The Meaning of Jesus's Death

OPENING

This morning, we gather not on a Sunday, the Lord’s Day. We gather on a Friday. Not just any Friday, but Good Friday.

This is a day we spend in particular remembrance of the sacrifice of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

This is the heart of the gospel.

We have put our faith in Jesus’ sacrifice.

We sing songs about Jesus’ sacrifice.

We read God’s Word which tells us about Jesus’ sacrifice.

We listen to sermons about Jesus’ sacrifice.

We look forward to eternity in God’s presence because of Jesus’ sacrifice.

His death and resurrection are at the heart of everything we do as Christians!

Each of the 4 gospels account for us the details of Jesus’s life.

They tell of His birth, His life, His ministry, and His miracles.

And yet each gospel writer slows down as they detail for us the final week of Jesus’s life.

Mark dedicates about 40% of his gospel to Jesus’s final week.

Matthew about 30%

Luke about 24%

and John more than 40%.

They clearly understood implications of Jesus’s final days to be of utmost importance.

I was reading a book this week by William F. Cook entitled...

Jesus’s Final Week: From Triumphal Entry to Empty Tomb

In this book, Cook lays out the final week of Jesus’s life in a practical and helpful way, which I will summarize this morning.

The Triumphal Entry

Palm Sunday: April 2, AD 30

After having kept His identity hidden for 3 years, Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, thereby declaring Himself to be Israel’s King.

This was a big moment!

As Pastor Jake mentioned last week, everybody was wrong about Jesus.

Even those who believed in Him had not included His death in their predictions.

after taking a walk through the temple, he leaves the city for night.

The Cursing of the Fig Tree and Clearing of the Temple

Monday: April 3, AD 30

As Pastor Jake mentioned last week, the cursing of the fig tree and the clearing of the temple were demonstrations by Jesus that the Israelites had not been faithful to God, and Jerusalem would therefore be judged for its fruitlessness.

Rather than being a place for people to worship, the religious leaders had turned the temple into a marketplace to line their own pockets.

Their judgement would come soon, and God would usher in a new covenant through Jesus.

Temple Controversies and Teaching

Tuesday: April 4, AD 30

In Jesus’ teaching, He condemned the Pharisees and scribes for their religious hypocrisy. They did a lot of the right things, but for the wrong reasons. They were seeking the approval of men and not God.

Jesus also noticed the offering of the widow giving her 2 small coins, and used it to teach his disciples. Quite the opposite of the religious leaders, she didn’t expect to be noticed for her small offering, and yet Jesus saw it. He notices even the smallest offerings.

Jesus also taught about His second coming. Though we don’t know the day or hour, we can be sure that He will return, so we’d better be ready!

The Betrayal of Jesus Christ

“Silent” Wednesday: April 5, AD 30

The gospels do not record anything happening on this day, hence the reason it is known as “Silent” Wednesday.

Judas likely used this day to travel the 2 miles into Jerusalem and negotiate Jesus’s betrayal.

Though he was with Jesus for His miracles and ministry, he still did not truly believe in Him.

This is a warning to those who believe a “casual Christianity”.

Christ needs to be first in our lives, and we must give Him our whole-hearted devotion.

The Last Supper

Maundy Thursday: April 6, AD 30

We see God’s sovereignty (His control and power over all things) in

Jesus telling His disciples how to prepare for the Passover,

in Jesus predicting Judas’s betrayal,

as well as His knowledge that all the disciples would fall away.

Jesus wasn’t caught off-guard or unaware of any of these things.

Then Jesus instituted the Last Supper whereby God’s people remember Jesus’s sacrifice on their behalf.

Through His death, Jesus freed us from bondage to Satan, sin, and the fear of death.

The Garden of Gethsemane

Thursday Night—Early Hours of Friday Morning: April 6—7, AD 30

Following the Last Supper, Jesus and His disciples go to the Garden of Gethsemane, one of Jesus’s favourite places to go.

It is here that we find Jesus praying in agony, as He faces the cup of God’s wrath poured out on sin as He bears the sin of all mankind.

Yet in His prayer, He is committed to accomplishing God’s will for His life.

The disciples on the other hand, were not able to stay awake and pray for their friend and Lord.

Jesus is betrayed by Judas, one of His own, and then abandoned by all His disciples.

The Jewish Trial: Guilty of Blasphemy

Early Hours of Friday: April 7, AD 30

Jesus is taken to the high priest, and all the chief priests, elders and scribes came together, seeking people to bear witness against Jesus that they might have reason to have him executed.

They were more interested in keeping their positions of power, than actually fulfilling the spiritual responsibilities that came with them.

Many came and gave false accusations about Jesus, but none of their facts lined up.

Finally, the high priest asked Jesus point blank, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?”

Jesus answers, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”

The high priest tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need? You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?”

And they all condemned him as deserving death.

Meanwhile, Peter denies His Lord and Saviour 3 times.

The Roman Trial: Guilty of Treason

Friday: April 7, AD 30

Jesus is then led away by the Jewish council to Pilate. Here he is questioned by Pilate, and many accusations are brought by the chief priests, but Jesus does not answer. This amazes Pilate.

As things progress, Pilate can see that these religious leaders have no legal grounds for their accusations, but are acting out of envy.

Still, in an effort to please the crowd, he releases Barabbas, a murderer, and delivers Jesus, an innocent man, to the soldiers to be crucified.

The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus Christ

Good Friday: April 7, AD 30

We pick up the account in Mark’s gospel, chapter 15, at verse 21.

Mark recounts the horror Jesus experienced to save sinners.

Mark does this through 3 scenes.

The first scene shows Jesus being led to Golgotha and crucified

The second scene tells of Him being mocked as his life literally hangs in the balance.

The third scene recounts Jesus’ death, where he is all alone.

Scene 1: Jesus Crucified

Mark 15:21–24 ESV

And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take.

EXPLAIN

After being condemned to death by crucifixion, and beaten and mocked by the Roman soldiers, Jesus is led away to Golgotha where He would be crucified.

Those condemned to death by crucifixion were usually forced to carry the crossbeam to the place where they would be executed.

Weary from a sleepless night, and weakened from the scourging He receieved, Jesus was unable to carry it on His own.

Simon of Cyrene is forced to carry it for Jesus.

Once they arrived at Golgotha, Jesus was offered wine mixed with Myrrh.

This mixture was allowed by the Romans to temporarily deaden the pain, but Jesus refused it.

Then, Jesus was crucified.

This was a form of execution that the Romans had perfected, so that the victim experienced the maximum amount of torture.

The Roman soldiers drove the large iron nails through Jesus’s wrists and heel bones, and then stood the cross upright.

After crucifying Jesus and the two criminals, the soldiers had completed the most difficult part of their job, and as they waited for them to die, they cast lots for Jesus’s garments.

This was one of the perks for the soldiers who performed the crucifixions.

Yet for us as NT Christians, we know that this is more than a common or random act, but it is a fulfilment of God’s Word through David in Psalm 22:16-18

Psalm 22:16–18 (ESV)

For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet— I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.

What seems like a random act of injustice, against one man, on what seems like a day like any other day, is a part of God’s plan of redemption.

Jesus is crucified.

Mark’s brief description of Jesus’s crucifixion then gives way to…

Scene 2: Jesus Mocked

Mark 15:25–30 ESV

And it was the third hour when they crucified him. And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!”

Mark 15:31–32 ESV

So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.

EXPLAIN

Mark notes that Jesus was crucified at about 9:00 am, and then details the mockery and abuse that Jesus faced as He hung on the cross.

The crime for which Jesus was apparently guilty and deserving of death, was that He was “King of the Jews.”

The Jewish leaders certainly did not think this was true, nor did Pilate, and yet for those of us with eyes to see, what was meant as an insult, could not be more true. Jesus truly was, and is, their King!

As Jesus hung on the cross between two criminals, we see Him mocked by 3 different groups of people.

First, He is mocked by those passing by on the road.

Then Jesus is mocked by the chief priests and scribes.

Lastly, He is mocked by both criminals who were dying on either side of Him.

Speaking on this passage, William Cook says,

The repeated taunts that he should save himself and come down from the cross are a failure to understand that if he saved himself there would be no payment for the penalty of sin. As they mock him as Messiah and King, they unknowingly confess his true identity.

Jesus, the only righteous man to walk this earth, hung beside two criminals.

Jesus, deserving of praise and worship, endured insults and mockery.

Jesus, the all-mighty and all-powerful, chose not to save Himself, so that He could save us!

After recounting Jesus’s crucifixion and mockery, Mark now shifts his focus to…

Scene 3: Jesus’s Death

Mark 15:33–34 ESV

And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Mark 15:35–37 ESV

And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last.

EXPLAIN

From about 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm, there is darkness over the whole land.

This darkness is a sign of God’s wrath falling on Jesus, as He Himself bears the sin of all mankind.

This darkness reminds us of the darkness that came upon the Egyptians before God’s judgement through the death of their firstborn.

Jesus breaks the silence with the question, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachtani?”

Mark translates this Aramaic phrase from the opening of Psalm 22 for his readers. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

In his gospel, Mark emphasizes how alone Jesus was. There are a few women looking on from a distance, but everyone else is mocking him, looking on him with contempt. And now, he feels the abandonment of God, because of His wrath being poured out on sin.

Verse 2 of the song, “In Christ Alone” describes this well.

In Christ alone who took on flesh

Fullness of God in helpless babe

This gift of love and righteousness

Scorned by the ones He came to save

Till on that cross as Jesus died

The wrath of God was satisfied

For every sin on Him was laid

Here in the death of Christ I live

Jesus’s words on the cross are misunderstood by his enemies, as they continue to mock him.

victims of crucifixion would slowly lose their strength and fade away and die.

But in an unusual display of strength, Jesus utters a final cry, showing that his life did not merely fade away, but that He willingly gave His life up.

This is what he said in…

John 10:17–18 ESV

For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

No greater love has been shown than the love of Jesus, as he willingly gave up his life for guilty sinners.

Then Mark says in verse 38-39

Mark 15:38–39 ESV

And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

Most understand this curtain to be the curtain that separates the holy place from the Holy of Holies in the temple.

This room was so sacred only the high priest was able to enter in once a year.

Jesus, our great High Priest, opened up the way into God’s presence through His death.

Hebrews 10:19–22 ESV

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

The Roman centurian had likely seen many deaths, many crucifixions, but none like this one.

The way in which Jesus died caused him to exclaim “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

SUMMARY

Jesus was crucified by Roman soldiers, mocked by all who watched him die, and willingly gave up His life.

What does this mean for us today?

CLOSING

I was watching an interview this week with John MacArthur, where he explains the meaning of 2 Corinthians 5:21. He says…

The greatest gospel verse in the Bible. 2 Cor. 5:21 “He made him who knew no sin, sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” Let me unpack those 15 Greek words.

He, God, made Jesus sin. What do you mean he made Jesus sin? Only in one sense. He treated him as if he had committed every sin ever committed by every person who would ever believe, though in fact he committed none of them.

Hanging on the cross he was holy, harmless, undefiled. Hanging on the cross he was the spotless Lamb. He was never for a split second a sinner. He is holy God on the cross. But God is treating him, I’ll put it more practically, as if he lived my life.

God punished Jesus for my sin, turns right around and treats me as if I lived his life. That’s the great doctrine of substitution, and on that doctrine turned the whole Reformation of the church. That is the heart of the gospel.

And what you get is complete forgiveness, covered by the righteousness of Jesus Christ. When he looks at the cross he sees you, when he looks at you he sees Christ.

This is the amazing truth of what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross!

This is the gospel… the great reversal! Our lives of sin, traded for His life of righteousness!

So how do we receive this forgiveness and right standing before God?

By faith!

John tells us in his gospel, as he shares Jesus’s words to Nicodemus…

John 3:16–18 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

John 3:19–21 ESV

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

For those who refuse to believe in Christ, those who continue to live in their sin and wickedness, they will be condemned since they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

But for those who put their faith in Jesus Christ, they have been saved from the penalty of their sin, are being saved from the power of sin in their lives, and will be saved from the presence of sin…

All because they have come to the light… Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

PRAYER

Father…

We feel the weight of this day, as Jesus, the Son of God is condemned, beaten, mocked, and crucified...

Yet as the rulers of this world conspired against Your Son, we know that it was part of Your perfect plan, as Jesus willingly gave up His life...

We feel the weight of this day, but we also feel the beauty and glory of this day, as Jesus displays sacrificial love...

This morning, we remember Jesus’ sacrifice through partaking of communion.

We remember His body beaten and sacrificed for us as our teeth break apart the bread.

We remember His blood poured out for us, cleansing us from the inside as we drink the fruit of the vine.

We feel unworthy of so great a display of love, because we all know the weight, and the depth of sin in our own lives.

We have all sinned, and continue to sin, and so, fall short of the glory of God.

And we know that the wages of sin is death. We do not deserve mercy and grace, but we deserve eternal judgement because of our sin.

It was us who should of have been hung on that cross! It should be us, bearing the guilt of our own sin!

Yet, the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

May it be our joy to live our lives as a sacrificial offering to You, for all that You have done for us.

Would you spiritually strengthen us as we partake of the symbolic remembrance of Jesus’s body and blood through the bread and the juice,

and would You strengthen us by the power of Your Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us,

in order that every effort of our lives would display the matchless worth of Christ!

We thank You in Jesus’ name. Amen!

COMMUNION

This morning it is our joy and privilege to remember Christ’s sacrifice through communion.

Our deacons will be passing the trays of bread and juice down the aisles, so if you have been baptized on the confession of your faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, and are in good standing with God, we invite you to participate with us.

As we wait for everyone to get a piece of bread and a cup of juice, we would like to encourage you to take some time to meditate on the lyrics of a song that we will have playing, or spend time in quiet prayer, as you reflect on Jesus’ sacrifice. We encourage you take time to confess your sin to God, as you remember the cleansing that His blood provides. After everyone has received the bread and juice, Isaac, one of our deacons, will read a passage of Scripture, pray, and then we will partake together.

Also, please take note of the deacons who are serving you this morning. They are God’s servants given to this church. They are trusted leaders that you can reach out to at any time for help, prayer and encouragement.