Sufficient
Sufficient – (səˈfiSHənt) – adjective – enough; adequate
When we read through the Gospels, we inevitably come to the point of Jesus’ crucifixion. For longtime Christians, we may not realize just how jarring this reality is. An innocent man, put to death in an unbelievably brutal way. Why? So that God might be satisfied? And, the answer is, yes. But it is such a more beautiful yes than any other religious system offers. Why? Because it is bathed in grace, that is, God doing for humanity what humanity needs, but cannot do for itself. And, by God doing it, it is totally and completely sufficient. Here is how one theologian explains the significance and sufficiency of the cross.
“The Evangelists, in various ways, present the crucifixion of Jesus in Jerusalem as the focal point of the gospel story. Matthew and Mark follow a similar story line. Matthew first alludes to the violent conflict to come in his narrative of the birth of Jesus when the wicked King Herod seeks to eliminate the one who is born king by murdering infants near Bethlehem (Matt. 2:13-18). Then, as in Mark’s Gospel, early in his account of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, Matthew mentions the Pharisees’ intention to kill Jesus (Matt. 12:14; cf. Mark 3:6), setting the stage for what follows. After Peter’s confession of Jesus’ identity as the Son of God, Jesus explicitly declares that he must go to Jerusalem, where he will be killed (Matt. 16:21; cf. Mark 8:31), a destiny reaffirmed twice (Matt. 17:22-23; Matt. 20:18; also Matt. 26:2; cf. Mark 9:30-31; Mark 10:33). Indeed, Jesus goes to his death as the fulfillment of the divine purpose revealed in the Scriptures (Matt. 26:24, 54-56).
In Luke, Jesus affirms his determination to face his death (Luke 9:22). Luke further tells us that Jesus “resolutely set out for Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51), for “no prophet can die outside of Jerusalem” (Luke 13:33). “I have a baptism to undergo,” Jesus declares, “and what constraint I am under until it is completed!” (Luke 12:50).
John emphasizes the centrality of Jesus’ death by the repeated reference to Jesus’ appointed “hour.” Three times we read that Jesus’ hour had not yet come (John 2:4; Jn. 7:30; Jn. 8:20; cf. also John 7:6,8). Then, as he enters Jerusalem for the last time and faces his certain death, Jesus declares, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” (John 12:23; cf. also John 17:1). Jesus wrestles with the torment which this entails but faces it faithfully: “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour” (John 12:27).
Jesus was born to die. His crucifixion by Pilate was not thrust upon him; he chose it as his divine vocation (John 10:18). He was tempted to turn from such agony, and in the Garden of Gethsemane he prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me” (Matt. 26:39). But it was not possible, and Jesus willingly went to the cross. John records his dying words: “It is finished” (John 19:30). Jesus had accomplished that for which the Father had sent him into the world.
In their accounts of the ministry of Jesus, the Gospel writers emphasize the centrality of the cross, and the teaching of the apostles does the same. But why? What is the meaning of this cruel death? What did it accomplish? Fundamentally, as Israel’s promised Messiah, the story of Jesus in the Gospels is seen as the fulfillment of Israel’s story (cf., e.g., Matt. 1:1-17). As such, he is the means by which a sinful Israel can bring blessing to the world. Jesus accomplishes this by taking on the role of Daniel’s Son of Man and the suffering servant described by the prophet Isaiah. He becomes the Righteous One who bears the sins of his people, bringing forgiveness and restoration (Matt. 1:21).
Simply put, the New Testament proclaims that Jesus died “for our sins” (cf., e.g., 1 Cor. 15:3; 1 Pet. 3:18; Rom. 3:25-26; Rom. 5:8), implying that Jesus’ death provides the means by which our sins are forgiven or taken away (Eph. 1:7). Jesus himself pointed his disciples in this direction when he spoke of his ultimate act of service in terms of giving “his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45; Matt. 20:28). This connection was confirmed during the Last Supper. In preparing his disciples for his imminent death, Jesus spoke of the cup as “my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matt. 26:28).
This reference to “blood” signals a sacrificial significance to Jesus’ death, especially since it was made at a meal which celebrated the saving work of God through the blood of the Passover lamb sprinkled on the doorposts of the families of Israel. Blood was a central aspect of the sacrifices prescribed in the Old Testament (cf. Heb. 9:22), as it testified to a life poured out in death (Lev. 17:11).218 The “blood of Jesus” became a common way of speaking of Jesus’ death as a saving, sacrificial act. In Christ, “we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our sins,” Paul writes (Eph. 1:7; cf. Eph. 2:13; Col. 1:20; Rom. 3:25; Rom. 5:9). John affirms that “the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7; cf. Rev. 1:5; 12:11). And Peter speaks of our being ransomed “with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Pet. 1:19; cf. John 1:29). In Hebrews this theme is expounded in even greater detail (Heb. 9,10; cf. especially Heb. 10:19). Jesus’ death must be seen as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
The New Testament description of Jesus’ death as an atoning sacrifice finds its fullest expression in the Epistle to the Hebrews. There the Levitical priesthood and the temple worship provide the paradigm for understanding the work of Jesus. The Old Testament priests offered the same sacrifices year after year for themselves and for the people. The repetition of these offerings, however, bore witness to their ineffectiveness in perfecting the worshippers (Heb. 10:1-3). “But,” we read, “[Jesus] has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Heb. 9:26). Jesus assumes the roles of both the high priest and the sacrificial offering as he offers himself to God, making perfect those who draw near to God through him (Heb. 10:14).
Jesus’ atoning sacrifice is “perfect” (that is, complete, absolute, optimal, unsurpassed), based on the nature of that sacrifice. If the blood of bulls and goats could effect ceremonial cleansing in the worship of God, how much more can the precious blood of Christ cleanse our hearts so that we might serve the living God (Heb. 9:13-14). It was impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin; that was but a shadow of the reality to come (10:1,4). But in Jesus that reality has now appeared, and by the sacrifice of himself once for all, “he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (10:14). His perfect sacrifice obtains “eternal redemption” (9:12). It was not with perishable things that we were redeemed, “but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Pet. 1:19).
In its perfection, Jesus’ atoning sacrifice is also “all-sufficient.” Nothing is lacking from it, and we can add nothing to it. It is complete, fully efficacious, and all that is required to atone for our sin. It satisfies all the requirements of God’s holiness and justice in providing the means of our salvation—in its past, present, and future dimensions (cf. 2 Tim. 1:9; 1 Cor. 1:18; 1 Pet. 1:5). For that reason, Jesus could say, “It is finished” (John 19:30).”[1]
[1] EFCA. Evangelical Convictions, 2nd Edition (pp. 142-145). Free Church Publications. Kindle Edition.