My thoughts today linger upon Jesus, the Real Trespass Offering!
In this sense particularly …
We as sinners are ALL indebted to God, a Holy God, THE Holy God.
For our unrighteousness, our wickedness and rebellion as an affront to God, as a “trespass” against God … see one little (but powerful, weighty) clause of the Lord’s Prayer!
“And forgive us our DEBTS, as we forgive our debtors.” Matthew’s Version, quoting Matthew 6:12. This Line (this whole prayer) is addressed to our Father in Heaven. To Whom, clearly here, we owe a debt! Against Whom, therefore, we have “trespassed!”To Whom we owe reparation!
Luke’s parallel Account of the Lord’s Prayer differs only slightly. “And forgive us our SINS; for we also forgive every one that is INDEBTED to us.” Luke 11:4, where our “sins” and our “indebtedness/trespasses” are equated.
And even several of Jesus’ Parables hint at our impoverished status before God, at our spiritual penury.
Our Lord is speaking/teaching: “Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which OWED HIM ten thousand talents.” Matthew 18:23-24, the beginning of an “earthly story” that also has a “heavenly meaning!”
Here again, in a different Gospel … God is the Creditor and (ultimately) a poor woman (sinner) is the debtor! “There was a certain CREDITOR which had two DEBTORS: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon (a Pharisee in whose home Jesus was eating) answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.”
“And he (Jesus) turned to the woman (a sinner, likely a prostitute), and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee, HER SINS, which are MANY, are FORGIVEN; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.” Luke 7:41-47, the whole illustration given in the context of “debts and repayment,” or lack thereof!
Sins are often pictured as debts, trespasses against God!
And (thus) when Jesus died upon the Cross … to forgive us our sins … He (in our stead) REPAID God the Father the indebtedness we had incurred against His Righteousness, His Holiness, His Essence! We had so deeply offended and flagrantly ignored and rebelliously (though in ignorance, granted) robbed God of the Honor and Glory due His Ineffable Name! Violating His Word, His Commandments!
But, if Jesus is the Fulfillment of the Trespass Offering (and He indeed is) … He repaid God not only the total indebtedness we had incurred … but the principle PLUS one fifth, plus twenty percent, a “double tithe” one Expositor says!
Wow!
We know (without question) that Jesus is THE POINT, THE GOAL … of all these Offerings anyway. Jesus, our sin Bearer!
Now one more verse this morning … “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him (Jesus); he hath put him to grief (on Calvary): when thou shalt make his soul an OFFERING FOR SIN.” Isaiah 53:10 , where “offering for sin” translates “asham,” the very Hebrew noun that is elsewhere (in the King James Version) rendered as “trespass offering” 34 times!
Jesus IS the Trespass Offering!
How (precisely) He (the Son) repaid God (the Father) more than we owed is a deep mystery, but a fact! (As in Deuteronomy 29:29, maybe. “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God.”)
Wow!
I close for today. Jesus is our (all sufficient) Saviour … and so very much, much More!
(But maybe repayment of “more” in this area … Jesus was NOT ONLY the Trespass Offering, but also (on the Cross that Day) He was in addition the whole Burnt Offering, the Peace Offering and the Sin Offering as well! Not counting His being the Meat (Meal) Offering all the years of His Life prior to Calvary!
Yes, oh yes … MUCH MORE!
Praise His Name!
— Dr. Mike Bagwell
.