January 16, Evening

C. H. Spurgeon · Modern retelling

"The Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself." — Daniel 9:26 · KJV

Blessed be His name, there was no cause of death in Him. Neither original nor actual sin had defiled Him, so death had no claim on Him. No one could take His life from Him justly, for He had wronged no one, nor could anyone take it by force unless He chose to yield Himself to die. Yet here one sins and another suffers: justice was offended by us but found its satisfaction in Him. Rivers of tears, mountains of offerings, seas of sacrificial blood, and hills of incense could never have removed sin; but Jesus was cut off for us, and the cause of wrath was cut off at once, for sin was put away forever. Here is wisdom, which devised substitution, the sure and swift way of atonement. Here is condescension, which brought Messiah the Prince to wear a crown of thorns and die upon the cross. Here is love, which led the Redeemer to lay down His life for His enemies. Yet it is not enough to admire the sight of the innocent bleeding for the guilty; we must make sure of our share in it. The special aim of Messiah's death was the salvation of His church — do we have a part among those for whom He gave His life a ransom? Did He stand as our representative? Are we healed by His stripes? It would be a terrible thing to fall short of a portion in His sacrifice; better never to have been born. Solemn as the question is, it is a joy that it can be answered clearly. To all who believe on Him the Lord Jesus is a present Savior, and on them the blood of reconciliation has been sprinkled. Let all who trust the merit of Messiah's death be glad at every remembrance of Him, and let their holy gratitude lead them to full consecration to His cause.