Truly this was the Son of God

Matt 27:54b "Truly this was the Son of God."

 

The result of Jesus' proclamation: crucifixion. I don't know that I ever really noticed this before, but why did the chief priest and elders take Jesus to Pilate the governor? It really does not make any sense. Jesus claimed to be the Son of God…even God Himself. This, according to Jewish law was blasphemy. (If it were not true.) The punishment for blasphemy was stoning. (I Kings 21:10,13) Why did these religious leaders feel compelled to take Jesus to the Roman authorities? I can only think of one reason: To fulfill prophesy. This is how Jesus was to die. He had to die this way. Is 53 is clear…wounded and pierced. He had to shed His blood. It is the only way that we were going to experience forgiveness and restoration. God laid it out in the OT pretty clearly. An unblemished lamb had to shed its blood for the payment of the people's sins. This did not change. God did not change. An Unblemished Lamb had to shed His blood…and He did. And it happened through crucifixion, not stoning.

 

So the wimp Pilate gets involved. He couldn't figure out why Jesus was in front of him either. But he caved. He washed his hands and said that he was not responsible for what happened and then he turned Jesus over to the mob and his soldiers to be crucified. What a farce of a leader he was. Pilate was not leader. He was a pawn in the hands of the mob. And Jesus died a Roman death.

 

The amazing thing is this: In His death the same confession that He made just the night before was now coming out of the mouths of those who watched what happened. Just the night before Jesus told Caiaphas that He was the Son of God and that He would be sitting at the right hand of God, coming in the clouds of heaven. Now, Jesus hangs on a cross. It looks like a defeat. It looks like He is done. The drama of His life is ending. His followers are gone. It is over. Really? "Then behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom (giving us open access to God); and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised." V52,53 The response of those who observed all of this: Fear…and a confession: "Truly this was the Son of God." There it is. The truth. The confession that we all have to make: "Jesus. You are the Son of God and now on that cross, You are the Savior of the world." Now the realization of who this Man was, who this Man is comes out of our mouths…the Son of God. The Son of God suffering for me. The Son of God dying on a cross for me. The Son of God taking my sin and my separation from the Father for me. The Son of God shedding His blood for me. "Truly this was the Son of God."