The One for the many

There was once a universe and a world that was without form and void...until God spoke and brought all things into existence starting with the command, "Let there be Light."

When our first parents fell into sin aided by the temptation of the great deceiver, there seemed to be no hope for mankind...until God spoke a promise, "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed, He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel."

After a long period of time passed, there was yet no promised Seed for a people whose kingdom was shattered and instead of freedom, captivity ruled the day...and then God sent a prophet with a somewhat surprising message about their coming Messiah, "He is despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid as it were, our faces from Him.  He was despised and we did not esteem Him.  Surely He has borne our griefs, And carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God and afflicted.  But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes, we are healed." 

Despite the importance of His office as the Prophet, Priest and King of God, a man came into the world born of lowly estate, ridiculed even by his own family at times...yet God Himself proclaimed, "This is my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

And so this Man came into Jerusalem for the last time and the people sang, "Hosanna to the Son of David.  Blessed is He he comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest..." but their cries were not embraced by all and so a prophecy was uttered, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish."

And so this one Man did perish, a humiliating, excruciating death at the bequest of His chosen people and the hands of the Roman occupiers...but while death would reign on the first day, that was not the end of the story for His sacrifice was the fulfillment of a promise once made and not merely the machinations of men. "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."