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The Cross of Yeshua our Messiah

Where covenant love and perfect justice meet (cf. Psalm 85:10), and the heart of God is revealed from Genesis to Revelation.

The Servant Foretold: Substitution, Healing, Peace (Isaiah 52–53)

Isaiah 52:13–15
He Was Pierced for Our Transgressions

[13] Behold, my Servant shall act wisely;
He shall be high and lifted up,
and shall be exalted.
[14] As many were astonished at you—
His appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,
and His form beyond that of The Children of Mankind—
[15] so shall He sprinkle many Nations.
Kings shall shut their mouths because of Him,
for that which has not been told them they see,
and that which they have not heard they understand.

Isaiah 53 

Isaiah’s “Servant Song” unveils the heart of atonement: He bears what we deserve so we might receive what only He deserves—peace, healing, righteousness (Isa 53:5–6, 11). “High and lifted up” (52:13) echoes Yeshua’s own words: “When I am lifted up… I will draw all people to Myself” (John 12:32–33). The Servant sprinkles many nations (52:15), priestly language fulfilled by His own blood (Heb 9:12–14). This is substitution in love: “The LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (53:6); “the Righteous One… will make many to be accounted righteous” (53:11).

Humiliation to Exaltation: The Mind of Messiah (Philippians 2:4–11)

Philippians 2:4–11 

Here is the great descent and ascent: equal with God (v. 6), He emptied Himself (v. 7), obedient to death—even the cross (v. 8). Therefore, God highly exalted Him (vv. 9–11). The cross is not defeat; it is the royal doorway to universal confession: every knee… every tongue. This answers Psalm 110 and anticipates Revelation 5.

Kiss the Son: The Reign of the Anointed (Psalm 2:7–12)

Psalm 2:7–12 

The crucified Servant is also the enthroned Son. The call to “Kiss the Son” (v. 12) parallels the Gospel’s summons to repent and believe (Mark 1:15). Refuge is offered in Him—the very One before whom all must bow (Phil 2:10–11).

“My God, My God…”: The Cross in David’s Psalm (Psalm 22)

Psalm 22 

On the cross, Yeshua takes this psalm on His lips (Matt 27:46). Note the prophetic details: mockery (vv. 7–8; cf. Matt 27:39–43), pierced hands and feet (v. 16), casting lots for garments (v. 18; John 19:23–24). Yet the psalm moves from agony to global praise (vv. 27–31): “they shall come and proclaim His righteousness… that He has done it.”—language that echoes Yeshua’s “It is finished” (John 19:30).

The First Gospel: The Serpent’s Head, the Son’s Heel (Genesis 3:15)

Genesis 3:15 

The protoevangelium: the first promise of a Deliverer. The heel is bruised at Calvary; the serpent’s head is crushed through the cross and empty tomb (Col 2:15; Heb 2:14–15; Rev 12).

Signs Set in Scripture: Virgin Birth, Divine Son, Pierced One

Isaiah 7:14; 9:6–7; Zechariah 12:10 

Scripture weaves a single thread: Immanuel is born of the Virgin (Isa 7:14), the Child/Son who is Mighty God (Isa 9:6–7). Israel will yet look upon the One they pierced and mourn (Zech 12:10), a grief that becomes repentance and cleansing (Zech 13:1).
2 Corinthians 5:21 clarifies the exchange: our sin to Him; His righteousness to us.

Type and Shadow: The Bronze Serpent & The New Birth

Numbers 21:4–9; John 3:1–21 

As Israel looked and lived, so we look to the crucified Messiah and live (John 3:14–15). The new birth is not moral polish but Spirit-wrought life (3:5–8). And the motive behind it all? “For God so loved the world…” (3:16). Love sends; the cross saves; the Light exposes and heals (3:19–21).

Why the Cross? Glory, Judgment, Drawn to the Light (John 12)

John 12:27–36; 12:44–50 

Yeshua names the hour and the purpose: the Father’s glory, the world’s judgment, the ruler’s defeat, and a universal drawing (12:27–32). He came as Light so we would not remain in darkness (12:46). To reject His word now is to face it as judgment on the Last Day (12:48).

Love First, Then Cross—Never the Reverse (Tozer)

Scripture says the same: “God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Messiah died for us.” (Rom 5:8) The cross doesn’t awaken God’s love; God’s love conceived the cross (Eph 1:4–7; 1 John 4:9–10).

The Priestly King: Psalm 110 and the Order of Melchizedek

Psalm 110:1–4; Hebrews 5:5–10 

The Son is enthroned (“Sit at my right hand”) and appointed High Priest forever. In Gethsemane’s cries and Calvary’s obedience, He becomes “the source of eternal salvation” (Heb 5:9). This answers humanity’s deepest need: a spotless Priest who is simultaneously the spotless Lamb (John 1:29; Heb 7:25–27; Rev 5:6–10).

Once for All: The Better Covenant in His Blood (Hebrews 9–10)

Hebrews 9:11–28; 10:1–31

Animal blood could never remove sin; Messiah’s own blood secures eternal redemption (Heb 9:12). The veil is torn, a new and living way is opened (10:19–22). Therefore: draw near, hold fast, stir one another up, gather faithfully—because He is faithful (10:23–25). To spurn the blood of the covenant is to reject the only remedy (10:29).

The Cross Applied: Dying to Sin, Living to Righteousness

1 Peter 2:21–25; 1 Peter 3:18; Romans 6:5–14; 6:20–23 

The cross is not only for us; it works in us. United to Messiah, we die to sin and live to righteousness (1 Pet 2:24; Rom 6:11). Grace is not a license; it is liberation (Rom 6:14). The outcome is sanctification… and eternal life (Rom 6:22).

The Triune Voice & The Rock Who Follows (Isaiah 48)

Isaiah 48:12–21 

Note the mystery revealed: “The Lord GOD has sent Me, and His Spirit” (48:16). This coheres with Genesis 1:26 (“Let Us make man…”) and prepares us for Yeshua’s revelation of the Father and the Spirit (John 14–16). The Redeemer who split the rock to give water (48:21; Exod 17:6; 1 Cor 10:4) now gives living water through the Spirit (John 7:37–39).

The Greatest Command & Echad: Love’s Living Center

Mark 12:28–34; Deuteronomy 6:4 
John 14:8–11 

The Shema declares YHWH is echad—a united oneness. Yeshua, the visible Image of the invisible God (Col 1:15), says: “Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father.” Love for God and neighbor flows from union with the Father in the Son by the Spirit.

Preeminence, Reconciliation, and the Blood of His Cross

Colossians 1:15–23 

All things are by Him, through Him, for Him—and held together in Him (vv. 16–17). Peace is made by the blood of His cross (v. 20). Stay stable and steadfast, anchored in the Gospel hope (v. 23).

“Before Abraham was, I AM.” / The Sun of Righteousness

John 8:58; Malachi 4:2 

Yeshua takes the divine Name upon His lips (cf. Exod 3:14), and Malachi promises healing in the rising Sun of Righteousness. At the cross and in the resurrection, that healing light breaks upon the world (Luke 1:78–79).

A Simple Response

  • Look to the crucified and risen Yeshua (John 3:14–16).

  • Come to the Light; let Him expose and cleanse (John 3:20–21; 1 John 1:7–9).

  • Confess Him as Lord and trust Him from the heart (Rom 10:9–13).

  • Follow Him in the path of love, obedience, and gathered worship (John 14:15; Heb 10:24–25).

  • Hope in His appearing; live holy and steadfast until that Day (Titus 2:11–14; 1 Thess 1:9–10).

Prayer: Abba, thank You for the cross of Your Son—where steadfast love and faithfulness meet, where righteousness and peace kiss. Write Your law on our hearts, wash our consciences by the blood of Yeshua, and fill us with Your Spirit to walk in Your ways until the Day we see Him face to face. In Yeshua’s Name, amen.