You Shall Call His Name Jesus

I was watching a live internet broadcast the Christmas production The Story this week.  While it is a production performed during the Christmas season, it is not particularly a "Christmas production".  It is a musical production performed by multiple big-name Christian artists telling the story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.  I joined the broadcast during the second half which depicted the New Testament.  While the entire portion of the production that I saw was AMAZING, one particular segment struck me and inspired this blog post.

The story is recounted in all of the Gospels.  An unnamed man condemned to die.  Guilty of an unknown crime against an innocent, unnamed victim.  A criminal.  A transgressor.  Scourge of the earth.  Robber?  Thief?  Rapist?  Murder?  We are not told for sure.  Matthew 27:38 and Mark 15:27 refer to him as a "robber".  Luke 23:39 describes him only as a "criminal."  John 19:18 does not describe the nature of his crime, only referring to him as "a man."  What we do know, by his own admission, that he is guilty.  He did it.  He confessed.  He was tried, sentenced and convicted.

Whatever he did must have been pretty serious; he was sentenced to death.  No opportunity for parole.  No chance at early release for good behavior...DEATH.  And not just any death.  Death by crucifixion.  THE most painful and, you might say, inhumane way to be executed.  Slow, agonizing, painful death.

Guilt, condemnation and death.  That was to be his epitaph.  "Here lies a guilty man.  Condemned and executed for crimes against his fellow man."

But hanging beside him was another man.  This man was guilty of nothing.  He had done nothing wrong.  He did not steal.  He did not kill.  He did not rape.  He did not murder.  He committed no crime.  But there he hung between two convicted criminals.  The same sentence.  The same punishment.  Death.  And with eyes of compassion and love, Jesus looked on the unnamed convicted, guilty man and declared, "...today you will be with me in Paradise."

While watching that production of The Story, I was reminded (and this is the key of this post):  that unnamed thief could be you and me.  We were born into the sins of Adam and Eve.  Death was our future.  Guilty.  No hope.  No future.  Destined to die.  BUT Jesus took upon Himself the punishment and death that were rightfully ours.  He paid the penalty to redeem us from our sins.

Thank God for Jesus and his willingness to obey...even to death.  Born of a virgin in a stable.  Wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger.  Thank God for this season when we celebrate the birth of our Deliverer, our Emmanuel which means "God with us",  our Comforter, our Savior.

Remember the whole reason for the season.  Had He not been born, He could not have died and that unnamed man on the cross...and you and I...could not have been saved.