March 10 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

John 18:12–14

Devotional

Cruel hands tied the hands of the Lord Jesus. He allowed Himself to be bound because of the sins of His people. His love for sinners compelled Him. Samson was bound because he sinned himself out of his office, but Christ was bound even though He was always faithful to His office. He is the perfect Office-Bearer, and here He is standing in the place of fallen officebearers, who are deposed because of their sins.

Jesus is bound. People are against Him. The powers of hell rally against Him. Behind all this we see the Father binding His Son. The justice of God is executed because of our sinful hands that reached out for the forbidden fruit. We are the ones that should be bound forever in the realm of darkness. So we see here that Christ was not only bound by hell, but also just as much by heaven. And that is why He cannot break those bonds. Hell is here serving the purpose of heaven. God’s holiness requires that sin be bound and nailed to the cross.

Do you want to know what your hands have done? Look at the Savior’s hands. These innocent hands would never have been tied, if we had kept our hands clean. How greatly our guilt is evident when we look at the innocent hands of Jesus! Cruel hands tied the hands of the Lord Jesus. But we too were willing participants. We made those chains and put them on His hands. If only we would understand this. We have fallen short of what the Creator designed for us. We settle for sin and become servants to it. It would not even be enough for our hands to be tied. They also would have to be nailed to the cursed cross, for cursed is everyone that continues not in the ways of the Lord. The chains must be followed up by the final verdict, unless Christ who was bound for the sins of His people saves us.

These chains will set free those who are bound in sin. Therefore, Peter, the sword must go back into the sheath, or the prisoners will not be set free! Christ’s chains are the deliverance of the church. And if these chains will set you free, you will be free indeed. What then is this freedom? Only those who have been in bondage understand the magnitude of Christ’s gift. A sick person knows what health means. An orphan knows what parents are. And a prisoner knows what freedom is.

 

From The Everlasting Word by Frans Bakker, compiled and translated by Gerald R. Procee. Reformation Heritage Books and Free Reformed Publications, 2007. Used by permission. For further information, click here.