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Hebrews 7:4
Consider
Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. (Hebrews 7:4)
— Consider How Great This Man Is —
The Evidence of His Greatness From Scripture
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. (Hebrews 13:8)
O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! (Psalm 8:1-9)
Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;(Colossians 1:15-19)
And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: (Ephesians 3:9-11)
Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, (Ephesians 1:8-13)
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. (Ephesians 3:17-21)
And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. (Ephesians 1:19-23)
— Consider How Great This Man Is —
Christ is The Revelation of God to Mankind
How excellent the name poured forth; Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name [is as] ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee. (Song of Songs 1:3) The name of Jesus Christ holds all our attention for we must consider how great this Man is. The word ‘consider’ appears in sixty-six (66) verses in the KJV Bible. The number six (6) is the number of man, and the finality of mankind when all his evil is culminated in the number 6 – 6 – 6. This is the number of the man of sin. Therefore, it is fitting that when we consider the end of man that we should also consider the beginning of the creation of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. As we consider the Almighty God, we must also consider how great the Man Christ Jesus is, yesterday, today and forever. Christ is the revelation of God to mankind. He has revealed Himself in mind, in Spirit, and through many appearances throughout the sixty-six books of our Bible. And these sixty-six books ( opens before us the revelation of God to man) are preserved and maintained by the Spirit of Christ Himself. It is up to man, in the light of the Scriptures, to consider how great this Man was, and IS, and forever will be. He is the Lord of all. He is the Master and Creator of all things as He bears the name that is above every name, and that name is Jesus Christ.
The psalmist considered this One as he gazed into the heavens and saw the wonder of the creation of God in the stars above. Did you notice that in Psalm 8, verse 1 that there is a name that is excellent, a name that is greater then all the names of the earth, and that the Lord Himself has set His glory ABOVE the heavens, the highest Himself has been made higher than the heavens? O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. This is the same Lord who is at the right hand of the majesty on high. (Hebrews 7:26) In the book of Hebrews 1:3, He is the same Lord of Psalm 110:1, <<A Psalm of David.>> The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. This same Lord is revealed to us in His compassion and grace in the gospel of John Chapter 21, verse 17. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. The omniscient mind of Christ knew the frailties and the strengths of His servant Peter. The question from the Lord to Peter was not to reveal Peter’s love, but to express that love to the Savior. One cannot have or maintain a hidden love, for a hidden love without expression, without feeling, without inner emotion and desire is a worthless love. Peter expressed his love, but also remembered the cock crowing as he warmed himself by the fire, and wept bitter tears because of His love for Christ. Which one of us can say that we have not felt this same emotion, this same feeling, and the same betrayal of our own hearts. But out of the eyes of eternity, the light shines upon us and the possessor of heaven and earth in all His glorious majesty simply asks us, Lovest thou me more than these? (John 21:15-17)
— Consider How Great This Man Is —
All Power – All Humility
In considering the immoveable love that God has for mankind that He would send His eternal Son to be the sacrifice for sin, we should consider how great this Man is. Jesus Christ is the same Man who walked on the waters of Galilee. He is the same Man who hushed the violence of the wind, and stilled the anger of the boisterous waves. As His disciples considered, we also should consider what manner of Man is this that even the wind and the sea obey Him.
Before the history of mankind, before Adam was created, the One who hushed the sea laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens were the labor and work of His own hands. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: (Hebrews 1:10) Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. (Psalm 102:25)
One of the chief works of the devil is to attempt to discredit God, and to discredit the name and being of Jesus Christ. How many today believes that Jesus Christ, the Man in heaven at the right hand of God, existed in His Person as Christ before the foundation of the world? Consider this Man who now possesses all power in heaven and in earth. Consider this Man who humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Consider Psalm 8:1, His name shall be great in all the earth . . . O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. At the name of Jesus every knee will bow of things in heaven, of things in earth, and yes, even that which is under the earth. Both the living and the dead will bow the knee to the Sovereign of all things. Consider His beginning: for He has no beginning and no end. He is the only One of whom we can say that He is the same yesterday, today and forever. At the beginning of this article the Holy Spirit through the Scriptures magnifies the Creator of all things, and this Creator is the Man Jesus Christ. Consider how great this Man is.
— Consider How Great This Man Is —
The Power to Die and the Power to Live
He spoke the very creation into existence by the word of His power. Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; (Hebrews 1:3) Not only do we have the power of creation in His very word, but we have the power that continually upholds all things. In His word we have the power of our own salvation. For He is the Living Word of the cross. He has defeated sin, death, and the devil. He has taken the eternal power and glory that He possesses, and in all humility humbled Himself to the death of the cross. It took a greater power for God to die then for Him to create all things. It was a greater display of His power for Him to snatch life from death in His resurrection, and uphold it all by the word of His power then it was in His creatorial power of bringing a universe into existence. When one is saved, the power of your salvation is not in you, but in Christ Jesus. The power of your redemption is not in you, but in Christ Jesus. The power of your eternal life is not in you, but it is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Consider how great this Man is.
Turn to the book of Job and read Chapter 1, verse 8, And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? The Lord Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ asked Satan if Satan had considered His servant Job. The Lord stated to the serpent (the devil) that the man Job was an upright man; he was a man who feared God, and eschewed evil. God, in Jesus Christ, upheld Job by the word of His power. It is interesting that God told Satan to consider His servant Job. As we read through the book of Job there is a tremendous amount of revelation given to us concerning God’s dealing with His beloved. Never is there a question of Job’s eternity, although he, in weakness, suffered many things, Job never doubted the power and sovereignty of God. God could ask Job this question through all his trials, Lovest thou me more then these? God called Job and upright man because in his relationship with God he walked uprightly in his spiritual relationship with his Redeemer Jesus Christ. He walked with God and knew God’s presence around him and in him. In Romans Chapter 1, verses 22 and 23, we have the descent of mankind.
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. (Romans 1:21 -23)
The created being became a beast, and spiritually walks upon all fours. And when you listen to man, especially the contemporary man, you will find out that the fool ( man) believes that he knows more than God. Adam in the fall became beast-like. The fulfillment of this is seen in the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, Chapter 13, where the chiefest of man in world power is nothing but a beast. Not only is this man revealed, but his beast-like actions will become the motivational driving force on the populace of the entire planet, and they will gladly accept his mark of their unification with him. Finally, outwardly, sin has a mark, as Cain also bore the outward mark of sin. This outward mark of sin will be the mark of the beast, and the number of his name is 6 – 6 – 6, denoting a trinity of evil. Even the great unifier, Nimrod, could not give his domain its own mark, but this man, this man of sin, will mark all his subject-slaves with the mark of sin. They will gladly take the mark of the beast which outwardly is the mark of sin. They will worship this beast and his image in sin. This will finally end the day of man telling other men that they are not sinners, for they will bear and openly flaunt, and proudly parade their mark of sin.
Mankind will uphold all things in the trilogy of evil. He will deny the existence of God, and the existence of the Man at the right hand of God Jesus Christ. The man of sin will be the most degraded beast of all mankind (in Adam) walking on all fours in his own degradations; and leading the children of Adam into the deepest abyss of sin that has ever been experienced; consequently, the children of Adam will take the mark of the beast, and in Adam and with Adam’s mark they will all die.
The evil heart is an open book before the One who upholds all things by the word of His power. One can only have true life, spiritual life, eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. God said an upright man, and it is only in Christ that one can stand before the Almighty God uprightly. For it is the blood of the cross of Christ that allows us to be joint heirs with Jesus Christ. It is only through the blood of the cross that we can cry out, Abba Father. It is only through the blood of the cross that we can consider, Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. (1 John 3:1)
— Consider How Great This Man Is —
The Eternal Man
Consider how great this Man is when He had by Himself purged our sins, and pardoned us from all our transgressions. In Romans 1:23 man begins his descent into the corrupt and fallen state of Adam. And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Sin becomes a deep hole, and this abyss of sin grows deeper and deeper because sinful man keeps digging until sin claims man with the mark of the beast; yet, God in His mercy has given us a Man, the Man Christ Jesus, the eternal Man, the ever existing Man, the omnipotent Man, and the omniscient Man with all the fullness of the Godhead bodily by the highest Himself. And He has translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son. (Psalm 87) Christ sat down at the right hand of glory, He sat down in that glory that He had with the Father before the world was. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. (John 17:5)
— Consider How Great This Man Is —
Refuge – Redeemer – Rock
In reference to past history, we know that Christ is the only self existent Man, and as we look back through the history of mankind, we see Christ displayed in many ways. Consider how great this Man was in the history of humanity. He not only brought Israel up out of Egypt, but He followed Israel, and He led Israel through the wilderness. At the same time, He was their Refuge, and their Resource for the Rock that followed them was Christ.
Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. (1 Corinthians 10: 1 – 4)
Christ was the fire by night, and the cloud by day. It was through His power that Israel was upheld. It was not because of their obedience, but by His mercy and grace that He led them through the wilderness. He gave them rivers of water from the rock. He spoke with Moses face to face, just as the Spirit of Christ passed through the minds and hearts of all of the prophets giving them the word of His power.
To reaffirm this same power, after His resurrection, after His ascension to the most holy of holies in heaven, He returned to earth to reassure His own. As He walked on the Emmaus road He drew near the two who had witnessed His very death upon the cross. Even then, He had to remind them that they were slow to believe. So face to face, the Lord Jesus began at Moses and the prophets, and the psalms, and expounded of all things concerning Himself. And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, (Luke 24:44 – 45) These two men received the history of Christ through the Scriptures from His very own lips. The voice of God spoke by the word of His power. The Holy Spirit confirmed, and expounded on this One in Hebrews 7:26, For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; this verse shows us not only that Christ ascended on high, but that He is made higher than the heavens.
— Consider How Great This Man Is —
Subjected Himself to the Womb of Mankind
Let us return to Psalm 87:5, And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her. Many might think that this an obscure verse, consider — think — the highest Himself, that this Man was born in her. This was to establish His road, and His path to the cross.
And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:30-35)
Do not quickly pass over these verses. These verses are the beginning of the revelation of the appearing of the righteousness of God in the Man Jesus Christ. The Creator of all things subjected Himself to the womb of mankind. He humbled Himself to the very creation that He created. He became the smallest spark of life to give eternal life to as many as believe on His name. He who holds the power and possesses an endless life brought that life to Adam’s race, and sheds that life on those who are not born by blood, nor by will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of the Holy Spirit of God. For the Holy Ghost shall come upon you, and you shall be born again. Born again from above, by the power of Christ sent down in the Holy Spirit, and by the power of the Man at the right hand of God who possesses all life and He, Himself, is endless life. Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. (Hebrews 7:16) In the gospel of John, Chapter 3, the Lord Jesus described the Spirit of God as a rushing wind that comes forth and lays hold of the heart of man, and breathes new life, eternal life, into man.
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. (John 3:3-8)
This all comes from the Man in heaven who is the possessor of an endless life. He has sent His Comforter into the world to harvest the fruit of God in every believer who is born again. Consider how great this Man is. He walks on the clouds. He travels on the sunbeams. He calls for His bow in the sky after the rain. God is Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and truth. One must have, and possess, both the Spirit of God and the truth of God. In the gospel of John, Chapter 3, verses 6 and 7, we have man with no hope, man’s only chance is to be born again. In John 4:29, man is exposed for what he is, Come see a man that told me all things ever I did. Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? God exposed the woman, He exposed all her transgressions so that He could reveal and disclose Himself to her. This was God’s Christ, and here the woman stood before God’s Christ, the Man Christ Jesus. All her transgressions had been exposed by the omniscient Creator of all things. And only One, this Man, Christ Jesus can give the fountain of living water. Consider how great this Man is.
— Consider How Great This Man Is —
He Restrained His Power to Redeem Man through His Power
All power in heaven and earth has been given to the resurrected Man in heaven. The God who became man is now the Man who became God, I only mean this only in light of the work of the cross, as He was always God. For we, as lost sinners, could only be found by One, and that One was the Redeemer of mankind Christ Jesus. Consider how great this Man is. In Hebrews 7:26, we have a progression of His nature when He was manifested before man. First, He was holy. There was not a mark upon Him. There was nothing of Adam in Him. He was the establishment of the holy of holies on earth when He was manifested to man and tabernacled among them. He was the holy thing and, this Man Christ Jesus, was harmless. There was no guile nor perverted persuasion of man within Him. In His omnipotence He restrained His power in His own Being. The eternal power of God that He possessed was bridled in a supernatural Man of grace and truth. He was undefiled when He was manifested for He would not suffer His holy One to see corruption in any way. (Isaiah 53) Christ did no sin, knew no sin, and there was no sin in Him. He was the holiness and the righteousness of God sent down from heaven to redeem mankind from their sin. Now in heaven, Christ continues to be the only Man who was not and has not been corrupted by sin. This completely separates Him from sinners in every way. For the highest Himself is made higher than the heavens. Consider how great his man is.
— Consider How Great This Man Is —
His Journey – His Trial by His Creation
Consider the great work of the cross. God, Himself, in Jesus Christ took on that work for He was the only One, the just One, the righteous One, the Holy One of God. The night of darkness came over Jerusalem, the Savior was apart with His disciples in the garden, He knew the cross stood before Him, and yet, He would not be denied His redemptive work as the Redeemer of mankind. Let’s consider this journey. The Lamb of God waited in the garden. He knew that the devil had entered into Judas. He knew of the betrayal by Judas, and He knew that His life had been sold for 30 pieces of silver. As He stood in the garden, He could see the torches as they approached, and He knew the wickedness and the darkness of those carrying the torches. A cloud of darkness had come over the hearts of men as Satan had entered into Judas, now Satan moved the throng by night. They came as a mob, unruly, and unchecked to take the Lamb of God. This was Adam and sin totally united sin against God’s Christ. And Christ would surrender Himself freely, and would stand alone, for all would forsake Him. And they all forsook him, and fled. (Mark 14:50) Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them: I am shut up, and I cannot come forth. (Psalm 88:8)
The Lord Jesus had so much to give to mankind. He had come into the world to redeem His own, Israel. He had come to be a Light to the Gentiles. He had come to possess the earth and to set up His kingdom, but man loved darkness and rejected the Light of Christ. Man would not take the gifts, and Gift of God because of the inherent darkness of sin within himself. Even Peter treads the dark road of denial as he wept bitterly when he considered whom he had denied, and through his three denials he had betrayed God’s Christ. It is Adam now who binds his Creator, the Creator who gave them life, and they (Adam unleashed and unrestrained) bound and led the Lamb to the slaughter. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. (Isaiah 53:7) The total depth of wickedness in Adam’s race was exposed. Their hatred for God and for God’s Christ was exposed. In the darkness, they took Christ to both the religious and political throne of man. In the hours of darkness, they spit on Him. They beat Him, and they plucked the hairs from His face. As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: (Isaiah 52:14)
And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands. (Mark 14:65)
Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands, Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee? (Matthew 26:67 -68)
And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee? And many other things blasphemously spake they against him. (Luke 22: 64 – 65)
Notice the foolishness of mankind in his own darkness of spirit, heart, and soul attempting to mask their own iniquity by blindfolding the omniscient God. They were blindfolded by their own darkness, and by the prince of darkness, the devil. The devil was driving them like a pack of wild swine into the abyss. These were the men of the night court of religion; exalting themselves, yet cloaked in darkness and death acting as though they could never be touched by the poison of asps that silently lay curled under their own tongues. The religious world exalted themselves against the Lord, and against His anointed, Jesus the Christ. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. (Psalms 2:2-3)
The One who was anointed with the oil of gladness among His fellows was the One whom they refused. The oil of gladness is mentioned only twice in the Bible. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. (Psalm 45:7) Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, [even] thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. (Hebrews 1:9) Christ is the only one anointed with the oil of gladness above His fellows. Christ is the only one that the heavens have been opened for, and God spoke these words: This is my beloved Son, hear ye him. Consider how great this Man is.
— Consider How Great This Man Is —
The Night Trial and the Trial of the Night
Let us look at who possessed the night in Matthew 26:59, Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; It was the chief priests, the theological geniuses of their age, who denied the word of God. They had twisted Moses and the prophets so badly that only they, in their pride, knew the path to redemption; they believed that it was only they who could assign the right of redemption. They had taken the word of God and pronounced over it Ichabod: there is no glory within its pages, or the glory has departed: the obituary of death. They falsely claimed to have life in Moses and the prophets; just as some today say that they have found life in the apostasy of a book titled the Living Bible, instead they should call it the Dead Sea Scroll.
Notice that it was the chief priests (plural) they had taken counsel together, and yet in their counsel they sought not the truth. It is though we could say that the Council of Trent revealed and declared what was truth. When in fact, they tried to bring all Christians into slavery under a religious system controlled by corrupt men. Whenever there is a counsel, beware. Whenever there is a pack of wolves howling, stay far away from them. For they are hungry, and they will tear apart anything that they find. And in the counsels of men, without the Spirit of God, they seek not truth, but to establish their own lies. And when they find a man of God, they will bring false witnesses against him. So it was with the Prince of life.
They sought after false witnesses, yet, one by one these witnesses would not stand. Remember, that we are still in the darkness of night, and Satan is ruling over this diabolical farce called a trial. Peter was warming his hands by the fire thinking of his own comfort until the cock crowed. Then he remembered the very prophetic words of the Lord Jesus Christ that Peter would deny the Lord of glory three times. I always think of his denial in a broader sense for I see in the three times: the denial of the Father, the denial of the Son, and the denial of the Holy Ghost; thus, another phase in the path of the cross was fulfilled.
Peter went out, but where could he go, and who could he run to? It is recorded from the lips of Simon Peter in John 6:68, Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. From the Holy Spirit of God through the lips of Asaph, it is recorded in Psalm 73:25, Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.
We are still in the darkness that settled over the earth not only in the night court, but at the crucifixion. The glory of God says, Let there be light. In Him was Life and the Life was the Light of men, and that light shined in the darkness and man would not comprehend, would not consider how great this Man is. Man and the devil always presents darkness to the soul. If a man was not persuaded by the devil, and the darkness of his own heart, why would he drink himself to death? Why would he inject drugs into his system until his heart failed? Why is mankind driven to destroy himself? Why would man take the life of another man? The only answer to this is that man lives, breathes, works, and walks in spiritual darkness. This is the realm of mankind. And it is man’s religion that brings on and eclipses the light in deep darkness. It is the soul, spirit and heart of man that denies God’s Christ. There are three things that mankind cannot see: the Spirit, the soul and his own heart.
Religion always seeks a place of preeminence. They think that power is their rightful place. They cling to the majesty of their edifices. They beat on their chests and boast, like Congo apes, that they, and they alone rule over the realm of religion. It is God’s Christ, He is the One, and He only has the right and place of all power and all majesty.
During the trial of the Lord, we find that it is the last time that He used the title, and speaks of Himself as the great I AM. But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. (Mark 14:61- 62) The question from man under sin was, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? In Matthew 26 it is phrased, Son of God verse 63. The question that Christ had asked the Jews during His ministry was, What think ye of Christ, whose son is he? But now the chief priests are collected together to deny the Son of God, to deny the Christ of God, and to deny in totality, the great I AM.
But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. (Matthew 26:63 – 64)
The Lord Jesus simply answers, Thou hast said, meaning that from their own lips they had pronounced the truth. And the Lord Jesus being grace and truth, the holder of eternity and endless life, agrees with the statement made by the high priest. He simply declared in Mark 14, I am. The highest position under the Jewish law falsely pleaded with Christ, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Each gospel reveals another facet of His deity. There is no contradiction between the gospels.
Their minds should have gone back to Moses when they heard the words, I am; back to the burning bush that was not consumed by the flames, when Moses stood before Jehovah and heard the very voice of God speak: And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. (Exodus 3:14) These religious men had lost all understanding of the God that they professed to serve. Christ had come to deliver them from the suppression of Rome, from the nations of the world, and they would not accept His deliverance. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.
Many souls today have been weighed in the balance of religion, and religion has given them a pass on their sins, however, He who judges the world has weighed these same souls by the Word of God, by the Spirit of God, and to a man, to a woman, and to a child, all are found wanting. Just as the Jews, they have turned their backs to God’s Christ for the darkness of religion. We have a humble reminder from Paul speaking to Christians about their deliverance from darkness, with the words, And such were some of you. He also warned the Hebrew believers in Chapter 2 of the book of Hebrews, How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation? All have trod the paths of darkness, but thanks be to God that Life and Light has dawned in the hearts of many, and they have come forth and claimed the Son of God, Jesus the Christ, as their Savior and God. Consider how great this Man is.
The religious crowd works by night. Think of the misery that world religion has caused. All through the Old Testament we have examples of men of religion persecuting the men of faith. It was religions darkest hours when they, the religionist, crucified the Son of God. It was religion, after the death of Christ, that slew Stephen, slaughtered Christians, imprisoned Paul and Peter, and exiled John to the isle of Patmos. It was the religionist who gave us the so called holy wars, what a mockery of holiness! Even now, in our present day, religion tries to move nations into war, into debauchery, into every imaginable sin under heaven. And the proof of all of this is recorded in Scripture in the trial of God’s dear Son. The Jewish leaders are examples of all religious leadership, and one day, these venomous leaders will succumb and become victims of their own poisonous lies. The Jews had gathered themselves together against the Lord, and against His anointed, they refused the oil of gladness for the works of the devil and had no oil in their lamps.
— Consider How Great This Man Is —
The Lamb Examined
When the Lamb, the sacrificial lamb, was brought to the gate, or the door of the tabernacle, the priest would have to examine the sacrifice. He would look for any blemish, and if he found a blemish then the sacrifice was disqualified, however, if the sin offering had no blemish at all, without or within, the sin of the offerer was transferred to the victim that had no guilt.
In God’s determinate counsel this all was determined that the religion of the world would examine Christ and find no fault in Him. That the political power and elements of the world would examine Him, and find no guilt at all. All of mankind could only say, Never man spake like this man. The priests performed their unrighteous service even though they had denied God’s Christ, they could find no fault with the sacrifice. The best that man had to offer, in the high priest, was exposed as the chiefest of sinners. In condemning God’s Christ, he condemned himself to a dark deep fate of the judgment and wrath of God. For it was the high priest who refused to see the perfection of God’s sacrifice in exchange for the darkness of Satan. As the Lord Himself had told them earlier, they were of their father and their father was the devil.
Now the Holy Spirit does something remarkable: the cock crows. Creation was listening, For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. (Romans 8:22) Creation was crying out, Consider how great this man is. And yet, the work of these ungodly men was not finished. Trying to clean their own slate of guilt they again took counsel in the morning to put the Lord of glory to death. God gives us the depth of this diabolical work of evil of Satan in the chief priests and the elders and of the people. They all took counsel against the Lord’s anointed to put Him to death. When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death: And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor. (Matthew 27:1 – 2) This is the deepest that man can go into the abyss of sin. Some say, All sin is sin, (brilliant). But there is one sin that cannot be forgiven, the sin of the rejection of the Son of God, and casting off His redeeming work for the world of sin, and for this, there is no hope. For those who trample under foot the blood of Christ, or do despite to the Spirit of grace (Hebrews 9) are companions of the Jews who condemned the Son of God. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (Galatians 6:7, 8) Consider how great this Man is.
— Consider How Great This Man Is —
His Accusers and All Humanity on Trial
He is the only Savior given to humanity, and He came from heaven’s glory. Christ Jesus is the only hope for mankind. And they mocked Him. Christ Jesus was and is the only true perfect Man. And they spit on Him.
But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. (Psalm 22:6 – 8) The Holy Spirit in Psalm 22 pictures the heart of man (the children of Adam) rejecting God from the instant that Adam was driven out of the garden. Only God’s intervention has called out a seed for Himself.
The Jews were opposed to the Man from heaven. They mocked Him, they lied about Him, and yes, even today, we still have the boldness of the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scribes, the rulers, and the people. They continue more and more to deny God’s Christ, to deny His power and greatness in this ungodly world. What is so heart wrenching is that those who walk within the framework of churches do not know the Christ that they profess. They cannot accept the Deity, and the God of heaven, in Jesus Christ the Man. They cannot accept the undaunted and relentless word of God that condemns man for man’s wickedness and ungodliness. The heart of man is unknowingly, but very willingly preparing itself for the man of sin. The devil has blinded their eyes, and one day (even though they would not accept the Christ of God) they will accept the man that has been anointed by the devil himself.
This man of sin (anointed with all sin and iniquity) proclaims in his own wickedness that he is God. This man of sin will be extremely religious. He will show himself in the temple as God. He will be the god of sin, and the god of evil, and he will spread his evil throughout the whole world by the mark and the number of his name. He will be joined at the hip with Satan. Don’t be fooled; the lies of this day, believe me, will bring forth the biggest lie of all, and he will put his mark on every human being who follows him. For those who refuse and reject this tyrant, their blood will flow from his sword. They will ask the Lord from under the altar, How long, O Lord how long? Thank God, that mercy and grace are met together in our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is because of the mercy of God that we are not consumed with the fires from heaven, for our God is a consuming fire. We look around, and like Paul, we repeat the words of the Holy Spirit, The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. (Romans 13:12)
As the horns of the sun were rising in the east, a new day was dawning, a day that would be remembered throughout all ages. The priests had set in their hearts, through their own determinate counsel against God and against His anointed, to cast the Christ of God from their earth. Their hearts were not changed, and they with all diabolicalness persisted in their rebellious act against God. Everyone: the priests and the rulers of the Jews, saw Pilate washing his hands, but no one saw the religious madness of the Pharisees possessed by their own guilt passing the sacrifice onto Pilate, and the government of Rome. The Holy Spirit brings in the extent to which sinister humanity always attempts to pass his own guilt onto another. The Holy Spirit will not let the Jews off the serpent’s forked hook. Even after the ascension of Christ in the book of Acts, the Holy Spirit condemns the Jews for their deadly act, and blames them for killing the Prince of life. Be not deceived; the Gentile is also not without blame in this matter.
Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: (Acts 2:22 – 23)
Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: (Acts 7:51 – 52)
You can deny guilt, but that does not make you guiltless. You can deny sin, but that does not make you sinless. The Judge of all the earth keeps perfect records, and according to His records, all will be judged. He judges in righteousness, and because of His righteousness (without the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ) mankind faces the fires and wrath of God. That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? (Genesis 18:25) Even though we are drawn back into the book of beginnings in Genesis we don’t have time to develop the sins of Sodom, for they were innumerable. All five cities of the plains would be turned to ashes because they were an abomination in the eyes of God. Only just Lot was removed from the fires to come. Once again, the members of the family were removed because Lot was justified in God’s sight. They were not justified, but because of God’s mercy Lot and the members of his family that were willing to leave were preserved from the fire: Lot, his wife, and two daughters. However, Lot’s wife physically left Sodom, but her heart remained in Sodom. She could not leave the wickedness and the sin that she was a partaker of. Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. (Romans 1:32) Even in our time period, one can hear the words, Remember Lot’s wife. (Luke 17:32) God turned her into a pillar of salt. And her two daughters were no better, for they in their own hearts contrived to do evil against their father. And by their evil brought nations into this world that were a curse to God’s people Israel. His wife and daughters came out of Sodom under the shadow of Lot’s righteousness, but these sinners would not give up their sins.
And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: (2 Peter 2:6 – 9)
Every man will give an account of himself before the Judge, the great Judge of the quick and the dead. The Pharisees, the Sadducees, the rulers of the Jews, and the people carried their guilt and their wickedness to Pilate. Among them was the innocent man, the Man Christ Jesus. They had already lied about Him, they had already mocked Him, they had already spit upon Him, and plucked the hairs from His face; consider how great this Man was, for in all this, no matter how much they reviled Him, He opened not His mouth against them.
— Consider How Great This Man Is —
The Priest and The King on Trial
In Matthew, Chapter 26, we see two men on trial. These two men are one and the same. The first man is the Priest of the most high God, Jesus Christ. The other Man is Jesus Christ with the power of an endless life. These two men, the Priest presenting the sacrifice, and the endless life being the sacrifice, after His resurrection these two men became one new Man. Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; (Ephesians 2:15)
The trial before the high priest and the rulers of the Jews had two parts. You see the priest and the rulers of the Jews were on trial as well as the Lord Jesus. For God was taking account of their wickedness and sin against His Son. Man in his twisted perverted heart and soul (because of sin) denied their Creator and their God, and condemned Him to death. Then, we have God’s part, for God the Father had opened the heavens and had already given His approval of His beloved Son. The heavens declared, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. When Christ was transfigured, God the Father added the phrase, Hear ye him.
The Lamb was being examined once more before man, and before God. God was establishing the sacrifice as holy, harmless, undefiled, and separated from sinners. In Christ there was no sin. He, the Lord Jesus, knew no sin, and through His lifetime He did no sin. Look it up. It’s in your Bible. Evil was trying the Lord, and good was presenting the Lord: the Scriptures reveal two different views of the same trial. The Lord, Himself, gave us the answer of the view before and after the cross. He proclaimed that He had the power to lay down His life, and the power to take it again. Once again, we see two men: one and the same, Melchisedec, the Priest, ready to lay down His life on the cross for the sin of the world; and then the resurrected Man, Jesus Christ, a Priest forever after the order and oath of Melchisedec. One and the same, for to make in himself of twain one new man. Pay attention to the word make in Ephesians 2:15. Now this we say by the power of the Spirit of grace, Hear ye Him, consider how great this man was.
We are still before the cross. But the shadow of the cross is growing and coming closer. The Lord Jesus described His own life as everlasting life, He presented Himself as the means of everlasting life to those who would believe. Before the cross we consider how great this Man WAS. After His resurrection, we see the new Man, and we consider how great this Man IS. Before the cross He had the power to lay His life down. After the resurrection, we see the power to snatch life out of death and take life again through the power of an endless life. Who is not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. (Hebrews 7:16)
Through the power of an endless life, of twain Christ made one new Man after the order and oath of Melchisedec. Only our God, not the world’s gods, could do this supernatural work of redemption. Before the cross, He was the Lamb and the Priest of perfection. After the cross, He is the Priest of redemption with His own throne, the throne of grace. (Hebrews 4:16) He is the Priest of redemption and in Him we see the fullness and the assurance of that perfection. For this perfection was for us who believe. Once again, we look at the horns of the morning, and to man.
Man is represented by the priest and the rulers of the Jews. They want to pass the buck. They want to kick the can down the road; therefore, they contrive in their hearts to put the blame on Rome for their own ungodly work. They led the Lord Jesus to the Roman court and to Pilate the governor. Now the world’s trial will do all it can to find fault, or a blemish in the Son of God. It is quite evident that Pilate understood that Christ was the King of Israel. For when presenting Him to the Jews, Pilate said, Behold your king. And yet, it is still the Priest forever, after the order of Melchisedec, presenting the Lamb of God. For the Lamb of God had to be examined by the world as well. Pilate would examine Him before the Priest of the most high God. Pilate asked the Lamb, and the Priest answered, for the Lamb and the Priest was one and the same.
— Consider How Great This Man Is —
Prophet – Priest – King
God gave three offices to mankind under His covenant with man. The first office, was the office of the prophet. The first prophet that is mentioned in Scripture stated that the Lord would come in judgment with ten thousands of His saints. This was Enoch, and we find in the book of Jude the description of Enoch’s prophecy.
The next office was the office of a priest appointed by God, and fulfilled by the man Aaron. He was a picture, a shadow, and a type of the divine Priest in heaven after the order of Melchisedec. In every ordinance that was given and fulfilled by Aaron there was a shadow of the true, and a similitude of the great high Priest in heaven and His work of righteousness. It was Aaron who first brought the blood of the covenant into the holy of holies, the most holy place. It was Melchisedec who brought His own blood into the most holy place in heaven above. Then God appointed a king, we all know the sad story of Israel, that they had descended to such wickedness that every man did that which was right in his own eyes. In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes. (Judges 21:25) In this condition away from God, their eyes were on the world, consequently the nation of Israel cried out, Give us a king like the other nations. They received a king after their own hearts, and his name was Saul. He was a man after the flesh. God stepped in and brought a man in after His own heart; thus, Samuel anointed David with the oil out of the horn, and not as Saul had been anointed from the oil out of a vial. Small things mean a lot. The character of the vial was the character of Saul, for he showed corruptness in his reign and weakness in his life. David was anointed with the horn. The horn shows strength and determination of life.
Before Pilate, stood the true King anointed far above men with the oil of gladness. Only two times in Scripture, the oil of gladness is mentioned, both referring to the King of kings, and the Lord lords, the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of righteousness. Consequently, the true Prophet, the true Priest, and the true King stood before Pilate. No other, in the history of mankind, could claim these titles that were given to the Son of God. Christ stood before Pilate in all the perfection of a Man without sin, with all obedience to God the Father. He stood there as the perfect Man, Jesus the Christ. The Jewish leadership could only watch as Pilate examined the Lord of lords and King of kings. Consider how great this Man is.
— Consider How Great This Man Is —
The Price and Cost of His Blood
Pilate and Herod, representing Gentile power in the Roman government, could find no fault with the holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners, The Just Man. In all this, the Holy Spirit wants us to take a time out to remind us of the price of blood. Therefore the Holy Spirit interjects another narrative right in between the dramatic scene of the trial in front of the government judge, Pilate. Why interject this new narrative at this particular point?
When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death: And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor. (Matthew 27:1 – 2)
Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, (Matthew 27:3)
Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. (Matthew 27:4)
And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. (Matthew 27:5)
And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. (Matthew 27:6)
And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. (Matthew 27:7)
Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day. (Matthew 27:8)
Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; (Matthew 27:9)
And gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me. (Matthew 27:10)
And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest. (Matthew 27:11)
Why interject this new narrative at this particular point? The answer is very simple, without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. We see the thirty pieces of silver as the price of blood. This is man’s price, for man cannot see with divine eyes. God looks on the blood of Jesus Christ as the highest, the most valued blood of all, for when He looks on the blood of Christ, He will pass over you, if you have applied that blood to your heart, soul and spirit. This blood of the Lord Jesus Christ speaks or cries louder than the blood of Abel. In fact, the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is the innate power of the gospel. For without the shedding of blood there is no remission. On man’s part sin had a price, and that price was death. On God’s part sin had a price. And this price was the precious blood of Jesus. We see in Judas, man attempting to buy back the soul that he had forfeited when he betrayed God’s Christ. Whether you are a church goer, or a worldling, or have your own measure of religion, this warning goes out to you.
But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? (Hebrews 10:27 – 29)
I have heard for many years that when any individual has denied Christ through all his lifetime that at the second before death this person still has a chance of salvation. To me, this is playing Russian roulette with the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. What the brilliance of this false doctrine forgets is that there is a final call. God’s final call could come at any time during your life time. How hardened does your heart have to become to not hear God’s final call to you? Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: (Hebrews 3:8) While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. (Hebrews 3:15) And grieve not the holy Spirit of God. Judas brought back the wages of sin, thirty pieces of silver, he had trampled under foot the innocent blood of Christ, and from this there was no return. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)
God prepared a specific place for Judas. The betrayal by Judas was so heinous that he would find himself in a special place like the false prophet and the man of sin of Revelation; thus, he went to his special place in death. The Holy Spirit makes sure that we hear the very voice of the malefactor, Judas. I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. At this point, Judas had past the point of no return, just as in the days of Noah, God gave them up to the flood. They had been warned by Noah, a preacher of righteousness, that the day would come that they would all be taken away, for God had given them up. With the issue of salvation through Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit woes and broods over a soul for a long time, but the soul that continues to reject Christ will not find life in Christ, for there comes a time when God will give a soul up; it will be, God’s Final Call. Can a person be saved at the point of death, yes, he can, but why push the Spirit of God into that corner of doubt when one has a whole life that can be given to God. Remember, Judas was in the room when the Lord proclaimed that he was the very betrayer, and he, being filled with the spirit of Satan, went out, and betrayed innocent blood.
— Consider How Great This Man Is —
Judged Guiltless – Judged Sinless
The Holy Spirit now takes us back to Pilate in Matthew 27:11 and onward, and the Holy Spirit emphasizes three statements by Pilate. First, we have, Behold the man; and secondly we have, Behold your king. Thirdly we have, I find no fault in this man. In the first statement Christ is the Man sent forth, Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. In the second statement, He is the Man of preeminence, for in all things the King has preeminence whether it is over the world, over His nation of Israel, or over His church, or over the lost at the great white throne judgment. In all things the King of glory has preeminence. Thirdly, I find no fault in this man, Pilate had examined the sacrifice of God and could find no fault. The Jews made this statement in their counsels concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, that He, speaking of Christ, had done nothing amiss. The religious man and the political man could find no fault in this Man. Consider how great this Man is.
To point out the diabolical wickedness of religion, Pilate, the man of the world, did what he could to release the Lord Jesus. He even sent Him away to the court of Herod, yet, the Lamb of God was returned by Herod to stand once again before Pilate. Pilate had the opportunity to surrender to God, or to surrender to mankind. The Holy Spirit was trying this judge again, and Pilate (like the Jews) was standing in the court of God. Pilate tried to wiggle out of his situation. He even called on the traditions of men. It was customary, at that time of year at the feast of the Passover, that Pilate would release one malefactor and give him his freedom. Pilate, however, gave the Jews the choice, relinquished his power, trying to slide himself out from underneath the hammer of God’s judgement. He gave them a choice that they could have a murderer (like themselves) in the man Barabbas, or Jesus, King of the Jews, the Just One, the holy one of God. And they cried out, Give us Barabbas. And then the question that sealed the fate of Pilate, Pilate asked them instead of telling them, he asked, What would you have me to do with Jesus who is called Christ. Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. (Matthew 27:22) Their answer to the question from Pilate was profound. We have the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scribes, the rulers of the people, and the Jews (the people themselves) with one voice against the holy one of God, and not one voice of mercy for the Son of God. They all said, Let him be crucified.
— Consider How Great This Man Is —
His Blood Used for An Oath, A Covenant, A Promise
Then Matthew 27:23 brings in blood once again. First, it was Judas with the innocent blood of Christ, then it was Pilate trying to wash blood from his hands; their own guilt condemned them. There was no hope for Judas, and no hope for Pilate, for both had betrayed innocent blood. To Pilate we say, Wash your hands till they are raw meat, but you will still carry your guilt into death. We are finished with this precious blood of Jesus, this innocent blood. The world likes to use this word ‘innocent’ whenever speaking of babies and children. But in the inherent DNA sin of Adam, all are guilty before God, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. (Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right when it comes to the issue of babies and children?) So blood comes before us one more time. Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. (Matthew 27:25)
Let us consider the price of the blood of Jesus: man valued Him and His blood at thirty pieces of silver, but now, the Jews set a much higher price on the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Listen to the foolish evil heart of man deciding and setting his own judgment, and the judgment of his very own children. They take their wickedness to a higher (or lower) level. In their insanity, they cried out, His blood be on us, and there is more, for they include their own children, and on our children. This one verse tells the entire history of the Jews from this point forward when they cried out, His blood be on us, and on our children. From this point onward the wheels of God’s divine judgment began to work against them. The Jew today can look back to that very moment in time when the priests, and the people and the rulers of the Jews condemned the future generations of Israelites. Through the course of time, Israel has paid such a dear price for that innocent blood that flowed from the body of Christ. To this very day, to this very hour, the Jew moves through the world with an unsettled soul. He can neither return to the absolute law of Moses, nor thrust his nation under the sure hand of God, and the King of Israel, Jesus Christ. The Jewish religion has become a hodgepodge of the tradition of man, worldliness, the writings of men, and philosophers and not of the Word of God. This not only continues in our age, but will continue until the Lord Jesus returns in great glory. They who pierced the Lord Jesus will weep over the price of His shed blood.
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. (Revelation 1:7)
And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. (Zechariah 12:10)
And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God. (Zechariah 13:6-9)
Through these verses, the Holy Spirit presents to us a shadow, a partial look at the price of this innocent blood of Christ. We see through a glass darkly because we are still in the flesh. Although the Spirit of God dwells in us, our being has been tainted by sin, and it is by the mercies of God that we have salvation through the blood of Christ. Let me remind you of that warning in Hebrews Chapter 10, it is the Holy Spirit warning every soul that they should not trample under foot the blood of the Son of God. (Hebrews 10:29)
What was the great cost, the great price, that God paid for you and me? It was the worthy blood of the innocent victim, the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. What can we say? How much more can the blood of Christ (which is of great value to God, and great value to the redeemed) be seen by man? However, the world in its blindness sees no value at all in the blood of Christ.
How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:14)
And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. (Hebrews 12:24)
Count the cost of history from the cross of Christ. Both Jew and Gentile are guilty before God. The Jews passed sentence on themselves, and on their children, and their children’s children. But be not deceived; for God is not mocked: for the river of blood continues to flow through that Roman Empire deeper into the western world. And as Pilate looked at his hands and washed them, the stain of the eternal Blood of Christ cannot be washed away. Through the entire history of the Gentiles, they too, still see the blood of the innocent victim. From the court of the Sanhedrin to the court of Pilate, and Herod, they led the innocent victim to the cross. And at the last court that the Lord Jesus would face, He opened not His mouth.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. (Isaiah 53:7 – 8)
— Consider How Great This Man Is —
The Blood of Christ Joined Heaven to Earth and Earth to Heaven
We have the complete court of the world and Satan before the cross. The Lord Jesus did not stand or sit, but He hung suspended between heaven and earth. The world is still judging and jeering Him today, If thou be the Christ, come down from the cross. As Satan had entered into Judas to betray Christ, so also he now entered into the hearts of all the malefactors to curse the Son of God. As Satan said to the Lord Jesus, in the Lord’s temptation, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down. The world picked up the very voice of Satan, If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Three times, in Scripture, we have these words ‘come down from the cross.’
And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest [it] in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. (Matthew 27:40)
He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. (Matthew 27:42)
Save thyself, and come down from the cross. (Mark 15:30)
As God’s Mediator between heaven and earth was suspended between heaven and earth, God the Father looked on. The angels of God looked on. The world of the Jews looked on, and Satan himself came before the cross and found nothing in the Son of God to respond to Satan’s wicked evil being. Satan could only look on while Christ was hung by the nails in His feet, and by the nails in His hands. Notice that in all this, that the Lamb of God did not have a choice of a Court of Appeals, for the determinate counsels of God would bring the final judgment upon the Son of God. He would be judged between heaven and earth for the sin of the whole world, yet, He, Himself, was the innocent victim. And only because of His innocency could He atone for the sin of the whole world. It was the pure blood of Jesus that had brought the remission of sin to mankind.
— Consider How Great This Man Is —
Christ Returned with a Body of Flesh and Bone, But Without Blood
I mentioned that this blood was not tainted by man in any way, this blood was part of the body that was prepared for Him. (Hebrews 10:5) When Christ told His disciples, This is my blood, and in this blood will be the new testament. He was separating Himself and His blood from every man, even Abel. The payment of His blood carried a document with it, and that is the new testament in His blood. When the Lord Jesus appeared to Mary at the tomb, He proclaimed to her that she should not touch Him (Touch me not) for He had not yet ascended to His God, and His Father. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and [to] my God, and your God. (John 20:17) When He ascended on high from the presence of Mary, He went into the eternal Holy of Holies, the most holy place with His blood. When He returned to be with His disciples He was flesh and bone, for ALL His blood was on the Eternal Mercy Seat of God. Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. (Luke 24:39) (John 20:20, 27) In this scene, after the resurrection with His disciples, notice that the Spirit of God does not mention blood, it is flesh and bones, but no blood. For He had placed His blood on the mercy seat in heaven and left it there, not for His own guilt, but for ours. The guilt and the sin, and the wickedness of the whole world was placed upon Him; and in exchange He placed His blood, the blood of the new testament on the eternal Mercy-Seat in the most holy place in heaven above. Not one sin was unpaid for by that blood. Think of this: from Adam to this very second, all the sin that humanity has accumulated that Christ paid the entire debt of mankind.
Modern preaching does not like to use the word ‘blood.’ I remember one instance when I was a guest speaker, and seconds before I approached the pulpit and was just about to speak, I was told not to mention the blood of Christ. Well . . . the Spirit of God knew Michael Haigh, and the Spirit speaketh expressly. I not only gave a message on the blood, but told everyone what depths that they would sink into in the judgment of God without that precious blood of Jesus. Needless to mention, I was never asked again to be a guest speaker at that church.
This is one of the reasons that the modern preacher stays away from the book of Hebrews, there is too much blood in it for them. Where else in the marvelous word of God can you find these words, Consider how great this man was; consider the price, the cost of the blood of Jesus. It was freely given for you. Let us listen once again to the voice from the Holy Spirit as He tells us about the blood of Christ.
How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. (Hebrews 9:14 – 15)
We are still at the last court of the cross. And the victim, the Lamb, is being offered by Himself as Melchisedec (the Priest) upon the cross. He receives the Lamb upon the brazen altar, He places His own hand on the Lamb, and on His own heart, and He bears the sin of the world, and the sins of all the transgressors. He bears this upon Himself on the brazen altar of the cross. His blood is applied to the four horns of the brazen altar, His cross, this place of death encompasses the whole world, north, east, west, and south. Yesterday, today and forever, Shall not the Judge of the whole earth do right? Yes, He has that right, and that right is in His own righteousness. Melchisedec (the Priest) must enter into the most holy place with His own blood. He must ascend to God and place the blood of the covenant, the blood of the new testament on the mercy seat of heaven. When He proclaimed to His disciples that this was His blood of the new testament, He told them to drink all of it. He was telling them that all His blood, every drop would be placed on the mercy seat forever to atone for the transgressions of mankind and for the sin of the world. Only as the Eternal Priest after the order of Melchisedec can He enter into the most holy of holies with the blood of the Lamb, His own blood. Consider how great this Man is, for He purged both the earth and heaven above.
For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. (Colossians 1:19 – 20)
That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: (Ephesians 1:10)
Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) (Ephesians 4:8 – 10)
This is the work that was finished on the cross by the Just One. (Acts 7) The eternal Justifier of mankind, the greatest Man, the purist Man, the holy Man, the righteous Man, the Sanctifier of man: consider, I say, consider, how great this Man is at the right hand of God; holy, harmless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens. Amen.
© Copyright 2018, Michael Haigh
Article may be used, but not for gain. Freely ye have received, freely give.
All Scripture references are from the Authorized King James Bible. (KJV)