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Deuteronomy 21:23

²³his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance.

Apostle Paul quoted this verse in Galatians 3:13. He wrote that Jesus hung on the tree of the cross to be cursed in our place. That is an incredible thing to consider. God declared that this was a cursed way to die. Jesus could have been stoned for supposedly blaspheming, but during a short period of time Roman law did not allow it. Instead, capital punishment was by beheading or crucifixion. Because the Sanhedrin accused Jesus of insurrection, the punishment had to be crucifixion. They thought it would be a way to disprove His claim of being the Messiah because it would show He was cursed of God. What they didn't realize was that it was God's plan that the curse upon their sins and ours could be placed on Jesus and He would receive the wrath those sins deserve in our place. He was hung on a tree and therefore cursed. But He was taken down. The darkness ended. The debt was paid.

The curse of the Law for disobedience fell upon Christ. All who come to Christ apart from the Law can find salvation by faith, both Jew and Gentile. What love would go to that extent? What love would care enough to take what we deserve? And what is the goal of such love? It is to form the bride of Christ. Those who accept the gift of forgiveness and receive Jesus as Lord begin the transformation from fallen vessels of wrath into the beautiful bride of Christ. What a demonstration of mercy! What an adoring bride we will become when we realize the extent of what He endured for us! What a demonstration of the gracious heart of God! It is no wonder then that those who reject such grace should have no other option than to endure the justice their sins deserve.

Contemplation: How much love did Jesus demonstrate for you and me by becoming cursed for us upon the cross?