For the six weeks of the church season of Lent, as well as for “Holy Week” (the week before Easter), I will try to explore how fully invested the Lord Jesus was in regard to securing our salvation.  The penalty for our sin was no small thing, and it exacted a huge toll on him.  Yet he was determined to be our holy Substitute. 

Each week I’ll share some thoughts on yet another part of Jesus’ body which he committed to the cause.  These posts will form the basis of our Wednesday evening worship discussions.  I pray they provide wonderful food for thought, and blessed encouragement to all of us!

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The heart.  It is one of the most crucial organs in our bodies.  Heart problems equal health problems.  Consequently the word “heart” has come to symbolize significance (e.g. the heart of an issue).  In the same way, the word “heart” has transcended the physical to both the emotional (e.g. heavy or happy hearts) and even spiritual (e.g. devote your hearts to God).

And when we speak of the heart of Jesus being fully invested in us and our salvation, we are speaking of all of the above.  Or more accurately, we are referring to what the Bible tells us about the heart of God.

Already in the Old Testament, we hear of the love the Lord has for his people, demonstrated by his promise to send the Savior.  “He has raised up for his people a horn, [that is, a strong victor], the praise of all his faithful servants, of Israel, the people close to his heart” (Psalm 148:14).

Yet we also hear, in strong poetic language, the grief the Lord feels when his people turn away from him.  Written by the prophet Jeremiah describing his own heartache over the Jews being carried away into captivity, by extension it also reflected the Lord’s heart:

‘“Your own conduct and actions have brought this on you. This is your punishment. How bitter it is! How it pierces to the heart!’” Oh, my anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain. Oh, the agony of my heart! My heart pounds within me, I cannot keep silent. For I have heard the sound of the trumpet; I have heard the battle cry. Disaster follows disaster; the whole land lies in ruins” (Jeremiah 4:18-20)

Of course, this heart of God was embodied in Jesus as God took on flesh.  Speaking of Jesus, the Holy Spirit inspired the prophet Isaiah to write, “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. (Isaiah 40:11)

Perhaps nowhere in the Gospels do we see this more clearly than in Luke’s account of this remarkable situation:

“Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out — the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.” Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. (Luke 7:11-17)

This heart that beat inside Jesus’ human body and which loved all people unconditionally and grieved as they grieved, brought him to earth and eventually took him to the most unlikely place on earth for the Son of God – a Roman cross.  But it was specifically because his heart loved us and grieved over our situation that he allowed himself to be nailed there. 

There was no other way for us to be saved; no other atonement sufficient to pay for our sins; no other Sacrifice sufficient.  So Jesus offered himself as our holy Substitute. 

He gave himself to our suffering, and when the payment had been made, he gave himself over to death.  His loving heart stopped beating as he gave up his life in love for you and me on the cross. 

John records the events of Jesus’ final moments, and of what transpired following his death.

“Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. [A common practice which resulted in death within moments.]

But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.

The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: ‘Not one of his bones will be broken,’ [like the Passover lamb – Ex. 12:5, 46] and, as another scripture [Zech. 12:10] says, ‘They will look on the one they have pierced’” (John 19:31-37).

The heart that was pierced with grief for those who rejected him was pierced with a spear after he died.  This final abuse of his body wasn’t an additional suffering Jesus had to endure.  Rather it was the proof of his words, “It is finished.”  The perfect Sacrifice for the sins of the world had been offered and accepted.  The payment for iniquity was completed.

How incredible!  How wonderful!  How full of love was the heart of Jesus, even after emptied of the physical blood and pooled water following his death.

Which brings us to another comforting passage regarding the heart of Jesus – spoken by Jesus himself.  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light”  (Mathew 11:28-30)

Thankfully, Jesus’ fully invested heart moved him to fully invest the rest of his body to the process of redeeming us.  In the end, it demanded the investment of even his heart itself.  It was an investment he was very glad to make.