Chapter 77: Christ's Willingness to be Reconciled to Sinners, Further Opened
"But," says God, "the blood of my Son cries for mercy, and even though there is a need for an infinite ocean of mercy to cleanse the soul of such a sinner, it must be granted, because the blood of my
Son cries for it." When you find God manifesting Himself to your souls in ways of mercy, it springs from the blood of Jesus Christ that cries out to God the Father for mercy to be bestowed upon you. This is the sum and substance of all these expressions of God's grace towards sinners.
We may think it strange that such an infinite God should condescend to sinners, but when we come to examine the reason, we need not wonder at it. We see now where it all comes from; it all springs from the ever-living fountain of the unsearchable rich grace of God in Christ. Though, at first reading, we may wonder that God would do so, and perhaps some may think these are just the exaggerations of ministers, when we come to understand the foundation, the ground of it all, we must acknowledge the reality of it: it is no wonder that God shows mercy to such unworthy and vile souls. Why? Because the blood of His Son cries for mercy.
Chapter 77 Christ's Willingness to be Reconciled to Sinners, Further Opened Now, before we come to answer the objections or make any application, there is still more to be revealed to you: "[As though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead]." As much as the heart of God is set on being reconciled with sinners, so is Jesus
Christ's heart. It is true, Christ is God, but here, Christ and God are spoken of separately. Christ is the same God as the Father, but He is both God and man—God incarnate, the Mediator between the Father and us. Therefore, it is exceedingly useful to show how the heart of Christ is set on the reconciliation of sinners to God, for the Apostle comes in the name of Christ as well as God the Father.
Now that the heart of Christ is involved, this is evident in understanding the great work of reconciliation that He has undertaken so willingly. Certainly, if Christ had not been deeply committed to this work of bringing sinners to be reconciled to the Father, He would never have undertaken such a task, knowing it would be so difficult and what it would cost Him. Yet, He took it willingly and joyfully. For comparison, consider these two Scriptures: the first is Psalm 40:7, "Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me." It begins in verse 6, "Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering thou didst not require. Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me; I delight to do thy will, O
God." This Psalm is a prophecy of Christ, and it clearly refers to Him when compared with Hebrews 10, where the Apostle quotes this very text, albeit with slight variation.
There are three or four points here to observe about Christ's willingness to come and undertake the great work of making atonement between God and sinners: "Mine ears hast thou opened" is the first; "Lo, I come" is the second; then, "I delight to do thy will," and lastly, "Thy law is within my heart." These four points are crucial.
First: "Lo, I come," says Christ, to undertake this task. It is evident that there was a covenant between the Father and the Son from all
eternity, that Christ should, in due time, come into the world and take on human nature. Now the time had arrived for Christ to come.
Many people may agree to do something in advance, but when it comes time to fulfil it—especially if it involves difficulty or hardship
—they may hesitate. But Christ, having agreed with His Father from all eternity that at the appointed time He would come into the world, take on human nature, be in the form of a servant, and be made a curse for man's sins to reconcile sinners to Himself, did not hesitate.
When the time arrived for Him to undertake this great work, observe how Christ's heart was in it. He did not hang back or regret the covenant; instead, He said, "I come, I come," as we say when called to do something we love. Now the time had come for Him to take on human nature, to be made in the form of a servant, to bear God's wrath, and to satisfy His justice for man's sin. "I come, I come," says
Christ.
Second: He did not just come, but He came with delight: "I delight to do thy will." What was this will? It was that Christ should be humbled to the death of the cross. Even though He knew it would cost Him His life, He delighted in doing it because His heart was so set on reconciling sinners to the Father.
Third: "Thy law is in my heart," meaning that the law of God had made a deep impression on His heart, binding Him to fulfil what He had undertaken. It was not a superficial commitment but something embedded within the very core of His being.
Fourth: "Mine ears hast thou opened." The words are better understood as, "Mine ears hast thou bored." This phrase refers to the practice under the Law, where if a servant chose not to leave his master in the year of Jubilee, his ear would be pierced with an awl, signifying his lifelong service. Similarly, Christ is saying, "I am
content to be a servant whose ear is bored," willing to listen and obey every command of His Master. His Master's commandments were not burdensome; they were His very meat and drink to fulfil His
Lord's will.
Well might the Apostle say, "As in Christ's stead we beseech you," as if he were saying, "Christ's heart is so deeply set on bringing sinners to be reconciled to God, and we, in His name, come to prevail upon sinners, to bring them unto God."
Secondly, observe what was the first sermon that Christ ever preached: "For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." That was His first sermon, calling sinners to repent, because the kingdom of grace, wherein the Gospel of God should reign, was at hand, said Christ.
Then, Christ would preach in such a way as to gain the most, especially when He had the largest audiences. What was it that He preached when He was among the Jews at the Feast of Dedication?
On the great day of the Feast (as the Scripture says), Christ lifted up His voice and cried, "Ho, everyone that thirsts!"
A minister, when preaching to a great congregation and unlikely to speak to them again, should choose a subject that is most dear to his heart. Now, Christ, at the Feast of Dedication, knowing He would not return to them soon, spoke with urgency: "Ho, everyone that thirsts, come!" Moreover, Christ professed that the very reason He came into the world was "to save and to seek that which was lost," not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. This was the great purpose for which He came into the world; it was the main subject of His preaching, the great mission He was sent to fulfil.
Further observe with what lovingness, gentleness, and sweetness He did it. What a gracious invitation we find in Matthew 11: "Come unto me, all you that are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest."
He professes in John 6:37, "None that comes to me will I cast off; I will not cast off any who come to me." Yea, He tells us that He will not quench the smoking flax, nor break the bruised reed. To encourage sinners, He assures them that if there are any stirrings of the heart towards Him, even as faint as smoking flax or as weak as a bruised reed, He will not extinguish or break them. Instead, He will encourage even the smallest beginnings in sinners coming to Him.
These are the expressions of Christ towards sinners, showing how tenderly He cares for them.
When the time drew near for Christ to suffer, then (if ever) one might think that if Christ's heart were not wholly invested, He would draw back—not only when He was to come into the world but especially in His role as Mediator, when He was to endure the violence of His
Father's wrath poured out upon Him. But observe how He expresses Himself in Luke 22:15: "And He said unto them, 'With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.'" Why did Christ desire it so strongly? He knew that as soon as He had eaten it, He would be called to suffer for man's sin and accomplish the great work of redemption for sinful men. That was when it would be done.
Why, then, did Christ desire this Passover so intensely? One might have thought that above all Passovers, this would be the one Christ would fear, for this Passover would signal the end of His life. Christ
Himself was to become the Passover, to suffer and be the paschal lamb. Yet He desired, above all, to eat this Passover, showing how committed He was to complete the work that would reconcile sinners to God.
Another expression He used was, "I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!" Christ was constrained in His heart until the work was done. You may see how
much the heart of Christ was in reconciling sinners, for when it came time to fulfil His mission, and when the wrath of God was about to fall upon Him, though His human nature recoiled somewhat, He said, "If it be possible, let this cup pass from me," to show how His human nature was affected. Yet immediately He added, "Not my will, but thy will be done."
The Scripture tells us that He made His soul an offering for sin and that He laid down His life.
And further, after Christ had laid down His life and risen again, note one more expression that shows how willing Christ is to have sinners reconciled and brought to the Father, to be at peace with Him. This is very remarkable in Luke 24:46 and onwards. Consider what was
Christ's first preaching: "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." Here, in this world, in His bodily presence, this may seem to be His last sermon. What was it that He said to them? "Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer." Well, in verse 47, "And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things." Shortly after, He was caught up into heaven.
The reason I highlight this scripture is that even after Christ had been so notoriously abused in His sufferings, this did not hinder His earnest longing for reconciliation with those who had put Him to death and had so mistreated Him. He said, "It is written that it behoved Christ to suffer," etc. To begin at Jerusalem, and that is what I would have done: that repentance should be preached to all nations, but begin at Jerusalem.
Why begin at Jerusalem? Because Jerusalem was the place where Christ was put to death; it was where He was crowned with thorns,
mocked, given a reed in His hands, spat upon, and where the children chose Barabbas over Him. Yes, they cried, "Away with Him!" They carried Him to the cross and nailed Him until He was dead. Despite this, Christ wanted repentance preached to all nations, but above all, He said, "Think of Jerusalem, and begin at Jerusalem.
Let them have it first—Jerusalem, that took away my life, that killed me."
If anything in the world could have turned Christ's heart away from being reconciled to sinners, one would have thought that what they did to Him in Jerusalem would have done so. But He insisted they begin at Jerusalem. This is a notable passage of Scripture, and you will find that the most remarkable conversion and bringing in of sinners was at that sermon of Peter. When Peter charged them, saying they had crucified Christ, it became the most famous conversion of those people who put Christ to death. It was the most significant work of God's reconciling sinners to Himself and Christ bringing in sinners through the preaching of the Gospel. Therefore, in the last sermon that Christ preached from Heaven—as with His first sermon on Earth and the last sermon on Earth—the most solemn sermon was at the dedication of the Temple, which focused entirely on bringing sinners to be reconciled to God.
Similarly, the last sermon He preached from Heaven, or the last He will ever preach until He comes again, is found in Revelation 22:17:
"And the Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come.' And let him that hears say, 'Come.' And let him that is thirsty say, 'Come,' and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." These are, in effect, the last words spoken at the conclusion of the book—words that Christ would speak until He returns for judgment. He would not speak any more to the children of men in this way until He comes in a new world. But