Contemporary Christians refer to Jesus in many ways. We hear folks say he is their Lord, Savior, Master, Friend, even the ever popular “personal Lord and Savior.” However, when is the last time you have heard Jesus referred to as “my curse”?
But yet that is exactly what Galatians 3 says:
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us- for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”- Galatians 3:13
Humanity has a colossal problem. It has been cursed. To make matters worse the One who has issued said curse is none other than the Sovereign God of the universe. God has cursed us.
Notice what the same passage says a few verses earlier:
For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Galatians 3:10
All of us who share a heartbeat share a curse; for we all do “not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law.”
WHY A CURSE?
This is not unreasonable for God, but rather, it is perfectly right and good of him to uphold this standard. God himself is righteous and holy. Being the standard of goodness, he is without stain or imperfection in his person and action; he always does what is right. If God were to look upon our deviation from what is right without anger and retributive justice then he himself would be compromising. His divinity would unravel and he would be a transgressor. So God is gloriously bound, by who he is and what he pleases, to curse a rebel like you and me.
WHAT A CURSE?!
This curse is a thorough curse. We read in Deuteronomy of God’s pervasive curse upon those who did not keep his law:
“But it shall come about, if you do not obey the LORD your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: ”Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country. “Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. ”Cursed shall be the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock. “Cursed shall yoube when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out. Deuteronomy 28:15-19
We are walking about with our foreheads laser-painted by the divine sights; we are under the curse. There is not an earthly way out of this predicament. Everywhere we turn we are cursed. Everyone we talk to is cursed.Everything we turn to is cursed. We need something or someone who is not cursed!
WHAT A SAVIOR!
The Blessed God invades earth in the person of his Son. He is not cursed, rather he is perfect. He comes on a mission to rescue the cursed though:
But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Galatians 4:4-5
He lives the perfect life, abiding by all things written in the law. He loves God perfectly and loves others perfectly.He is the only one who could ever say such glorious words as these:
“And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” John 8:29
Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work. John 4:34
His whole earthly ministry was one of obedience in the place of sinners like you and like me. Because I never could nor never would nor never desired to abide by all things written in the law, Christ did. He fulfilled it. He lived for a rebel like me. He fulfilled the divine requirement that the law be obeyed by one such as me.
Then he went to that dreadful cross. And why did he go? He went because I did not abide by that law. Some will say, “I thought he did that for you?” Yes this is true, he did. But there is a penalty that is due me for not doing it before. I am in debt to God. The payment is death. My death. So you see Jesus had to go to the cross to pay my penalty, my debt.
There he hung upon that dreadful instrument of death, the filthy Roman cross. The wood of this alter is stained with Emmanuel’s blood; he poured it out for his sheep. He is lifted high between earth and heaven for all to gaze at as the exclusive mediator between God and man.
And it is there upon that cross that he is cursed by God. He becomes my curse. God treats him as if he has done every despicable, wicked, rebellious, idolatrous, self-promoting thing that I have ever done. Every single thought, word, and deed of iniquity is blended together and charged to Jesus.
He is treated shamefully because of my shameful rebellion from God.
He is disfigured because of my disfiguring of the image of God.
He is rejected because of my rejection of God.
He is mocked because of my mocking of God through sin.
He is despised because of my despising of God and his law.
He is my curse.
The Father has fully mixed the recipe of wrath and filled his cup. He empties this cup upon his beloved son in my place. He is drinking dry damnation with every gasp and solemn cry upon that cross. He is my curse.
How can I walk away from the scene without being affected? The whole life and ministry of Jesus is bound up in his relentless resolve to be this curse.
I am affected. I just bow there at the cross, emptying my hands of self-righteousness, and let my heart sing of his glorious love.
If he is your Lord, if he is your Savior, it is because he is your curse. Don’t you every forget it.
