Flesh And Bones Reality

The guilty pair, bowed down with care,

God gave His Son to win;

His erring child, He reconciled,

And pardoned from his sin.

The hymn speaks about the whole of humankind. It is literally the composition of every single human being, born of woman. The guilty pair, refers to the two thieves on the cross. They are described as the guilty pair, for they are malefactors. The Bible reliably gives us this information. There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do. Luke 23: 32 – 34a.

The entire population, compilation and composition of people who died on a cross next to Jesus, is two. Two criminals, or malefactors, as described by some translations, people who have been on death row, are now on death ride. They have all taken the walk to Calvary, where they have been nailed to the cross. They are dying. Right in this image, there is flesh and bone truth, which too many believers find difficult to accept.

There is no resurrection if there is no death; we know that, yet we continue to speak of our resurrection when we have not yet died. What I mean is this. If we have not died with Jesus, how can we be raised with Him? Two malefactors died with Jesus that day, yet only one was raised with Him. Two criminals shared the same death as Jesus, yet only one was given the redemption of new life with Jesus.

Let’s unravel this. The guilty pair, as earlier stated, refers to every human person on earth, for we are all sinners. The guilty pair have the same Saviour, at whose side each stands. The guilty pair have been separated by the Saviour in the middle. Bear in mind that each single one is guilty of sin. Each single one carries his sins upon Him.

Why then is Jesus there on Calvary, in the middle of this pair of sinners? Does Jesus’ position on Calvary have any significance for us in resurrection reality? Is there some flesh and bones fact that Jesus wishes us to behold, handle and witness? Jesus is there as the Saviour of those two sinners who are dying with Him. Why are they dying with Him? To answer this question, we need to hear Jesus saying to us: -

Behold Resurrection! I am being crucified for you both. I have taken your sins upon Me and I bear them all in My Body. I bear, not just your sins, but your guilt, shame and punishment. I am being punished for you, because of the Love of God for you, Adam’s sinful race. Surely, I have borne your griefs and carried your sorrows. You esteemed Me stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. I was wounded for your transgressions, bruised for your iniquities and the chastisement for your peace was upon Me. It is by My stripes that you are healed. 

When you hear Jesus saying to you, behold these facts, and more, aren’t you actually convinced, in flesh ways that Jesus died because He took your sins? The wages of sin is death. Romans 6: 23a. Death is the price demanded for all who have sinned. That is the punishment due to all sinners. Behold! The Love of God for you, me and all sinners, is so beyond what human tongue can ever tell, that we must simply marvel and seek the Holy Spirit to grant us flesh response.

Why is God’s Love so beyond us? It is because God’s Love and His Love alone, took our sins and laid them on His one and only Son, so that we no longer carried them. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way, and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53: 6. If God has really laid our sins upon Jesus, then our sins are no longer upon us. Behold! God demonstrated His boundless, limitless Love to us in taking away our sins and putting them all on Jesus, His Son.  It is when we were still sinners, malefactors that Christ Jesus died in place of us. For God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that when we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5: 8.

Why have we been reminded of these resurrection facts? By bringing them to our remembrance, we are being given flesh and bones evidence of what and who we are and the unbounded Love of God in what Jesus has already done for us. The reality is that we are all sinners and regardless of the severity and frequency of our sins, our just deserve is death. The guilty pair, each on his cross on Mt. Calvary, is a most true scene and perfect representation of resurrection truth.

Here are some questions, the answers of which we must be dead certain. These are questions whose responses, the Holy Spirit must make flesh in us. Look at the guilty pair, the sinners, hanging beside the Saviour. Why are they there? Look at sinner and Saviour each dying on crosses. Why is the Saviour there? Look at death exacting its rightful, just reward. Is death exacting more than its share, its due? 

Holy Spirit, there is truth to behold that scares me stiff. Is this pure imagination, desire, wish and want, but nothing concrete, in flesh and bones body? My feeble, frail faith looks to You, O God, Spirit Divine. Amen!