Jesus Bears Our Curse - Divinely Planned Patterns In The Bible

One of the ways the Bible shows itself to be divine is the unity it displays throughout, from Genesis to Revelation. If the Bible was written by one person over a period of 5-10 years, such unity would not be impressive. The Koran would be such an example. It displays some unity, but was composed from start to finish during a relatively short period of time by one person. The Bible, on the other hand, is a collection of 66 books, written by 40 different authors, spanning 1400 years and three continents. And because the Bible’s theology is intimately tied to history, the patterns and unity that emerge are quite remarkable in a few ways. First, some of this unity could only happen if certain events of history actually took place. Second, much of this unity or “fulfillment” is only discernible after the events of history took place. Third, what often seems like random and bizarre stories or sayings in the Old Testament find an amazingly unifying theme after the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Let me show you an example.

The central message of the New Testament is that Jesus became sin for us on the cross. He somehow took the curse of sin in our place and by trusting in him, we can be saved and enter his kingdom now. Eden fellowship with God is restored and being restored on the earth. So keep that in mind as we rewind back to the beginning of the Bible.

In Genesis 3, the we have the opening scene for the entire biblical drama. Innocent human beings fall into sin. The gateway to sin is represented by a tree. Sin itself is represented by a serpent. The curse or punishment for this sin is represented by thorns and death. A sacrifice is made to cover shame and guilt. And to conclude this opening scene, God promises a seed who would undue the damage done.

Now let’s fast forward in the Biblical narrative to the book of Numbers (chapter 21) where the the people are wandering in the wilderness. Because of their rebellion and unbelief, God sends poisonous snakes which bite and cause many to fall ill or die. Remember, the snake is a symbol of sin. The solution God gives is to make a bronze serpent, place it on a wooden pole, and when the people look on the snake with faith, they are healed. The snake imagery would immediately have the reader remembering the snake in Genesis 3. However, on its own, this is a very bizarre story that just hangs out there with no real meaning. It’s a partial resolution to the Genesis 3 problem.

Now let’s fast forward again to Deuteronomy where in the law God says that anyone who is killed (likely by stoning) and then hung on a tree is considered cursed (think back to the first time the word “curse” is used). However, this person is supposed to be taken down before sundown. And finally, one more passage that is relevant. In Isaiah 52 and 53, the most famous Messianic prophecy (even considered so by ancient Jews), the prophecy begins by saying God’s servant will be high and lifted up. The prophecy then proceeds to describe this servant, his life, and work by descriptions of suffering and death for the people.

As we read the Gospels we find all these threads of Old Testament narrative coming together at the cross. Jesus says that he must be lifted up like the serpent in Moses’ time. This lifting up is a description of bearing the sin of the people to save the people from sin and its effects. Additionally, he is given a crown of thorns to wear, as attested in three of our Gospel accounts. This should immediately take our minds back to the curse. Finally, he is lifted up on a tree, cursed according to the OT law. Here is what is amazing! If the Roman captors had not placed the crown of thorns on his head and they had not literally lifted him up on a tree, and he literally didn’t die on that tree, then he could not in any meaningful way be a fulfillment of those varying Old Testament narratives. And these are not random OT narratives, but very key portions and themes of the whole OT.

Without the details of his death, the Old Testament narrative just hangs in limbo - it finds no completion. So let’s recap the significance of the crucifixion in light of Genesis 3.

• Humans lose their relationship with God and look forward to restored fellowship through the promised seed - Christ, the promised seed, restores fellowship on the cross

• The tree is where sin enters and gains advantage - The cross (tree) is where sin is destroyed and loses its advantage

• The snake, representing sin, gains power over humans - The cross, imitating the bronze serpent of Numbers, is where the snake is crushed. Jesus is lifted up just like the bronze serpent.

• Thorns flourish as a reminder that man is living in a cursed world - Jesus wears the thorns in conjunction with his death, bearing that curse literally and figuratively

• Deuteronomy says a man is cursed if he is hanged on a tree - Jesus becomes cursed for us by being hanged on a tree

• A sacrifice is made to cover the shame of the first human - Jesus becomes the final sacrifice for humans.

If Jesus was not killed in the way he was (and don’t forget that he was killed on Passover nonetheless), he could not fulfill many of these six items. To someone reading this for the first time, you would almost think that someone designed the whole story before it was ever written. Could it be?