Clirist as a basis for reconciliation aa i .
reeonciliation in the individual caw ii n ii ~|ieii - ^..i;
in tlie heart. The doctrine of the subsiiiia.uaj!;, aL^nai- 'iL.tLh of Jesus, with vital and mystic union of tlie l'r-lif'\er ^^'ith Him, is not a rabbinic and legal refinement of .St. Paul. He simply echoes the words of the Master more at leng-th, while true to the heart of the matter.
(c) The request of tlie O week brought forth one of
uring the last I'est words of His death (Jn sophy of grace
Jesus concerning the ini e,- 12=3-"-5). Hegive-s, in faet. 1
about His death, whieh m, in tinth, iiie same a> the law of nature. Il i- ilie law ol ,-ell ei\inu. Thusthe wheat erowm .-ual iIhismiII ,I,.-ii., oMal. lish the kingdum. l!y His dealli the middle wa I of partition between Jew and Gentile, and betweei both and God, will be broken down (Eph 2""'*). The agitation of Jesus on this occasion is sur passed only by that in the Garden of Gethsemane and the ea'iise'is Hie same. In faeiii;.: 1 1 is deal h Hi shrinks from il, imt iiislanlly Milmuls lo lie Father (.In iLi-'''). and is eoinl.nii'd l.y li.e I'alliei' voice. To the multitude Jcsu,. huljly aiiuuuuec-
that His liftin.LT up (on llie crossf will be the means of drawin- all men |( oail lie as nm.jI as Jew) to Him i\.''-i. And it lia, l.e.n .o. .le-us gloried in His o« 11 eiiiss as the means ol ^-a^■ln^ (lie lost world. (,/') 111 (lie lanions eoiiiro\ii,y wiOi tlie Jewish
rulels ill llie leliiple on (lie la~! 'i'lle^clav, JeSUS
id.aililied llim>eli as lli,. lejcried Si '■ in the
Me.ssiauie. pi.iplieey ill I 's ils-', and jiionounced comlemnatiun on lliuse who cullided with the re- jected .Stone (Mt 21'^). At every turn during these last days the death of Jesus is in the back- ground of His words and deeds ; especially is this true of the great eschatological discourse (Mt 24 f.), as w all ,as of the third lament over Jerusalem (Mt 2:i ■ ■'), and the previous defiance of His enemies (.Mt ■_■:;-).
(v) l( IS on Tne-il.iy iiielif- (lie;:uniing of Jewish A\'e.liie>da\-) ihal .le-li, deliiiiieK- foretells tlic time of lli^ death (.Ml ■Jii-'i. Il «ill I. e a I- the feast of the I'assover, whieh he-ins afler two days. Strangely enough, on this very night tin; rulers were in con- ference, and had decidetl, owing to Hie popularity of Jesus with the multitude at the feast, as shown by the triumphal entry and the temple teaching, to postpone the effort to kill Him till after the feast (.Mt 26^-=). And so it would ha\o been but for the treachery of one of Christ's own disciples, who this very night, after the doleful announcement by Jesus of His near death, and after a stern rebuke for his covetous stinginess (Jn 12^'-), went in dis- gust and showed the iSanhedrin how to seize Him during the fea.st (Lk 22«). But Jesus saw in the lieantiful act of Mary a prophecy of His burial (Jn
(A) Jesn
He
fully
that the Paschal is His last, is, in fact, taking place on ihe xmy .lay of His death (Jn 13^i-^-»»). Tim iiialerial i, now so rich and full, as the great tra^iedy draws near, that it can only be alluded to brielly. He is eager to eat this meal before He suffers (Lk 22''''-). He knows that now at last His hour has come (Jn 13'), and that He will conquer death (v.'). The contentious spirit of the Twelve at such a time oeea.sions ( lie object- les.son in humility. Jesus poiii(s oii( (he hetrayer, who leaves the room; coiufoils (he ili-eiples, and warns them of their jieril, llloll^ll all (ail to grasp
(liesoleinii fai-t or the moral t^iea ss of ( lie tragedy
lliat J.s I'omiiiL;- swiflly on lliem, aelnally jiroducing Iwo swinil^ lor a li^lil uinlia- (lie iie«- policy of rcslslallee iiou aiino„,„.,.,| i ,y Jesus (Lk 2;;'»'-^). Pfleidcreri/; . m
the
answer of .bsu^, e : lie forjsets that this answer
iiia.\ }»(.' Ill illj I r earnest, but rather an in-
■.\\'\\:\\ Il .1 ! :l : Ill-stand more about the matter
Ii 1 1| I 1 1 for Ptleiderer to set up his
i .11 all the clear words of Jesus,
,i:M, I, I , i ,-. ■atodie.
()) \\ hen Jesus introduces the Supper ju.st after the Fassover meal. He speaks a strong word about His deatli. He calls the cup of this new ordinance ' my blood of the covenant' (Mk 14", Mt26=«) ; and it is the 'new' covenant, i.e. of grace (1 Co 11-", Lk 22="). Not only so, but the blood of Jesus is shed for many (Jlk 14-^ Mt 26«), as He had pre- \iiously said (Mt 20-', Lk W^) ; and St. Matthew ■ of sins'
Till
looa) would expunge this
1st doubt as to the true text of Lk ■J2'"-, iiii( this in no way affects any of the points alio\e mentioned. Certainly expiation of sin by tliu .sliuilding of His blood is the idea of Jesus here. '
74 AXNOUXCEMENTS OF DEATH
ANNUNCIATION, THE
The world had lon^ been familiar mth blood sacri- fice, but the new thing in His vicarious sacrifice is that it has real efficacy and is not mere type and shadow. The blood is the life, and Jesus gave Himself, a sinless and free self, the representative Man and God's own Son. The moral value of this voluntary and vicarious blood-oti'erin" comes from the worth of the spiritual self of Jesus. Je«us could see that this atoning sacrifice was in Is fiV but it was also in\n-ought in His veiy consciuu - ness.