Charles R. Swindoll - Behold... the Man!

BEHOLD... THE MAN

The Pathway of His Passion

OTHER BOOKS BY CHARLES SWINDOLL

The Darkness and the Dawn
The Grace Awakening
The Grace Awakening Devotional
The Mystery of Gods Will
Suddenly One Morning

PROFILES IN CHARACTER BOOKS

David
Elijah
Esther
Job
Joseph
Moses
Paul

BEHOLD... THE MAN

The Pathway of His Passion

CHARLES R. SWINDOLL

Copyright 2004 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc.

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any meansexcept for brief quotations in reviews, without written permission from the publisher.

Published by W Publishing Group, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations used in this book are from the Holy Bible: New Century Version. Copyright 1987, 1988, 1991 by W Publishing Group, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee 37214. Used by permission.

Other Scripture quotations are from the following sources:

New American Standard Bible (NRSV). Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA.

The King James Version of the Bible (KJV).

ISBN 0-8499-4532-1

04 05 06 07 PHX 5 4 3 2 1

CONTENTS

W ITHOUT SIX PEOPLE, this book would not have been possible. I want to express my gratitude to each of them.

First, I thank my publishers, Mike Hyatt and David Moberg. From start to finish they stepped up with enthusiasm and a can-do attitude.

Then I thank Brian Goins from our Insight for Living staff for his diligence and creative suggestions as my editor. Well done, good and faithful friend!

Next, I thank Mary Hollingsworth, my managing editor, and her editorial team for their blend of splendid skills and professional seasoned expertise, especially Kathryn Murray, who has designed and typeset so many of my books through the years.

Finally, I thank Carol Spencer, my personal administrator and friend, for her care and persistence in pursuing and obtaining necessary permissions for this book.

If this little volume enables you to Behold the Man with a better understanding and greater appreciation, much of the credit goes to them.

B EHOLD, THE MAN!

Pontius Pilate shouted those words before a bloodthirsty mob at the fortress of Antonia located at Jerusalem in April, AD 33. A Man stood, meek and resigned, before the raucous crowd. Beaten beyond recognition, blood seeping from head to foot, thorns digging in His head, fragments of flesh torn off His body, the carpenter from Nazareth, Jesus, awaited His sentence.

Crucify Him! Crucify Him!

He was a long way from Bethlehem's manger. A long way from the tools hanging in Josephs shop. Days spent sailing the Sea of Galilee with His itinerant band of disciples felt so distanthearing waves slap against the boat, grilling fish on the shore, swapping stories around the campfire. In His mind, their faces were still fresh from the previous night, reclining around the table for one last meal.

Behold... the Man.

Since you are reading this book, chances are you want to encounter the Man who suffered punishment few could imagine, much less endure. Perhaps you heard the story long ago, but the details fogged over with time. Maybe youve recently seen a dramatic portrayal of the events. Down deep you wonder what really happened. What took place on that day some two thousand years ago that still lingers as if it were yesterday?

While reading this book you will find yourself asking the only question that really matters, Why? Why would an innocent Man willingly walk toward such a grisly end? Why would He ever accept such mistreatment?

Understanding that answer requires your traveling a painful journey along a road only that Man could take. You and I will get as close as possible, but only He could handle all it included.

The pathway Jesus took in His last twenty-four hours, commonly called the Passion, started with supper. Then it wove through deep prayers and deals made in darkness. It descended into courts bereft of justice and went through prejudiced rulers stripped of power. On it, Jesus paused for a torturous scourging and plodded to a place called the Skull.

However, as we will discover, it was a pathway He chose rather than one forced on Him.

I believe once you read these few pages, youll come face to face with Him... and you will change. It can happen only as you stop long enough to look... to think... to imagine.

When you do, when you truly Behold the Man, you will never be the same again.

Behold... The Man: The Pathway of His Passion

Who would have believed what we heard? Who saw the LORDs power in this? He grew up like a small plant before the LORD, like a root growing in a dry land. He had no special beauty or form to make us notice him; there was nothing in his appearance to make us desire him. He was hated and rejected by people. He had much pain and suffering. People would not even look at him. He was hated, and we didnt even notice him. But he took our suffering on him and felt our pain for us. We saw his suffering and thought God was punishing him. But he was wounded for the wrong we did; he was crushed for the evil we did. The punishment, which made us well, was given to him, and we are healed because of his wounds. We all have wandered away like sheep; each of us has gone his own way. But the LORD has put on him the punishment for all the evil we have done. He was beaten down and punished, but he didnt say a word. He was like a lamb being led to be killed. He was quiet, as a sheep is quiet while its wool is being cut; he never opened his mouth. Men took him away roughly and unfairly. He died without children to continue his family. He was put to death; he was punished for the sins of my people. He was buried with wicked men, and he died with the rich. He had done nothing wrong, and he had never lied. But it was the LORD who decided to crush him and make him suffer. The LORD made his life a penalty offering, but he will still see his descendants and live a long life. He will complete the things the LORD wants him to do. After his soul suffers many things, he will see life and be satisfied. My good servant will make many people right with God; he will carry away their sins. For this reason I will make him a great man among people, and he will share in all things with those who are strong. He willingly gave his life and was treated like a criminal. But he carried away the sins of many people and asked forgiveness for those who sinned.

ISAIAH 53:1-12

1
THE CUP OF SACRIFICE

T HE NIGHT BEFORE HE FELT THE NAILS, he gathered twelve friends together around a table... and ate.

I ve had some pretty amazing meals in my lifetime. They span the extremes, from the sublime to the sensational, from the most primitive to the most formal, fashionable, and elegant. Ive been invited to banquets in governors mansions and have sat at the captains table on ocean cruises. Ive also eaten in rugged missionary huts and around campfires with my family, enjoying delicious fresh-caught fish, and Ive tried to choke down hospital meals that tasted like a mixture of wet plaster and soggy cardboard.