Jesus Tasted Death for us that We might Share His Life

We’ve been looking at various aspects of the exchange that took place when Jesus died on the cross. The essential principle is stated in the words “the evil due to us came upon him that the good due to him might be made available to us.” It was a divinely ordained exchange. We will just quickly review the aspects of the exchange that we’ve already looked at, then we’ll move on.

I spent five years of my life training teachers for African schools in Kenya. One of the principles that became very real to me is stated this way: nothing has been taught until something has been learned. I saw my student teachers go through all the procedure at the front of the class, writing things up on the chalkboard and all that, but as I walked around the back and looked at the pupils’ exercise books I realized that nothing had been learned. So just to go through the processes of teaching doesn’t necessarily teach. I’m going to do my best in every way I can to make sure that something has been learned.

So we’re going to review the three aspects of the exchange that we have already looked at. And rather than look at your outlines, for a moment I would like you just to try and do it by memory. It could be that you’ll have to correct me. We’ll do the left hand for the evil, the right hand for the good. We’ll do a short version.

• Jesus was punished that we might be forgiven.
• Jesus was wounded that we might be healed.
• Jesus was made sin with our sinfulness that we might be made righteous with his righteousness.

Now we’ll go on to the next which is that Jesus died our death that we might share his life. Although this is stated in Isaiah 53, it’s stated perhaps most clearly in Hebrews 2:9. We’ll start there in Hebrews 2:9. It says:

“But we see Jesus, [and the see is by revelation, it’s not with natural eyesight but it’s the revelation of scripture.] who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor that he by the grace of God might taste death for every one.”

Notice the word grace. We need to emphasize that word. I probably haven’t emphasized it enough. Everything that we’re talking about proceeds from the grace of God. Anything that comes by grace cannot be earned. If you can earn it, it isn’t grace. Paul said in Ephesians 2:8:

“By grace you are saved through faith, and that’s not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any one should boast.”

So where it’s by grace it’s not of works. It cannot be earned. Grace is received only through faith. John 1:17 says:

“The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

So Jesus is the channel of grace, the cross is the basis of grace. It’s only on the basis of the cross that God offers grace. And it’s by faith that we receive grace. Let me say that again. Jesus is the channel of all grace. Only through Jesus is God’s grace made available. The cross is the basis of the offer of grace and we receive it by faith, not by works. Nobody can explain the grace of God. It’s unexplainable. Why did God permit Jesus to go through the terrible agonies of the cross on behalf of people like you and me? And the Bible never gives any explanation. So I would say don’t try to look for one. Just be willing to receive by faith the measureless grace of God. The unexplainable grace of God. The problem with most religious people is they try to earn grace but you can’t earn it. And as long as you’re trying to earn it by works, you don’t receive it. At some point you just have to stop trying to earn it and just receive it.

Paul said in Romans 4, “to him who does not work but believes on him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” If you want to receive grace, what’s the first thing you have to do? You have to stop working. We’re talking exclusively about things that come by the grace of God.

And the writer of Hebrews says here that by the grace of God Jesus tasted death for every one. He died in the place of everybody who was due to die. Because the wages of sin is what? Death. When Jesus was made sin it was inevitable that he had to die. That is the inevitable consequence of sin. Now it says he tasted death for every one.

There’s an interesting statement which is not in your outline but God directed my attention to it this morning. It’s in John 8:52. The Jews are criticizing Jesus for things he’d been saying.

“Then the Jews said to Jesus, Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham is dead, and the prophets, and you say if any one keeps my words he shall never taste death.”

I want to point out to you that Jesus didn’t say he shall never die. He said he shall never taste death. And Hebrews 2:9 says that Jesus by the grace of God tasted death for every one. It’s very obvious that believing Christians do die physically. But they don’t taste death. The bitterness, the darkness, the anguish and all the evil that goes with death, Jesus tasted all that for us. He endured our death.

The alternative is so obvious that everybody can say it. What is the opposite of death? Life. Let’s say that then. “Jesus tasted death for us that we might share his life.” I prefer to say that. Let’s say it again. “Jesus tasted death for us that we might share his life.”