I read about this topic in one of the Adventist magazines long back. The answers in it have till today left an indelible impression in my mind which shall remain for eons to come.
Did you ever think that Jesus could have said no to the cross? Well, in fact, he could have said no in the beginning itself, before coming into this world as a small child, whose earthly parents fled the wrath of Herod, to save him as an infant, immediately after the angels’ warning.
He knew beforehand.
He knew beforehand rather, before entering this world, that he would have had to face enough miseries. Can you imagine yourself knowing about some impending danger but still would have remained in the same place, welcoming it with a smile? Well, this would have happened only if you did not escape. Trying to brave an unfavorable situation despite knowing its consequence would be construed as foolishness by us humans.
Evidence from the Bible about Jesus being fully human.
All know from the Bible that Jesus was a complete human, and that was meant to set an example for us. If Jesus would not be human, then many Christians would have credited his death on the cross as a mere act because God cannot die. In fact, many ignorant Christians today also think that Jesus was divine while he walked this earth, which contradicts the scriptures. Let us read what the Bible must speak about it.
The following verses prove that he was completely human.
- John 1:14
- John 17:5 This verse also proves that prior to walking on earth Jesus was with the Father.
(Mind you Jesus is not the Father i.e., God the Father.)
- Romans 8:3
- Philippians 2:6-7
- Hebrews 4:15 Satan tempted Jesus. All know the wilderness episode. Let us read James 1:13-14. This verse is enough to prove that Jesus was fully human while on this earth, as Satan tempted him and the temptation was to commit a sin so that the savior would have had a blot. God’s requirement of a perfect sacrifice would have been made void.
- 1 John 4:2-3
- John 11:35
Our knowledge about the sacrifice of Christ
Last but not least, we all know that Jesus died on the cross. He died as we all human beings die. Although there was no sin in him (Corinthians 5:21) He became sin for us and died for us. The scripture clearly speaks in Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death. He died, and he rose back from the dead, not by his own efforts but by the power of the Almighty Father. Romans 8:11.
Have you realized that if Jesus had said no, then the hope of salvation would have been dark? God would lose us or we can say that we would have been doomed without a savior. But here we would look at the situation where Jesus was in despite his premonition, but still being steady in his decision. He came to do the Father’s will. Read Hebrews 10:9, John 6:38, Matthew 26:39, John 5:30, and John 4:34.
All have read John 3:16, which is mostly called the gist of the Bible. To be more precise, I have another way of telling this. If you could summarize the entire Bible into a verse, it would be this only. It carries the essence of the thought of the Almighty God who really loved the world so much that He gave His only Begotten Son. God could have completely wiped off the sinners from the face of the earth, but He did not. He really loved us and loves us today. The begotten son, i.e., Jesus, was already there when the plan of redemption was being designed. He was much before the creation was being done. Jesus is the creator which the Bible mentions in the New Testament. Colossians 1:16-20. Cross-reference with Ephesians 5:23 with Colossians 1:18.
His early life
Prior to entering the ministry at 30, Jesus did not have a rosy life. He worked as a carpenter (Matthew 13:55) and, to be honest, this job is difficult. Wood in those days and nowadays is the same, but not the tool. Some might say that the furniture of those days was not as artistic as it is now, but this is not the topic to be discussed here. What I want to impress is that Jesus really did hard work. Mind you, he was indeed strong, because if he were weak, he would not have been able to carry the heavy cross after an entire night of beating, thrashing, humiliation, and whatnot. It completely drained him of his energy, and despite this, he hung on the cross for 3 hours or more. A complete human being. Nobody mocked him telling him to be God but, asked him to save himself if he was the Son of God.
The temptation in the wilderness (God cannot be tempted)
Since Christ is the creator of this world, Christ absolutely knew that Lucifer would tempt him and would dare question his Sonship.
If you are the son of God, command these stones to turn into bread Matthew 4:3. Jesus smartly answered and quietened Satan on his tricky question and so does He expect us to do. It is like resisting the devil and he shall flee from us. Matthew 4:10.
The helplessness of Jesus
Jesus knew he would face all these problems. He wanted to say no, but He did not. Remember the prayer Jesus said to the Father to take away the cup from him as it was indeed a burden for him. Matthew 26:29. His sweat turned into blood because of the mental agony he was undergoing. (Luke 22:44) None the less He prayed that the will of the Father may be done, AND the will of the Father is the will of Jesus. In the Lord’s prayer, Jesus taught us to pray that the Father’s will may be done.
Thy will be done.
Today, most Christians do their will. They have many excuses to duck the truth and they do it knowingly, but only to fool themselves, not others. For any reason for which they do not want to follow, they have their own excuse. Although they pray that the will of the Father may be done, they do their own will. Would you not call it an example of self-contradiction?
He could have but did not.
In Matthew 26:53, Jesus admonishes one of his disciples and confirms that if needed, he could have requested help from the Father, who would have sent over 12 legions of angels. We may note that a legion is 6000 in the count. Thus, 12 legions would be 72000 angels. Thus, if one angel of death caused so much devastation in Egypt, what would happen if God sent a legion to salvage Jesus from the situation? Would not the Father agree to His only begotten Son’s request? He would have. But we have read John 3:16, which says how much the Father loves us.
Love of Christ and the lost sheep
Jesus happily gave his life on the cross for us, only because he loved us and nothing more. The parable about the lost sheep in Luke 15 he spoke equates with his act of love.
We are the lost sheep for whom he came. I thank Jesus for calling us sheep. The sheep is innocent and does not know much. Likewise, many of us are ignorant of our sins because we have been sinning so much that it has become a daily affair. We do not regret sinning repeatedly. It has been such a habit that it has now become second nature for most of us. But despite this, the most beautiful aspect of God’s love is that he will forget our sins, despite us not regretting committing them. He forgets and forgives our sins and is always willing to welcome us back into His kingdom.
The Prodigal Son
The parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) truly explains this clearly. We must have multiple times narrated this parable to our children. It surely must have been inspiring for them, but this is indeed for us who are soaked in sin from top to bottom.
We who should be able to realize our sin should sincerely repent from the depth of our hearts and seek God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ his only Son and accept the gift of salvation.
Say Yes to Jesus and No to Satan
God has given us an opportunity to repent and come back. Jesus willingly embraced the cross for us. He could have said no, but he did not. Why? Just for you and me and all of us. He has such a deep love in his heart for all that he even forgave those who crucified him. He still wants to forgive us. He is standing at the door of our heart knocking. He who can hear will surely allow Jesus to enter and he can have communion with us.
Let us not lose this opportunity and accept Jesus and His sacrifice. Because Jesus said Yes to the cross as per the will of the Father, let us also say Yes to Jesus and enjoy the wonderful fellowship. Similarly, as Jesus said NO to the temptation of Satan let us resonate with Jesus by telling a big No to Satan.
God bless you and your family.