WEBVTT

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 I don't know if you've ever compared the biographies of famous people with the accounts of Jesus' life in the Gospels.

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 There's a striking contrast, isn't there?

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 One biography I've got on my shelf, and it's about 400 pages long, and there's got a page almost at the end that records the man's death.

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 These accounts of Jesus' life are completely different.

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 Completely different.

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 So in Mark's Gospel, for example, there is nothing about Jesus' birth whatsoever.

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 You've got ten chapters covering the first three years of his public ministry, and then chapters 11 to 16 that cover the last week of his life.

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 Or take John's Gospel.

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 Chapters 13 to 20 all deal with the last 24 hours of him living and breathing.

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 Well, chapters 13 to 19, I should say, that is resurrection, in chapters 20 to 21.

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 And Mark says nothing at all about Jesus' birth.

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 John makes one theological comment about it.

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 It doesn't describe any of the story.

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 And yet they both dedicate space to Jesus' burial.

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 Mark, in fact, has only six verses on Jesus' burial and eight on his resurrection.

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 So it's an interesting focus.

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 Why is that?

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 Why is it?

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 Why does the Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15,

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 talking about the things of first importance,

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 is that Christ died for sins according to the Scriptures,

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 was buried,

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 and then rose again according to the Scriptures?

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 Why is this being buried thing so important?

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 Why does it get so much space?

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 Is it just a bit of filler in the narrative?

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 Well, let's look at the message John has for us here.

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 There are at least three things he wants us to see.

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 Let's go through the story together.

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 Let's start with verse 31.

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 Since it was a day of preparation,

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 so that the bodies would not remain on the cross for the Sabbath,

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 that Sabbath was a high day,

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 the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken,

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 that they might be taken away.

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 So Jesus was killed on Friday.

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 Friday was the day of preparation,

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 the day before the Sabbath,

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 where things had to get done.

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 This was a special Sabbath,

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 because it was a Sabbath for the Passover week.

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 Normally, the Romans would just leave bodies hanging on a cross

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 for the vultures to come and get.

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 On the special days,

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 and sometimes,

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 for example, on the Emperor's birthday,

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 they would take the victims down from the cross.

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 If they weren't yet dead,

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 they would break their legs.

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 That way, the person would die more quickly.

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 If their legs weren't broken,

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 they could potentially push themselves up with their legs

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 and still be able to breathe.

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 By breaking the legs,

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 they'd quite quickly run out of energy and die.

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 And so that's what the Jewish leaders ask for here.

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 Take this man down.

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 We don't want his body hanging up there.

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 And there was a special reason for that.

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 Back in the Old Testament,

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 in Deuteronomy 21,

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 God had said if there was a body hanging on a tree overnight,

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 that will pollute,

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 it will defile the whole land.

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 And they didn't want that to happen,

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 especially at the Passover,

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 their big religious festival.

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 So they asked the Romans to bring the body down.

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 Why does John record this?

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 He wants the disciples to see it is real.

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 It is real.

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 Jesus really was dead.

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 He wasn't just mostly dead.

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 He was really dead.

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 Look at verse 32.

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 So the soldiers came

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 and broke the legs of the first and of the other,

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 who'd been crucified with him.

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 But when they came to Jesus

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 and saw that he was already dead,

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 they did not break his legs.

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 These soldiers were responsible

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 for making sure executed people really were dead.

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 But they were soldiers,

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 so you don't want to do any work you don't have to do.

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 Jesus is already dead.

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 We don't need to break his legs.

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 They don't need to take the big metal mallet

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 they'd be used on the other guys

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 to break the legs.

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 But they still want to make sure

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 that Jesus really is dead.

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 And so, verse 34,

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 one of them gets a spear

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 and pokes it up into Jesus' side

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 just to make sure he really is dead.

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 And so we read verse 34.

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 At once, there came out blood and water.

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 Now, medics have all sorts of different explanations

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 for how this could be.

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 In fact, bizarrely,

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 someone's actually done experiments

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 with dead bodies

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 to show how this could happen.

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 Back in the 60s, I think that was.

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 But basically, in the chest cavity,

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 when someone has suffered

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 major trauma to the chest,

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 as Jesus probably would have done,

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 being flogged and beaten,

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 the fluids can leak out into the cavity.

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 The heavier ones sink to the bottom.

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 The red stuff sinks to the bottom,

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 leaving clearer stuff at the top.

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 So you put a spear in,

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 poking the chest cavity from underneath.

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 What's going to come out?

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 The red stuff first looks like blood,

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 followed by a clearer layer

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 that looks like water.

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 And that can be up to two litres of fluid.

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 So that seems to be what they see here.

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 Why is John telling us?

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 He wants us to know, firstly,

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 that Jesus really was dead.

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 This is real.

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 But actually, there's another subtle point here as well.

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 Yes, Jesus is really dead,

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 but also, he's really a dead man.

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 He has blood and flesh,

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 like you and me.

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 He was a real man.

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 As John said at the start of his Gospel,

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 the Word became flesh.

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 The Word, the eternal Son of God,

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 for whom everything was created.

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 became flesh and blood,

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 like me, like you.

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 And this flesh and blood

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 was dead.

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 So he adds verse 35

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 to highlight it,

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 underline it several times.

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 He who saw it,

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 probably John himself,

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 has borne witness.

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 His testimony is true,

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 and he knows he is telling the truth.

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 This is real,

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 John says.

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 And why is he writing it?

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 End of verse 35.

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 That you also may believe.

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 In contrast,

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 the Quran,

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 Surah 4,

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 says this.

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 They did not kill him,

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 neither did they crucify him,

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 it only seemed to be so.

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 John preempts that,

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 hundreds of years earlier,

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 saying,

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 no, this is real.

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 He really died.

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 He was a real human.

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 This is real.

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 And he's telling us that,

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 that you also may believe.

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 In the next chapter,

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 he writes that,

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 all these things he's written,

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 are so that we might believe,

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 and have life in Jesus' name.

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 So John wants us to see,

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 Jesus' burial was real.

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 He really was a man,

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 and he really was dead.

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 Now,

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 not often we hear,

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 don't we,

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 in the,

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 for example,

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 with the terrible,

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 terrorist attacks

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 that happened today in Brussels.

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 We can hear,

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 about the tragedy,

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 of people's lives being taken.

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 And it is a tragedy,

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 that someone doesn't get to,

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 fulfill their potential,

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 doesn't get to,

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 to live a life,

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 that they could live.

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 But John wants us to see,

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 that Jesus' death,

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 was not accidental.

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 It was purposeful.

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 It was purposeful.

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 We see that as we move on.

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 As he tells us,

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 in verses 36 and 37,

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 that everything that's happened,

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 has happened to fulfill the scriptures.

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 Look at verse 36.

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 These things took place,

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 that the scripture might be fulfilled.

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 Not one of his bones,

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 will be broken.

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 Now,

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 John is referring here,

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 to the Old Testament,

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 to Exodus chapter 12,

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 verse 46.

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 Back then,

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 the people of Israel,

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 had been slaves in Egypt.

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 God had been,

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 was rescuing them from Egypt.

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 And as a part of that rescue,

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 he had sent the angel of death,

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 to kill the firstborn child,

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 in every home in Egypt.

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 And that was God's just judgment.

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 Because in every home in Egypt,

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 Israelites and Egyptian,

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 everyone was a sinner.

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 Everyone had rejected God,

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 as their rightful king.

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 Everyone was deserving,

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 of God's judgment.

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 But at that time,

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 God had provided a way,

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 for people to escape the judgment.

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 He had given instruction to Moses,

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 the Israelites,

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 the Israelites could take a lamb,

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 slaughter it,

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 paint the blood over the doorstep.

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 The lamb would die,

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 instead of the firstborn child.

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 The lamb was the substitute.

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 It took the punishment,

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 instead of the person.

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 And Moses,

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 God commanded through Moses,

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 that that event should always be commemorated,

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 year by year.

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 The highlight of the Jewish religious year,

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 which was the Passover time,

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 the time Jesus was crucified.

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 And in giving the instructions for that,

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 Exodus 12, 46,

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 God was explicit,

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 the lamb's bones must not be broken.

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 And in what sense does Jesus fulfill that?

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 It's not a promise, after all.

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 What happens is,

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 Jesus is fulfilling the pattern.

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 Back at the start of John's Gospel,

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 John the Baptist had pointed to Jesus,

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 chapter 1, verse 29,

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 and says,

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 Behold, the Lamb of God,

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 who takes away the sins of the world.

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 The lamb that first passed over,

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 died as a substitute for the sins of the firstborn,

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 in those houses.

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 Jesus is the greater lamb,

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 the truer lamb,

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 the proper lamb,

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 who takes away,

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 not to the sin of the firstborn in the household,

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 but the sins of the world,

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 the sins of whoever will believe in him.

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 He dies in place.

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 And so he fulfills the pattern,

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 of that lamb.

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 Because not one of his bones was broken.

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 He is the fulfillment,

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 of all that was demonstrated,

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 by that Passover lamb.

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 If we believe in him,

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 our sins can be taken away as well.

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 The judgment will pass over us,

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 and is passed on to him.

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 The first clue John gives us,

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 that Jesus' death was purposeful.

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 It was to fulfill the patterns and promises,

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 of the Old Testament.

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 And that's further given weight,

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 in verse 37.

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 See what he says there.

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 And again,

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 another scripture says,

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 they will look on him,

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 whom they have pierced.

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 Now that was a prophecy,

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 from 500 years,

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 before Jesus' birth.

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 From Zechariah,

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 in the Old Testament.

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 And the context there was,

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 was very significant.

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 The context was that,

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 God was going to revive,

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 and restore,

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 his people.

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 And he was going to do it,

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 through this,

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 around,

00:10:13.600 --> 00:10:14.539
 through this person,

00:10:14.659 --> 00:10:15.500
 who was pierced.

00:10:16.060 --> 00:10:17.200
 So you imagine the scene,

00:10:17.259 --> 00:10:17.720
 as John,

00:10:17.960 --> 00:10:18.779
 is looking on,

00:10:18.879 --> 00:10:19.879
 he's thinking back,

00:10:19.919 --> 00:10:20.419
 on what he saw,

00:10:20.500 --> 00:10:21.360
 as he writes it down.

00:10:21.980 --> 00:10:23.019
 There are these Roman soldiers,

00:10:23.320 --> 00:10:24.120
 bringing this body down,

00:10:24.179 --> 00:10:24.659
 from the cross,

00:10:24.960 --> 00:10:25.899
 shoving his spear in,

00:10:26.240 --> 00:10:27.000
 piercing him.

00:10:27.840 --> 00:10:29.179
 And out flows the blood and water.

00:10:30.060 --> 00:10:30.840
 And there is John,

00:10:31.539 --> 00:10:31.940
 and Mary,

00:10:32.039 --> 00:10:32.620
 Jesus' mother,

00:10:33.200 --> 00:10:34.519
 and a few other onlookers,

00:10:34.600 --> 00:10:35.159
 looking on,

00:10:35.560 --> 00:10:36.120
 weeping,

00:10:36.680 --> 00:10:37.500
 over the death,

00:10:37.600 --> 00:10:38.259
 of this man.

00:10:38.259 --> 00:10:42.299
 And so it brings this verse,

00:10:42.379 --> 00:10:43.100
 to John's mind.

00:10:43.939 --> 00:10:44.419
 That verse,

00:10:44.500 --> 00:10:45.439
 in its original context,

00:10:46.080 --> 00:10:46.879
 Zechariah says this,

00:10:46.919 --> 00:10:47.539
 Zechariah 10,

00:10:47.620 --> 00:10:48.139
 verse 12,

00:10:48.360 --> 00:10:48.659
 12,

00:10:48.740 --> 00:10:49.200
 verse 10.

00:10:50.379 --> 00:10:50.799
 I,

00:10:50.939 --> 00:10:51.200
 God,

00:10:51.259 --> 00:10:52.819
 will pour out on the house of David,

00:10:53.240 --> 00:10:53.919
 that is Judea,

00:10:54.100 --> 00:10:55.299
 and the inhabitants of Jerusalem,

00:10:55.799 --> 00:10:56.919
 a spirit of grace,

00:10:57.340 --> 00:10:58.399
 and pleas for mercy,

00:10:58.980 --> 00:11:00.500
 so that when they look on me,

00:11:01.139 --> 00:11:02.799
 on him whom they have pierced,

00:11:03.259 --> 00:11:04.720
 they shall mourn for him,

00:11:05.139 --> 00:11:06.779
 as one mourns for an only child.

00:11:08.259 --> 00:11:11.480
 In the original context,

00:11:11.600 --> 00:11:12.379
 the people would weep,

00:11:12.379 --> 00:11:16.120
 over the sin they caused,

00:11:16.220 --> 00:11:17.000
 the living God.

00:11:17.779 --> 00:11:19.000
 And this one who is pierced,

00:11:19.139 --> 00:11:20.159
 is indeed the one that,

00:11:20.519 --> 00:11:21.960
 figuratively pierced,

00:11:22.039 --> 00:11:23.080
 by rebelling against him,

00:11:23.139 --> 00:11:24.000
 by their idolatry.

00:11:25.179 --> 00:11:25.819
 And here we see,

00:11:25.899 --> 00:11:27.019
 literally pierced,

00:11:27.379 --> 00:11:27.819
 with a sword,

00:11:28.200 --> 00:11:29.899
 with a spear in his side.

00:11:29.899 --> 00:11:33.199
 The result is weeping.

00:11:33.740 --> 00:11:34.980
 For those who are looking on,

00:11:35.340 --> 00:11:35.959
 they're weeping,

00:11:37.019 --> 00:11:38.500
 for Jesus' loss.

00:11:39.159 --> 00:11:39.959
 Weeping ultimately,

00:11:40.959 --> 00:11:41.959
 for their own sin,

00:11:42.279 --> 00:11:43.199
 that held him there,

00:11:43.259 --> 00:11:44.539
 that led him to the cross.

00:11:45.939 --> 00:11:46.319
 But actually,

00:11:46.419 --> 00:11:47.519
 there's two ways,

00:11:47.620 --> 00:11:48.319
 in which this verse,

00:11:48.639 --> 00:11:49.799
 is read in the New Testament.

00:11:51.259 --> 00:11:51.939
 So here,

00:11:52.019 --> 00:11:53.139
 John uses it as weeping,

00:11:53.879 --> 00:11:55.500
 for remorse over sin,

00:11:56.340 --> 00:11:57.639
 weeping the loss of Jesus.

00:11:58.039 --> 00:11:58.840
 But later on,

00:11:58.919 --> 00:11:59.960
 Revelation chapter 1,

00:12:00.039 --> 00:12:00.480
 verse 7,

00:12:00.559 --> 00:12:01.620
 another kind of weeping,

00:12:01.820 --> 00:12:02.340
 is mentioned,

00:12:02.960 --> 00:12:04.419
 with the same phrase.

00:12:05.360 --> 00:12:05.840
 Behold,

00:12:06.259 --> 00:12:06.580
 he,

00:12:06.720 --> 00:12:07.179
 that is Jesus,

00:12:07.299 --> 00:12:08.419
 is coming with the clouds,

00:12:08.700 --> 00:12:09.519
 coming in judgment,

00:12:09.980 --> 00:12:11.379
 and every eye will see him,

00:12:11.700 --> 00:12:13.200
 even those who pierced him.

00:12:13.919 --> 00:12:15.480
 And all the tribes of the earth,

00:12:15.559 --> 00:12:17.159
 will wail on account of him,

00:12:17.639 --> 00:12:18.399
 even so.

00:12:18.740 --> 00:12:19.100
 Amen.

00:12:19.500 --> 00:12:20.299
 See,

00:12:20.419 --> 00:12:21.179
 there the weeping,

00:12:21.440 --> 00:12:22.860
 is not weeping over remorse,

00:12:22.980 --> 00:12:23.559
 over sin,

00:12:23.559 --> 00:12:26.179
 but weeping because of the judgment to come.

00:12:26.859 --> 00:12:28.019
 Weeping because this Jesus,

00:12:28.139 --> 00:12:28.979
 whom they pierced,

00:12:29.339 --> 00:12:30.599
 will return as judge.

00:12:32.679 --> 00:12:33.959
 And so people then will weep,

00:12:34.319 --> 00:12:35.219
 when they didn't repent,

00:12:35.379 --> 00:12:36.679
 and turn to him when it was time.

00:12:38.359 --> 00:12:38.559
 See,

00:12:38.619 --> 00:12:39.379
 John wants us to see,

00:12:39.459 --> 00:12:40.379
 that Jesus' death,

00:12:40.679 --> 00:12:41.479
 had a purpose.

00:12:42.019 --> 00:12:43.319
 It wasn't a terrible accident.

00:12:44.339 --> 00:12:45.519
 He was the Lamb of God,

00:12:45.559 --> 00:12:47.019
 who takes away the sins of the world.

00:12:47.179 --> 00:12:48.659
 He was the one through whom,

00:12:48.979 --> 00:12:49.619
 we can be forgiven,

00:12:50.059 --> 00:12:51.419
 and brought back to God.

00:12:51.419 --> 00:12:53.919
 And by showing us,

00:12:54.299 --> 00:12:55.899
 the pierced Son of God,

00:12:56.639 --> 00:12:57.759
 down from the cross,

00:12:58.479 --> 00:13:00.000
 John is implicitly asking us a question.

00:13:01.099 --> 00:13:02.559
 Are you going to weep now,

00:13:03.199 --> 00:13:04.599
 over your sin?

00:13:04.939 --> 00:13:06.019
 Are we going to weep now,

00:13:06.079 --> 00:13:07.000
 over our sin,

00:13:07.339 --> 00:13:08.019
 that put in there?

00:13:09.539 --> 00:13:11.059
 Or will we not weep now,

00:13:11.139 --> 00:13:11.899
 but only weep,

00:13:12.360 --> 00:13:13.919
 where he comes back as judge,

00:13:15.000 --> 00:13:15.620
 and weep,

00:13:15.919 --> 00:13:16.719
 at the despair,

00:13:17.099 --> 00:13:18.360
 and the judgment coming to us?

00:13:18.360 --> 00:13:19.600
 See,

00:13:19.659 --> 00:13:20.379
 John wants us to see,

00:13:20.500 --> 00:13:21.779
 that Jesus' death is real,

00:13:22.080 --> 00:13:23.060
 burial is real,

00:13:23.560 --> 00:13:24.720
 and it is purposeful,

00:13:24.779 --> 00:13:25.519
 it is no accident.

00:13:26.779 --> 00:13:27.340
 And finally,

00:13:27.680 --> 00:13:28.519
 he wants us to see,

00:13:28.720 --> 00:13:29.620
 it is personal.

00:13:30.279 --> 00:13:31.060
 It is personal.

00:13:31.960 --> 00:13:32.440
 You can see that,

00:13:32.460 --> 00:13:33.259
 if you look at the contrast,

00:13:33.340 --> 00:13:34.220
 the responses between,

00:13:34.680 --> 00:13:35.460
 the Jewish leaders,

00:13:36.139 --> 00:13:36.820
 verse 31,

00:13:37.680 --> 00:13:39.060
 and then Joseph of Arimathea,

00:13:39.200 --> 00:13:39.779
 and Nicodemus,

00:13:40.039 --> 00:13:41.300
 in verses 38 to 42.

00:13:42.500 --> 00:13:42.700
 See,

00:13:42.759 --> 00:13:44.159
 how did the Jewish leaders,

00:13:44.159 --> 00:13:45.360
 respond to Jesus' death?

00:13:45.360 --> 00:13:47.740
 They just wanted him out of the way,

00:13:47.800 --> 00:13:48.159
 didn't they?

00:13:48.300 --> 00:13:49.740
 That's why they got him killed.

00:13:50.300 --> 00:13:51.320
 Now he's up on the cross,

00:13:51.360 --> 00:13:52.500
 as a kind of public disgrace,

00:13:52.800 --> 00:13:54.379
 about to ruin the party at Passover.

00:13:54.740 --> 00:13:55.460
 Get him down,

00:13:55.600 --> 00:13:56.080
 get him out,

00:13:56.159 --> 00:13:56.680
 please Romans.

00:13:57.300 --> 00:13:58.620
 We want this bad dream,

00:13:58.720 --> 00:13:59.379
 done away with.

00:14:00.399 --> 00:14:01.460
 We want to carry on,

00:14:01.500 --> 00:14:02.620
 with our religious performance.

00:14:03.039 --> 00:14:03.860
 We want to carry on,

00:14:03.980 --> 00:14:05.080
 with being in control.

00:14:05.480 --> 00:14:06.379
 We want to carry on,

00:14:06.519 --> 00:14:07.580
 with looking important,

00:14:07.740 --> 00:14:08.139
 and good.

00:14:10.039 --> 00:14:11.379
 He's just an inconvenience,

00:14:11.379 --> 00:14:11.960
 and embarrassment,

00:14:12.100 --> 00:14:13.000
 we want him dealt with.

00:14:13.000 --> 00:14:15.840
 But look at Joseph of Arimathea,

00:14:16.200 --> 00:14:17.039
 and Nicodemus,

00:14:17.419 --> 00:14:18.379
 down in verse 38.

00:14:19.700 --> 00:14:20.860
 We're told in verse 38,

00:14:20.960 --> 00:14:21.960
 that Joseph of Arimathea,

00:14:22.500 --> 00:14:24.059
 who Mark tells us,

00:14:24.100 --> 00:14:25.360
 was a member of the Sanhedrin,

00:14:25.740 --> 00:14:26.899
 so was part of a Jewish,

00:14:27.220 --> 00:14:28.299
 ruling establishment.

00:14:29.860 --> 00:14:30.480
 John says,

00:14:30.559 --> 00:14:32.299
 he was also a disciple of Jesus,

00:14:32.860 --> 00:14:33.679
 but secretly,

00:14:34.019 --> 00:14:34.960
 for fear of the Jews.

00:14:36.220 --> 00:14:37.019
 But now,

00:14:37.080 --> 00:14:38.240
 he gets this point of decision,

00:14:38.360 --> 00:14:39.059
 it's his personal.

00:14:39.580 --> 00:14:41.639
 Jesus has been done away with.

00:14:41.639 --> 00:14:43.159
 What is he going to do?

00:14:43.699 --> 00:14:45.699
 Just carry on with his friends,

00:14:45.899 --> 00:14:46.860
 the Jewish leaders?

00:14:48.019 --> 00:14:49.620
 Or will he show his true colours,

00:14:49.759 --> 00:14:50.759
 and show he does believe,

00:14:50.840 --> 00:14:51.779
 something about Jesus,

00:14:51.899 --> 00:14:52.779
 even if he doesn't understand,

00:14:52.899 --> 00:14:53.379
 what's happened?

00:14:54.799 --> 00:14:54.980
 See,

00:14:55.039 --> 00:14:56.439
 at great personal cost,

00:14:56.840 --> 00:14:57.659
 he goes to Pilate.

00:14:57.740 --> 00:14:58.439
 He could do that,

00:14:58.480 --> 00:14:59.340
 because he was one of the,

00:14:59.340 --> 00:15:00.259
 Jewish leaders.

00:15:00.519 --> 00:15:01.199
 He'd have access,

00:15:01.379 --> 00:15:01.980
 to the Roman governor,

00:15:02.139 --> 00:15:02.600
 to Pilate.

00:15:03.299 --> 00:15:03.779
 So he goes,

00:15:03.860 --> 00:15:05.019
 and asks for this man's body.

00:15:05.779 --> 00:15:06.179
 Typically,

00:15:06.519 --> 00:15:07.299
 someone like Jesus,

00:15:07.419 --> 00:15:09.000
 who's been crucified,

00:15:09.279 --> 00:15:10.200
 for treason,

00:15:10.200 --> 00:15:10.800
 and sedition,

00:15:11.340 --> 00:15:11.879
 would just be,

00:15:12.120 --> 00:15:13.440
 thrown into a common grave,

00:15:13.500 --> 00:15:14.300
 outside the city,

00:15:14.759 --> 00:15:15.560
 so he's not going to desecrate,

00:15:15.640 --> 00:15:16.520
 anyone else's grave.

00:15:17.440 --> 00:15:18.820
 But Joseph steps up,

00:15:19.320 --> 00:15:19.540
 and says,

00:15:19.640 --> 00:15:20.420
 I will take him.

00:15:21.200 --> 00:15:22.360
 I'll be identified,

00:15:22.879 --> 00:15:24.320
 with this dying criminal.

00:15:25.400 --> 00:15:26.600
 I'll get myself,

00:15:26.660 --> 00:15:27.940
 ritually unclean,

00:15:28.200 --> 00:15:29.480
 so I can bury him.

00:15:32.360 --> 00:15:33.840
 I'll do it at my great cost.

00:15:34.660 --> 00:15:35.120
 And so too,

00:15:35.180 --> 00:15:35.740
 Nicodemus.

00:15:36.420 --> 00:15:37.660
 We learn back in chapter 3,

00:15:37.740 --> 00:15:38.140
 verse 1,

00:15:38.139 --> 00:15:39.159
 when we first met Nicodemus,

00:15:39.439 --> 00:15:39.840
 that he was,

00:15:40.000 --> 00:15:41.639
 a leader of the Jews.

00:15:44.199 --> 00:15:45.279
 Then he came to Jesus,

00:15:45.419 --> 00:15:46.080
 at night.

00:15:46.960 --> 00:15:47.980
 He didn't want to be seen.

00:15:48.080 --> 00:15:49.220
 He came in moral darkness,

00:15:49.379 --> 00:15:50.360
 not really understanding.

00:15:51.580 --> 00:15:52.439
 But it's as if here,

00:15:52.539 --> 00:15:53.600
 now Jesus has died,

00:15:53.740 --> 00:15:54.960
 Nicodemus steps out,

00:15:55.319 --> 00:15:56.120
 into the light,

00:15:56.559 --> 00:15:57.439
 and sides with Jesus,

00:15:57.580 --> 00:15:57.980
 publicly,

00:15:58.500 --> 00:15:59.519
 and goes to bury him.

00:16:00.279 --> 00:16:01.039
 It's a bold move,

00:16:01.100 --> 00:16:01.779
 for both these men.

00:16:02.259 --> 00:16:03.379
 They're sticking their necks out.

00:16:03.379 --> 00:16:05.759
 It was social suicide,

00:16:05.860 --> 00:16:06.139
 for them,

00:16:06.240 --> 00:16:06.480
 to be,

00:16:07.080 --> 00:16:08.480
 to be seen,

00:16:08.559 --> 00:16:09.019
 to be siding,

00:16:09.139 --> 00:16:10.360
 with this crucified criminal.

00:16:11.100 --> 00:16:11.500
 It was certainly,

00:16:11.559 --> 00:16:12.340
 career suicide.

00:16:13.019 --> 00:16:14.100
 The rest of the Jewish leaders,

00:16:14.159 --> 00:16:14.700
 have wandered Jesus,

00:16:14.779 --> 00:16:15.320
 out the way.

00:16:17.500 --> 00:16:18.460
 See how personal,

00:16:18.580 --> 00:16:18.960
 it is,

00:16:19.120 --> 00:16:19.600
 for them.

00:16:20.679 --> 00:16:21.559
 Jesus' death,

00:16:21.720 --> 00:16:22.659
 forces the decision,

00:16:23.100 --> 00:16:24.439
 what are we going to do?

00:16:25.419 --> 00:16:26.279
 Are we going to be true,

00:16:26.379 --> 00:16:27.360
 to what we believe?

00:16:28.580 --> 00:16:29.659
 Or are we going to be true,

00:16:29.759 --> 00:16:30.740
 to just what is easy,

00:16:30.860 --> 00:16:31.620
 and expedient?

00:16:31.620 --> 00:16:33.980
 So it's personal for them,

00:16:34.039 --> 00:16:35.480
 it's personal for the religious leaders.

00:16:37.320 --> 00:16:39.139
 They act as their own personal interest.

00:16:40.720 --> 00:16:41.259
 And actually,

00:16:41.340 --> 00:16:42.399
 it's personal for us too.

00:16:43.480 --> 00:16:44.659
 How do we respond,

00:16:45.500 --> 00:16:46.700
 to Jesus' death,

00:16:47.060 --> 00:16:47.980
 to John's claim,

00:16:48.060 --> 00:16:48.940
 that Jesus' death,

00:16:49.039 --> 00:16:50.740
 was for our sin,

00:16:51.399 --> 00:16:52.759
 so we might have life?

00:16:53.820 --> 00:16:54.360
 Are we going to be like,

00:16:54.460 --> 00:16:55.179
 the Roman soldiers,

00:16:55.600 --> 00:16:56.460
 who were just doing a job,

00:16:56.539 --> 00:16:57.299
 just going on with life,

00:16:57.720 --> 00:16:59.180
 saw no personal involvement,

00:16:59.340 --> 00:16:59.700
 for themselves?

00:16:59.700 --> 00:17:01.980
 Are we going to be like,

00:17:02.060 --> 00:17:02.700
 the Jewish leaders,

00:17:03.180 --> 00:17:04.360
 who will perhaps cling,

00:17:04.559 --> 00:17:05.799
 to our identity,

00:17:05.960 --> 00:17:06.640
 as being good,

00:17:07.080 --> 00:17:07.900
 as being religious,

00:17:08.299 --> 00:17:09.259
 as being nice?

00:17:12.039 --> 00:17:13.120
 Which at heart,

00:17:13.200 --> 00:17:14.059
 did not want to submit,

00:17:14.160 --> 00:17:14.920
 to God's ways?

00:17:17.740 --> 00:17:18.460
 Or will we be like,

00:17:18.480 --> 00:17:19.440
 Joseph and Nicodemus,

00:17:19.480 --> 00:17:19.980
 who no longer,

00:17:20.100 --> 00:17:20.840
 sat on the fence,

00:17:20.920 --> 00:17:21.360
 no longer,

00:17:21.720 --> 00:17:22.860
 lived undercover,

00:17:24.059 --> 00:17:25.100
 but came out,

00:17:25.620 --> 00:17:26.279
 and publicly,

00:17:26.440 --> 00:17:26.920
 showed themselves,

00:17:27.000 --> 00:17:27.759
 at great cost,

00:17:27.759 --> 00:17:29.000
 to identify,

00:17:29.579 --> 00:17:30.960
 the crucified saviour,

00:17:32.160 --> 00:17:32.779
 who identified,

00:17:32.900 --> 00:17:33.559
 that they believed,

00:17:33.700 --> 00:17:34.539
 that he was indeed,

00:17:34.640 --> 00:17:35.400
 God's rescuer,

00:17:35.879 --> 00:17:36.640
 this is personal,

00:17:37.460 --> 00:17:38.279
 this is personal,

00:17:39.480 --> 00:17:40.119
 the apostle Paul,

00:17:40.180 --> 00:17:40.839
 a little bit later on,

00:17:40.900 --> 00:17:41.859
 in Romans chapter 6,

00:17:41.940 --> 00:17:42.400
 verse 3,

00:17:42.740 --> 00:17:43.819
 lays out the personal,

00:17:44.240 --> 00:17:45.279
 aspect of this,

00:17:45.319 --> 00:17:46.019
 even more clearly,

00:17:46.480 --> 00:17:47.539
 says that for those of us,

00:17:47.579 --> 00:17:48.379
 who have been baptised,

00:17:48.420 --> 00:17:49.019
 into Christ,

00:17:49.500 --> 00:17:50.019
 do you not know,

00:17:50.059 --> 00:17:50.819
 you were baptised,

00:17:50.879 --> 00:17:51.740
 into his death?

00:17:51.740 --> 00:17:53.240
 We were buried,

00:17:53.380 --> 00:17:53.680
 therefore,

00:17:53.819 --> 00:17:54.279
 with him,

00:17:54.599 --> 00:17:55.279
 in baptism,

00:17:55.680 --> 00:17:56.400
 into death,

00:17:57.259 --> 00:17:58.380
 in order that just as Christ,

00:17:58.440 --> 00:17:59.319
 was raised from the dead,

00:17:59.700 --> 00:18:00.740
 by the glory of the Father,

00:18:00.839 --> 00:18:01.819
 we too might walk,

00:18:02.259 --> 00:18:03.240
 in newness of life.

00:18:03.980 --> 00:18:04.160
 See,

00:18:04.200 --> 00:18:04.620
 for those of us,

00:18:04.640 --> 00:18:05.319
 who believe,

00:18:05.839 --> 00:18:06.460
 there's a sense in which,

00:18:06.559 --> 00:18:07.460
 as we look at Jesus,

00:18:07.559 --> 00:18:08.319
 being wrapped up,

00:18:08.559 --> 00:18:09.579
 and laid in act to you,

00:18:10.660 --> 00:18:11.839
 if we've trusted in him,

00:18:11.940 --> 00:18:13.039
 we are united to him,

00:18:13.579 --> 00:18:14.920
 and that is our old way,

00:18:14.920 --> 00:18:15.460
 of life,

00:18:16.140 --> 00:18:17.680
 the things we once held dear,

00:18:18.259 --> 00:18:19.700
 the things we once trusted on,

00:18:19.700 --> 00:18:20.440
 to give us meaning,

00:18:20.880 --> 00:18:21.840
 to give us security,

00:18:22.559 --> 00:18:23.580
 all that is died,

00:18:23.740 --> 00:18:25.160
 and buried with Jesus Christ,

00:18:26.059 --> 00:18:26.840
 and on Easter Sunday,

00:18:27.259 --> 00:18:27.840
 we celebrate,

00:18:27.940 --> 00:18:28.920
 being raised to new life,

00:18:28.980 --> 00:18:29.640
 with him as well.

00:18:31.680 --> 00:18:32.500
 So you see why John,

00:18:32.580 --> 00:18:33.559
 gives us this detail,

00:18:34.360 --> 00:18:35.240
 about Jesus' burial?

00:18:36.180 --> 00:18:36.920
 He wants us to know,

00:18:36.980 --> 00:18:37.720
 this is real,

00:18:38.559 --> 00:18:39.460
 Jesus really died,

00:18:39.580 --> 00:18:41.019
 and he really was a man,

00:18:41.080 --> 00:18:41.680
 he was human,

00:18:42.059 --> 00:18:42.840
 like you and I.

00:18:43.799 --> 00:18:44.539
 Jesus' death,

00:18:44.539 --> 00:18:45.460
 was purposeful,

00:18:45.759 --> 00:18:46.779
 it was no accident.

00:18:47.819 --> 00:18:48.819
 He is the Lamb of God,

00:18:48.819 --> 00:18:49.359
 who takes away,

00:18:49.419 --> 00:18:50.179
 the sins of the world,

00:18:50.460 --> 00:18:51.379
 he is the judge of the world,

00:18:51.439 --> 00:18:52.679
 who will one day come back,

00:18:53.079 --> 00:18:54.819
 who either weep over our sin now,

00:18:55.720 --> 00:18:57.159
 or we weep over the judgment coming,

00:18:57.439 --> 00:18:58.179
 when he returns.

00:18:58.939 --> 00:19:00.139
 And this death is personal,

00:19:01.000 --> 00:19:02.099
 we all need to respond,

00:19:02.240 --> 00:19:03.359
 we cannot ignore it.

00:19:04.139 --> 00:19:04.799
 Are we going to come out,

00:19:04.839 --> 00:19:05.379
 of the darkness,

00:19:05.519 --> 00:19:06.339
 as Nicodemus did?

00:19:07.559 --> 00:19:08.899
 Or are we carrying our own way,

00:19:09.259 --> 00:19:10.359
 as the Jewish leaders did?

00:19:11.359 --> 00:19:12.460
 Let me pray for us.

00:19:12.460 --> 00:19:12.460