10-30-11
After His mistreatment by soldiers in the Praetorium, a Roman centurion led our Lord to Golgotha. As the procession traveled that short distance Jesus fell under the weight of the cross. The centurion, "compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to...bear His cross" (Mark 15:21). Simon was totally innocent of any crime. Jesus is the one who had been condemned to the cross for the crime of being "the King of the Jews." Yet Simon had to pay a price for being near Jesus and then had to bear His cross part of the way to Calvary. I submit unto you that there are many times when one or more individuals have to pay the price for the actions of others.
Who sinned in this matter? Obviously it was the brothers of Joseph. Who had to suffer the consequences? It was Joseph who had to work as a slave in Egypt and who had spend the majority of his life in a foreign country. Not only did Joseph pay for the sin of his brothers, but his father, Jacob, had to pay a terrible price as well. After learning of the "death" of his son, the Bible tells us "all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, 'For I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning.' Thus his father wept for him." (Gen. 37:35). Many years later, when Jacob finally learned that his favorite son was still alive, the Bible says "Jacob's heart stood still" at the news (Gen. 45:26).
When the people of God attacked the city of Ai they suffered a terrible defeat (Josh. 7:5). Joshua, the leader of the people, was deeply concerned and went to God in prayer about the matter. God told him that "Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff." (Josh. 7:11).
After interrogating a large number of people, Achan finally acknowledged his crime. Joshua sent messengers to Achan's tent who found the stolen items and "brought them to Joshua and to all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the Lord" (Josh. 7:23). As punishment for his crime, "Then, "all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones" (Josh 7:25). Who sinned in this case? Obviously it was Achan who stole the silver and the gold. Who had to suffer the consequences for his sin? Not only did his sin cost thirty-six soldiers their lives, but no doubt many of those soldiers had families. There would be many widows in the camp as a result of Achan's sin. Little children in the camp would have to grow up without the benefit of having a father to guide and protect them. Not only that, but Achan's own children lost their lives as a result of their father's sin. If you could bring Achan back from the grave and ask him what he would do if he had it to do all over again, what do you think he would say? If he knew his own children would die as a result of his greed don't you think he would have avoided it altogether? The problem is that most people do not think of the consequences of their actions.
Some time later Bathsheba sent word to David that she was with child. David knew how bad it would look for the king to be caught in such an affair, so he called for her husband, Uriah the Hittite, and tried to devise a plan to send Uriah to his home for a while so he would think the child was his. David's plan went array when Uriah, the noble soldier, refused to go to his wife while "the ark and Israel and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are encamped in the open fields" (2 Sam. 11:11).
David then devised a plan whereby Uriah would be killed in the next battle. David sent a letter to Joab, the commander of the army, and instructed him to "set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die" (2 Sam. 11:15). David's plan worked, for during the next battle "some of the people of the servants of David fell; and Uriah the Hittite died also" (2 Sam. 11:17). After a period of mourning, Bathsheba was married to David and he "brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son" (2 San. 11:27). No doubt David thought all was well and no one would ever find out about his sin.
After the birth of David's son, Nathan the prophet went to David and told him a story of a rich man who killed the one ewe lamb of a poor man and fed it to his guests. "Then David's anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, 'As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.'" (2 Sam. 12:5-6). Though David had not personally touched Uriah, Nathan said, "You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon" (2 Sam. 12:9).
Though David was extremely contrite and remorseful, he had "given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme." God told him he would have to be punished for his sin. As a result, the child died after seven days of suffering.
Who sinned in this matter? It was David. Who suffered the consequences? Uriah and some of David's other servants died needlessly in battle. The young child died as well. The entire nation was disgraced by the immoral conduct of their king and his attempt to cover up his adulterous affair
Young children often have to pay a terrible price for the neglect of their parents. When Christians forsake the assembling of the saints, not only do they suffer, but their children have to grow up ignorant of the gospel as well.
In cases of divorce it is always the children who suffer the most. It is hard enough to raise good children when both parents are doing the best they can.
Sometimes parents have to pray the price for the sin of their children. "A foolish son is the ruin of his father" (Prov. 19:13). Children sometimes commit public sins which cause shame and disgrace to their parents and ruin the good name of the family.
Sometimes one spouse has to pay the price for the sin of the other. This is especially true in cases of adultery. The innocent party not only has to live with the shame and guilt of their partner's sin, but they also have to worry about the possibility of contracting aids or some other social disease.
One of the most humbling thoughts in the world is that the innocent Son of God had to die for our sins. Paul reminds how "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8). The infinite love of God "made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21).