Introduction Who is Jesus? In his book Finding Common Ground Tim Downs tells us the story of visiting the campus at North Carolina State University. Several student organizations were setting up booths and bulletin boards announcing upcoming events. One large placard bore this message; IT ISN T WRONG TO THINK YOU RE RIGHT, BUT IT ISN T RIGHT TO THINK OTHERS ARE WRONG At first glance the thought seems noble, expressing humility and freedom from personal arrogance. It seemed to say, It s fine to have your own convictions, but allow others the dignity and freedom to formulate their own. How tolerant. But the message is contradictory. It is one of those Jack Handy Saturday Night Live Deep Thoughts that is shallow indeed like Wherever you go there you are. How can you believe something is right and at the same time believe that the person who disagrees with you is also right? Sometimes people are wrong. You cannot be both right and wrong about Jesus. The Bible records consider Jesus (Heb.3.1). Jesus is difficult to ignore. Even unbelievers acknowledge Jesus is the most influential person in human history. Over half the world acknowledge Him as a major prophet (even Muslims and Hindus are willing to grant him prophet status). Jesus makes extraordinary claims. Then he took the twelve aside and predicts the future a future that leads to rejection, suffering, death and a resurrection. Jesus reminds them He has come into the world to fulfill Scripture; to fulfill prophecy; and the disciples response is confusion, blindness, ignorance; a failure to comprehend both Jesus and the prophecies surrounding Jesus. Who is Jesus? What is the evidence of His life, His speech, His actions, his death, His resurrection? The central claim of Christianity is that God in Christ restores fallen humanity to a right relationship with Holy God. The way Christ accomplishes this is His death on Calvary s cross. As bizarre, as strange, as troubling as it may seem, Jesus Christ s chief claim to fame, is not His teachings or His miracles, but rather His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead. And that death was meaningful and purposeful, to secure salvation for all humanity. Paul s interpretation of Christ s death is recorded in Romans 5:8; God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while were still sinners, Christ died for us. No wonder Jesus told His disciples; John 14:6 (NKJV); I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Doesn t that make Christianity narrow? We have three choices. (1) Christianity is not narrow. (2) Christianity is narrow and wrong. (3) Christianity is narrow and true. 1
Steven Carter is a Professor of Law at Yale University. In his book The Culture of Disbelief he describes the unpardonable sin of intolerance: One good way to end a conversation or start an argument is to tell a group of welleducated professionals that you hold a political position (preferably a controversial one, such as being against abortion or pornography) because it is required by your understanding of God s will. In the unlikely event that anyone hangs around to talk with you about it, the chances are that you will be challenged on the ground that you are intent on imposing your religious beliefs on other people. And in contemporary political and legal culture, nothing is worse (cited in Tim Down s book Finding Common Ground; p.30). Even for some Christians it is difficult to take a stand. The difficulty lies in a culture and a world that tells us we have nothing to stand on. Post-modern historians tell us that history cannot be objectively known, therefore nothing can be truly known about Jesus. Pseudo scholars tell us that words convey simply the author s meaning that the Bible was written by men and therefore the Bible can be made to say anything. If you no longer believe truth exists than sin is simply a cultural context. If you believe the Bible is a book filled with cultural biases than you can quite easily come to the conclusion that the Bible contains no timeless truths. That Jesus died is the most widely established fact of history even skeptics even the course enemies of historical Christianity people like John Dominic Crossan, former Roman Catholic Priest who denies the resurrection of Jesus, agrees that Jesus death by execution under Pontius Pilate is as sure as anything historical can be. The big question is why did He die? When Jesus Reveals The Future (vv.31-33) Luke 18:31 (NKJV);31 Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished. For the third time Jesus predicts His journey to Jerusalem, His rejection, His suffering, His execution, His resurrection. In Luke 9:22; The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. In Luke 11:29-32 Jesus reminds them that no sign would be given except the sign of the prophet Jonah; (v.30) For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. Son of Man seems to be the favorite title Jesus uses for Himself. In John s gospel the phrase is used some 13 times and 69 times in the other gospels. 2
The name comes from the seventh chapter of Daniel; Daniel 7:13-14 (KJV);13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. Daniel receives a night vision and one called the Ancient of days gives to another divine being someone called the Son of Man glory, sovereignty, worship and an everlasting dominion or an eternal kingdom. George Carey rightly said; Jesus presented himself throughout the gospels, not first as a prophet, but as the object of prophecy. Luke 18:32 (NKJV); For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. Jesus makes it clear; He will be delivered to the Gentiles the Roman authorities. The Jewish religious authorities will hand Jesus over to the Gentile secular authorities. For centuries the debate has raged over who killed Jesus. The Bible makes it clear both the religious world of the Jews and the secular world of the Gentiles killed Jesus. The whole world is guilty before God for the death of Jesus. Both rejected Jesus and put Him to death. Psalm 22:1 (NKJV); My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning? Isaiah 53:1 (NKJV); Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? Four forms of torture are mentioned; Jesus will be mocked which means to ridicule, to scorn, to humiliate and jeer. Insulted is the Greek word hubrizo or hubristhestai which means to act with violence insolence contempt, to treat shamefully. Spit upon is pretty cross cultural. Most cultures where people spit on you is a monstrous sign of disrespect a gross insult. Luke 18:33 (NKJV) They will scourge Him and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again. Scourging is the final form of torture mentioned. Those of you who saw Mel Gibson s movie The Passion have seen a brutal film depiction of what it means to be scouraged. A whip is made from braided leather thongs. Pieces of lead, broken glass, sharp bits of bone where attached to the leather extensions. It has only one purpose to inflict pain. Jesus predicts His death. He knows from the start the trial and the torture will not go His way. 3
People ask all the time, Why do the innocent suffer? If God is so good and allpowerful, why did he make a world with so much suffering? Why do people, innocent people suffer disaster, disease, death? If God is so good, loving, powerful, why doesn t he put an end to suffering right now? The questions drip with pain. People usually ask the question for one of three reasons. Some people raise the questions because they hate Christ and Christianity are trying to refute Christian claims. Some ask to try and show off their own knowledge or understanding of the subject. Some ask because people have been hurt at the deepest level and they want answers. The question is complicated and the answers are not easy. I won t pretend to provide a satisfying answer at this very moment, but let me suggest a couple of things. The simple answer is the reason people suffer the reason why there is sin is because (1) evil exists but God (or substandard deity) doesn t exist or (2) God exists and evil doesn t or (3) God exists and evil does in fact exist. In the first choice evil is greater than God (Rabbi Harold Kushner God exists but He is powerless to overcome it). The second choice is philosophical dualism God and evil are co-eternal-co-equal. The third view is the Bible s position God is greater than evil and will one day completely defeat sin and evil. The death of Jesus was the first great blow against sin. We look back on Jesus death. We see Jesus bearing our sin. Jesus suffered more than anyone has ever suffered, more than the sum and the substance of all collective human suffering. What was Jesus thinking when he was tortured? Was He thinking of our sin? Was He thinking of the problem sin caused for God? Imagine all the world s sin, the enormity, the horror. His heart was broken. And the human race committed the most heinous sin of all they killed God s only begotton, sinless Son. Rebellion takes its final filthy form. A rebellion that results in the death of God s own Son. And the third day He will rise again. Jesus predicts His resurrection. Dead people don t usually come back to life. I grew up in the first Star Trek generation. Dr. McCoy Captain Kirk s ever present side kick was fond of coming across a body and saying; He s dead Jim!. In the Princess Bride the character played by Billy Crystal Miracle Max is presented with the apparent dead body of Wesley or the dred pirate Robert and is greeted with the words; He s dead. No he is not dead, he is mostly dead. We know the disciples did not comprehend Jesus statement. Just like today people argue dead people do not come back to life. 4
Jesus reminds them God s final word will not be death but rather resurrection and life. Paul wrote; 2 Timothy 2:8 (NKJV); Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, Ephesians 1:19-20 (NKJV); and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, John 20:27-29 (NKJV); Then He said to Thomas, Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing. 28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, My Lord and my God! 29 Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. When Jesus Cites The Scripture (v.31b) and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. Hundreds and thousands of years before Jesus the Messiah was born in Bethlehem, God had spoken many prophecies about His coming. God spoke through men like Moses, David, Isaiah, and Micah. In order for Jesus to be the true Messiah, He had to fulfill every prophecy that was ever spoken and written... and He did! Every single one! Let me give you just a few; He would be born of a virgin (Micah 5:2) and he was (Matt.2:1-6). He would be born in Bethlehem (Isa.7:14) and he was (Matt.1:18-25). He would be taken into Egypt (Hosea 11:1) and He was (Matt.2:15). He would heal the sick and make people whole (Isaiah 53) and He did (Matt.8; Luke 18). He would be crucified (Psalm 22:14-17) and He was (Matt.27:31). He would die for our sins (Isa.53) and He did (John 1:29, John 11:49-52). He would be raised from the dead (Psalm 16:10) and He was (Matt.28:1-10). The many prophecies about Jesus second coming have yet to be fulfilled, but one day they will be, every single one (this information was taken from a Christmas Card sent to me by Chuck Missler!). When Jesus Makes No Sense (v.34) Luke 18:34 (KJV);34 And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. Luke reminds the reader three time of how the disciples just don t get it. The message of Jesus was incomprehensible, unintelligible, unknown. they understood none of these things the message was hidden from them. 5
Some Bible scholars speculate the disciples failed to understand why Jesus, the Son of man would need to be rejected, suffer and die. Their theology did not have room for a suffering and dying Messiah (see C. Marvin Pate; Moody Gospel of Luke; p.347). Certainly the disciples are confused. They either would not accept or could not accept the death and resurrection of Jesus. They would not accept His words. For them the words of Jesus were a puzzle, a mystery, an enigma wrapped in a riddle. The word hid in verse 34 is the Greek word kekrummenon the idea of hidden and remained hidden in other words they did not perceive and they kept on not perceiving. We are making a mistake if we think the disciples had never read or were unfamiliar with the Old Testament writings and prophecies. They were but for some reason they could not see or would not see those passages that made reference to Messiah s rejection, suffering, execution. They were so intent, so focused on the prophecies that spoke of Messiah s triumph, rule, reign, predicted blessings, they were blind to the scriptures that dealt with predicted sufferings. They could not see what value, what benefit, a disgraceful, painful death could accomplish. This is why they only had a partial grasp of the truth. When is Jesus most likely to be misunderstood? When His words are not taken at face value, whey they are rejected because we don t want to believe them, or refuse to understand them. Later in Luke s gospel Jesus says; Luke 24:25 (KJV); Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken : Micah 4:12 (KJV); But they know not the thoughts of the LORD, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor. 1 Corinthians 2:14 (KJV); But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. Conclusion C.S. Lewis pointed out much to the chagrin of his contemporaries; A man who was merely man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall 6
at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. 7