Mon.’s Devo - The Power of the Cross

Read: Numbers 15:17-16:40; Mark 15:1-47; Psalm 54:1-7; Proverbs 11:5-6
Once the children of Israel got settled in the promised land, they were suppose to dedicate their first loaf of bread to the Lord as a thanksgiving for all the bread they would eat in the future.
God made sure they had every way possible to stay in his presence. If they did something wrong unintentionally, there was a way of atonement. But if they sinned intentionally they were blaspheming God and had to be cut off from the people and his offense remained with him. An example of this was the man who was gathering wood on the Sabbath. That was an intentional disobedience to God’s law of working on the Sabbath so he had to be stoned.
Korah and his family were the ones who handled the holy things and got to minister in the tabernacle. They started getting proud and jealous of Moses’ authority and wanted it for themselves. Because they challenged God’s chosen authority, God had to show the people how dangerous that was to do. The earth swallowed them up along with their families and their possessions. Then fire came out from God and destroyed 250 of the men who offered incense as Korah’s followers.
It is self-destroying to oppose a man who God has placed in authority. He is God’s responsibility to rebuke. God sees everything that goes on and he disciplines in his timing, his way. Our job is to pray for all men in authority that they would stay true to the truth and humble.
In Mark, we read the ending of the crucifixion. I never get used to reading what they did to Jesus. He was mocked beyond comprehension. I think that that had to be more painful than the physical pain. Jesus was the fulfillment of Isaiah 53. He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. A man named Bar - Abba was let free in his place. Barabbas’s name means son of a father. Jesus was son of THE Father.
Jesus was bound to the cross at the exact time the Pascal Lamb which would die for the nation was tied to the altar in the Temple. He died at the exact time the Pascal lamb was slain at the ninth hour. When Jesus cried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” he was quoting Psalms 22 which describes the crucifixion in detail. He was directing his followers to this Psalm because it was being fulfilled in their eyes. The veil of the temple was torn showing both God’s sorrow as a priest would tear his garment in mourning and to God’s opening up the way to his presence for everyone. It made a believer of the centurion administering his death.
Joseph of Arimathea took Jesus body, wrapped it in linen and laid it in his own tomb. Just like Joseph’s tomb in the Old Testament had to be emptied when they went to the promised land, Joseph of the New Testament had to have his tomb emptied. Death had been defeated!
Lord, remind us today of what the cross has paid for us so that we don’t live in it’s death but in its life. We don’t want what you did to be in vain. Thank you for dying in our place that we might live for you.