Jesus Is Crucified
Notes
Transcript
Crucifixion of Jesus
Crucifixion of Jesus
Tomorrow begins VBS! Are you ready church???
I want to encourage you to come out each evening by 5:45 pm to get ready for your responsibilities each evening.
Please, as a church be praying for VBS, and the kids that will be attending along with their parents. We may have a few, we may have a lot…but God will be at work in their lives each day. Also pray for the the leaders and other volunteers as they work and minister with the kids each day.
I can’t wait to see what God is going to be doing in our midst.
Today we come back to the Gospel of Matthew, and this is what we have been working our self toward, the cross.
I want to take you to Chapter 27 this evening and we start looking with verse 11 through the rest of the chapter.
Now these last events are horrific, I just cannot imagine how God put up with humanity during all of this, between the OT and how Israel chased after other gods and then knowing they would crucify our Lord.
We know that God is one of grace, working in humanity’s failures to redeem us to himself. Wow.
He loves us!
So this morning I want to share 3 thoughts with you, as we consider the crucifixion of Jesus.
35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. 36 Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. 37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”
Now I jumped a ahead with the text a little, this text is at our core for what we are looking at today.
So three thoughts today....
The first one is this....
1. Humanity Abandoned Jesus...
Now as we examined the text last week, we see that the religious leaders condemned Jesus, they said he was clearly deserving of death for he was a blasphemer.
So they led him to Pilate, the governor of the land (He was the one Rome had put in charge of Jerusalem and the surrounding areas).
When they got to Pilate’s home very early that morning, he came out to them (They would not go into his home, he being a gentile they did not want to defile themselves).
And Pilate asked them What accusation do you bring against this man? - john 18:29b… and their words are simple, listen to John’s gospel
30 They answered him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.”
And when Pilate heard this, the told them to go and judge him themselves, but they quickly answered if is not lawful for us to put anyone to death… John 10:31....
Humanity had abandoned Jesus, they would rather kill the Son of God than join Him by following...
Now we know that over the course of the early morning Pilate tried to turn away from the requests of the Jews. Hearing now that Jesus was from Galilee, He sent him to Herod who just happened to be in Jerusalem during the time of the passover.
Now Herod was happy to see Jesus, but not as you think..
8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. 9 So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer.
Luke tells us that all the while, while Jesus wouldn’t reveal himself to Herod, the religious leaders continued to accuse him but Herod only treated Him with content, dressed him in splendid clothing and sent him back to Pilate..
Humanity once again abandoned Jesus, accusing him but never understanding, seeing or having faith in the One, God the Father had sent into the world.
Now as Jesus is brought back to Pilate, Pilate truly didn’t want anything to do with Jesus, His wife had even warned him about this man called Jesus
19 Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream.”
Now the Scriptures tell us that it was the governors custom to release a prisoner each year before the passover. Down in the jail was the most evil of men, Barabbas . Luke even tells us he was guilty of murder.. He truly deserved to be put to death but remember they had abandoned Jesus all together....
Listen to Matthew 27:20-21
20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21 The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.”
My friends, you see just how evil the religious leaders were, and how corrupt the people were when they would rather deal with a murderer than to deal with the Son of God
Yet friends, we shouldn’t be surprised at all, the world is evil and many of those in it, the world needs Jesus and the world and its ruler was pushing back, hoping to kill Jesus and get rid of him. The devil may have persuaded the people to abandon Him, but God’s plan was moving forward to redeem the world to himself.
Now I know I have given you a lot of information, so many things happened as Jesus was approaching the cross. But nonetheless, it is important for us to see that God was doing.
Now, let move on to a second thought today...
2. Jesus is Crucified...
The scene seems impossible, Jesus is there, silent, as lamb led to the slaughter...
I’m sure as these events were unraveling, Pilate probably couldn’t believe his ears…Barabbas, you want him over this man…??? really???
He’s a murderer, He is evil and vile and you know he has been on the most wanted list for a while before we caught up with Him, and you just want me to let him go?
And if I do that, what do you want me to do with Jesus, who is called the Christ?
Listen to their response in verse 22...
22 Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!”
Wow, kill him, kill him… that is what they are telling Pilate.... And honestly, Pilate cannot believe his ears… He cannot find any charges worthy of Jesus being arrested let alone being put to death. But, he is also scared… the crowd is on the verge of a riot.
Listen to verses 24-27
24 So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” 25 And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him.
Pilate will give into the crowds request, but he tells them this man is innocent, and he washed his hands publically symbolically saying he washed His hands of the matter, he was not responsible for their wishes
Now many wonder, why does Pilate give in, they had a Roman garrison there, if there was an uprising he had the soldiers to deal with it.
Understand an uprising, a riot could look bad on his resume for Rome, and no issues means he can show Rome, all is good here. He liked his appointed office and wanted to stay there.
So he gave into the crowds, telling the people the issues were on his head..
He released Barabbas, ordered Jesus to be scourged and then handed over to be crucified..
The Roman soldiers took Jesus down and treated our Savior horribly, lets look at verses 27-31
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. 28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.
They beat him, whipped him, placed a crown of thorns on his head and mocked Him… and after nearly beating him to death they led him away to be crucified.
32 As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. 33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots.
Now we know that as Jesus was carrying the cross to Golgotha, the cross became to heavy and so they forced this man from Cyrene, named Simon to carry this cross the rest of the way.
And once there they crucified Him....
I cannot imagine the scene that early morning as they took those spikes and anchored him to the cross, the pain and suffering with each hit of the hammer s they did His hands and feet.
They they raised it and dropped that cross into its whole. My friends that jolt as Jesus bears his weight upon the nails so quickly most likely casue blinding pain, He suffered, He suffered for us...
He took our place friends, we deserved the cross, our sins meant we deserved death, punishment. But He took our place, the one who knew no sin, he took our sin upon himself.
Jesus was crucified...
Now just one last thought...
3. Jesus death....
So we know they crucified Jesus about the start of the day, and there he hung. The crucifixion was meant to be a long slow painful death… but things will change quickly this day...
Lets look at verse 45-50
45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” 48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
Now while I didn’t read the passage, we know that Jesus isn’t alone this day, two other criminals are crucified with him, one on his right and the other on his left. And we know from Luke 23:43, one of those thieves confess Jesus and jesus tells him...
43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Now many were their watching that day, some of the women and the disciples were there like those who hated him, the religious leaders.
And as the hours passed, things begin to change.
The Bible says from the 6th hour, noon until the 9th hour which is 3pm, darkness covers the land, it is like night time my friends, God has blotted out the light over the land.
I can’t imagine the scene, but we know this, that about the 9th hour Jesus cries out…v46, My God My’ God why have you forsaken me....
It is at this moment that Jesus is bearing the sins of the world upon his life, the horror, the sorrow, the darkness of sin separated him from the Father for a moment.
Just as a sacrifice was needed in the OT
So Jesus becomes our sacrifice for sin, John 1:29
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
He bore our sin, He took our sin and died in our place and by His stripes we are healed...
And finally, Jesus said “…It is finished” John 19:30
30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
And he bowed his His head and gave up his spirit and died… Luke tells us these words,
46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.
And Jesus has died.... but things are still happening
51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
So look at this…
A. The veil of the Temple is torn in two and the Earth quakes… from top to bottom. for more than 2 thousand years the people had depended on the High Priest, a descendent of Moses brother Aaron to intercede for them, to take the blood of a lamb to the mercy seat in the Temple.
They did this so that man’s sin could be forgiven for a year, then they would have to come again on Yom Kipur, the day of Atonement.
But here, the veil is torn, the veil that separated the the Holy of holies from the rest of the temple.. It teaches us that no longer does man need a earthly priest to offer a earthly sacrifice
We have a great High Priest, one after the order of Melchizedek, who once and for all took the blood of his own sacrifice before the mercy seat in heaven. You can see this in Hebrews 9:14-27.......
And the earth shook as the Son of God gave up His life for us..
B. The tombs of many of the saints were opened and bore witness to Jesus.
Now we are not told whose tombs were opened after the resurrection, just that they were… after years and years of death, they came to life and told many of the resurrection concerning Jesus...
C. A great Testimony....But lastly is the most compelling testimony comes from a non believer, a Roman guard there who watched it all, He gave a wonderful testimony
54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
Did you hear these words… Truly, this was the Son of God!
As an outsider looking in, he knows who Jesus truly is...
No from verses 57 to 61 we know that hurriedly, Joseph and Nicodemus went and gained permission to take Jesus body and they prepared it for burial.
They laid Him in an empty tomb as some of the ladies watched from a distance, and they went, prayed and wondered about all the things that had taken place..
But they wont have to wait long, and we will look at it next week.
But this is the truth of Jesus, He came and died for our sins, bearing them upon his life, taking our punishment and death that we might have life....
He came so that he could be Lord our hear hearts before that Day when every knee will bow, cause He is Lord of all things...