Daily Devotional for Wednesday, November 15

Numbered with the Transgressors

“And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith,
And he was numbered with the transgressors,” Mark 15:28.

It is amazing how quickly things can change. It is amazing how quickly people can change. That is how mob mentalities develop, and groups of people do things together that few of them would have ever dreamed of doing alone. A week before, this crowd had been casting palm leaves in front of Jesus and crying Hosanna. Now, the same crowd was mocking Him as He hung dying on the cross.

Among those mocking our Lord were the two dying with him. On either side of Jesus were two thieves, also sentenced to death by the Romans, hence our Lord was numbered among the transgressors. That seems grossly unfair, does it not? How can it be fair that the only perfect and sinless man to ever live should die like a common criminal? In order for the Scriptures to be fulfilled, it had to happen exactly that way.

Jesus is sinless, the Bible teaches this clearly. That meant He had no sin penalty of His own to atone for. He had the ability to be a substitute. Jesus was a man, and it was man who had sinned, and only one man could pay the necessary price. Finally, as God in the flesh, Jesus was infinite. That meant He could pay the sin debt for every human who has ever lived up to that point, was living at the time, and would live in the future. That would be every sin past, present and future for all people.

Jesus had to pay because we could not. God had two options which were to send a qualified substitute for us or let us all die and go to hell. You likewise have two options, which are to accept the free gift of that substitute or to die and go to hell. Which will you choose?

JUST A THOUGHT: When Jesus died, He did not leave some of our sin around for us to pay for, He paid for them all.

Wally Fry