross, faith can see a beauty in the glorious Redeemer,
even in the lowest depths of ignominy and shame!
“How is your Beloved better than others?” “My Beloved is dark and dazzling, better
than ten thousand others!” Song 5:9-10
O wondrous transformation!
(John MacDuff, “Heavenly Aspirations”)
“He shall be lifted up, and extolled, and be greatly exalted!” Isaiah 52:13
This sure word of prophecy was literally and most gloriously verified, when the incarnate Redeemer, after having finished the work which was given Him to do, was taken up into Heaven, and sat down on the right hand of God — with angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him. We now gaze upon the throne on which He reigns!
That meek and lowly One, who had been despised and rejected — is now adored by all the heavenly hosts!
That face, once covered with spittle, and furrowed with tears — is now gazed upon with transporting admiration!
That brow, once bound with thorns — is now encircled with a splendor before which suns turn pale!
Those hands which were nailed to the bloody tree — now grasp the scepter of universal dominion!
That ignominious cross — is exchanged for Heaven’s highest throne!
That crown of thorns — is exchanged for a diadem of everlasting glory!
O wondrous transformation!
“On His robe at His thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords!” Revelation 19:16
“God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in Heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!” Philippians 2:9-11
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For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified (I Corinthians 2:2)
The apostle Paul declared to a heathen world, and a church being led astray by foolish pride and worldly wisdom, that he preached Christ and Him crucified. The gospel is a person. He was a person in eternity, as the Son of God, the second person of the Godhead. He was appointed as a mediator and surety of an everlasting covenant and as such stood as a person. In every Old Testament prophecy He is set forth as a person. When He appeared on this earth in Bethlehem’s manger he was a person. He lived as a servant under the law of God and was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin as a person. His suffering was real. He hung on a cross and died a real death. He was raised the third day as a person who ate and drank. He had scars to prove himself to be the resurrected Christ. The disciples watched as He ascended into glory as our Great High Priest where He sits at the right hand of God.
Faith lays hold of the person who loved them and gave himself for him. Faith rests in Him as it is persuaded of the greatness of His person. Salvation is not a system or a plan or an offer: It is the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. “Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God and there is none else.” (Isaiah 45: 22) Darvin Pruitt