John 19:17 Cursed Outside the Gates for Us in Golgotha!
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Hour of the power of darkness … Cross is a dark place … feel like descending like classic novela: Heart of Darkness! Book actually begins with little boy - place finger on map … Maybe like how we often approach Christianity .. like the teaching, like the promise of heaven, like the fuluffy inspirituaional stuff! But this novel takes the steam ship journey into heart of the Congo and intot he heart of the city of London - discover equally lead to heart of darkness! Well congregation hasn’tthe gospel led us there too -in this broken world - the gospel take us to the heart of darkness - and to the darkness of our own hearts!
Hour of the power of darkness … Cross is a dark place … feel like descending like classic novela: Heart of Darkness! Book actually begins with little boy - place finger on map … Maybe like how we often approach Christianity .. like the teaching, like the promise of heaven, like the fuluffy inspirituaional stuff! But this novel takes the steam ship journey into heart of the Congo and intot he heart of the city of London - discover equally lead to heart of darkness! Well congregation hasn’tthe gospel led us there too -in this broken world - the gospel take us to the heart of darkness - and to the darkness of our own hearts!
Why Christian novelist CS Lewis has his heroine ask the question - Why must holy places always dark places? Now that could mean religion wrecks everything …
“Holy places are dark places. It is life and strength, not knowledge and words, that we get in them. Holy wisdom is not clear and thin like water, but thick and dark like blood.”
Why are holy places always dark places?
Till We Have Face, shows that true religion can’t be a turning our backs to hard cold realities of suffering, sin injustice in this wrold our lives… God and humanity dealing with them -is going to take us to dark places!
In another story has a shipload of people - sailing into deeper and deeper darkness, … and they go further in whatever your worst nightmares … start living that - going crazy!
And Lucy calls out O Aslan if ever you loved us, help us now. Phoenix - pin point of light - blazing lead them out! Well congregation, our world, your life and mine - like that ship - maybe not in complete darkness now - sin, suffering, temptation and death - curse on sin - IN the life of Jesus he goes to the heart of darkness on that Cross, and if you like Lucy call out - see the Light that must overcome your darkness!
Key Truth: Jesus bore the curse of God outside the gates in darkness, to bring us into His Blessing and Light!!
Dear Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
A. Jesus was Sent Out by More than the Puppets & Peacocks of this World -
A. Jesus was Sent Out by More than the Puppets & Peacocks of this World -
by Far More than the Puppet & Peacocks of this World -
Pilate doesn’t get it - king not of this world, if so defend myself with swords; doesn’t even answer the power hungry high priest… kill an innocent man… Gabbatha is a mockery of justice and a joke
But what you have to sense is there is more than tragedy here -saw it in the Garden - Jesus knowing ly acting as a King, Priest- his binding by corrupt human authorities was not so much the issue, as his willingness to use that even a as asign - that he is becoming the criminal, the guilty, one with no rights = For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
We saw this when he was arrested and bound, Now tried at Gabbatha.
But who does John say is leading Jesus out to Golgotha?
And now you must understand the picture that John gies us to understand - Christ’s death! It comes in thse words that form a new paragraph in 16,17. So They took Jesus and he went out!
So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.
So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha.
It is only John wh records that it wasn’t just civil law, Romans leading Jesus out - 16a Pilate deliverd X over to them to Jewish religiosu leadership , Priestly ruling class to the High Priests
It is only John wh records that it was just civil law, Romans leading Jesus out - 16a Pilate deliverd X over to them to Jewish religiosu leadership , Priestly ruling class to the High Priests
What is the picture thta God in His soveriegn will painted, and John paints in such viivid colour?
Now you must see it - Pilate the chief preists fading from the picture - why? They have said - beyond the law - can’t stand in the gates - most guilty of guilty - cast out of society - justice was to be decided in the city gates … But where is Jesus led? Outside the gates!
Jesus was Condemned by Far More than the Puppet & Peacocks of this World -
B. Jesus was Being Cursed by God
Who do prietsts, indeed with the high pirest inovled - who do they lead out of the city - Think on it, on the hgih and holy day of Atonement, kill one sacrfical goat blood on th altar, caracass thrown out of the camp - but take other goat - confess all the sins of the people - as a representative - loaded with the guilt of Gods’ people - that scape goat -led out of the camp, out of the city gates -into the wilderness to die … Of course all those sacrfices only symbols - couldn’t cleanse -types pointing to atonement God promses d to provide in another wilderness!
It is only John wh records that it was just civil law, Romans leading Jesus out - 16a Pilate deliverd X over to them to Jewish religiosu leadership , Priestly ruling class to the High Priests
What is the picture thta God in His soveriegn will painted, and John paints in such viivid colour?
Who do prietsts, indeed with the high pirest inovled - who do they lead out of the city - Think on it, on the hgih and holy day of Atonement, kill one sacrfical goat blood on th altar, caracass thrown out of the camp - but take other goat - confess all the sins of the people - as a representative - loaded with the guilt of Gods’ people - that scape goat -led out of the camp, out of the city gates -into the wilderness to die … Of course all those sacrfices only symbols - couldn’t cleanse -types pointing to atonement God promses d to provide in another wilderness!
but now as a Priest and even more as the Lamb. Sginficance of the place - spiritually - outside the camp goes ont o say - outside is where the reproach is born!
For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp.
- leaving Jerusalem the holy city - judged by God as unclean… Do you see the priests preparing himas the sqacrfice…
- leaving jersualem the holy city - judged by God as unclean… Do you see the priests preparing himas the sqacrfice…
And here you must understand that the wilderness is a picture of hell! Small picture of it immediately in the garden of Eden, exiled out of God’s dwelling presence. Frisbee cosmology - temple mountain of Lord, city , walls, gates… wildrness - chaos of the sea! But now JOhn is saying at this place outside the gates, in the wilderness of that Place of a Skull - real and full hell was goign to be paid!
And here you must understand that the wilderness is a picture of hell! Small picture of it immediately in the garden of Eden, exiled out of God’s dwelling presence. Frisbee cosmology - temple mountain of Lord, city , walls, gates… wildrness - chaos of the sea! But now JOhn is saying at this place outside the gates, in the wilderness of that Place of a Skull - real and full fell was goign to be paid!
What did Jesus call the wilderness in the gospels. Three times explicitily said when a person falls into sin, doesn’t deal with it, when a person rejects God’s Son the Saviour - cast out into OUTER DARKNESS - weeping and gnashing of teeth!
John recors it was about the sixth hour, twelve noon - they crucify him outside of the camp, inthe wildrness - image of hell- why outside th camp here -gehenna - place of refuse, garbage dump, burning fire that never went out - pagan worship had gone on there - Need to understand - Jesus not jsut being humanly condemned, so the sad part of this day - is they got the wrongfully accused. Sasd sad part of this day, is the only one to live holy life, the incrante Son of God - living it for us - they were calling Him - UNCLEAN, UNHOLY, UNFIT for the hoy city, people of God, life on planet earth
And the fact tah it was these priest who led him out like the scape goat - that shows God was approving that Yes Jesus your life pure spotless, fulfilled all rightesouness -suitable perfect Lamb a Sacrfice that will measure up - for the righteosuness each of you owe God and could never give!
C. Suffering the Curse meant Being Utterly Cut Off in Hell, but in this life!
C. Suffering the Curse meant Being Utterly Cut Off From God in a Way that None Outside of Hell Ever Is!
This is the meaning of that darkness - consider the first and greatest gift of God - which upholds whole universe - God said let there be light!
Hell is there reverse of that - no one ever fully experiences that this side of the grave - only lost souls and one day embodied souls! The order is that we die, and without salvation - the darkness of separation from God - active punishment!
But Jesus hasn’t died yet, and the darkness the separation is already occurring - what is going on?
The OT had predicted it:
= midday the Son hands suspended in darkness at midday. = Day of the Lord = world creating light, even agter fall, suspended = pointing to the evening of the world =
Behold, the day of the Lord comes,
cruel, with wrath and fierce anger,
to make the land a desolation
and to destroy its sinners from it.
For the stars of the heavens and their constellations
will not give their light;
the sun will be dark at its rising,
and the moon will not shed its light.
I clothe the heavens with blackness
and make sackcloth their covering.”
“And on that day,” declares the Lord God,
“I will make the sun go down at noon
and darken the earth in broad daylight.
I will turn your feasts into mourning
and all your songs into lamentation;
I will bring sackcloth on every waist
and baldness on every head;
I will make it like the mourning for an only son
and the end of it like a bitter day.
Christ in the catastrophic curse, he stumbles - there is a fall - the abyss of out darkness confronts him -= He has stepped over the borderline; He has no valid passport
“And on that day,” declares the Lord God, “I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight. I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on every waist and baldness on every head; I will make it like the mourning for an only son and the end of it like a bitter day.
= Christ in the catastrophic curse, he stumbles - there is a fall - the abyss of out darkness confrotnts him -= He has stepped over the borderline; He has no valid passport
= Christ in the catastrophic curse, he stumbles - there is a fall - the abyss of out darkness confrotnts him -= He has stepped over the borderline; He has no valid passport
And now Jesus is experiecning in his full huamnity, in HIs full person experiencing it!
Story is told by one who survived the horrdenous torture of th Gulgags…
Gulag’s in Russia -in dark prison -told how possible form him not to cry aloud under the impact of the most terrible tortures, and not to lose consciousness. He decided - at the suggestion of another - to keep a point of light steadily before his eye, a lamp, a shining thing, something of copper, or of brass, or the like; so long as he could keep that point of light within the focus of his eye, he could remain himself, not lose himself, nor be crazed by the pain! O GOD how can HE preserve thee and Himself?
That point of light - waht Son of God from all eternity enjoyed with Father and the Spirit - mutual indwelling, communion, fellowship - as Christ became sin for us - the Father withrdarws that felt presence and blessing, that is hell and it is what we in our sins deserve - not Jesus!
And he cries out Eli ELi ELi - don’t lose sight of this Christ still in union with God, not full communion , still God-incarnate dying for us - God incarnate trusting and submitting to only way of salvation - trusting Father in obedience - Foot in hell, and hand in heaven - calling out - why have you forsaken me! Those 3 hours truly forsaken - as the full wrath of God - utter separation - torment loosed upon him, - worse than the physical pain, humiliation of human family scorning him
Lifted up between earth and heaven - cursed anyone hangs on a tree - why rejected by both - Son of God never in this terriotry wilderness - hell before - no passport no rights, no recourse, suffers the infite wrath - .. Not just the gates of Jerusalem that opened up, but he gates of the whole good universe God created us to live, the gates of fellowship within the Triune God - though he remains God, he in our human nature forgoes that fellowship - rejected by heaven and earth - as the ultimate sacrifice that will pay for our sins, and overcome the separation between God our sins bring upon us!
This is the heart of Christ’s suffering on the Cross - bearing the curse of God!
Tis myserty all -Once Martin Luther sat for hours in deep contemplation as if in a trance. Finally he arose and exclaimed, God forsaken by God! who can understand it? The cross staggers our minds and shocks our sensibilities. Leon Morris called it one of the most horrifying passages in Scripture. F. F. Bruce called it the hardest of Jesus sayings yet the most credible because no one would have invented it.
Don’t admire him as mere heroic sufferer, understand he is not just bearing shame and scoffing rude as a misunderstood victim- no admire Him as he who voluntarily even delighting in the Father’s will, divine justice, seeing the order and the plan - He is bearing the curse of God, forsakenness - wrath of God… made q curse - He understands the wages of sin is death - he understood the cup of wrath drunk by you for your sin - revolted by it in hiuman nature - flinches not to take that cup for you now as he dies on the cross!
understand no one gets the full curse in this life, before death - never final punishment ,not even physical death - curse after that is hell! And Christ must suffer that in this life before He dies - that God-forsakness. He is proving that he not only will pay for the punishment of our sins; but that he is stronger than that punishment, that He in facing hell for you will win fellowship, oneness, atonement, heaven! He in taking our sin on himself had become the Great Sinner - and now He is utterly exiled - and has no ground beneath His feet! He descends as it were in in His forsakness into hell - and take it for you!
Catechism this what His descent into hell means: sure place of dead Hades 3 days… but not what church is saying: “To assure me in times of personal crisis and temptation that Christ my Lord, by suffering unspeakable anguish, pain, and terror of soul, especially on the cross, but also earlier, has delivered me from the anguish and torment of hell.” Heidelberg Catechism QA 44
But listen now at the foot of the Cross, even as you hear Jesus ministering to his mother, his best friend, before the wrath consumes him. With a love similar to holding out the bread to Judas, and healing Malchus’ ear… Jesus contnues ever even in His suffering, dong the Father’s will of salvation for lsot sinners and borken sufferrs! He is not suffering in vain, this is not cosmic childabuse - suffering this hell being paid by the spotless Lamb of God is no accident. Saviour of the World with gracious plan of our holy God - saying Don’t do it to them, as they deserve Father, do it to me!
D. In the Cross You Must Embrace the Light of the Guarantor of Your Soul
in the Covenant of Grace!
Jesus said, what good will it do you, if you gain the whole world but lose your soul!
And now from the Cross I must tell you how you can gain your soul!
A world of suffering hell was loosed on Jesus - and the Father still in union though not in communion for these three hours, which to God the Son in his suffering eternity of hell - he was performing the worker of Guarantor or Surety for those in Covenant with Him.
Do you get that? This is where all the light comes flashing forth from the darknes of the Cross. it is why this dark place is a holy place!
If you take out a loan - have someone co-sign - cause if beusinness don’t work - don’t hve car or house - to your credit - to pay off bad debt. So Dad comes along co-signs. In pure mercy and grace, God sent Christ in to our mess of debts sin and brokenness - you and I helpless and lost and guilty - nothing but outstanding debt not credit - because of that cut off from fellowship with lender who gave us that life, business, loan!
God the Father, the Holy Spirit not broken in union with the Son incarnate performing our service, paying our debt - but as X becomes sin for us - commuinon, fellowhsip broken - paying the weightiest service - get us out of debtors prsion, that will deliver us from death and hell sentence, that will bring life , business, livelihood in grace back!
Christ is preserving God’s plan to save us, even if it destroys him, so that we might be saved, present our souls and body - calling you and me to participate in this new covenant deal today!
So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.
Christ - calls out as he exhausts the last of hell , punishment, wrath as the dmeons and Satan, and this world do their worst - calls out in a loud voice Tetelstai - It is finshed - paid in full.
Christ - calls out as he exhausts the last of hell , punishment, wrath as the dmeons and Satan, and this world do their worst - calls out in a loud voice Tetelstai - It is finshed - p[aid in full.
Very interesting that before Jesus died and rose again - used this idea - but said don’t tell anyone about this until I rise again! Mount of Transfiguration - Moses and Elijah appeared - who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure (Exodus), which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
In he predicts his betrayl, mocking, flooging, death and his rising - and he uses the same word:
And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished.
Now those were two in the OT great leaders of Israel - who saww the glory the light of the Lord in such a direct way, but they were unable to make a window in their soul - so that light could shine through them to us the people!
And they are on the Mountain with Jesus who is glowing in all his glory - light shining - look to Jesus the bearer of light and say Fulfill it. Finish It - Accomlish this taht all God’s peole forgiven, but now recnciled by Your Cross - might glow and knwo Your Light! Now Jesus the Scape goat, the Perfect Lamb - giving the perfect righteousness taht alone ven perfect obedience in carrying out Father’s plan, he offer us that rightosunes sin his sacrfice, and takes upon His shoulder, into his very being our sin - and the Father answers with the darkness - Yes Jesus has become the curse for us - but now that is accomplished!
Do you remeber what the result is in .
And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised,
The Surety and Guarantor finished the transaction - as our substitute he exhaustd God’s justice wrath on our sin, first signs - torn curtain - God and you and me live together in His light; earthquake openning the tombs that dath and sin had shut - resurrection - souls and bodies broght together - in full union and light and fellowship - mybe to heaven maybe not - But do you see what Jesus has done -
God looks upon his life and says righteousness is accepted for you His people, He looks at the darkness and death and dsuffering - that Christ suffered - and the Judge of the univrse - looks from Jesus to you - declares Enough! - and Christ with you His child on his heart, like high priest making those sadrfices leading out that scape goart - with your name on His heart - he says - I’ve taken all the curse from you, taken all the poison out of dath, I’ve taken the brunt of Stan’s power and broke it’s back - now trusing the Exodus, Passvoer, Day of Atonement I have just accopmlished for you - commemorating it, and taking all the beniditis by Faith - live in the light, the commmuion, the fellowship - Like Moses and Elkjah bask in my light, come to life that never ends.
Do you see it? he went out there into the forsakenness to die outside of the gates, to bear the curse - that you meeting him there might have tyour curse lifted ff your shoulders, and that follwoing Him in faith He might open to you the way of fellowship and joy with Him and HIs Father and with the Holy Spirit ! Can you say it - trusting in HIs finished work on the Corss - that he died the death - the infintie death and punishment and forsakness you deserve, that you and I would never be cursed or forsaken, or punished and condmened ever again - that you and I might live with our guarntor forever. Amen.
Do you see it he went out there into the forsakenness to die outside of the gates, to bear the curse - that you meeting him there might have tyour curse lifted ff your shoulders, and that follwoing Him in faith He might open to you the way of fellowship and joy with Him and HIs Father and with the Holy Spirit !
Great irony -
John alone underlines this … 16b So they took Jesus, 17b and he went out… to the place of a Skill which in Aramaic is called Golgotha!
Do you undertand what this step meant for Jesus - in him being legally arrested, and bound for us - Peter’s sword restrained, angels kept from stopping Satan, defending jesus = we saw Father as it were like suction tightening those bounds, God himself binding the cordso f the sacrfice, God withdrawing from Son incranate as he became sin for us! See Him as king ...
but now as a Priest and even more as the Lamb. Sginficance of the place - spiritually - outside the camp - leaving jersualem the holy city - judged by God as unclean… Do you see the priests preparing himas the sqacrfice… Fulfillment not only of the Passover but propitatio Gods’ wrath, but great day of Atonement - Do you see it? Unclean now in ultimate way - out of the city, blueprint is the church - but where is he going - Gehenna Valley of Hinnom - garbage dump - Josiah made sure descerated place - . Spiritually becomingthe curse for us - true spiritual sense - suffering hell before he dies, consciously accepting it -
Don’t admire him as mere heroic sufferer, understand he is not just bearing shame and scoffing rude as a misunderstood - no admire Him as he who voluntariuily ven delighting in the Father’s will, divine justice, seeing the order and the plan - we is bearing the curse of God, forsakenness - wrath of God… made q curse -
understand no one gets to do that in this life before death - never final punishment , awwaits after; but Christ in order not only to exhaust our due punishment, but in order
Why darkness = excommunicated, light is for communication, not with His Father, not with us, - nothing left to do but = experience what Jesus Himself taught = “outer darkness” - extreem darkness, a darkness unknown to earth = always genuinely taught this, now He must experience it! = forsaken = so you and I never have to be!
3 hours of darkness = proclaiming that normal state of a lost world would be such just abandonment!, desolate suspension in unfathomable darkness!
= midday the Son hands suspended in darkness at midday. = Day of the Lord = wrold creating light, even agter fall, suspened = pointing to the evening of the world =
Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light.
I clothe the heavens with blackness and make sackcloth their covering.”
“And on that day,” declares the Lord God, “I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight. I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on every waist and baldness on every head; I will make it like the mourning for an only son and the end of it like a bitter day.
= Christ in the catastrophic curse, he stumbles - there is a fall - the abyss of out darkness confrotnts him -= He has stepped over the borderline; He has no valid passport
= experienced the tension of hisotry in all it’s gravity! = panorama of whole of the history of world and redemption and each moment equally present in His attention! Like a SEER , but exception for Christ not a dream, NOT APOCALYPSE! APOCALYPSE NOW = gate of jersuaelm became as wide as the world = X in the dark as He works, feels himself being thrust outside of all God’s gates!
Gate not just Jerusalem , but creation, gate of light, also legal signfiicance gate of the covenant or redemption …
God was closing all the gates, and bypaths from Jesus - denied access everywherem =SCAPE GOAT sent away and really sufferers.
Wilderness = hell
In Israel the casting out of a condemned person and the rejection of such a person from the domain of legal activity, of legal words and deeds, = human words and modes of punishment were insufficient to give adequate expression and application ot the essence of the punishment and of the sin committed!
= the words and the legal executions of guilt coud not completely reach fulness of Gods’ justice and wrath!
VS. In the city gates!
Now wrath that can’t be expressed in human language NOW accrues to Christ - human beings make a cross, but nothing compared to punishment Christ going through -inehaustible wrath descends on Him a remnant of it.
= language God speaks in this darkness is absolutely devesttating - beyond Pilate and the Sanhedrin’s mockery and judgment!
The Son ohad transposed the penalties of man, three hours of darkness =the Son’s descent into hell
Christ as the Great Sinner becomes an exile! = no ground under his feet, and for those three hours =forsaken! cast out of all = though in time, enters as it were hell! = no light, no sun, there is the absence of God’s first and greatest gift = light!
A very clear light has been kindled in the darkness for us = Christ performing Surety for us; God admits him to the weightiest of service!
Christ performs surety = out of this world suffering released upon Christ - is the suffering we deserve!
Transfig = Moses and Elijah and whole OT can’t get Glory of Lord beyond themselves to people , can’t pass it on; but Christ came to do that - let God’s peple take part in the illuminating glory = partake!
= Light of heaven coudn’t pass through Moses or Elijah to Israel; but thru Christ to us! = spke of his departure that he was to accopmlish = bearer of light, denied by the light = gave us both light and life
darkness was honourary crown on 33 years of Christ’s ministrations on earth - diploma - didn’t come from Christ but God… you have offered perfect righteosunes on their behalf… perfect lamb, credentials are the darkness, sacrfice = perfet Surety up to this point;
Butnow sun setting - darkness Passover id dawning as another light = final examination of his life and service = ultimate death = proves His merits to God and the judge Will Say it isEnough -
= Sign of Jonah - Christ sinks in the depths, in darkness… Goshen in land of Egypt plague - on Judges and Enemies of Christ…
Christ will shout - It is finished! =
One day , 3 hourse like a thousand days
Houseo f the covenant is opened and watchers at the gate are approaching…