Day 13: The Culmination: The Cross

Dear friend,

In these devotionals, we have been taking Jesus as both the pattern and the inspiration for living. We have seen that the supreme motivation of His life – the very purpose for which He came from heaven to earth – was to do God’s will – as revealed in the scroll of Scripture. Let us read again the key verse in Hebrews chapter 10 put in the lips of Jesus by the writer of Hebrews, verse 7:

“Then I said, ‘Here I am – it is written about Me in the scroll – I have come to do Your will, O God.’” (NIV)

Two vital points have become clear for us. First of all, the motive for which He came was to do God’s will. Second, the part He had to play was already written in the scroll. And that should be true of you and me.

We have also looked at five specific results in the earthly life of Jesus that came through His commitment to do the will of God.

• First, physical restoration in a supernatural way.
• Second, a proper view of the situation that He was in, different from that of the people round about Him.
• Third, just judgment or impartial discernment, never being gullible or deceived, always seeing just how a thing really is.
• Fourth, a channel of life to a dying world.
• And fifth, glorifying God on earth.

Now, remember in all these Jesus was a pattern for us to follow.

Today we will begin to study the culmination of God’s will in the life of Jesus – the sacrifice of His own body – for which we will return once more to that key passage in Hebrews chapter 10, verses 5-10:

“Therefore, when Christ came into the world, He said: ‘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.” First He said, ‘Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings You did not desire, nor were You pleased with them’ (although the law required them to be made). Then He said, 'Here I am, I have come to do Your will.' He sets aside the first to establish the second. [The second is the will of God.] And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (NIV)

Jesus came to do God’s will. In order that He might do God’s will, God prepared a body for Him. And the outworking of that will demanded the sacrifice of His own body. This is the culmination; this is the ultimate goal of the life of Jesus: to sacrifice His body on behalf of the world.