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Question from a friend of WordTruth Press:
>>> What is the prophetic symbolism of the crucifixion? Why
did Jesus have to endure the cross?
WordTruth Press Response:
The crucifixion itself was prophesied indirectly thousands of years beforehand
as God pronounced judgment upon Adam, Eve, and Satan for the fall.
In judging the serpent for encouraging their sin, the LORD said in Genesis
3:15:
"And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed
and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel”
(NKJV). The seed of the woman refers to
Christ who was to come into the world. Satan would "bruise
His heel" indicating a significant blow. Yet Christ
would "bruise
your head" indicating He would destroy the work
of Satan, which Christ did on the cross at Calvary.
Later, at least a thousand years beforehand, the crucifixion is prophesied
in Psalm 22. Christ Himself quoted the first verse of this Psalm
from the cross: "My
God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46, NKJV).
This clearly references the content of Psalm 22 that covers the feeling
of abandonment by God (22:1-2) in the midst of suffering and persecution
by enemies (22:6-18) as well as the affirmation of God's faithfulness (22:3-5)
and personal faith in and praise to the LORD (22:19-31). Jesus would not
have been able to quote the entire Psalm from the cross -- this particular
form of torture makes it very difficult even to breathe. Numerous
references in this Psalm clearly reference the kind of suffering found
on the cross -- yet crucifixion was not used during the time that King
David wrote this Psalm. Look closely:
I
am poured out like water,
And
all My bones are out of joint;
My heart is like wax;
It has melted within Me.
My
strength is dried up like a potsherd,
And
My tongue clings to My jaws;
You have brought Me to the dust of death.
For
dogs have surrounded Me;
The
congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me.
They pierced My hands and My feet;
I can count all My bones.
They
look and stare at Me.
They
divide My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots. (Psalm 22:14-18, NKJV)
Crucifixion causes profuse perspiration and bones being pulled out of joint
-- as well as extreme trauma to the heart caused by the intense suffering
(v14). Loss of energy and strength is understandable, as well as
extreme thirst -- literally the life drains out of you (v15). We
read in the gospel accounts of Jesus' thirst from the cross (John 19:28).
The mocking of Christ's enemies (v16) is found in the gospel accounts of
those who surrounded Jesus at the cross and mocked him, along with the
two thieves who were crucified beside Him (Mark 15:29-32). A startling
prediction of the piercing of Jesus' hands and feet is found here in Psalm
22:16 -- as you would expect for those who were crucified by Roman soldiers.
The torture of the cross and the events that preceded it left Jesus looking
down at His starved, stressed body where He could "count all My bones"
(v17). The next verse predicts the casting of lots for Jesus' garments
(v18) as found in Matthew 27:35, John 19:23-24.
The piercing of Jesus' hands and feet (v16) finds significance also
in the prophecy of Zechariah: "they
will look on Me whom they pierced" (Zech. 12:10, NKJV).
The One Zechariah refers to in this text is the Messiah (Christ).
This was fulfilled at the cross (John 19:37) and will also be replayed
at the second coming of Christ as the Jews of that time will also look
upon Christ whom they pierced by rejecting Him as Savior: "Behold,
He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced
Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so,
Amen" (Revelation 1:7, NKJV).
From a prophetic perspective, the other significant view of the crucifixion
is found in Isaiah 53:
Surely
He has borne our griefs
And
carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
But
He was wounded for our transgressions,
He
was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
All
we like sheep have gone astray;
We
have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
(Isaiah 53:4-6, NKJV)
Jesus bore the griefs and sorrows of our sins (v5). He was wounded and
bruised for our sins (v5). He was chastised so that we might find peace
with God (v5). And "by
His stripes we are healed" (v5). The "stripes"
refer to the lashes of the soldier's whip, the piercing of His hands, feet
and side and the torture of the cross. Yet it is by His chastisement
that we are healed of our spiritual darkness. Through the blood that
Jesus Christ shed for us, we find forgiveness and cleansing from sin (Colossians
1:14). This is an incredible passage of Scripture that explains what
happened on the cross -- though we all have gone astray of God's command,
God laid on Jesus Christ the penalty for "the
iniquity of us all" (v6).
May God bless you with His wisdom and the courage to follow Jesus!
Randy Lariscy :-)
President - WordTruth Press℠
© Copyright 6/4/2002, Randy Lariscy.
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