The Will of God – Part 4
September 7, 2003
Dear Friends,
As Jesus was at the foot of the cross about to be cruelly nailed to it, he was probably barely recognizable as the man who had rode into town “sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.” His face was probably blackened and swollen from the punches inflicted upon him. His scalp was bleeding from the crown of thorns. His back was shredded from the scourge of the Roman soldiers. At this time, he was far from the perfect physical sacrifice without any spot or blemish that the Law required. In fact, under the Law, any beast that was “torn” was considered unclean. Imagine a Jew bringing a lamb to the priest for sacrifice in the same physical condition that Jesus arrived at the foot of the cross. The man would probably be considered insane for doing something so foolish.
In Hebrews 10, just after the writer has made the point that “it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins”, he quotes from Psalm 40 when he says: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, ‘Here I am — it is written about me in the scroll — I have come to do your will, O God.” What “body” did God prepare for Jesus? Was it this body that was so mangled at the foot of the cross? The context bears out what body it was. It was a body that had “come to do your will, O God.” It was the heart of Jesus — the man who had said “not my will, but thine, be done” — that was the perfect sacrifice or the prepared body. The fact that Jesus was “torn” physically made no difference to the Father.
Further insight can be gained into the intent of Hebrews 10 and the will of God by examining the Psalm 40 passage closely. King David uses a peculiar phrase which the writer to the Hebrews changes. David wrote “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but my ears you have pierced.” (Ps. 40:6) The writer to the Hebrews exchanges “but a body you prepared for me” from the Septuagint for the original Hebrew phrase “but my ears you have pierced.” Why?
We believe they are making the same point and in so doing showing the miracle that is the Bible. The allusion is to Exodus 21 where the law if given concerning Hebrew slaves. According to the Law, the Hebrew slave must go free after six years of service. However, if the servant WILLINGLY wants to stay, he “shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.” (Ex. 21:5,6) Here we have, in type, exactly what Jesus was doing at the foot of the cross. His will was to serve his Father forever for the sake of his ecclesial bride and children. Instead of just having his ear pierced through, his WHOLE BODY was pierced through including his head, back, side, hands and feet. What from a legalistic perspective appeared to be a substandard offering was in fact the greatest offering ever made. The perfect sacrifice was the complete and utter subjugation of one man’s will to God — “a lamb without blemish and without spot.” (1 Peter 1:19)
“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Heb 13:20-21)
Have a great week!
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