OUR CHAMPION

Isaiah 52:13-15
Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. As many were astonished at you - his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind - so shall he sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand.

Far from being trapped in the chain of events leading to his death, Jesus resolutely set his course so that it led to the cross. He did so, not begrudging his Father, but because he desired to fulfill the will of his Father. Nor did he resent his people for whom he died, angry that he had to pay the price for our failures. It was for the joy set before him – the glory of the Father, his glory in obeying the Father, and the glory to which a depraved people would be raised – for such a joy he resolutely went forth into the greatest battle ever to be fought.

The story of the cross is the story of the Warrior King who delivered his people through great power. The one who appeared as Lamb was in truth the great Lion, the King, who had come to deliver his people from captivity and lead them into his eternal kingdom. The one who appeared to be a hapless victim was in truth fighting a mighty battle to win his people. Each step toward the cross, each hour upon it, was in reality another advance for our Champion in winning his victory.

In theology the sufferings of Christ are referred to as his humiliation. That is an accurate description, to be sure, when contrasted to his glory both before his incarnation and following his resurrection. But we must not lose sight of the fact that the “humiliation” of Jesus Christ was the most powerful and glorious work ever to be accomplished. It was not weakness that led Jesus to the cross; it was tremendous resolve and power on his part to willingly endure the afflictions of his own creatures.