MIRACLE OF THE CROSS

Transcription

1 WEEK MIRACLE OF THE CROSS FOCUS VERSE John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. LESSON TEXT Mark 15:25 34, And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. 26 And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS. FOCUS THOUGHT The Cross gave the world the greatest expression of God s love. 27 And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. 28 And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors. 29 And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, 30 Save thyself, and come down from the cross. 31 Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save. 32 Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him. 33 And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. 38 And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. 60

2 CULTURE CONNECTION Keep the Cross in Mind Aley Meyer was eagerly awaiting the arrival of her son, Easton, in June Two months before his impending arrival, she went to her doctor for an ultrasound at thirty-one weeks of pregnancy. When she received the electronic images, she noticed what appeared to be an image of Jesus hanging on the cross and believed it to be a sign from God. The photo went viral! Medical professionals indicated, however, that there is a more natural explanation. Dr. Michael S. Broder, a Los Angeles-based obstetrician-gynecologist and the author of The Panic-Free Pregnancy, stated, What you re looking at is structure in the brain that divides the two hemispheres. In other words, what is visible is simply a physical structure in the brain shaped like a cross. It is striking to realize just how excited the online world became over the apparent image of a cross in the developing baby s brain, but how unwilling perhaps most of them are to allow the effects of the true cross to be imprinted on their minds. The cross is much more than a distant memory or simply a religious symbol. It is a living, vibrant, powerful force in our daily lives. Its influence is meant to be readily seen in our thinking. If one keeps the cross in mind, it will not require medical tests to see it. It will be evident to all. OUTLINE I. THE UNJUST TRIAL A. Pilate Exhibited Weakness B. The Crowd Demanded Crucifixion II. KING OF THE JEWS A. Jesus Died with Transgressors B. Pilate Wrote an Inscription III. LOVE NAILED JESUS TO THE CROSS A. Jesus Forgave the Thief B. Jesus Forgave His Crucifiers C. Jesus Still Forgives Sinners IV. THE MIRACLES OF THE CROSS A. Miracle of the Incarnation B. Miracle of the Substitutionary Atonement C. Miracle of the Resurrection CONTEMPLATING THE TOPIC In the scope of human history, no day can be more significant than the one that forms the setting for this lesson. Over the span of one twenty-four-hour period, the culmination of a plan put in place since before the worlds were framed was realized. Redemption, in all its glory and majesty, was exercised in the unjust execution of the man Christ Jesus. His death provided the substitutionary atonement for the sins of humanity. None else could do it. He would do no less. For this day He was born. From the moment the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary and the baby was miraculously conceived in her, Jesus life had pointed toward this day. When the angel explained to Joseph what had happened to Mary, the angel made Christ s purpose on earth quite clear. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). He lived every day in the shadow of the cross in His future. And He never lost sight of it. As He taught the masses, healed the sick, and raised the dead, He completely understood these were simply parts of the process leading Him inexorably to a cross on Golgotha. He said, Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28). His destiny and purpose lay in a corrupt trial, a cruel cross and nails, and a borrowed tomb. Nothing less could redeem fallen humanity. 61

3 The cross became the lynchpin around which salvation hinges. Its completed work both humbles and lifts us. It causes us alternately to weep and to rejoice. For while we mourn that our loving Savior was forced to endure such savagery, we celebrate that fact that His unfailing love constrained Him to do so. Others may not understand, for to them the preaching of the Cross is simply foolishness. But for us who have experienced its miraculous power, it is the power of God that saves us. (See I Corinthians 1:18.) Our present reality has been revolutionized, and our eternal destination has been changed by the power of the miracle found in the Cross of Jesus Christ. SEARCHING THE SCRIPTURES I. THE UNJUST TRIAL The trial of Christ Jesus was a miscarriage of justice on multiple fronts. Foremost among them is the fact that the Judge was being judged. The Lord s identity as the judge over all the earth is clearly established. But the Lord shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment (Psalm 9:7). And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah (Psalm 50:6). God s ways are so far above our ways that it is more than a little ironic to consider the righteous judge, as Paul called Him (II Timothy 4:8), standing before a collection of sinful men to receive their judgment. On that one night, Christ appeared before Annas, Caiaphas, Pilate, and Herod. By what right did such men judge Him? By what wisdom did they decide His guilt? By what authority did they pronounce His sentence? Clearly it was not proper for such to occur. The greatest travesty of this trial was simply that the participants were on the wrong side of the bench. The second miscarriage of justice is found in the fundamental fact that the verdict was wrong. Of all the men who had ever stood before that council, He was the only completely innocent one. Not only was He not guilty of the charges of blasphemy brought against Him, but He also was completely pure in every regard. Simon Peter wrote of Him, Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth (I Peter 2:22). All of His actions and His very essence were perfectly holy in their totality. He was truly an innocent man! Their accusation of blasphemy was unfounded. They wanted to execute Him because He claimed to be God, but that claim was not blasphemy. He was indeed God! Because they could not grasp the miracle of the Incarnation, they assumed such words as I and my Father are one constituted the gravest of sins. (See John 10:30.) Indeed such a statement by anyone other than Jesus Christ would have been blasphemous. But not so for Jesus, for in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). When they sent Jesus to Calvary, they condemned an innocent man. The third miscarriage of justice was that they had prejudged Jesus before the trial even started and had manipulated evidence to secure a conviction. The Book of John tells us that well before the night of His arrest, the high priest, Caiaphas, and the other members of the Sanhedrin had already purposed that Jesus must die. Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death (John 11:53). So desperate were they to condemn the Lord that they sought out false witnesses to testify against Him. Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death (Matthew 26:59). Though their lies may have given a cloak of respectability to the proceedings, still an unbiased observer would have noted that their accounts did not line up. For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together (Mark 14:56). Such perjured testimony was an outrage when used against the Savior. Last, the trial itself violated several rules of the Sanhedrin. Among them were the facts that the judge was not impartial, the trial occurred at night, perjury was suborned, and the guilty verdict was rendered on the same day as the conclusion of the trial. Each of these, as well as other procedural violations of Sanhedrin law and practices, renders the final outcome void from a legal sense. Yet it perfectly fulfilled the righteous purpose of God. 62

4 A. Pilate Exhibited Weakness Because they were not allowed to sentence a man to death under the Roman occupation, the Jewish leaders were compelled to pass their judgment along to the Roman procurator for his approval. Accordingly, Pontius Pilate will forever be known as the spineless leader who ultimately capitulated to the demands of the mob and condemned Jesus to death. And it is abundantly evident from the Scripture that it was not his inclination to do so. Pilate demanded of the Jewish leaders the charges leveled against Jesus. They presented three. That He perverted the nation of Israel, that He forbade the giving of tribute to Caesar, and that He claimed to be the promised Messiah. The first two of these were blatantly false, and the third, though true, was not a crime for He was exactly who He claimed to be. Pilate carefully questioned Jesus and as a result declared on three different occasions that he could find no fault or guilt in Him. He was even warned by his wife to tread carefully in his treatment of Jesus. When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him (Matthew 27:19). Had Pilate been a strong leader, he would have set Jesus free. Instead he attempted to defer the matter to Herod when he learned that Jesus hailed from Galilee. Then he thought perhaps having Jesus scourged would be enough to satisfy the crowd; but the crowd was not satisfied. Next, he offered a choice between Jesus and a known criminal, Barabbas. When nothing but Christ s death would satiate the bloodlust of the mob, Pilate quietly surrendered to their demands and formally condemned Jesus to death. And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified (Mark 15:15). The epitome of strength surrendered Himself to the judgment of an extremely weak man. B. The Crowd Demanded Crucifixion Pilate s weakness was exploited by the chief priests and leaders who worked the crowd into a frenzy that day. No rational man or woman could justifiably want a violent criminal like Barabbas released into their midst rather than a peaceful teacher like Jesus. Still the mob made its wishes known by crying out repeatedly for Him to be crucified. These people were not unfamiliar with this practice and knew exactly the horrors for which they were calling. Pilate even tried to distance Himself from such butchery when he came out and publicly washed his hands before the crowd. He mistakenly declared that he was free of Christ s innocent blood. More frightening words may never have been spoken than when the mob replied, His blood be on us, and on our children (Matthew 27:25). What the mob wanted they received. The cross received our Savior at their demand. II. KING OF THE JEWS God s identity as the King is undisputed. Manifold verses of Scripture testify clearly that He reigns in majesty and righteousness as the unchallenged Sovereign of all. But when Jesus came in flesh, the Jewish nation could not imagine that this man born of humble beginnings could indeed be their King. Such a claim was unconscionable to them. In fact this assertion was the first matter Pilate questioned. And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto him, Thou sayest it (Mark 15:2). Jesus did not deny this identity for, though they did not recognize Him as such, Jesus was indeed the King of the Jews. A. Jesus Died with Transgressors An amazing aspect of this King s death was that it occurred in the company of transgressors. Jesus was crucified between two malefactors. The death of the innocent happened between the guilty. Purity died in the midst of corruption. But this was only in keeping with the life He had lived. Jesus, though perfectly holy, was frequently in the company of the morally and ethically bankrupt. He spoke with harlots. He touched lepers. He dined with publicans and sinners. With that life pattern, it is only appropriate that His death occur in the midst of those who manifestly needed His forgiveness. Jesus died for sinners in the midst of 63

5 sinners so He could save sinners. The miracle of the Cross continues in lives every day. B. Pilate Wrote an Inscription That Jesus was King of the Jews was depicted during Christ s hours on the cross. In an apparent show of defiance to the Jewish community that had just bullied their way to this crucifixion, Pilate ordered that a superscription in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin be placed above Jesus head: Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews. The Jewish leaders were troubled by this depiction and requested that it be changed. Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews (John 19:21). Pilate showed the strength of character previously absent when he declared, What I have written I have written (John 19:22). III. LOVE NAILED JESUS TO THE CROSS Though this particular band of soldiers had probably crucified hundreds of men during their brutal careers, never had they laid hands on any man like this one. This was the very King of kings. By His own declaration, there was no limit to His ability. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth (Matthew 28:18). Accordingly, there was absolutely nothing they could do to Him against His will. Had He not allowed it, no whip would have been swung, no crown of thorns would have been plaited, and the first nail would never have been driven. Every action the soldiers took was only with His permission. Concerning His life, Jesus said, No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again (John 10:18). It was not nails that held Jesus to the cross. Nothing forged by a mere blacksmith could possibly do so. There was only one force powerful enough to bind Him to that instrument of torture. It was the might of the great love with which He loved us. (See Ephesians 2:4.) The only impetus for the redemptive plan of God was His love for us, and it culminated in His actions on Calvary. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). His love not only bound Him to the cross initially, it bound Him to the course of action that saw Him suffer unspeakable agonies over a six-hour period. At any moment He could have chosen in His sovereignty to abandon mankind s only hope and to come down from the cross. And He knew this, for He testified of such authority hours earlier in the Garden of Gethsemane when the soldiers first came to arrest Him. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? (Matthew 26:53). But He did not call for the angels, and He did not come down from the cross. His love for us prevented it. A. Jesus Forgave the Thief One of the crueler aspects of Christ s crucifixion was that while enduring the physical terrors, He was also forced to suffer the ongoing mocking of those gathered there. They ridiculed Him for His claims of Messiahship, and dared Him to deliver Himself with false promises to believe Him if He would only do so. These verbal assaults came from the Roman soldiers, the Jewish leaders, and the mob that surrounded Him. Then one more voice joined in. Coming from the cross adjacent to the Lord s was the voice of a condemned thief. And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us (Luke 23:39). How humiliating it must have been for even this one to rail on Him. But it must have been like a cool breath of air for Christ to hear the thief on His other side respond to the first: Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss (Luke 23:40 41). Then, turning his attention to Jesus, the second thief made a request that perfectly summed up the reason Jesus was hanging there. A condemned man with no other hope simply asked that Jesus would remember him when He came into His kingdom. (See Luke 23:42.) And Jesus did what He came there to do; He answered the call for salvation. With 64

6 pain etching His voice, Jesus assured this man of his eternal destiny by saying, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43). Even in that moment of agony, or perhaps especially in that moment of agony for sin, Jesus dealt with sin in the heart of a repentant man. It should be noted that this action in no fashion invalidates the necessity of an individual being born again of water and Spirit today. The thief was still living before the New Covenant had been enacted, for only Christ s death could usher in this new testament. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth (Hebrews 9:16 17). Once Jesus died, the New Covenant was in effect. But mere hours before that event, the thief found God s gift of forgiveness in the words of Jesus Christ. What a compassionate Savior! B. Jesus Forgave His Crucifiers Of significant note is the fact that Jesus did not merely forgive this one who asked for forgiveness before His death, but He extended forgiveness for the act of His crucifixion even to those who did not request it. While His tormentors were still engaged in mockery and cruelty, Jesus forgave them. There may be no more beautiful words spoken in this entire account than these: Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34). This declaration sets a pattern for those who would be like Him. Stephen followed Christ s example, for even while he was being stoned in his innocence, he mirrored his Lord by saying, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge (Acts 7:60). We must do likewise if we would truly be His disciples. We too are called to forgive those who wrong us even when they have not sought forgiveness. Doing so opens the pathway for God s forgiveness to continue to flow in our lives. Failure to do so stops the work of His mercy in us. (See Matthew 6:15.) C. Jesus Still Forgives Sinners While the work of the Cross was completed in those six agonizing hours, the ministry of the Cross continues today. His Cross offers a continued effect available to anyone who will seek His forgiveness with a sincere heart. The gift of repentance encompasses a sorrow for sin, a confession of sin, and a turning from sin. But when a man makes such a decision, the price paid on Calvary affords him God s forgiveness. Jesus still forgives. No matter the depth of the failure. No matter the nature of the transgression, with the exception of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. No matter the duration of iniquity. Jesus died precisely for this purpose to provide forgiveness to everyone who asks. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace (Ephesians 1:7). IV. THE MIRACLES OF THE CROSS To the casual observer, nothing might have appeared miraculous about Christ s crucifixion until the sky turned dark, the earth shook, and the graves opened. But at the outset, it appeared to be like any of the hundreds of other crucifixions that had occurred. A condemned man suffered terribly before succumbing to the elements and the loss of blood. But this cross was indeed the place of the miraculous. A. Miracle of the Incarnation First there was the miracle contained in the person hanging on the cross. This was no ordinary man. Resident in this victim was the fullness of the Godhead bodily. (See Colossians 2:9.) The fusion of God and man had occurred in Mary s womb more than three decades previously, but its purpose was being played out on Calvary. Jesus, the Christ, was the eternal God manifest in common flesh so He would have a body that could die. God is a spirit, and as such, He could not and never will die. When He was resurrected, Jesus comforted His disciples by allowing them to touch Him. He told them that a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have (Luke 24:39). And that body was created by design specifically for the day of His death. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me (Hebrews 10:5). 65

7 This is indeed just what the Bible calls it a mystery. That the eternal Spirit of God could be manifested in flesh so that body could die is a miracle of staggering proportions for the infinite to be finite, for the eternal to dwell in the realm of the temporary, for God to become a man, just to die. The identity of the one on the cross was certainly miraculous. B. Miracle of the Substitutionary Atonement The miracle was not simply that Jesus Christ died, but why He died. He was the only perfectly righteous man to have ever lived. There was nothing found in Him worthy of death. He had never sinned, and thus the curse of sin was not on Him. But for our sins, He willingly offered Himself on the cross as a substitute in our place. The righteousness of God required that the price of sin be paid. That price was found in the commodity of blood. Through the ages, untold numbers of animals had been slaughtered, but their blood could not satisfy the demands of eternal justice. When Jesus Christ came in flesh, however, His sinless life provided the needed sacrifice for redemption. Though our sins produced the debt that required payment, the riches of His grace met that need. Each of us owed a debt we could not pay, and He paid a debt He did not owe. This is a miracle of mercy and grace in action unrivaled in human history. C. Miracle of the Resurrection When Jesus hung His head and died, the miraculous power of God did not die with Him. Instead the power of God was to produce yet another supernatural display. A wealthy man named Joseph of Arimathaea requested the body of Christ and placed Him in a new tomb. Remembering that Jesus had said He would rise again after three days, the chief priests and Pharisees asked Pilate to secure the tomb. Command therefore that the sepulcher be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead (Matthew 27:64). Pilate replied, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. So they went, and made the sepulcher sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch (Matthew 27:65 66). But after three days and nights, nothing could hold Him back. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.... And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men (Matthew 28:2, 4). Death s grip slipped from the Savior as the powerless and defeated foe it is. The Resurrection confirmed and sealed what Jesus had done on Calvary. That Easter morning heralded the message for the first time that still rings today. Life has triumphed. Jesus is alive. Death and Hell are vanquished. The miracle of the Cross lives on! INTERNALIZING THE MESSAGE It is so vital that we not view the miracle of the Cross only through the lens of history, for it is so much more. The completed work of Christ on the cross as manifested when He came out of the tomb alive was to enable us to live new lives today. His death and resurrection were not His alone. Because He died and yet lives, we can as well! Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness (I Peter 2:24). Jesus suffered the agonies of His execution so that all men would have the chance to die in repentance, to be buried with Him in baptism, and to experience a resurrected life through the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Because we could never have died for our own sins, He did so for us. Now by faith exercised in obedience, we may partake of His victory over sin. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20). A miracle contained in an old, bloody tool of execution? Absolutely! Well did the song writer, George Bennard, pen the words of the grand old hymn The Old Rugged Cross : 66

8 In the old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine, A wondrous beauty I see; REFLECTIONS For twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died, To pardon and sanctify me. As you consider the fickle nature of the crowd that one day cried, Hosanna, and soon thereafter cried, Crucify Him, what lessons can you draw? In what ways do our lives perhaps send mixed messages to those who observe us? Discuss. The fact that Jesus was crucified between transgressors speaks to the fact that His mission was to reach broken people. Consider those in your circle of influence. Who might the Lord be asking you to minister to? Write down one name of an individual to whom you can show Christ s love this week. Jesus willingness to forgive those who tortured Him sets a high standard for our conduct. What do you believe are the biggest obstacles to our showing mercy as He did? How can we overcome those obstacles? Discuss the magnitude of the miracle of the Incarnation. How should the fact that God came in flesh affect our lives today? What is the ongoing effect of the wonder of God in Christ? Christ s resurrection provides the power for us to live overcoming, victorious lives. What area of your life needs to be affected by His resurrection power? How do you need to walk in newness of life? Pray that God would manifest His power in you this week to that end. 67