Deuteronomy 21:22-23 “And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.”
CURSED FOR OUR TRANSGRESSIONS
Right here in Deuteronomy we find a fulfillment of Christ. He became accursed for us. He hung on a tree (the cross) to bear the sins of the entire world. Isn’t it interesting also, that Jesus was taken off the cross and buried the same day, just as the verse says above?
Jesus came for one purpose – to pay the ransom for man. He knew the price before He ever left Glory. He knew the penalty for sin because He is the one who wrote the Law. He knew when He hung on that cross His Father in Heaven would see Him as accursed. But He came anyway. Why? Because He loves us and wanted us to have access to the kingdom of God.
TEACHING MOMENT
This is a truth that our children must learn. We, as parents, need to show them the power of paying a debt for someone else. I am sure you will have the opportunity to do that at some point, if you haven’t already. Perhaps little Elrod has broken something of someone else and needs to replace it. He doesn’t have the money, so you step in and pay the debt for him. There you go – a simple picture of what Christ did for us.
While that example doesn’t capture the magnitude of what Christ did, most children can understand the “forgiveness” of a debt which they do not have the ability to pay. We also need to show them the joy in which it must be done. Jesus did not die on the cross begrudgingly. He came willingly. He wanted to die for us.
How about you? For whom have you sacrificed? I mean, really sacrificed? Are you willing to let go of something you hold dear for the sake of someone else? Are you willing to lay it down?
A Moment In Time 