Ought not Christ … – Ought not the Messiah. Was there not evidence that he would do it? and was it not indispensable that he should, in order to fulfil the prophecies? The necessity of his suffering these things referred to here was that it was foretold that he would. The reason why it was predicted, and why it was necessary that it should occur, was that it was proper that God should manifest his justice, and do honor to his law, and secure the due regard for his government, while he pardoned the guilty.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 26. Ought not Christ to have suffered] , Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer. This was the way in which sin must be expiated, and, without this, no soul could have been saved. The suffering Messiah is he alone by whom Israel and the world can be saved.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

26. Ought not Christ“theChrist,” “the Messiah.”

to suffer . . . andenterthat is, through the gate of suffering (and suffering”these things,” or such a death) to enterinto His glory. “Ye believe in the glory; but these verysufferings are the predicted gate of entrance into it.”

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Ought not Christ to have suffered these things,…. Mentioned in Lu 24:20 as to be delivered by the chief priests, to be condemned to death, and to be crucified: Christ suffered many things in his personal character, being traduced as a sinful and wicked man, and a friend and encourager of sinners; as a man of immoral principles and practices; as an idolater, a blasphemer, an impostor, a seditious person; as one that had had familiarity with the devil, and did his miracles by his assistance, with a load of other reproaches; and these he endured, to answer to the loss of the divine honour and glory, sustained by the sin of man; and to teach his people patience, under the loss of their good names, characters, and reputations: and he suffered much in his body, in the infirmities of it; which he assumed with it, being in all things like to his brethren, excepting sin; and in the pains which he endured, through buffeting and scourging before his crucifixion, and when he hung upon the cross: and he suffered greatly in his soul, partly from the temptations of Satan; and partly from the treatment of his own disciples, through the frowardness of their spirits; and especially his being betrayed by one, denied by another, and forsaken by them all, must greatly afflict his mind; but chiefly from his bearing the loathsome sins of men, the strokes of justice, and the wrath of God; and particularly, through his being forsaken by him: and of all these there was a necessity; he ought to have suffered these things, as he did; the counsels and purposes of God, the covenant transactions and agreement he himself entered into with his Father, the prophecies of the Old Testament, and his own predictions concerning these things, together with the salvation of his people, in a way consistent with the justice of God, and the honour of his law, made them necessary:

and to enter into his glory; which began at his resurrection from the dead, and is seen in his exaltation and session at the right hand of God; upon his ascension he was received up to glory, entered into it, took possession of it, and is crowned with it; and which will still be more manifest, when he shall come to judge the world in righteousness; when his saints also shall appear in glory with him, and shall be everlasting spectators of his glory; and indeed, his entrance into glory is not merely for himself, but in the name and behalf of them. The Vulgate Latin version reads, “and so, or thus to enter into his glory”; that is, by the way of sufferings, which is the way through which his saints enter the kingdom,

Ac 14:22. And by a view of the glory that was to follow them, and which he and his people were to enjoy together, was he animated to endure them cheerfully and patiently; and this he is entered into, possesses and enjoys, as the consequence and reward of his sufferings.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

Behooved it not? ( ;). Was it not necessary? The very things about the death of Jesus that disturbed them so were the strongest proof that he was the Messiah of the Old Testament.

Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament

Ought not [ ] . The A. V. does not convey the precise meaning, which is, that, in the eternal order of things, and in fulfilment of the eternal counsel of God as expressed in the prophecies, it was essentially fitting that Christ should suffer. Rev. is clumsy but correct : beloved it not the Christ to suffer ?

Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament

1) “Ought not Christ to have suffered these things,” (ouchi tauta edei pathein ton Christon) “Did it not behoove Christ to suffer these things,” Luk 24:46, or was it not necessary, according to the prophets? Isa 53:1-12; Heb 2:9-10; 1Pe 1:10-12. The sufferings Jesus endured were the appointed way that He should enter His glory, Act 17:3; Heb 9:22-23; 1Pe 1:3; 1Pe 1:11.

2) “And to enter into his glory?” (kai eiselthein eis ten doksan auton) “And to enter or go directly into his glory,” which He had before the world existed? Joh 14:2-3; Joh 17:1-5; Deu 30:3; Act 1:9-11.

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

26. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things? There is no room to doubt that our Lord discoursed to them about the office of Messiah, as it is described by the Prophets, that they might not take offense at his death; and a journey of three or four hours afforded abundance of time for a full explanation of those matters. Christ did not, therefore, assert in three words, that Christ ought to have suffered, but explained at great length that he had been sent in order that he might expiate, by the sacrifice of his death, the sins of the world, — that he might become a curse in order to remove the curse, — that by having guilt imputed to him he might wash away the pollutions of others. Luke has put this sentence in the form of a question, in order to present it with greater force; from which it may be inferred, that he employed arguments for showing the necessity of his death. The sum of what is stated is, that the disciples are wrong in distressing their minds about their Master’s death, (without which he could not discharge what belonged to Christ; because his sacrifice was the most important part of redemption;) for in this way they shut the gate, that he might not enter into his kingdom. This ought to be carefully observed; for since Christ is deprived of the honor due to him, if he is not reckoned to be a sacrifice for sins, the only way by which he could enter into his glory was that humiliation or emptying, (Phi 2:7,) out of which the Redeemer had arisen. But we see that no trivial offense is committed among at the present day, by the inversion of this order; for among the multitude of those who declare, in magnificent language, that Christ is King, and who extol him by divine titles, hardly one person in ten thinks of the grace which has been brought to us by his death.

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

(26) Ought not Christ to have suffered?Better, the Christ. The thought that the sufferings were a necessary condition of the glory that followed, became from this time forth almost as an axiom of Christian thought. So we read of the sufferings of the Christ, and the glory that should follow (1Pe. 1:11).

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

26. Ought not Christ He speaks the great word; not prophet but

Christ, the Messiah. To have suffered Here is a great question. Even to this day infidels like Gibbon object that the Messiah of prophecy is but a conquering hero. But is he not too a suffering Messiah? Prophecy written and uttered does indeed say much more of the glorious than of the suffering Messiah. But what mean those visible and acted prophecies the sacrifices, the bloody ritual of the Old Testament, if they did not prefigure the great sacrifice which had just been offered in Jerusalem? Those had been a constant acted and visible prophecy of a suffering Messiah.

Enter into his glory By ascension. So that his suffering should be on earth, and his glory at the right hand of God.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

“Did it not behove the Christ (the Messiah) to suffer these things, and to enter into his glory?”

For was it not right and fitting, indeed  necessary, that the Messiah should suffer these things (compare Act 3:18), thereby entering into His glory? Was that not what the Scriptures had said?

The thought of glory may refer mainly to His crucifixion as the way of entering into His glory (see Joh 12:23-24), but if it was so it could only be in the light of the certainty of His resurrection. However, Dan 7:13-14 and its use by Jesus (Luk 22:69; Mat 16:28; Mat 26:64) suggests that both are included, and that it also includes the idea of His enthronement. The Son of Man will suffer (along with His people – Dan 7:25 with 27), but then He will come to the throne of God to receive glory (Dan 7:13-14).

This idea of ‘necessity’ appears constantly throughout Luke. See Luk 2:49 – it was necessary for Him to be in His Father’s house; Luk 4:43 – it was necessary for Him to preach the Good News of the Kingly Rule of God widely; Luk 9:22 – it was necessary for the Son of Man to suffer many things, and be rejected by the Jewish leaders, and be killed, and on the third day be raised; Luk 13:16 – it was necessary for a woman bound by Satan to be freed; Luk 13:33 – it was necessary for Him as a prophet to go up to Jerusalem to die; Luk 15:32 – it was necessary that they should be glad when a lost one was found; Luk 18:1 – it was necessary for His disciples always to pray and not to lose heart; Luk 19:5 – it was necessary for Him to stay at the house of Zacchaeus; Luk 21:9 – it is necessary for judgments to take place throughout history; Luk 22:37 – it was necessary that the Scripture be fulfilled that He was reckoned among the transgressors; Luk 24:7 – it was necessary for the Son of Man to be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified and on the third day rise again (compare Luk 9:22); Luk 24:44 – it was necessary for everything written about Him in the Scriptures to be fulfilled. Jesus was driven along by the divine necessity.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

DISCOURSE: 1589
THE NECESSITY OF CHRISTS SUFFERINGS AND EXALTATION

Luk 24:26. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?

AN ignorance of the Scriptures is far more injurious to us than we are apt to imagine; for it lies at the root of all our errors both in faith and practice. The infidels of old denied the doctrine of the resurrection, not knowing the Scriptures or the power of God. The Jewish rulers crucified their Messiah, because they were ignorant of the character in which, according to the Scriptures, he was to appear; and thus they unwittingly fulfilled the very Scriptures which they professed to reverence. The Disciples of our Lord himself were confounded at the death of their Master, and averse to credit the reports of his resurrection, because they knew not the Scriptures that he must rise again. Our blessed Lord, after his resurrection, joined two of them in their way to Emmaus; and when he found how ignorant and incredulous they were, he reproved them; and, to convince them that the Messiah ought to have suffered the very things which he had suffered, and in that way to enter into his glory, he expounded to them the principal prophecies relating to those events.

His appeal to them on that occasion leads us to consider,

I.

The necessity of Christs sufferings unto death

There was no necessity for Christ to undertake the redemption of man; but, supposing him to have under-taken it, then there was a necessity for his sufferings unto death;

1.

To fulfil the Scriptures

[The death of Christ had been exhibited in types from the very beginning: all the sacrifices offered by Adam, Abel, Noah, and the Jews themselves, marked out a suffering Messiah. The same also was declared in many express prophecies. Not to mention the intimation of it given in the first prophecy [Note: Gen 3:15.], nothing could be more plain than the declarations of Isaiah on this subject [Note: Isa 52:14; Isa 53:3-5.]: it seems perfectly astonishing to us, that people professing to regard his writings as prophecies of the Messiah, should ever make the crucifixion of Christ a stumbling-block, or account the doctrine of his cross foolishness. How decisive too is the testimony of Daniel [Note: Dan 9:26.]; as is that also of Zechariah [Note: Zec 13:7.]! But besides these general testimonies, there are particular intimations respecting all the most minute circumstances of his death; the collective view of which forms a body of evidence that is altogether irresistible.

But how could these be fulfilled if Jesus should not suffer? they must all be rendered null and void, and the veracity of the inspired writers, yea, of Him also who inspired them, must be for ever impeached.]

2.

To answer the ends of his mission

[For what did Jesus come into the world? Was it not to bear the sins of men in his own body, and, by rendering satisfaction to God, to make the exercise of mercy compatible with the rights of truth and justice? But how were these ends to be attained? The obedience of Jesus, however perfect, could not answer these ends. The law denounced death against the transgressor: and death must be inflicted on him, or on his surety. If therefore Jesus was to be a surety for man, he must undergo death; he must bear that which man should have borne: nothing but this could satisfy the demands of the law: and if man were saved without the death of his Surety, the whole authority of the law must be cancelled, and the Law-giver himself be dishonoured in the sight of all his creatures. We grant, for arguments sake, that the mercy of God would be magnified in such a way of pardoning transgression: but then what regard would he shew for the rights of justice? What would become of his truth and faithfulness? How could mercy and truth meet together, and righteousness and peace kiss each other? The perfections of God would be set at variance, and some would triumph at the expense of others: but this would be directly contrary to the ends of Christs mission: and therefore our Divine Surety must suffer death, in order to answer the ends for which he became incarnate.]
With the death of Christ is connected

II.

The necessity of his exaltation to glory

The two cannot be separated: there was a necessity that the latter should take place,

1.

To complete his work

[The work of the high-priest was not finished, when he had shed the blood of his sacrifice: he must carry that blood within the vail, and sprinkle it upon, and before, the mercy-seat: and he must then burn incense before the mercy-seat: nor, till this was accomplished, could he come out to bless the people. Thus must our great High-Priest not only offer himself a Sacrifice, but enter into heaven with his own blood [Note: Heb 9:12; Heb 9:24.], and, together with that, present also the incense of his own intercession. If he should not do this, he would leave his work unfinished, and consequently of no avail. But how should he do this, if he should not enter into his glory? Nor is it his priestly office only that would be made void; his prophetic and kingly offices also would be incomplete: he teaches men by his Spirit; but the Holy Ghost would not have been given, if Jesus had not been glorified [Note: Joh 7:39.]: it was necessary that he should go into heaven, that he might send the Spirit down from thence [Note: Joh 16:7.]. Nor could he exercise his kingly government unless he were enthroned on high, and invested with power to subdue all things unto himself [Note: Php 2:9-11. God exalted Him, that every knee should bow, &c.]. Hence, then, his exaltation was as necessary to the completion of his work, as his humiliation was to its commencement.]

2.

To give to his people a solid ground of hope

[If our surety, who had been carried to prison for our debt, were kept immured in it, we should have reason to fear that he was unable to fulfil his engagements: but if we saw him liberated, we should conclude that he had fully discharged our debt. Thus if our blessed Lord had never been exalted to heaven to enjoy his glory, which he possessed previous to his incarnation, we should feel many misgiving thoughts respecting the acceptance of his sacrifice, and the efficacy of his mediation. But when he is restored to that glory which for our sakes he had laid aside, we cannot entertain a doubt respecting his sufficiency for our full and complete salvation. Though by dying on the cross he appeared unable to save himself, yet, by his ascending to heaven afterwards, we are assured of his power to save us: because he raised up himself, we know he can raise up us; and, because he liveth, we trust assuredly that we shall live also. Nor are we left to conclude this from uncertain reasonings; for St. Peter expressly tells us, that God raised him up, and gave him glory that our faith and hope might be in God.]

To obtain a just view of our Lords address, it will be proper to notice,

III.

The peculiar force of his appeal

There is a very striking energy in the text, as connected with the preceding and following verses: it intimated,

1.

That they ought to have been better acquainted with the Scriptures

[The Jews had the sacred oracles read and expounded to them every Sabbath-day; and therefore they were inexcusable in not being well acquainted with their contents, especially with those great truths which related to their Messiah. And the Apostles, above all, were blame-worthy, because they had enjoyed the ministry of our Lord himself. How blameable then are we, if we are ignorant of that which relates to Christ; we, who have all the light of the New Testament as well as of the Old; we, who can compare the prophecies with the history of their accomplishment; we, to whom the Bible is accessible at all times; and who have its contents statedly and plainly opened to us! We are apt to think our ignorance of the Scriptures excusable, because we are not scholars, or because we must attend to our worldly callings: but the Disciples were poor fishermen, and therefore as excusable as any persons upon those grounds; yet our Lord justly and severely reproved their ignorance: and most assuredly he will reprove us also in the day of judgment, for not using better the means of instruction which he has afforded us, unless we search the Scriptures, and labour diligently to acquaint ourselves with the things belonging to our peace.]

2.

That the Scriptures, whether men be acquainted with them or not, shall surely be fulfilled

[The Scriptures had foretold the sufferings, and the consequent glory, of the Messiah; and therefore it ought not to have been a matter of surprise that the events had corresponded with the predictions. Thus every thing relating to mens acceptance or rejection of the Messiah, is foretold; and, whatever they may think to the contrary, every jot and tittle of it shall be accomplished. The eternal sufferings of the impenitent and unbelieving, may appear as improbable as the sufferings of the Messiah: and the eternal happiness of the contrite and believing, may seem as unlikely as the exaltation of Jesus, who was crucified. But, in matters that are revealed, we must not reckon upon probabilities or improbabilities: whatever is foretold, is as certain as the power and veracity of God can make it. They who look to our once crucified, but now exalted, Saviour, and make him the sole ground of their hope and confidence, are as sure of being in heaven as if they were already there, provided they continue to exercise faith on him, and shew forth their faith by their works. They, on the contrary, who neglect the Saviour, or make any thing of their own the ground of their confidence, are as sure of everlasting misery as if they were already enduring it in hell, unless they repent, and embrace the Saviour with their whole hearts. That which ought to be, according to the Scriptures, shall be: neither the fears of the timid, nor the presumption of the bold, shall at all change the decrees of heaven: yea rather, the agents, whether men or devils, who most labour to counteract the will of God, shall be taken in their own craftiness, and be the active, though unsuspecting, instruments of accomplishing his designs.]

Infer
1.

How awful must have been the state of man that such things should be necessary for his recovery!

[Inexpressibly dreadful must have been that guilt which required the sufferings of Gods only dear Son to expiate it; and most deplorable that helplessness which could not be remedied but by his consequent exaltation to glory. We may judge of the state of man by that to which the fallen angels are reduced. There would have been no difference between them and us to all eternity, if Jesus had not undertaken for us. And such indeed is the state of those who are not interested in the Saviour: for, as far as respects their happiness, it is the same thing not to have a Saviour, and not to be interested in the Saviour that there is; only indeed their guilt is awfully increased by their contempt of him. Think then of this, ye who neglect the Saviour: as far as respects any hope of mercy, ye are in the condition of the fallen angels, while ye continue to neglect him: but, as to your final doom, you must perish under the aggravated guilt of rejecting and contemning your incarnate God. O that you may consider this, and flee for refuge to the hope set before you!]

2.

How blessed is the state of those who are interested in the Saviour!

[Guilty and helpless as you are in yourselves, you have no need to despond when you reflect on what has been done for your salvation. Supposing that you would be restored to the favour of God, what can you think of that ought to be done, either for Gods honour or for your security, which has not already been done for you? Would you have a Surety? There is one. Would you have him to be God? He is so. Would you have him suffer all that you ought to suffer? He has done so. Would you have him invested with glory that he may perfect in you the work which he has begun? He is so. Inquire of God himself what ought to be done: search the Scriptures from one end to the other: see what the prophets spake: see what our Lord himself spake: and then try if you can find one thing omitted which has not been already accomplished, or is not accomplishing at this moment. Rejoice, then, Believer, rejoice in the Lord alway, and again I say, rejoice. You may be at present suffering like our Lord, and may be ready to doubt whether you shall ever behold the face of your God in peace: but the word of the Lord is tried, and the Promises are sure to all the Seed. Soon you shall be with your exalted Lord, and, having suffered with him awhile, shall eternally be glorified together.]

Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)

26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?

Ver. 26. Ought not Christ ] Ne Iesum quidem audias gloriosum, nisi videris crucifixum, saith Luther in an epistle to Melancthon. Agentem fortiter oportet aliquid pati, It is proper that acting bravely and to suffer somewhat, said a Theban soldier, out of Pindarus, to Alexander, when he had received a wound in battle. For the which sentence he liberally rewarded him. ..

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

26. . ] The sufferings were the appointed way by which Christ should enter into His glory. . = . It was not the entering into His glory , but the suffering , about which they wanted persuading.

Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament

Luk 24:26 . : here as always in Lk. pointing to the necessity that O.T. prophecy should be fulfilled. Accordingly Jesus is represented in the next verse as going on to show that prophecy demanded the course of experience described: first the passion, then entrance into glory. : the passion is past, the entering into glory is still to come, therefore it seems unfit to make . dependent with on . Meyer supplies , Bornemann , the Vulgate = et ita intrare .

Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson

Ought not, &c. . . . ? Behoved it not?

not. Greek. ouchi. App-105.

Christ = the Messiah. App-98.

and to enter, &c. This, in God’s counsels, was to follow immediately on the sufferings, had the nation repented. See Act 3:18-26, and compare 1Pe 1:11; 1Pe 4:13; 1Pe 5:1. Doubtless this was the subject of Act 1:3.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

26. .] The sufferings were the appointed way by which Christ should enter into His glory. . = . It was not the entering into His glory, but the suffering, about which they wanted persuading.

Fuente: The Greek Testament

Luk 24:26. , these things) The very things which ye take up as causes to create doubt, are characteristic marks of the Christ.-, ought) because it was so foretold.-, to suffer) It is respecting this point of faith that the slowness of belief on the part of men most especially exhibits itself. See Mat 16:22 [Peter, after his noble confession of Christs divinity, on hearing of His cross, saith, Be it far from Thee, Lord, etc.].-[ , the Christ) the Redeemer of Israel, Luk 24:21.-V. g.]-, to enter) which could not have been accomplished in any other way.

Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament

Chapter 59

The Necessity

Our Lord Jesus is walking along the Emmaus Road, talking to two of his disciples, who are terribly perplexed by the fact that he had been delivered by the chief priests unto Pilate, condemned and crucified. The risen Redeemer was standing before them, and they said, We had trusted. How sad! Had they given up their trust? Were they now saying, We trust him no more? We had trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel. In Luk 24:25-26 our Saviour answers them with a word of stern reproof and blessed instruction.

Here is his word of reproof. Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken (Luk 24:25). The most foolish, God dishonouring thing in this world is unbelief. And when that unbelief is found in his own, it is even more foolish and more God dishonouring! That is our Saviours word of stern reproof. Let us lay it to heart.

But I want to call your attention to the word of instruction found in Luk 24:26. It is cast in the form of a two part question Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? Our Lord Jesus here asserts again what he had so often told them, that there was an imperative, an absolute necessity that he suffer all that he suffered in Gethsemane, Gabbatha, and Golgotha. And he tells them that one aspect of that necessity was the fact that he could never have entered into his glory had he not suffered all those things as our Surety, Substitute, and Saviour.

Gods Greatest Work

Without question, the most wondrous of all Gods works is the work of redemption. When we attempt to contemplate what that work involved, we are lost in astonishment. When we think of the unutterable depths of shame and sorrow into which the Lord of glory entered to save us, we are awed and staggered. A. W. Pink said:

That the eternal Son of God should lay aside the robes of his ineffable glory and take upon him the form of a servant, that the Ruler of heaven and earth should be made under the law (Gal 4:4), that the Creator of the universe should tabernacle in this world and have not where to lay his head (Mat 8:20), is something which no finite mind can comprehend; but where carnal reason fails us, God-given faith believes and worships.

As we trace the path of our Saviour from the throne of life to the tomb of death and behold him who was rich, for our sakes, becoming poor, that we through his poverty might be made rich, we cannot fathom the depths of the wonders before us. We know that every step in the path of our Redeemers humiliation was ordained in the eternal purpose of God. Yet, it was a path of immeasurable sorrow, unutterable anguish, ceaseless ignominy, bitter hatred, and relentless persecution that, at last, brought the Beloved Son of God, the Darling of heaven, to suffer the painful, shameful death of the cross. Who could ever have imagined such things as these?

Standing at the foot of the cross, as I behold the Holy One nailed to the cursed tree, covered with his own blood and the spit of an enraged mob, made sin, forsaken, and cursed of God his Father, yet, realizing that this is the work of Gods own hand, I am lost in astonishment. I am filled with awe (2Co 5:21; Gal 3:13). Samuel Stennett wrote:

Yonder, amazing sight, I see!

The incarnate Son of God

Expiring on the cursed tree,

And weltering in his blood.

Behold, a purple torrent run

Down from his hands and head,

The crimson tide puts out the sun;

His groans awake the dead.

The trembling earth, the darkened sky,

Proclaim the truth aloud;

And with the amazed centurion, cry,

This is the Son of God!

A Question

Awed as I am with reverence for my crucified Lord, still there is a question that I cannot suppress, a question that reason and sound judgment cannot fail to ask. The question is, Why? Why did the Son of God suffer such a death? Why did God so torment his beloved Son and kill him in such an horribly ignominious way?

Was it to save my soul? I know that he did so that I might live. He suffered, the Just for the unjust, that he might bring me to God. But was there no other way for the omnipotent God to save me? Was all this done to demonstrate the greatness of Gods love to me? Indeed it was (Rom 5:8; 1Jn 3:16; 1Jn 4:9-10).

Jesus, who left his throne on high,

Left the bright realms of bliss,

And came to earth to bleed and die,

Was ever love like this?

But, surely, God could have revealed his love to me in some other way. Why did he slay his Son? What necessity was there for the Son of God to suffer and die upon the cursed tree?

Only one answer can be found to that question. The justice of God had to be satisfied. There was no necessity for God to save anyone. Salvation is altogether the free gift of his grace. But, having determined to save his elect from the ruins of fallen humanity, the only way God could save his people and forgive their sins was by the death of Christ. Without shedding of blood is no remission (Heb 9:22). The justice of God had to be satisfied in order for God to save his people; and the only thing that could ever satisfy the justice of God is the blood of Christ.

I want to show you from the Word of God both the necessity and the blessedness of Christs satisfaction of divine justice by his death on the cross. This is a doctrine of utmost importance. It is the glory of the gospel and the revelation of the glory of our God. It is the satisfaction of divine justice by the death of Christ that distinguishes Christianity from all other religions. Take the cross out of Christianity, take away the satisfaction of Christ by his death upon the cross, and Christianity is of no more value and benefit to the souls of men than Judaism, Islam, or Hinduism. It is of paramount importance, because without satisfaction for sin, there could be no salvation from it.

Among the countless damnable heresies that are embraced and taught by men, none is more common and none so destructive to the souls of men as the denial of Christs satisfaction (Heb 10:26-29).[13]

[13] Unholy in Heb 10:29 means common. Those who make the blood of Christ a common thing, without efficacy, without merit, are without hope! There is no other sacrifice for sin.

Heb 2:9-10

Perhaps Heb 2:9-10 states the necessity of Christs satisfaction for sin more clearly than any other single text. In it we see that he is Jesus, our Saviour, the Christ of God. We see in him the fulness of the Godhead (Col 2:9), the fulness of grace (Joh 1:14; Col 1:19), and the fulness of redemption (Eph 1:7). We see him as Christ, our Redeemer, the Son of God, the Son of man, the Lord our Righteousness. We see him as our all (1Co 1:31). Do you see him? If you do, flesh and blood has not revealed him to you, but our Father in heaven.

Who was made a little lower than the angels. He who made the angels was made a little lower than the angels. He was made of the seed of woman, made to be a man, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law (Gal 4:4-5). This is the reason for the incarnation. This is why Christ was made a little lower than the angels

For the suffering of death. The Son of God came into this world for the purpose of suffering death. He did not come to be an earthly monarch in Jerusalem. He did not come to establish a new religion. He did not come to be a reformer, or a mere example of morality and virtue. Christ, the Son of God, became a man so that he might die in the place of men and redeem them. He came here to die, because there was no other way for his people to be saved and live. We see this too, since he suffered and died in the place of his people, the Lord Jesus Christ is now

Crowned with glory and honour (Php 2:8-11). Christ is exalted. That Man who died for us at Calvary is now crowned with glory, given all honour, as the Lord of all. The God-man, who died for us, now rules the world to save those people for whom he died (Joh 17:2; Rom 14:9).

Now, look at the next line. Christ was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. This statement, like all others, must be interpreted within its context and in the light of the entire Word of God. Is this a declaration that Christ died even for those for whom he refused to pray (Joh 17:9), for those who are not his sheep (Joh 10:11), for those who are vessels of wrath fitted to destruction (Rom 9:22), for those from whom he has hidden both his works and his grace (Mat 11:20-25)? Of course not! Does this statement mean that Christ died for those who suffer the wrath of God in hell? No! That would be a declaration that there are some for whom Christ shed his blood in vain and would be a denial of the efficacy of his atonement. What, then, is the meaning of this statement? That he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

Christ died not merely as a good example, or merely for the good of men, but as the divine Surety, in the room and place of men. However, the word man was added by our translators with no apparent reason, except to make the sentence read more easily. In the Greek text there is no word in this verse that should be translated man. The sentence literally should be translated, That he by the grace of God should taste death for every, or for all, or for every one. And the context makes it crystal clear that the Apostle was speaking of specific men. Our Lord Jesus Christ, by the grace of God, tasted death for every one of the sons he would bring to glory (Luk 24:10), for every one of the brethren he is not ashamed to own (Luk 24:11), for every member of the church, in the midst of which he will sing praise (Luk 24:12), for every one of the children God the Father had given him to save, for whose sake he assumed flesh and blood (Luk 24:13), for every one of Abrahams seed, Gods elect, whom he took hold of to save (Luk 24:16).

Why was the Son of God made so humble as to suffer and die for his people? What necessity was there for his humiliation and death in the room and stead of his people? Read Luk 24:10

For it became him. It was necessary, if God would save sinners and bring them to glory, that the Son of God must suffer in their room and satisfy all that the law and justice of God could demand. The scriptures plainly declare that there was a necessity for the death of Christ (Mat 16:21; Joh 3:14). It was necessitated by the decree of God (Act 2:23), Christs covenant engagements as our Surety (Joh 10:17-18), the prophecies of the Old Testament (Mat 26:54), and the election of grace. God did not have to save anyone; but since he has chosen to save some, the only way he could save them was by the satisfaction of justice, through the sacrifice of his own dear Son.

When Paul says, it became him, that it was necessary for God to slay his Son to save his people, lest we begin to think that this implies some weakness in God, he immediately describes our God with these words for whom are all things and by whom are all things. Here the Lord God is described as that One who is both the ultimate end and first cause of all things (Rom 11:36). All things are for him. He made all things for himself, for the glorifying of all the perfections of his nature (Pro 16:4; 2Co 5:18). And all things are by him. All things in nature, all things in providence, all things in redemption, and all things in grace are the work of our God.

I repeat myself deliberately, God did not have to save anyone; but since he has chosen to save some, the only way he could save them was by the satisfaction of justice through the sacrifice of his own dear Son.

In bringing many sons unto glory. This is an intimation of Gods gracious designs toward his elect. Those whom Christ came to save are many, and they were already the sons of God by eternal adoption and divine predestination long before Christ came to redeem them (Gal 4:4-6). In the covenant of grace our God declared, I will be their Father, and they shall be my sons and daughters. We were chosen to be the children of God from eternity. We were given power and authority to become the sons of God, and given the nature of Gods sons in regeneration (Joh 1:12-13). And we were openly and manifestly declared to be the sons of God when we believed by faith in Christ. Our faith in Christ does not make us Gods sons. Adoption did that. Faith receives the adoption of sons and looks upon God through Christ as our Father (Gal 4:6; Rom 8:15-16).

The sons of God are many, a great multitude which no man can number, ten thousand times ten thousand. The many chosen of God. The many for whom Christ gave his life a ransom. The many for whom his blood was shed for the remission of sins. The many made righteous by his obedience. The many for whom many mansions are prepared in the Fathers house. John Gill wrote:

God has chosen them through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth, to the obtaining of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ! Christ died for them, and by means of his death, they receive the promise of eternal inheritance, and the inheritance itself. God calls them by his grace to eternal glory, and makes them meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.

The Person by whom Gods elect are brought to glory is Christ, the Captain of their salvation. He is called the Captain of our salvation because he is the One in charge of it, the One responsible for it, the One whose arm alone has accomplished it.

As the Captain of our salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ was made perfect through sufferings. That is to say, the way, the means by which our great Saviour saved us and perfected, or completed his work as the Captain of our salvation was by his perfect sufferings and death as our Substitute. Apart from his sufferings for the satisfaction of justice there could have been no salvation. Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered: And being made perfect, he became the Author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him (Heb 5:8-9).

It was necessary for Christ to suffer and die on the cross under the wrath of God to save his people. He did not have to save us. But if he saved us he could not save in any other way. Justice demanded it (Pro 16:6; Pro 17:15; Rom 3:24-26; 1Pe 3:18).

This is what the Spirit of God teaches us in Heb 2:9-10 : since it was the design, purpose, and pleasure of the Almighty to bring some of the sons of men into eternal glory and happiness as the sons of God by Christ, it was necessary for Christ, the Son of God, to suffer all that the law and justice of God required for the punishment of sin, dying under the wrath of God as our Substitute.

I am not saying that the satisfaction of Christ procures the love of God for us. It does not. The death of Christ is the fruit of Gods love, not the cause of it. But I am saying, it is the death of Christ and the satisfaction of justice by his death that opens the way into the embraces of Gods arms. We could never have been reconciled to God without the shedding of Christs blood. Gill again states:

Let me observe to you something relating to experience, which you would do well to lay up in your minds. It may be of use to you hereafter, when you may be tempted to doubt of your interest in Christs satisfaction. Have you any reason to believe that you have, at any time, had communion with God, in private or in public, in your closet, or in the family, or in the house of God, under any ordinance, either the ministry of the Word, or prayer, or the Supper of the Lord? Then you may be assured Christ has made satisfaction for you; or you would never have enjoyed such communion.

Six Statements

Here are six statements that simply cannot be refuted and must not be ignored. First, all men and women by nature, since the fall of our father Adam, are sinners, alienated from God.

All have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23). As sinners, we are alienated from the life of God and have become enemies unto God. The wages of our sin and enmity to God is death.

Second, every transgression must receive its just recompense of reward (Heb 2:2). All sin must be punished, either in the sinner or in the sinners Substitute. The law, being broken, accuses of sin, condemns the sinner, and demands death. Unless satisfaction is made, the sentence of the law must be executed. The sanction of the law is death. It can never be abrogated, changed, altered, or abated. God will never relax his justice! The soul that sinneth, it shall die! (Eze 18:2). But third

It is the will of God to save sinners. He delighteth in mercy! God has decreed the salvation of some. Christ came to save some. There are some people in this world who must be saved, because it is the will of God to save them; and Gods will cannot be frustrated (Joh 10:16). Every chosen sinner (2Th 2:13-14), every predestined son (Rom 8:29-30), every heir of the covenant (Eph 1:3-7), and every child of Adam whose name was written in the Lambs Book of Life from the foundation of the world must be saved (Rev 13:8). There is no possibility that even one of Gods elect will perish! However, fourth

It is impossible for a holy and just God to save any sinner apart from the satisfaction of justice (Heb 9:22).

God declares, I will by no means clear the guilty (Exo 34:7). I know that God is omnipotent, almighty, and sovereign. He does what he will! Nobody on this earth declares that glorious truth more fully, more frequently, or more forcibly than I do. But God cannot do that which is contrary to his nature and character. We do not rob God of his sovereignty when we repeat the declaration of scripture and say, God cannot lie. He who is the Truth cannot lie. Neither do we rob God of his sovereignty when we assert this truth of holy scripture: God cannot forgive sin without the satisfaction of justice. The just, holy, and true God must punish sin.

Fifth, the only way the justice of God could ever be satisfied is by the substitutionary sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ (Job 34:23; Rom 3:24-26). And sixth …

God could not die, and man could not satisfy; but the God-man both died and satisfied. Two facts demonstrate clearly that there was no other way for justice to be satisfied. Only the death of Christ upon the cross could do it. The love of God the Father for his Son proves it. Would God Almighty slay his darling Son, if there were any other way to save his people consistent with his justice? And the prayer of Christ in Gethsemane proves it (Mat 26:39). If the salvation of his people could be accomplished by any means other than his death upon the cross, would not God the Father have granted his tormented Son the desire of his soul?

What can justice satisfy?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

What can Gods law magnify?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

Oh, precious is the flow,

That makes me white as snow!

No other fount I know,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

Robert Lowry

It is impossible for God in his holiness to punish any sinner for whose sins justice has been satisfied by the blood of Christ (Isa 53:11 Rom 8:1-4). The law has no claim upon an executed felon. Every sinner who trusts the Lord Jesus Christ has been chosen, redeemed, and called, and must be forever saved!

Christs Glory

There is something else suggested in Luk 24:26. Christ could not have entered into his glory except by his suffering and death as our Substitute, by which justice was satisfied, righteousness was brought in, his work was finished, and the people he came to save were saved. His question reads, Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? We are convinced by Holy Spirit conviction of righteousness, because he has ascended to the Father (Joh 16:11; Rom 14:9; Php 2:8-11).

What a horrible evil sin is. Nothing but the blood of Christ could make satisfaction for it. God Almighty will punish sin. The death of Christ as the sinners Substitute demonstrates the strictness of Gods holy law. Yet, there is a way open for sinners to come to God. Christ is the Way. He has made satisfaction for sin. If you trust him, if you come to God by faith in him, he made satisfaction for your sin.

Let us ever admire and adore the perfections of our God (Psa 85:10-11). Admire his love. Adore his mercy. Rejoice in his grace. Stand in awe of his wisdom, holiness, justice, and truth. All shine forth gloriously in the satisfaction of Christ. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. Divine wisdom found a ransom for our souls in Christ. Holiness approved of it. Justice is satisfied with it. Truth proclaims it. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?

Because he suffered, bled and died,

Because he reigns, our God on High,

Because Hes just to justify,

Our Saviour shall be satisfied!

He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied.

Fuente: Discovering Christ In Selected Books of the Bible

Luk 24:46, Psa 22:1-31, Psa 69:1-36, Isa 53:1-12, Zec 13:7, Act 17:3, 1Co 15:3, 1Co 15:4, Heb 2:8-10, Heb 9:22, Heb 9:23, 1Pe 1:3, 1Pe 1:11

Reciprocal: Gen 22:6 – laid it Psa 110:7 – therefore Isa 30:18 – will he be Isa 49:4 – yet Isa 55:5 – he Jer 30:21 – and I Dan 9:26 – Messiah Mat 16:21 – began Mat 17:22 – The Son Mat 26:24 – Son of man goeth Mat 26:54 – General Mar 8:31 – he began Mar 9:31 – The Son Mar 10:37 – in Mar 14:21 – goeth Luk 1:70 – which Luk 9:22 – General Luk 17:25 – must Luk 23:42 – thy Luk 24:44 – that all Joh 3:14 – even Joh 10:35 – the scripture Joh 14:4 – whither Joh 20:9 – they Act 3:18 – those Act 14:22 – we Act 26:23 – Christ Act 28:23 – both Rom 1:2 – Which Rom 1:4 – according Rom 8:17 – if so be Rom 14:9 – Christ Heb 2:10 – it Heb 7:26 – became Heb 12:2 – for 1Pe 2:21 – because

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Luk 24:26. Behooved it not (according to these prophecies) the Christ (of whom they speak) to suffer these things (which have made you sad), and (according to the prophets, by just such sufferings) to enter into his glory? The ground of these prophecies lies in a deeper necessity. If we may thus speak of it, the necessity of such sufferings, on His way to glory, for our redemption. They needed most instruction about the necessity of such sufferings. Many doubting, unbelieving hearts need such instruction still: they talk of Christs glory, and forget that the appointed way thither was through suffering.

Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament

Vers. 25-27. The Teaching of Jesus.

The , then He (Luk 24:25), shows that His turn has now come. They have said everythingthey have opened their heart; now it is for Him to fill it with new things. And first, in the way of rebuke (Luk 24:25). , fools, refers to the understanding; , slow, to the heart. If they had embraced the living God with more fervent faith, the fact of the resurrection would not have been so strange to their hopes (Luk 20:37-38).

Next, in the way of instruction (Luk 24:26-27). Luk 24:26 is the central word of this narrative. The explanation of the , ought, was no doubt rather exegetical than dogmatical; it turned on the text presented by the prophecies (Luk 24:27).

Jesus had before Him a grand field, from the Protevangelium down to Malachi 4. In studying the Scriptures for Himself, He had found Himself in them everywhere (Joh 5:39-40). He had now only to let this light which filled His heart ray forth from Him. The second (Luk 24:27) shows that the demonstration began anew with every prophet.

Fuente: Godet Commentary (Luke, John, Romans and 1 Corinthians)

Verse 26

Ought not Christ, &c.; that is, was it not so predicted concerning him?

Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament