Punished for Me

Matthew 27:27–61 (CSB)

Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s residence and gathered the whole company around him. They stripped him and dressed him in a scarlet robe. They twisted together a crown of thorns, put it on his head, and placed a staff in his right hand. And they knelt down before him and mocked him: “Hail, king of the Jews!” Then they spat on him, took the staff, and kept hitting him on the head. After they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe, put his own clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him.

Ironic that just a week before, Jesus is entering Jerusalem as a King of Peace…riding a young donkey, palm branches and cloaks being laid down for Him just like Israelite kings from the times before. People were praising Him, Hosanna Son of David. The one who comes in the name of the LORD. Now here we see Jesus, mocked, beaten, persecuted because of the claim of Kingship. This wasn’t necessary, this was just extra. It did however fulfill prophesy from the old testament that these things would happen to the son of God.

As they were going out, they found a Cyrenian man named Simon.

Mark mentions Simon was the son of Alexander and Rufus…a family traveling in from the farm lands for Passover…he was just passing by.

They forced him to carry his cross. When they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of the Skull), they gave him wine mixed with gall to drink. But when he tasted it, he refused to drink it. After crucifying him, they divided his clothes by casting lots.

John writes that one piece of his clothing was unique in that it was seamless…woven as one piece from top to bottom

Then they sat down and were guarding him there. Above his head they put up the charge against him in writing: This Is Jesus, the King of the Jews.

We have from John that this was written in three languages so all the Jews, who were there for Passover from different regions, could read it. Also, John lets us know that some of the chief priests asked Pilate to only put...”He claimed to be King”…Pilate said, its written as I want it. If you remember, it is how Jesus responded to his question to Jesus. It was Jesus’ claim.

Then two criminals were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. Those who passed by were yelling insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself!

In the illegal trial, witnesses had come in and said, in the wrong context, that he was speaking against the Temple…which was punishable by death. So they are now mocking Him because of a lack of understanding.

If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!” In the same way the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him and said, “He saved others, but he cannot save himself! He is the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God rescue him now—if he takes pleasure in him! For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ”

Here we have the prophetic words from thousands of years before, Psalm 22, written by David. It’s interesting that the ones who know this verse well, use it as a mockery of Jesus.

These guys misunderstoon Jesus. They are the ones who learned and memorized and read and taught the Torah, the Old Testament passages, the Prophesies…And everything that pointed to Jesus, they missed. They misunderstoon all that Jesus was and was about.

Have you ever been in that situation? You realize something true about God…or you have a new question that you’ve never pondered…but you know that if that new item of information is true…its going to mean change on your part? Maybe its in the ability to trust Jesus, maybe in understanding selflessness instead of a life lived selfishly. Maybe you’ve become aware of a sin or a detrimental attitude in your life and you need to make a course correction.

Now you know but before you didn’t understand. We do know that some of these leaders, after Jesus’ death and resurrection, understoon. At the time of the cross, many of them misunderstood what was happening. (They were putting to death the one who was willing to die for them)....and they didn’t see it.

In the same way even the criminals who were crucified with him taunted him.

We know from Luke that at one point one of the criminals seem to come to some understanding though, and simply asks Jesus to remember Him. Jesus says that that day he would be with Him in paradise.

At one point these two, in their anger and fear seem to be mocking Jesus. One, as Luke records, yells out, “Aren’t you the Christ?! Save yourself and us!” He wants Jesus to save them from crucifixion. From pain. From death.

Have you ever been angry at God in pain? Something happens and you’re angry that either God allowed something to happen in your life or isn’t answering your prayers to be relieved of pain? I think we could all say that we’ve been there in some way or form.

C. S. Lewis described his problem with pain in quite a few ways. He had a lot of trajedy in his life. At one point he comes to the conclusion…that there’s a reason we cry out in pain. Whether we get the answer we want or whether its in our time frame or not…isn’t the point to him. He realized that there a reason he cries out, it’s because we know we can’t handle pain on our own. We need someone outside of ourselves to understand and get through it. That alone was enough for him to struggle with the pain in life, together with God. Not understanding everything, but knowing someone was there walking with him.

From noon until three in the afternoon, darkness came over the whole land. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Elí, Elí, lemá sabachtháni?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

This is a direct quote from David in Psalm 22

When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling for Elijah.”

Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and offered him a drink. But the rest said, “Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

But Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and gave up his spirit. Suddenly, the curtain of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom, the earth quaked, and the rocks were split. The tombs were also opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And they came out of the tombs after his resurrection, entered the holy city, and appeared to many.

We have here not just events, but God speaking through events. The curtain was torn…this was was the curtain the was the physical picture of the separation of God and humanity. There’s a reason it was torn. Jesus re-opens the way because of what He is doing. The earth quaked and rocks split. This death is for everything under the arena of creation…all created things. The tombs were also opened…this wasn’t because of the quake…Matthew writes specifically that they were opened…as someone opens a door…and those in the tombs walked out. What is God saying? Death and life are taking on a whole knew reality. Things are changing.

When the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they were terrified and said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

Here we have the group of guys that had previously hit, mocked and spit on Jesus. They are outside the Jewish faith. They might have heard of some of the prophesies…but they weren’t looking for them by any means. They were soldiers who “worshipped” others (g)ods. However, these outsiders respected what they saw and heard. Truly this man was the son of God is what the group said. They realized truth and knew it meant something…it went somewhere. Last week we referenced Churchills quote saying that some people trip over the truth and then pick themselves up and carry on as if nothing ever happened. Theses guys seem to be putting 2 and 2 together. The truth they are witnessing seem to be changing their view about what they assumed reality to be.

Many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee and looked after him were there, watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

When it was evening, a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph came, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. He approached Pilate and asked for Jesus’s body. Then Pilate ordered that it be released. So Joseph took the body, wrapped it in clean, fine linen, and placed it in his new tomb, which he had cut into the rock. He left after rolling a great stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were seated there, facing the tomb.

And there we’re left on Friday evening. We do find out that soon thereafter, Pilate has more guards sent to stay by the tomb and seal it by his authority.

The Pharissees misunderstood. They thought they were saving the Israelite nation when in fact it was Jesus saving them from their sins.

One criminal finally came to some sense and humbled himself. If this is true that you are who you are…please be with me. I can’t save myself.

The outsiders maybe not yet realizing what their need is of Jesus recognize that this death means something …and its bigger than anything they’ve ever witnessed before.

What was Jesus doing? He was taking on the sins of the world and experiencing death…the punishment…the result of sin. Not his own though. He is dying for the the Pharisees who are calling out insults. He is dying for the sins of the criminals hanging beside Him. He is dying for the soldiers who are now questioning reality as they knew it.

He died … took our sins…too our punishment too. He died for us. You and me.

If this is true…how would it change your life. If he truly took the punishment for you, in your place

Isaiah 53

1Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By oppression[a] and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished.[b] 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes[c] his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. 11 After he has suffered, he will see the light of life[d] and be satisfied[e]; by his knowledge[f] my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,[g] and he will divide the spoils with the strong,[h] because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

What was Jesus’ mission? To take our punishment and bring us healing. Not quite what we might think of a Savior. He suffers…but His suffering brings victory. What does this tell you about God’s love for you?

Many of us try to be good enough for God. We check the boxes through the week. We attend on Sunday mornings. We serve in different ways. We might even give financially or sacrificially to the church family or those in need.

But do we really and truly know that Jesus took our punishment. This is something we could never do for ourselves. One who was sinless, taking the punishment of the sinful. It was the only way.

If this is the truth…how does that change how you see ourselves? Without Him is the weight of your good and bad ballanced out? I’m not sure it ever could be.

How does this truth change the way we see and interact with others? Do you see them as people Jesus died for?…took the punishment for?

If we think about it, this is all great news! For us, for our friends and family, even for our enemies. Jesus died for sin. Took the punishment for sin.

Again, does that truth change you in a way that draws you towards Him…towards His love for you?

If is it, let it keep going. Let it keep drawing you. Its the very reason He came…for you.

Amen!?

1 Peter 2:24 CSB

24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree; so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

Prayer