Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1940-03-14
Calvary: TRIUMPH THROUGH
SACRIFICE

LESSON TEXT-Matthew 27:3S.sO.
GOLDEN TEXT-He Is despised and
rejected of men: man of sorrows, and
acquainted with grief.-Isaiah 1913
At Calvary, reverent and thought.
full readers Of Gods Word stand
speechless. and confess themselves
to be powerless to explain or to ex-
pound the awe-inspiring story, and
yet just because 1t Is such a story,
because on that cross the divine Son
Of God gave Himself In sacrifcial
atonement for sin, we must do our
utmost to understand 1t, to explain
1t. and certainly to declare it to all
mankind. For when He who knew
no sin became sin for us, it was
for our sin that He died. Here alone
do we find redemption.
We approach this scene therefore
with reverence, and with the prayer
that we may so present the dying
Saviour to dying men that some may
believe and be saved. We center our
thoughts around three expressions
taken from the text.
I. "They Crucifled Him."
ALI Of the gospel stories are re-
markably reticent when they speak
Of the cross. Details Of surround
ing events are given, but when they
speak Of the cross itself, they can
only say that He was crucified. Let
us look at the One who hung on
that sacred tree. for He is the Sa.
viour Of the world. Refusing the
Supplying potion ". 34) and facing
death fully conscious, we hear Him
crying out Of the darkness which
covered all the land. my God, my
God. why hast thou forsaken me?"
That cry indicates the depth to
which our Saviour went for us.
Does 1t not seem that the Father
in that darkest moment Of history
turned His back upon the One who
knowing no sin Himself had become
sin for US? And yet we know that
It was God who hung upon the tree,
God the Son. Here Is divine mys-
terry, the meaning Of which we can
not fathom. but we know that It
was for US.
Then came the cry with the loud
voice, SIT Is finishedi" This was
not the death of the languishing
martyr. The Son Of God. having
wrought out redemption on the
cross, cried out in powerful tones Of
victory, "It is finishedl" and yielded
up His spirit.
II. 'They Watched Him."
Soldiers, priests. the two thieves,
the women-how different was the
purpose and the spirit Of their
watching.
The soldiers had made sport Of
Him and Knocked Him In the palace.
They took a passing curious interest
In the crucihxion. They gambled
over His garments. and finally set
tied down to perform their duty az
guards with stolid indifference.
How much Of humanity 10 just Ike
thetl evnr-87
The priests who protested to know
about God and His Word stand out
in appalling wickedness and ignor-
ance. Being members Of the high
est and noblest Of callings. they fell
when they sinned to the lowest
depths.
OF the two thieves, one believed
and the other rallied at our Lord
duke 1880. 400. The cross has
ever since been the dividing line, part
Of humanity turning there to life
eternal. the rest going on its railing
way to destruction. Qf
The women waited. No doubt they
were perplexed and troubled in
heart. but they stood faithfully by
until His precious body was in the
grave. We read Of no apostle who
did as much, and we give all honor
to the faithful women.
III. HE Trusted In God"
This was the sarcastic taunt OF
the priests. when the King was
hanging upon the cross and the In
terpreters of religion. the priests,
misinterpreted God. there was
great silence. Gods noninterfer-
ence is the first thing that. impresses
one as the story is read, but that
is not all the story. It was not
wholly noninterference. From the
sixth hour there was darkness over
all the land until the ninth hour
That seems to have been the act
Of God. 1t would seem that in in
finite tenderness God wrapped the
land In darkness in the hour of His
Sons supreme suffering" &c. Camp
bell Morgan. We also read in verse
81 that the veil of the temple was
torn from top to bottom, opening
the way for all men In Christ to
enter the Holy Of Holes.
HE trusted God" Yes, even
to the sacrifice Of Himself in death.
Because He could not save Himself
". 42) in thus doing the will Of God
the Father, He did save others. The
scofing priests told the truth in spite
Of their wicked purpose to falsify.
They crucifed Him." ''they
watched Him." but HE trusted
God" and became the Saviour of the
world.