Everyone enjoys reading and hearing good news, though it appears that many media outlets focus on that which is the opposite. This is justified on the thought that bad news sells.

Scripture offers a worthy model by presenting both the good and the bad. The “good news” is God’s offer of eternal life through faith in Christ. The gospel message that Christ purchased mankind out of the slave market of sin is the greatest expression of God’s love for a fallen human race. There is no better news than that. On the other hand, the “bad news” was that God required that sin be punished and its penalty exacted in full. His Justice and Righteousness demanded that.

Such a standard of perfection is not attainable by any person. God Himself would have to offer Himself as a substitute offering if man was to have relationship with God. John described God’s divine intervention into human history … “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14 NIV). The Apostle had previously declared … “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1 NIV). Being familiar with the Hebrews Scriptures, the Jews understood John’s words. Seven hundred years earlier, the prophet Isaiah had announced to Israel that … “the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isa 7:14 NIV).

Matthew’s gospel records the angelic message to Jospeh which verified the words of the prophet Isaiah … “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel “- which means, “God with us” (Matt 1:20b-23 NIV).

Thus, the humanity of Christ, God in the flesh, came into the world. For thirty years he traversed the land proclaiming that … “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19 NIV).

Sadly, Israel rejected Him and called for His death. However, the Cross was essential to God’s offer of salvation. Man’s debt of sin to a Holy God had to be reconciled. Paul described the sacrifice of the Savior as the sufficient payment for sin. “Who, [Christ] being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross” (Phil 2:6-8 NIV)!

The long-awaited time for divine judgment on the sins of mankind had come. God the Father, in His greatest expression of love toward humanity, would bring upon the humanity of Christ the full measure of His wrath so that anyone could be reconciled to God through faith in the Person and Work of the Cross. So intense would be the outpouring of the Father’s wrath, that God shrouded the Cross in darkness. Isaiah’s described that spiritual judgment … “he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isa 53:5 NIV). Paul would conclude … “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Cor 8:9 NIV).