The Cradle, The Cup and the Cross

Xmas really is one of the most joyful and thrilling times of the year for me. And it isn’t because all things have always been blissful. Some of the most trusting times in our family and even as a child growing up were during Xmas: when dad didn’t have a job or when I wasn’t employed.

This year especially with Covid and people warning that families should not gather together to celebrate Xmas…this is truly a trying year which can serve the enemy’s purpose to obscure the truth surrounding the incarnation of LJC.

To focus on the meaning of xmas (to some extent that phrase is overused), there is the true, real joy. This is a wonderful time of the year to take a deep look into the Savior; His life, purpose, desire, glory. We are truly blessed when we devote our time probing the mind of God’s Spirit as He reveals to us the precious truths about the life and ministry of LJC in Scripture.

I often wonder what does it mean to those people we rub shoulders with every day. Have they discovered the joy and hope that is within us? Do they know why we honor Christ during Xmas? Asking them can provide you opportunities to share the gospel with others.

People have all sorts of differing opinions on what Xmas means: spending time with family, giving gifts, enjoying time off work, etc… I think I can say confidently that the majority of the world has little to no consideration of why Jesus was born and what effect that has on all humanity.

The MacArthur Study Bible Background and Setting

In 538 B.C., as a result of the proclamation of Cyrus the Persian (cf. Ezra 1:1–4), Israel was allowed to return from Babylon to her homeland under the civil leadership of Zerubbabel and the spiritual guidance of Joshua the High-Priest (cf. Ezra 3:2). About 50,000 Jews returned. In 536 B.C., they began to rebuild the temple (cf. Ezra 3:1–4:5) but opposition from neighbors and indifference by the Jews caused the work to be abandoned (cf. Ezra 4:1–24). Sixteen years later Haggai and Zechariah were commissioned by the Lord to stir up the people to 1) not only rebuild the temple, but also to 2) reorder their spiritual priorities (cf. Ezra 5:1–6:22). As a result, the temple was completed 4 years later (ca. 516 B.C.; cf. Ezra 6:15).

Haggai 2:6–7 NASB95

“For thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Once more in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land. ‘I will shake all the nations; and they will come with the wealth of all nations, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord of hosts.

Hebrews quotes vs 6 in ch 12 to describe the cataclysmic upheaval of the universe from Rev 6-19 and finally the undoing of creation to make way for the new creation.

Hag 2 focuses in on the glory of the temple which would be unlike Solomon’s temple. Haggai is encouraging the exiles to rebuild the temple and he assures them that God will provide the resources necessary for its construction.

Vs 7 has seen a number of interpretations but they boil down to 2 (dif translations):

· Desire of the nations refers to the fact that all nations will bring their wealth to Jerusalem for construction materials

· Desire of the nations is a reference to Messiah—LJC

I prefer the last one—I believe that people thru out the ages have longed for a great deliverer.

Charles Feinberg “without being dogmatic we should like to point out that the desire of all nations can only refer to the longing of all nations for the Deliverer, whether they realize it or not.”

Even though the nations do not recognize their need at this moment, Jesus is still the desire of all nations. He is the Deliverer from sin and its curse, but not simply b/c of His birth. Deliverance is made possible b/c of the atonement in His death on the cross.

Calvary then explains Bethlehem. Before we can worship Christ the newborn King, we must recognize who He is and what he came to do.

Before we help people understand the meaning of the beginning of His life (Xmas which we celebrate), we must understand precisely what was accomplished at the end of His earthly life.

You can’t understand the cradle until you understand the cross. And I believe the key to understanding the cross is to understand what Scripture refers to as the cup from which Jesus drank.

It is appropriate to begin our celebration of Xmas by coming to the Lord’s Table in remembrance of Him. Then I believe our celebration of Xmas will have a profoundly greater depth. But before we come together to partake of the elements, I want us to look at the cup of which Jesus spoke:

Mark 10:38

Mark reveals that on their way up to Jerusalem for the Passover, that He was again telling the disciples of the suffering Messiah would undergo. He would be mocked, spit on, scourged and killed and rise in 3 days (vs 32-34).

At that moment, James and John asked Jesus to give them a place of prominence in the kingdom—vs 38

Lit “are you able [having capacity/ability] to drink the cup I am drinking” (present tense). Jesus was already drinking the cup. The imagery of the cup is all about the purpose for His life and ministry.

Greg Harris “The cup for Jesus then consisted of everything about His life that was necessary for Him to be the Messiah. This included, among the countless other things: living every second of every day in sinless perfection, enduring the 40-day temptation by Satan, qualifying as a Man of Sorrows, being victorious over the multiple attacks of His earthly opponents, as well as the weariness resulting from an unbelievably busy ministry, such as is especially detailed in the Gospel of Mark.”

The most horrific aspect to the cup was going to happen in Jerusalem, where all would culminate at the cross, but from the moment of His birth in Bethlehem, Jesus began drinking from His cup.

With blissful ignorance James and John reply “we are able.” And the Lord says “you will drink.” For the Xn, our cups end in our death. How it ended for Christ was unimaginable suffering at the cross which shows us the meaning/purpose of His birth.

700 years before His birth, Isaiah prophesied that Messiah would be put to death, bearing our iniquity in His body.

Is 53—survey!!!

The “Suffering Servant” prophecy actually begins in Isa 52:13-15 (ch divisions added later for convenience).

Vs 14—not an exaggeration, “appearance marred more…”

NIV “his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness”

The event leading up to the cross caused the extreme disfigurement of Christ that He didn’t even resemble a man any longer. No one is quite sure when this all happened exactly, but it all related to Jesus drinking the cup.

By the way, when the soldiers were breaking the legs of the other criminals to expedite their deaths, they came to Jesus and confirmed He already died. John says

John 19:36 NASB95

For these things came to pass to fulfill the Scripture, “Not a bone of Him shall be broken.”

In this extreme disfigurement, His jaw was not broken, ribs were not cracked. He bore a great deal of abuse during the time of His arrest. Ps 22 reveals that even His flesh was torn away to the extent that His bones were visible.

This was the cup Jesus was drinking from. No wonder He cries out to God in the Garden of Gethsemane:

Matt 26:36-46

Jesus knew how His cup would end. Scripture would have been broken if that cup passed from Him so He submits to the Father’s will.

It seems that in surveying the life of Christ there were 3 aspects of this cup that also marred His appearance more than any other man—this stirs within each of us a profound and deep adoration for our Savior and helping us to understand the great condescension of God in the birth of Jesus (that God would become a man).

As we briefly look at these 3 aspects of His cup, my prayer is that it would arouse you to worship Him b/c you have a fuller awareness of why He came to earth.

The cup consisted of:

1) Enduring the Full fury and wrath of Satan

This was happening long before His earthly birth, Satan was attempting to derail God’s plan of redemption for Israel (In the Garden, At the Flood, Babel, Esther, corrupting the promised line). Even after the birth of Jesus, Satan was working thru Herod issuing the command that all male children (2 and under) in and around Bethlehem were to be slaughtered.

Then toward the beginning of His ministry, Satan was looking for an opportunity to entice Jesus to fall in sin thru temptation.

Matthew 4:10 Then Jesus said to him, "Begone, Satan!

When it became apparent that Satan could not destroy God’s plan of redemption by causing Jesus to sin, he tried to hinder that plan by keeping Jesus from the cross.

Mt 16:21-23

Satan tried to prevent Jesus from going to the cross b/c it meant his own defeat and destruction.

But then as it became apparent that the course of the cross was set in eternity, Satan unleashed the fullness of his wrath and anger against Jesus.

Months after this—Lk 22:3-4

From this point on, the events to bring Jesus to the cross were set in motion (b/c God ordained them from eternity, and He permitted Satan to bring them to pass).

The cup entailed the fullness of Satan’s wrath—physical and emotional suffering/agony that He went thru.

2) Enduring the Full Wrath of God

The substitutionary sacrifice was sufficient to atone for sin. Theological concept is “satisfaction” propitiation (Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2; 4:10) —God’s way of dealing with sin

Is 53

There is a tremendous transaction that takes place in the death of Christ. Our sin is placed on Him, His righteousness is place on you (when you trust Him for salvation).

2 Corinthians 5:21 NASB95

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Jesus bore our sins and in doing so, bore the wrath of God—the deep seated burning anger God has toward sin in contrast with His perfect holiness.

God unleashed the fullness of His wrath upon the One whom He infinitely loves—He treated Christ as though He committed every sin that was laid upon Him, though He committed not even a single sin thru all His life.

This is God’s definition of justice—and it satisfied Him, His anger was appeased, and Christ makes sufficient atonement for sin.

How this aspect of His cup marred His appearance, we need to look at 3 hours He spent on the cross in darkness.

Gospels tell us it was from the 6th-9th hour. Many believe darkness was the result of God turning His back on Christ as He takes upon Himself the sin of the world.

Others believe this supernatural darkness was the result of God pouring out His wrath on the One who had become sin. The burning anger of God toward sin is directed at His beloved Son. And Christ absorbs the wrath of God against the sin that is laid on Him.

For 3 hours (As Jesus went to the cross willingly—of His own choosing),

· the Father inflicts His Son with a fury that is beyond comparison to what Satan inflicted

· Jesus hung silently in submission to the Father’s will

· He was smitten by God, crushed, afflicted

Do you begin to see the depth of God’s love in Christ—that He would do this for you?

3) Enduring the Separation of the Father

After 3 hours, wrath stopped (Matt 27:45-46) . At that moment Jesus cries out:

“My God…”

Enduring the fullness of God’s wrath and separation from the Father was infinitely more agonizing than simply the physical suffering of the cross. This portion of the cup He drank was only temporary but such immense agony for One so pure, holy, righteous.

He knew the deepest measure of fellowship with God, and discovered the hostility of separation, and the depth of pain that no creature could understand.

This was the final and most intense of the agonies that came with drinking the cup—to experience literal hell on earth.

Separation, outer darkness as its described in Scripture is when God removes Himself and it is precisely this moment which brings into sharper focus the glory of that newborn baby lying in a manger in Bethlehem.

The little hands that would grip the fingers of His earthly parents would one day receive the nails that would secure Him to the cross and secure the eternal life of all who come to Him.

The little feet so tender and mild and would walk upon the gravel road that led to Calvary.

The head of Jesus lying in that manger would receive the crown of thorns, so undeserved for the King of kings.

How His appearance was marred more than anyone else and disfigured so that He didn’t even look human is something we’ll never quite understand. But the cup from which Christ drank teaches us what was necessary for Him to endure in order to redeem each one who puts their faith in Him (Invitation).

That is where we must begin if we are to see the glorious purpose of Christmas. Only at the cross will the cradle find its truest and deepest meaning. And it is in the cross we see Christ bringing salvation and hope to a desperately dark and sinful world.