Was the crucifixion the biggest gamble ever?
Yeah, gamble … yes, like NairaBet
I wrote this as a thread on Twitter yesterday, and it got lost when I tried sending it over the network.
It never even made it to the drafts, which was sad because I thought it was dope.
Kesa Oluwafunmilola and the gang are interested in this, so I’m attempting a rewrite.
Hopefully, y’all like it.
This conveys my thoughts about the death and resurrection of Jesus, and what a dangerous move it was, even for GOD.
Are you wondering if something can be dangerous or risky for GOD?
GOD who is all-perfect and cannot make mistakes?
Well, let’s see …
A few assumptions
Because we’re dealing with the scriptures, I’ll be making a few assumptions upon which my thoughts here are based.
Maybe you agree with them, but if not, I’ll be glad to discuss them in the comments or on twitter.
Jesus is the son of GOD
Jesus is GOD
The sacrifice of Jesus was the ONLY way to save Man from the wages of sin
The Devil didn’t understand the plan of salvation till it was too late
The accounts of the Bible concerning Jesus are true
Okay, let’s begin
It’s no news that the Devil has wanted to kill GOD since the beginning of his rebellion.
I mean, he waged an entire War in heaven for that very purpose.
So at the time of Jesus’ birth, the Devil basically owns the Earth and everything in it by tricking Man into obeying him.
Now, he hears that Jesus has been born, and he’s like
“Wtf? GOD himself in my domain as a baby??? GOD has never been more vulnerable …. I’ll never get another chance like this!”
We all know how that story played out with Herod, and if you don’t, you should definitely read about it in the gospels.
Now the Devil learns it’s not going to be so easy to kill Jesus.
He can’t just attack head-on, so he has to be more subtle.
If he can get Jesus to sin, even once, Jesus would be damned forever
He’d used the same trick on Adam, and Jesus is human just like Adam and Eve were.
Of course it’ll work …
And so the temptations began, when Jesus was again at his most vulnerable, after 40 days and nights of fasting.
Now, some think there wasn’t much risk in the temptations … Jesus is GOD, right? He’d never fall for such temptations, eh?
Jesus was human, however. Born of a woman. Born into sin. He had to be human and susceptible to human temptations for his sacrifice to even be considered valid.
For the wages of sin is death …
Thankfully, it doesn’t say whose death.
So one can choose to die for the sins of another.
But it has to be one who doesn’t have his/her own sins, for it to work.
Else, if I die for your sins, who’s gonna die for mine?
Lemme digress a bit, abeg
I believe this is why the crucifixion was necessary.
I like to imagine that GOD held a meeting and asked if anyone in heaven was willing to die to save man, and no one responded.
Then Jesus says he will and everyone’s like “noooo, too risky … your archenemy is down there”.
Okay, end of digression …
Now, the Devil knows that tempting Jesus won’t work.
He’s too much like his Father 😩
He tries a few melee attacks when Jesus is in the temple, but naaa … doesn’t work.
Jesus has been busy unraveling all the work of oppression the Devil has been doing for generations.
Setting the captives free, giving hope to the hopeless.
Something has to be done about this … Jesus' protection can’t last forever.
and it doesn’t …
It’s the crucifixion, GOD has turned his back on Jesus, the protection is gone, and the Devil finally has the moment he’s been waiting for since forever.
Like every superhero-villain movie ending, of course he won’t make it quick.
He has to savor every detail, make the taste of victory last as long as possible.
Jesus carries the sins of everyone in the world, and it is impossible for His own Father to look at him.
Even in all these, the devil still tries to make Jesus sin for himself.
He uses Peter to attack the men who arrest Jesus.
The beatings and scourges are done to make Jesus curse, even once (remember Job?)
Jesus is offered alcohol to ease his pain when he asks for water.
I’ll explain …
If Jesus had attacked his attackers, he’d be going against the will of his father, which would be a sin. We know how peer pressure works and how huge an influence it can be.
If he had let one curse escape his lips, it would be a sin too. The lamb is supposed to be innocent and blameless.
If he had drunk alcohol to ease his pain, the sacrifice could be voided because the pain is a part of the sacrifice.
Take a moment to imagine what would be if Jesus had sinned at that point.
With GOD’s back turned, no one would be able to save Him.
There’d be no mission-abort sequence.
Jesus would die and stay dead.
Man would be doomed, forever!
The entirety of Jesus’ dominion, would pass to the Devil.
This is why I insist that the crucifixion was the biggest bet ever.
GOD was basically betting on HIS character and values.
HE was insisting that trusting HIS word would see anyone through a world full of sin.
HE bet his own life on it!