God’s “DELIGHT” in Jesus at his Baptism never departed from him, not even at the Cross.

God did forsake Jesus, His ever-beloved, ever–favored, ever-wrath-free Son…but in the ways  that Psalm 22 further elaborated prophetically.

“Let Him [Jehovah] rescue him [Jesus], since He delights in him” 22:8. YET GOD DELAYED!  God avowed His delight in Jesus at his immersion by John and there is no reason to suppose this favorable attitude was ever altered for any reason, even as he bore the curse of the Mosaic Torah.  IN FACT, GOD’S GRACIOUSNESS MUST HAVE SUSTAINED HIM THROUGH THIS DEEPEST OF ALL DISTRESSES THAT TRIED HIM (AT THE EVIL HAND OF THE TRIER, SATAN), EVEN AS HIS FATHER’S AFFIRMING WORDS AT HIS IMMERSION, “{THIS IS / YOU ARE} MY SON, THE BELOVED, IN {WHOM / YOU} I DELIGHT” (Matthew 3:17, Mark 1:11, Luke 3:22) SUSTAINED HIM THROUGHOUT ALL HIS INAUGURAL TRIALS (Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-13).  HIS RETURNING “IN THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT” (Luke 4:14) WAS BUT A SHADOW OF WHAT WAS TO COME WHEN HE WAS VICTORIOUS AT ENDURING THE CROSS TO THE “IT IS FINISHED!” LINE of John 19:30.  FOR THEN CAME PENTECOST!  [11/11/07]

It certainly didn’t do us any good for Jesus to experience “our” illnesses and pains (Isaiah 53:3-4) “AS OUR SUBSTITUTE” if that meant to imply, “so we don’t have to,” because obviously  WE DO  HAVE TO ANYWAY!

YET THE VERY SAME LANGUAGE IS USED IN SCRIPTURE CONCERNING “OUR” TRANSGRESSIONS, DEPRAVITIES, AND SINS!  So why do many theologians imagine that these passages are “substitutionary” either, any more than the first set?  This implication is not logical, but nor is the situation a “mystery”!

Jesus, God’s “Servant” and anointed Messiah, EXPERIENCED ALL THE BACKLASH OF SIN AND SICKNESS THAT DEATH HAD INJECTED INTO MANKIND AFTER SIN ENTERED INTO THE WORLD THROUGH ADAM AND BROUGHT WITH IT THAT DEATH SENTENCE, i.e., BEING BANNED FROM THE TREE OF LIFE.  MESSIAH BORE AND WAS BURDENED WITH THEM IN COMPLETE INNOCENCE.  IN EXCHANGE FOR SUFFERING THIS VOLUNTARY HUMILIATION ALONG WITH US IN OUR MISERABLE PLIGHT, IN COMPASSIONATE SOLIDARITY, HE WAS ABLE, i.e., EMPOWERED AND AUTHORIZED TO MEDIATE HIS CONSEQUENT AWARD FROM GOD TO HIS FELLOW HUMAN BEINGS.  [11/11/07]

As long as we remain in Jesus, the Messiah, there is no wrath of God against us, precisely because there is no wrath against him! Moreover, THERE NEVER WAS NOR CAN BE!  NOR, INDEED, NEED THERE BE.  FOR JESUS BECAME A PROTECTIVE SHELTER NOT BECAUSE HE “ABSORBED” OR “BOUGHT OFF” OR “SATISFIED” OR “APPEASED” OR “PACIFIED” OR “PLACATED” OR “MOLLIFIED” OR “PROPITIATED” GOD’S WRATH IN THE LEAST, BUT PRECISELY BECAUSE HE WAS PERFECTLY IMPERVIOUS TO ANY SUCH OUTPOURING, FOR HE HAD NO SIN, AND THE WICKED ONE HAD “NOTHING IN” HIM FOR WRATH TO TARGET!  THAT’S OBVIOUSLY WHY JESUS MADE THE PERFECT PROTECTIVE SHIELDING FOR MORTAL, SINFUL HUMAN BEINGS.

HOWEVER, WHEN THE VICIOUS FURY OF SATAN ASSAULTED JESUS, ESPECIALLY AT THE END, HE ALLOWED THE GREAT ADVERSARY TO TAKE HIM ALL THE WAY DOWN, FOR THIS WAS AN INDISPENSABLE PART OF THE PLAN TO TAKE DOWN THE DEVIL’S KINGDOM, IN TURN.  ONLY THE MAGNITUDE OF SUCH AN ENORMITY WOULD UNLEASH THE COSMIC CATAPULT OF RECTIFYING, RESTORATIVE JUSTICE TO SMASH A PATH THROUGH DEATH AND MAKE AGELONG LIFE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL WHO TRUST.  [11/11/07]

 

WHEN DID JESUS GET “ALL AUTHORITY”?

It must be understood that Jesus had been given authority at least over all the earth, but probably over all of heaven, too (see Luke 10:17-20), as soon as he conquered Satan in temptation (Matt. 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-13; cf. 1 John 2:12-17, 4:4-6, 5:1-5, John 16:33), for immediately thereafter, he started heralding the Kingdom of the Heavens (Matt. 4:17)/of God (Mark 1:14-15), having returned “in the power of the Spirit“ (Luke 4:14) into Galilee, declaring that Isaiah 61:1-2a had been “fulfilled” (Luke 4:21) and then curing everyone in sight (Matt. 4:23-25)!

So when Jesus declared to his disciples before his ascension, “Given to me was all authority in heaven and on earth“ (Matthew 28:18), this was not (or not entirely) a fruit of his later resurrection, but of his victory in temptation, which commenced his ministry with power from on high as the consequence.  This is why he was authorized to give authority to his disciples, as well (Matt. 10:1, Luke 9:1, Mark 6:7) even before the Resurrection and Pentecost.  But granted, the power was more abundant after his resurrection, for after all, he had become victorious again in his last and much more severe temptation at Gethsemane and the Cross, where he was in such a struggle that he sweat blood, and a messenger from heaven came and strengthened him (Luke 22:43-44, cf., Matt. 16:18), as after his first trial (Matt. 4:11).

This two-phase granting of authority and the power of the Spirit for signs and miracles and cures and healing, etc., may explain why Jesus breathed on his disciples ‘early,’ before his ascension, to get Wholesome Spirit (John 20:22) and be authorized to forgive as well as to hold (i.e., not forgive) anyone’s sins—in effect the “keys of the Kingdom” (Matt. 16:13-20).  [3/21/05]

OVERCOMPENSATION and JOY

God’s justice demands an overcompensation for injury.  In other words, the injurer must pay back the victim of the injury and add a surplus (sometimes several fold) beyond what the theft or injury cost the victim.  The reason?  TO RESTORE JOY to the victim.  This is an essential element of God’s Kingdom (Rom. 14:17).  The one who stole joy is obliged to ‘repay’ it.

And, naturally, as we would expect, this fundamental truth of the universe is best illustrated by the Cross/Resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah.  In this case, however, the abusers of Jesus could never have repaid him for their unjust injuries against him.  Rather, God Himself intervened, out of uncreated love, and reacted in graciousness to overcompensate His Son and give him his due! So whereas under the Old Covenant murder was too heinous a crime to be overcompensated by any amount of money or property—an ‘in kind’ payment of the living soul of the murderer was required instead—the New Covenant was inaugurated when God the Father Himself acted miraculously from His celestial throne to overcompensate His grievously abused though completely innocent Son with resurrection from the dead, exaltation to sovereignty over the entire created order, and the indescribable Gift of superabundant favor—the promised Spirit of wholesomeness—to give away gratuitously to all who trust this Proclamation!

It is this divine graciousness (χαρις) that restored fulness of Kingdom joy (χαρα) to the mortal human race, thus inviting their endless, boundless thanksgiving (ευχαριστια) to God!  [6/23/05]

NOT BY INSURRECTION BUT BY RESURRECTION

It is clear from both the teaching and practice of Jesus that he came to liberate humans from the respective bondages of medical, financial, political, military, and religious AUTHORITY by DISPLACEMENT, not REVOLUTION—in other words, not by INSURRECTION but by RESURRECTION!  Thereby he inaugurated a New Creation…a New Humanity that responds to Messiah’s headship and his Spirit’s leadership.  [1/21/06]

If the complete RESURRECTION of the body is ‘in the Atonement,’ then surely the current HEALING of the body must be!  [2/9/06]