Morning By Morning #94

Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

So the soldiers took charge of Jesus.

John 19:16

From the pen of Charles Spurgeon:

Jesus was in agony all night. He spent the early morning hours at the house of Caiaphas, then was hurried from Caiaphas to Pilate, from Pilate to Herod, and from Herod back to Pilate again. He was not allowed any food, drink, or rest, so by then He had little physical strength remaining. His enemies were eager for His blood and, thus, led Him out to die, forcing Him to carry His own cross. What a sorrowful procession! No wonder the “daughters of Jerusalem” (Luke 23:28) wept for Him. Dear soul, do you weep for Him as well?

What do we learn from this picture of our blessed Lord being led to His death? Do we recognize the truth foreshadowed by “the scapegoat” (Lev. 16:8)? Didn’t the high priest “lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head” (Lev. 16:21), removing the sins from the people? Wasn’t the scapegoat then led “away into the desert in the care of a man appointed for the task” (v. 21), carrying away the sins of the people so that even if they were searched for they could not be found?

In the same way we now see Jesus brought before the priests and rulers who pronounce Him guilty. God Himself imputes our sins to Him, charging our sins to His account, for “the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:6). “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us” (2 Cor. 5:21) as a substitute for our guilt. Upon His shoulders He bore our sins, represented by His cross, and the final great Scapegoat was led away by the appointed officers of justice.

Beloved soul, do you have the assurance He carried your sin? As you look at the cross upon His shoulders, does it represent your sin? There is one way by which you can be assured He carried your sin. If you have laid your hand upon His head, confessed your sin, and trusted in Him, then your sin no longer lies on you, but has all been transferred to Christ through blessed imputation. And He bears your sin on His shoulders as a weight heavier than His cross.

Don’t let this picture fade from your mind until you have rejoiced in your own deliverance and then praised the loving Redeemer upon whom your iniquities were laid.

From the pen of Jim Reimann:

An ancient prison hewn out of the rock of Mount Zion is likely the place of the house of Caiaphas, the high priest, for it is there his sarcophagus, or stone coffin, was discovered. The site includes prison cells, a place of horrific beatings, and a deep pit to hold criminals overnight. Most likely Jesus was lowered into this cold, totally dark pit and held overnight, completely alone. It is therefore an amazing fulfillment of the following prophetic psalm:

I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am like a man without strength…You have taken from me my closest friends and have made me repulsive to them. I am confined and cannot escape…Why, O LORD, do you reject me and hide your face from me?…You have taken my companions and loved ones from me; the darkness is my closest friend.

Psalm 88:4, 8, 14, 18