May 12

Ye killed the Prince of Life. Acts 3:15.

Both natures of Christ took part in the work of our redemption. To be born, to suffer poverty, cruel torment, crucifixion, and death, to be buried, is proper to the human nature. But Scripture ascribes all this not merely to the human nature of Christ, but to His whole Person.

Paul, for instance, writes: "They have crucified the Lord of Glory"; and Peter said to the Jews: "Ye have killed the Prince of Life." Christ's divine nature could not, of course, suffer and die; but when He, the Son of God, was made flesh, He obtained a mortal body, and when He, this God-man, was crucified and died, not a mere man died, but one who was also "the Lord of Glory," "the Prince of Life." On Calvary the blood of the Son of God was shed. When God had become man, it became possible and a fact that God purchased the Church "with His own blood," as we read Acts 20:28. Christ's blood is God's own blood, because Christ is God.

Some, indeed, arguing from the dictates of reason, would here say that only the man Christ Jesus was crucified and not the Son of God, because God cannot be crucified, nor can He die. But with the same right we could argue that the soul of Jesus was not crucified, but only the body, because the nails driven through His hands and feet could not pierce His soul. In spiritual things we must beware of following the deceitful argumentation of our reason. We must abide by the Scriptures, which clearly say that both natures in Christ were active in the work of our redemption. When the body of Jesus was crucified, His soul, too, was crucified, because the soul was in the body; and when the man Christ was crucified, the whole person of the Son of God was crucified; because His divine and His human nature were united when He was made flesh.

Oh, what blessed assurance this doctrine gives to our faith! Jesus is God Himself, and therefore His sacrifice was and is of infinite and eternal value. Hold to Him, and you are saved.

Prayer.

O faithful Savior, how can we sufficiently thank, praise, and honor Thee for the love and mercy which Thou hast shown us?

As long as we live, we will confess Thee the patient Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. Our sins are among those which Thou didst bear; we, too, caused Thy death by our vain conversation received by tradition from our fathers. Though this knowledge is humiliating to us, cause it to become fruitful to us by granting us faith in Thee as our Redeemer and by letting the fact that Thou didst suffer such untold agony to atone for our sins be a warning to us against sinning wilfully and thus crucifying Thee anew. And finally give us strength to conquer death by virtue of Thy atoning death. Amen.

O Jesus bleat!

My Help and Rest!

With tears I now entreat Thee:

Make me love Thee to the last,

Till in heaven I greet Thee.