Why the Stake/Cross? As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up. John 3:14 Be lifted up – “Houston, we have a problem.” Yeshua’s death on the Stake/cross does not meet the requirements for a sacrifice for intentional sin/missing the goal or the mark. Scripture tells us what those requirements must be. The sacrifice must be made at the altar. The blood must be sprinkled. The slaughter must be carried out in specific ways. Furthermore, Scripture tells us that the Lamb was slain before the foundation of the world. So Yeshua’s sacrifice, the sacrifice that provides forgiveness for sin, occurred before Adam, before Abraham, before David and before you and me. The means of forgiveness has always been this sacrifice. There is no distinction between “Old Testament” sacrifice and “reNewed Testament” grace. They are one and the same. Our MASTER CREATOR YAHUUAH and HIS WORDS have never changed once from today to the very the beginning. But what does that mean for the stake/cross? This question forces us to re-examine our typical assertion, “Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of sin.” When we pay attention to the text, we find that Yeshua Himself points us toward another interpretation. He directs us to look toward an ancient typology found in an event in the wilderness. Consider the context of Yeshua’s statement. “No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven” opens the discussion. This is not about forgiveness. It is about power and glory. Only the One who comes down has the right to go back up. Origin determines authority. How will men know that this claim is true? They will see the sign of Moses. They will see the power and glory of the Son of Man lifted up, both on the cross and in the ascension. The cross is the gateway to return to heaven. Death is the vehicle that transports the Son of Man from earthly Messiah to heavenly King. Yeshua goes on. “Whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.” When the Son of Man is lifted up, those who believe may find eternal life. Believe what? Obviously not simply the fact that He is lifted up. Every crucified man was lifted up. What a witness must believe is that this is the sign of Yeshua’s exaltation as King and Ruler. A witness must believe that Yeshua now reigns over all the earth. And this means that Yeshua rules over me! The importance of the stake/cross isn’t about forgiveness. It’s about power and authority. Where the world sees defeat, YAHUUAH sees victory! John’s gospel uses the Greek verbs hypsoo and dei (must be lifted up). The first verb means both “to lift up” and “to exalt.” In the LXX it is often used for the exaltation of God (e.g., Isaiah 52:13). The word shows up in John 3:14, 8:28 and 12:32 as descriptions of the exalted Messiah. To be lifted up on the stake/cross is a sign of exaltation and of death. Through death He becomes Ruler and King. In this act, death is completely transformed, from a power that holds sway over any real meaning in life to a sign of the ultimate supremacy of the King’s anointed. On the stake/cross, death dies!
Posted on: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 04:11:27 +0000
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