Introduction
Text: Matthew 27:26-61. Let’s look at some information that will help us interpret this passage of Scripture. Roman floggings were so brutal that in most cases the victim died before crucifixion. The whip was made of several strips of leather in which pieces of bone and lead were embedded. The Jews limited the number of stripes to 40, but in practice to 39 in case of counting error; however, the Romans did not have a limit. Men sentenced to death were usually made to carry a cross beam that often weighed between 30 and 40 pounds. Jesus was too weak from the scourging to carry the cross, so Simon had to be recruited to carry it. Wine mixed with gall is believed to have been offered by the women who were present at the crucifixions (perhaps as an act of mercy). He was a narcotic that killed the pain; however, Jesus rejected him because he wanted to be fully conscious until death.

Jesus was crucified. Crucifixion was reserved for slaves, the worst criminals and offenders who were not Roman citizens. The victim was nailed to a cross; heavy wrought iron nails were driven through the wrist and heel bones. If the person took too long to die, the legs were broken to hasten death. Jesus’ death was an atoning death.

The Necessity of Jesus’ Atoning Death
Jesus’ death was necessary because of God’s holiness. God is absolutely holy and cannot relate to sinful men: God’s holiness prevents him from having a permanent relationship with sinners. Also, because God is holy, he must punish sin. The crucifixion, in all its brutality, shows that God must deal seriously with sin. Sin is not something light that we can easily rationalize and dismiss. The atoning and sacrificial death of Jesus Christ was necessary to remove the penalty and power of sin. While God is holy, man is a sinner; therefore, Jesus’ death was necessary because of man’s sinfulness. Man’s sin must be removed if he wants to have fellowship with God.

The Nature of the Atonement
The atonement speaks of covering sin; it is to cover sin from God’s sight so that it loses his power to provoke his wrath. One of the results of the atonement is propitiation. This has to do with appeasing the righteous wrath of a holy God by offering an atoning sacrifice (Romans 3:25). The word for propitiation in this verse is the same word for mercy seat. The mercy seat refers to the Ark of the Covenant. Contained in the Ark was the law, which speaks of the just will of God. Man in his natural ability cannot meet God’s righteous standards: all our righteousness is as filthy rags and is completely unacceptable to a holy God; it is ineffective in saving us. The Ark was covered by the mercy seat on which blood was applied once a year to inactivate the sins of the Israelites. That mercy seat speaks of the covering of sin through an atoning sacrifice.

Another aspect of the atonement is substitution. Christ died in our place; He did for us what we could not do for ourselves (Isaiah 53). The penal substitution theory is that Christ paid the penalty for our sin, dying the death we should have died. Atonement also speaks of redemption, which means to buy back, to free oneself from slavery by paying a price. The Old Testament speaks of a kinsman-redeemer, for example, the book of Ruth. In the book of Ruth, Boaz becomes Ruth’s kinsman redeemer. The kinsman-redeemer had to meet three criteria: he had to be family, he had to be willing to redeem, and he had to have the price. Jesus Christ meets all of these criteria; He is our Redeemer (Matthew 20:28). The atonement also resulted in reconciliation. We were reconciled to God through the death of Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:18, 19).

Efficacy of the atoning death of Jesus
The atoning death of Jesus Christ is effective. On the one hand, we are delivered from the penalty of sin (John 1:29). There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. Perfect love casts out fear, because fear has to do with judgment. The believer knows that the sins of the past are covered under the blood. Furthermore, we have freedom from the power of sin (Romans 6 – 8). We can overcome sin and live a holy life with the help of the Holy Spirit. We know that if we confess our sins, Jesus is just and faithful to forgive us those sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

We also have deliverance from death (John 11:26). We may physically die at some point (since it is appointed that man die and then face judgment), but believers have the hope of the resurrection. We are delivered from spiritual death (separation from God). We have newness of life that leads us into an intimate relationship with God. We are spiritually alive and kept alive by the indwelling Holy Spirit. We have been delivered from eternal death (permanent separation from God in the lake of fire). Believers will spend eternity with God, basking in the glory, joy, and blessings of his presence.

Through the atoning death of Jesus, we have the gift of eternal life (John 3:14-16). This life is not simply about quantity, but about quality: it includes abundant life. The Christian’s life is not without its disappointments and challenges, but it is filled with God’s grace, favor, and blessings. Because of the atoning death of Jesus, we can live a victorious Christian life. We are empowered through the Holy Spirit to live an overcoming life. We have victory over Satan (Colossians 2:15). Believers need to walk in power and authority recognizing that no weapon formed against us will prosper.

conclusion
Many good people have died, but their death has no power to save, no power to free us from sin, no power to reconcile us to God. That is why the Bible makes it clear that there is only one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. His blood alone was effective in freeing us from sin and bringing us into a relationship with God. By the death of Jesus, I have been set free, I am delivered, I am washed, I am sanctified, I am reconciled to God.