And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Isaiah 53:9
These are the words of God Himself, speaking through the prophet Isaiah. He is vindicating His Son: “My Son committed no violence. There was no deceit in His mouth. He has done nothing wrong. He suffered as the substitute for sins He did not commit. He laid down His life for His friends. So, My Son will have an honored burial, and on the third day, I will raise Him up.”
We have seen two entirely different views of Jesus: On the one hand, the world despises Jesus and consigns Him to Gehenna; on the other hand, God the Father honors Him and exalts Him to the highest place.
Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, “This Jesus… [who] you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it” (Acts 2:23-24). Peter went on to say to his audience: “You have to repent.” Because in your rejection of Jesus, you are on a direct collision course with God.
God is committed to the exaltation of His dearly loved Son. So, you cannot walk away from Jesus without consequence. Jesus is honored in heaven by the Father who vindicated Him by raising Him from the dead. Those who honor Jesus will be welcome in heaven, but those who resist Him will find that the Father resists them.
Do you see why there is no middle ground when it comes to Jesus?
