The Story Ch 26: The Hour of Darkness

Cold Open

Hey Dublin Powell youth! Time for another sunday time of study together, I’m so glad to be studying with y’all today. This week we continue our study of the story to its climax, and Jesus is betrayed and crucified, fulfilling the scriptures and completing the Father’s will for his ministry on earth. Today is Sunday, October 11th, 2020. Let’s get into it.

Intro Videos

Intro

As we know context matters a lot for scripture, and if we look at the context of Jesus’ final days, you might notice that the nation of Israel was preparing to sacrifice the Passover lamb. The Passover lamb represents God’s wrath witheld from his people even as he struck down the first born of every Egyptian family. The lamb represent deliverence for the people of Israel.

Jesus is the Lamb

So do we remember what John the Baptist said when Jesus first approached him way back at the beginning of the Gospel?

John 1:29 NIV

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

Israel was preparing their passover lamb, while the Father was preparing his lamb, both would be sacrificed to deliver the people of God from bondage.

The Last Supper

So Jesus and His disciples gather to have their Passover celebration, and at this point Judas had already conspired with the temple officials to betray Jesus. Maybe, if you’re like I was when I used to read this part, it doesn’t make sense why Judas had to betray Jesus. I mean, the temple officials knew who he was! They had seen him teach in their own temple! But the problem is that Jesus had a very large following, remember the triumphal entry we read about last week where Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a colt to cheering crowds?

The temple guard was small, meant to keep the peace in the temple compound, any large force would be considered a threat to the Romans. So if they went to arrest Jesus and his supporters decided they didn’t want to see him arrested, it wouldn’t take much to overwhelm the temple guard and at that point the temple officials are in big trouble, so it was up to Judas to arrange a time and place where Jesus could be arrested without a big crowd around, so as not to start a riot.

As Jesus enjoys his last night with his disciples, he makes a final example of love to them, washing each disciple’s feet. Telling them to serve one another, to wash one another’s feet as he had.

Finally, after supper ended Jesus took the unleavened bread of the passover and the cup of wine and celebrated the Lord’s Supper for the first time with His disciples. Explaining to them that his body and his blood would be given up for them to institute the new covenant, for the forgiveness of sins.

Promise of What’s to Come

After warning them that he would soon be gone, Jesus comforted his disciples with two big promises:

He would prepare a place for them in His father’s house, where there are many rooms. This is the promise of our home in heaven.

That he would send another advocate who would be with them forever, the Spirit of truth. He is the holy spirit that we receive at baptism, that works in us.

As Jesus says, the Holy Spirit is sent to:

John 16:13–15 ESV

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

An Evening of Prayer

Ever had a day that you were absolutely dreading, so much that you couldn’t sleep the night before? I think Jesus was having a similar kind of night, because after all of this he went out to the Garden of Gesthemane with his disciples where he prayed almost all night, finding refuge by speaking to His father.

It’s during this time of prayer that Jesus has some time to talk to Peter, and he tells Peter that he will deny Jesus 3 times that night, before the rooster crows.

Shortly after, Judas arrived with a crowd sent by the chief priests, who came to arrest Jesus.

Jesus on Trial

Now Jesus has been open about who he is for a little while now, so it’s no surprise when Caiaphus the high priest questions him, he answeres plainly.

Matthew 26:63–66 NIV

But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” “You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” “He is worthy of death,” they answered.

Lament

And it is during this questioning by the high priest that Peter, just outside the high priests house, keeps getting recognized by people who know he is one of Jesus’ followers. But Peter, scared out of his mind with the Messiah in chains, denies even knowing Jesus. Just a moment after he tells the third person that he doesn’t know Jesus, a rooster crows, and reminds Peter of what Jesus had told him about his denial, and he wept.

Peter was not the only disciple wracked with guilt. As the chief priests were handing Jesus over to the Roman governor for execution, Judas returned to the temple and gave back the silver they had paid him for Jesus’ life, confessing that he had sinned. He threw down the money, ran from the temple, and hanged himself.

Finished

Now, Pilate didn’t want to kill Jesus, as it was plain to any observer that Jesus was being treated unjustly, but the chief priests and the people with them were insistent, chanting for Jesus to be crucified.

So Pilate eventually agrees, and Jesus carries his cross out to where he would die. As Jesus is raised on the cross, two criminals are crucified with him, one on either side. One of them taunts Jesus, insulting him, but the other realizes how foolish this is saying “Don’t you fear God, since you’re about to meet him just like we are? We deserve this punishment, this man does not.” And he says to Jesus,

Luke 23:42–43 NIV

Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

And before Jesus dies, they heard him cry out to God saying “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”

Forsaken, I think we know, means abandoned, why would God abandon Jesus, especially at the most painful part of Jesus’ earthly ministry?

Well, in his entire life Jesus never sinned. As the sinless Son of God, Jesus enjoyed perfect fellowship with his Father! However, as Jesus died in our place, he bore the burden of all of our sins on the cross. Though he had never sinned, scripture says he BECAME sin in our place, and sin cannot be in the presence of God. For the first time, Jesus experienced feeling separated from God just as he was dying, and he said “it is finished.” and died.

Conclusion

Jesus, the Son of God, the Lamb of God, took away the sins of the world by dying in our place. But he won’t stay dead long! We will pick up there, next week. Let me pray before we go