“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”” (NIV) Galatians 3:13

“Now Jesus was perfectly holy. He hated sin with his entire being. The thought of evil, of sin, contradicted everything in his character. Far more than we do, Jesus instinctively rebelled against evil. Yet in obedience to the Father, and out of love for us, Jesus took on himself all the sins of those who would someday be saved. Taking on himself all the evil against which his soul rebelled created deep revulsion in the center of his being. All that he hated most deeply was poured out fully upon him” (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology).

Growing up in the church, I heard a story that illustrates the great inertia our Savior Jesus Christ had to overcome, the great sacrifice he endured for the salvation of humanity. I cannot exactly recollect the details of the story but I still remember the merits of the story:

The story is told of a meeting held in heaven one day. God summoned the entire heavenly host and related to them His utmost regret for creating humans. He explained that man was so incorrigible and unscrupulous that he needed a Savior. God’s love transcended His justice; in view of that, He needed one of His unblemished celestial beings to serve as a propitiation for man’s sins.

After breaking the news, there was a deathly silence as God scanned through the assembly to find one ready for His bidding. Every single heavenly being was crestfallen; none was bold enough to say, ‘Here am I, Lord, send me.’

Momentarily, just when all hope seemed to be lost, Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, stepped out gallantly and accepted to execute His Father’s bidding.

This story, though fictitious, explains how our Savior gave up his comfort zone, toed the line of least resistance, and took on a burden that seared through His very soul. For Jesus to have borne sin, something He hated with his entire being, must have been excruciating than the physical pain of His scourging and eventual death.

He was bogged down by the haunting specter of guilt, psychologically traumatized to the extent that He wished this experience passed by Him: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done … And being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground” (Luke 22:42, 44).

What fascinates me about this prayer is Jesus’ complete submission to His Father’s will. He wished to escape the public ignominy but if it is His Father’s will that He suffers it, so be it. This attitude of Jesus is very rare among us who profess to follow Him. A friend sent me a message that reads thus: “There are two people in the world. Those who say, ‘Thy will be done, Lord’ and those to whom God says, ‘Have it your own way.”

The Apostle Paul admonishes us in the epistles to the Philippians to assume a Christo– centric attitude: “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God; something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:6 – 8, NIV). Nothing explains the virtues of sacrifice, selflessness, humility, and love than the cross.

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