0790. Christ's Work Upon the Cross Was Done As the Son of Man
Christ’s Work Upon the Cross Was Done As the Son of Man
"And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of Man shall be betrayed into the hands of men" (Mat_17:22).
The above caption does not mean that the One Who died upon Calvary’s Cross was a man. It does mean that in His death, He identified Himself with man; suffered in behalf of man; died, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God.
1. As Son of Man He was betrayed.
"The Son of Man shall be betrayed into the hands of men and they shall kill Him" (Mat_17:22-23).
"The Son of Man goeth as it is written of Him; but woe unto that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed" (Mat_26:24).
"The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners" (Mat_26:45).
"Betrayest thou the Son of Man with a kiss?" (Luk_22:48).
The above Scriptures are meaningful, when we remember that it was Jesus Christ, the lover of men; it was Christ as God identifying Himself with men, Who was betrayed by man.
2. It was the Son of Man Who had to suffer many things. "It is written of the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things, and be set at nought" (Mar_9:12). Jesus’ suffering was intense. The fact is, He was called, "The Man of Sorrows." He had the weight of a world’s woe upon His back. He wept at the grave of Lazarus as He saw the havoc of sin; He wept over Jerusalem as He saw a rebellious and sinful nation overwhelmed with coming disaster. He bent His back under the terrific weight of a world’s sin. He suffered without the camp–for He was the Son of Man.
3. It was the Son of Man Who was lifted up. "Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of Man, then shall ye know that I am He" (Joh_8:28). The above passages suffice to show that Jesus Christ, when He suffered and died, went to the Cross identifying Himself with man. He went in behalf of man; He went as a substitute; He was a very God, but He was God manifest in flesh; He was God clothed upon with a body for the express purpose of dying.
"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil" (Heb_2:14).
Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR