“The Son of God was willingly made a curse for us, and at His own desire was made subject to shame on our account. I do not know how you feel in listening to me, but while I am speaking I feel as if language ought scarcely to touch such a theme as this: it is too feeble for its task.
I want you to get beyond my words if you can, and for yourselves meditate upon the fact: That He who covers the heavens with blackness, yet did not cover His own face, and He who binds up the universe with the girdle which holds it in one, yet was bound and blindfolded by the men He had Himself made.
He whose face is as the brightness of the sun that shineth in its strength was once spit upon. Surely we shall need faith in heaven to believe this wondrous fact. Can it have been true, that the glorious Son of God was jeered and jested at?
I have often heard that there is no faith wanted in heaven, but I rather judge that we shall want as much faith to believe that these things were ever done as the patriarchs had to believe that they would be done.
How shall I sit down and gaze upon Him and think that His dear face was once profaned with spittle? When all heaven shall lie prostrate at His feet in awful silence of adoration will it seem possible that once He was mocked?
When angels and principalities, and powers shall all be roused to rapture of harmonious music in His praise, will it seem possible that once the most abject of men plucked out the hair?
Will it not appear incredible that those sacred hands, which are ‘as gold rings set with the beryl,’ were once nailed to a gibbet, and that those cheeks which are ‘as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers,’ should have been battered and bruised?
We shall be quite certain of the fact, and yet we shall never cease to wonder, that His side was gashed, and His face was spit upon?… Yet, here is matter for our faith to rest upon, Beloved, trust yourselves in the hands of your great Substitute.
Did He bear all this shame? Then there must be more than enough merit and efficacy in this, which was the prelude of His precious death—and especially in His death itself—there must be merit sufficient to put away all transgression, iniquity, and sin.
Our shame is ended, for He has borne it! Our punishment is removed: He has endured it all. Double for all our sins has our Redeemer paid. Return unto thy rest, O my soul, and let peace take full possession of thy weeping heart.”
–Charles H. Spurgeon, “The Spitting and the Shame,” in Twelve Sermons on the Passion and Death of Christ (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1971), 136.
Believers, our shame has ended with the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ. Rejoice! And worship!
sunmee says
July 1, 2011 at 1:11 pmSo true indeed. One should close their eyes and see beyond our own grief in this filthy & wicked world that is cursed by our enemy. Yet, thru it all, He alone board much beyond words one can express. We can’t find such words. He alone was willing to pay our filthy sin, which we don’t even deserve it. It was for His glory and not our, it was for His unconditional love toward us made it possible. We ought to sit back and remember from His words what He really went through for us. He finished and paid price in full, we are not our own, we must look toward Him and depend only on Him and what he alone has done. He finished it. Very encouraging words and very much so uplifting. Thank you for reminding us.
Watson says
July 5, 2011 at 4:56 amThanks 4 the aweresome revelation f God and his gift
Rev. Cheryl Che A. Brown says
July 4, 2011 at 6:34 pmGiving all the Thanksgiving, Honor, Glory, and Praise to our Father, through His Son, our Lord, Savior, and Redeemer. May we all continue to seek His face and take a room in His mansion as promised!
Thank you for these wonderful words. And yet, as Rev. Spurgeon says, our language just cannot conceive, or relay the full impact that the actions of our Jesus is still having upon the world today. Neither can our words give any but a small measure of justice and understanding to His sacrifice.
Watson says
July 5, 2011 at 4:57 amThanks