WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.419 My name is Sean, for those of you who don't know me, and I'm one of the pastors of Trinity 00:00:03.419 --> 00:00:08.160 ! Cambridge Church. It's my great joy and privilege to preach God's word to you this morning. 00:00:08.160 --> 00:00:22.719 Please turn with me to Matthew chapter 27. Matthew chapter 27, verses 27 to 44. 00:00:25.059 --> 00:00:27.960 Let me pray for the reading and preaching of God's word. 00:00:27.960 --> 00:00:45.320 Heavenly Father, as surely as the heavens are higher than the earth, surely your ways are higher than our ways. 00:00:48.460 --> 00:00:53.380 Ours is the way of vengeance and retribution. 00:00:53.380 --> 00:00:57.120 Ours is the way of grace and mercy. 00:01:02.820 --> 00:01:08.359 We try so hard, Lord, to make our own way, find our own righteousness, 00:01:09.700 --> 00:01:12.579 find our own power and wisdom. 00:01:14.020 --> 00:01:18.000 But Lord, in Christ Jesus, your Son, you present to us a different way. 00:01:21.439 --> 00:01:22.879 Teach us that way. 00:01:23.780 --> 00:01:24.799 Form us. 00:01:25.339 --> 00:01:26.099 Change us. 00:01:27.539 --> 00:01:31.459 In accordance with that way, the way of Christ, the way of the gospel. 00:01:32.579 --> 00:01:38.119 As we submit ourselves to your word, as you address us this morning. 00:01:40.560 --> 00:01:42.679 In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 00:01:42.680 --> 00:01:48.280 If you are able, please stand for the reading of God's word. 00:01:48.360 --> 00:01:49.260 Let's honor God together. 00:01:49.820 --> 00:01:53.840 I know it's a little harder to stand up here, but let me read. 00:01:54.180 --> 00:01:55.740 And you can follow along with me in your Bibles. 00:01:56.340 --> 00:01:58.880 Matthew chapter 27, verses 27 to 44. 00:01:58.879 --> 00:02:07.640 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, 00:02:07.640 --> 00:02:08.639 verse 1. 00:02:08.639 --> 00:02:10.159 And they gathered the whole battalion before him. 00:02:10.159 --> 00:02:13.460 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. 00:02:13.620 --> 00:02:18.740 And twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. 00:02:18.740 --> 00:02:21.700 And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, 00:02:22.260 --> 00:02:23.740 Hail, King of the Jews! 00:02:23.740 --> 00:02:28.580 And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 00:02:29.500 --> 00:02:34.080 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him 00:02:34.080 --> 00:02:35.900 and led him away to crucify him. 00:02:37.280 --> 00:02:41.520 As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. 00:02:42.320 --> 00:02:44.540 They compelled this man to carry his cross. 00:02:44.980 --> 00:02:49.939 And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means place of a skull, 00:02:49.939 --> 00:02:53.099 they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall. 00:02:53.579 --> 00:02:55.879 But when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 00:02:56.639 --> 00:03:01.219 And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. 00:03:01.859 --> 00:03:04.599 Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. 00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:08.439 And over his head, they put the charge against him, which read, 00:03:08.919 --> 00:03:11.360 This is Jesus, the King of the Jews. 00:03:12.560 --> 00:03:17.319 Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. 00:03:17.319 --> 00:03:21.699 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, 00:03:22.199 --> 00:03:26.500 You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself. 00:03:27.039 --> 00:03:30.159 If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross. 00:03:30.979 --> 00:03:35.199 So also the chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked him, saying, 00:03:35.599 --> 00:03:38.819 He saved others. He cannot save himself. 00:03:39.560 --> 00:03:43.979 He is the King of Israel. Let him come down now from the cross and we will believe in him. 00:03:43.979 --> 00:03:49.359 He trusts in God. Let God deliver him now, if he desires him. 00:03:49.859 --> 00:03:52.000 For he said, I am the Son of God. 00:03:52.539 --> 00:03:57.159 And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way. 00:03:57.859 --> 00:04:00.659 This is God's holy and authoritative word. Please be seated. 00:04:00.659 --> 00:04:11.919 When heads of state meet in a high-level diplomacy meeting, 00:04:12.460 --> 00:04:14.680 they're not merely meeting for conversation. 00:04:15.620 --> 00:04:19.199 Of course, they are meeting to talk and to discuss matters, 00:04:19.439 --> 00:04:24.720 but they have a larger, broader audience in mind when they gather for those meetings. 00:04:24.720 --> 00:04:33.240 And they will be photographed, and that photograph will be shared with thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands. 00:04:34.300 --> 00:04:37.600 And so each meeting is highly choreographed. 00:04:38.120 --> 00:04:41.180 Every detail of the visual matters. 00:04:42.380 --> 00:04:43.280 How are they dressed? 00:04:43.500 --> 00:04:48.280 A suit? A military uniform? A traditional ethnic attire? 00:04:48.940 --> 00:04:51.720 Who extends the hand first for a handshake? 00:04:51.720 --> 00:04:54.380 Who is standing and who is walking toward them? 00:04:54.900 --> 00:04:56.560 What order are they seated in? 00:04:56.900 --> 00:04:59.800 How are the national flags displayed and in what order? 00:05:00.780 --> 00:05:09.460 These details matter to them because the rulers of this world carefully want to project power and authority, majesty, and control. 00:05:10.300 --> 00:05:19.240 And they don't want in any way to project weakness, inferiority, or subjection to other powers and authorities. 00:05:19.240 --> 00:05:28.560 But see how our King Jesus is here, received and treated by the Roman and Jewish authorities. 00:05:30.100 --> 00:05:36.660 At Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the crowds hailed Jesus as the Messianic King. 00:05:37.620 --> 00:05:40.160 In Matthew 21, verse 9, the crowds cried out, 00:05:40.280 --> 00:05:45.560 Hosanna to the Son of David, a Messianic title for the Davidic King that is to come. 00:05:45.560 --> 00:05:49.560 They were clamoring on that day for Jesus' enthronement. 00:05:50.800 --> 00:05:56.560 But less than a week later, on Good Friday, the crowds clamored for Jesus' execution. 00:05:59.120 --> 00:06:00.340 A drastic turn. 00:06:00.339 --> 00:06:11.239 And at the beginning of the book, when Jesus was born, the Magi, the wise men from the East, visited him and called him the King of the Jews. 00:06:12.019 --> 00:06:20.779 And once again here at the end of the book of Matthew, in chapter 27, as Jesus is dying, he is presented once more as the King of the Jews. 00:06:20.959 --> 00:06:24.539 The only two times in the Gospel of Matthew he is called by that title. 00:06:24.540 --> 00:06:33.180 But this time, it's not a sincere acclaim, it's a mockery of Jesus as the King of the Jews. 00:06:33.939 --> 00:06:42.660 In this passage, Jesus is mocked, reviled, blasphemed, stripped naked, sped on, struck, and crucified. 00:06:42.660 --> 00:06:52.939 And this image of public humiliation and execution is the image that Jesus leaves to most of the world. 00:06:54.680 --> 00:07:00.460 Of course, a select group of Jesus' disciples will be witnesses of his resurrection. 00:07:01.340 --> 00:07:05.900 Mary Magdalene and the other woman, Peter and the twelve, James and the other apostles, 00:07:06.060 --> 00:07:09.800 and about 500 brothers as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15, verse 6. 00:07:09.800 --> 00:07:19.139 But for the rest of the tens of thousands of people, perhaps hundreds of thousands of people who saw Jesus and met him in his earthly ministry, 00:07:20.680 --> 00:07:26.840 this humiliating image on the cross is their lasting image of him. 00:07:28.139 --> 00:07:32.180 The rulers of this world project power, authority, control, 00:07:32.360 --> 00:07:38.180 but King Jesus chooses the way of weakness, humiliation, and death. 00:07:39.800 --> 00:07:46.960 If you saw a king, someone who claimed your allegiance and asked you to follow him, 00:07:47.460 --> 00:07:49.060 humiliated and defeated, 00:07:50.460 --> 00:07:52.180 would that inspire your confidence? 00:07:53.860 --> 00:07:57.000 Would that inspire you to pledge allegiance to him and follow him? 00:07:58.360 --> 00:07:59.480 Of course not. 00:08:00.900 --> 00:08:03.720 Yet that is precisely the point. 00:08:03.720 --> 00:08:10.420 A crucified king looks foolish to a power-hungry world. 00:08:11.220 --> 00:08:14.960 But God shuns the wisdom of this world and the power of this world. 00:08:15.360 --> 00:08:17.280 He shuns the rulers of this world. 00:08:17.940 --> 00:08:21.420 He chooses what is foolish in the world to shame the wise. 00:08:21.800 --> 00:08:24.380 What is weak in the world to shame the strong. 00:08:24.380 --> 00:08:28.180 What is low and despised in the world to shame the high and esteemed, 00:08:28.180 --> 00:08:32.240 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God? 00:08:33.340 --> 00:08:41.440 He saves us in such a way that the only way to gain our souls is by surrendering and losing ourselves. 00:08:41.940 --> 00:08:46.399 So that the only way to attain eternal life is by dying to ourselves. 00:08:47.060 --> 00:08:50.159 And the only way to glory is through humility. 00:08:50.159 --> 00:08:55.699 God saves us through the folly of Christ crucified. 00:08:57.779 --> 00:09:03.100 And so in this passage we see first Jesus mocked by the Gentiles on the one hand in verse 27 to 31 00:09:03.100 --> 00:09:06.559 and then mocked by the Jews in 32 to 44. 00:09:07.679 --> 00:09:09.939 First we find in verses 27 to 31, 00:09:10.100 --> 00:09:13.299 Jesus being utterly degraded and humiliated by the Gentiles. 00:09:13.980 --> 00:09:15.459 He says in verse 27, 00:09:15.579 --> 00:09:17.839 Gentiles meaning the Greeks or non-Jews. 00:09:18.459 --> 00:09:19.579 He says in verse 27, 00:09:19.580 --> 00:09:22.920 the soldiers of the Roman governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters 00:09:22.920 --> 00:09:25.400 and they gathered the whole battalion before him. 00:09:26.460 --> 00:09:31.660 On what might have been an otherwise boring ordinary day in the lives of these common Roman soldiers, 00:09:32.000 --> 00:09:35.300 they find themselves in custody of the king of the Jews. 00:09:36.100 --> 00:09:39.080 And that's too good of an opportunity for them to pass up. 00:09:39.139 --> 00:09:42.379 So they gather the whole battalion before him. 00:09:42.860 --> 00:09:48.300 A battalion, a full battalion, a Roman battalion is usually 600 men, 600 soldiers. 00:09:48.299 --> 00:09:53.500 So at least six times the size of our gathering, more so here. 00:09:53.779 --> 00:09:58.559 So imagine all those people gather just to make sport of Jesus, to bully Jesus. 00:09:58.559 --> 00:10:01.899 First they strip him. 00:10:01.899 --> 00:10:06.819 They strip Jesus of his clothing and then they play dress up with him like he's a plaything. 00:10:07.539 --> 00:10:12.179 In the place of a royal robe, they put the scarlet robe of a Roman soldier, Roman robe on him. 00:10:12.619 --> 00:10:17.259 In the place of a bejeweled crown, they weave together a crown of thorns and place it on his head. 00:10:17.599 --> 00:10:21.199 In the place of a golden scepter, they gave him a little stick, a reed. 00:10:21.200 --> 00:10:31.640 And then kneeling before him, they mocked him, he says, their eyes wild with insolence, their voices dripping with sarcasm. 00:10:31.900 --> 00:10:34.820 They say, hail king of the Jews. 00:10:36.180 --> 00:10:41.460 And boisterous laughter erupts from the soldiers, battalions of soldiers. 00:10:42.300 --> 00:10:45.560 Egged on by their comrades, laughter, the soldiers continue. 00:10:45.559 --> 00:10:49.699 They spit on him, took the reed and struck him on the head. 00:10:50.500 --> 00:10:57.500 Spitting on anybody in any culture is a grievous insult, but especially in a Jewish culture, especially in the ancient culture. 00:10:58.399 --> 00:11:05.599 And especially for Jews who considered being spat on to confer uncleanness coming from a Gentile. 00:11:07.019 --> 00:11:09.259 They're intentionally defiling Jesus. 00:11:10.219 --> 00:11:14.319 They strike him on the head, another act of violence and defiance and disrespect. 00:11:14.320 --> 00:11:18.940 Your royal highness, please lend to me your scepter for a moment. 00:11:19.560 --> 00:11:20.860 And then whack on the head. 00:11:23.760 --> 00:11:27.780 As they clobber him and jeer him, more laughter erupts from the crowd. 00:11:29.300 --> 00:11:33.620 The irony of the scene is not lost on the readers of Matthew's gospel. 00:11:34.680 --> 00:11:38.680 Despite the Gentile soldiers' mockery, Jesus is the king of the Jews. 00:11:39.180 --> 00:11:43.160 He is the son of God and he is the promised Messiah. 00:11:43.159 --> 00:11:43.240 Yeah. 00:11:44.240 --> 00:11:50.019 These soldiers' mockery of Jesus is so grossly unfair and wrong. 00:11:50.959 --> 00:11:53.219 Yet Jesus does nothing to stop it. 00:11:54.459 --> 00:11:55.279 He could have. 00:11:56.679 --> 00:12:05.139 Jesus said in Matthew 26, 53 that he could appeal to God the Father and that he would at once send more than 12 legions of angels to Jesus' aid. 00:12:05.139 --> 00:12:14.080 I think Steve preached on this a few weeks ago and he mentioned 2 Kings 19, 35 where one angel wipes out 185,000 armies strong. 00:12:16.500 --> 00:12:23.439 Sending 72,000 angels would have been an overkill for a battalion of mere human soldiers. 00:12:24.299 --> 00:12:25.319 He didn't have to do that. 00:12:25.320 --> 00:12:28.180 But at least he could have sent lightning or something. 00:12:29.120 --> 00:12:31.500 Strike these arrogant presumptuous soldiers down. 00:12:32.780 --> 00:12:34.000 But he doesn't do that. 00:12:35.840 --> 00:12:37.700 Jesus quietly endures the mockery. 00:12:38.620 --> 00:12:41.080 And when they had mocked him, it says in verse 31, 00:12:41.080 --> 00:12:53.680 On his way to the cross, Jesus' humiliation continues. 00:12:54.080 --> 00:12:57.560 As they went out in verse 32, they found the man of Cyrene, Simon by name. 00:12:57.620 --> 00:12:59.300 They compelled this man to carry his cross. 00:12:59.980 --> 00:13:05.060 According to Roman custom, the person on death row is supposed to carry his own cross. 00:13:05.059 --> 00:13:12.839 But the fact that Jesus is unable to carry his own cross and they must compel another man to do so shows how weak already he is. 00:13:12.979 --> 00:13:17.739 From all the beating and the flogging, he is already physically incapacitated. 00:13:19.199 --> 00:13:22.379 He can't even carry his own cross to the place of the skull. 00:13:23.279 --> 00:13:25.379 When they finally get there, he says in verse 34, 00:13:25.539 --> 00:13:29.719 They offered him wine to drink mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 00:13:29.720 --> 00:13:39.399 Psalm 69, 17 to 21, speaks of a righteous sufferer who becomes a prophetic type, a prophetic forer to Jesus. 00:13:39.920 --> 00:13:43.440 And shows us what the Messiah will be like when he comes. 00:13:44.160 --> 00:13:46.879 And in Psalm 69, the righteous sufferer says, 00:13:46.879 --> 00:13:50.100 You know, Lord, my reproach, my shame, and my dishonor. 00:13:50.500 --> 00:13:52.160 My foes are all known to you. 00:13:52.600 --> 00:13:55.139 Reproaches have broken my heart so that I am in despair. 00:13:55.639 --> 00:13:57.540 I looked for pity, but there was none. 00:13:57.539 --> 00:13:59.839 And for comforters, but I found none. 00:14:00.279 --> 00:14:01.899 They gave me poison for food. 00:14:02.159 --> 00:14:04.779 And for my thirst, they gave me sour wine to drink. 00:14:05.699 --> 00:14:10.679 The word translated poison in that prophecy is gall in Greek. 00:14:11.079 --> 00:14:17.259 The same word used here in our passage, which is what they mixed with the wine to give to Jesus. 00:14:17.519 --> 00:14:21.319 It's not true poison, but it is an intensely bitter herb. 00:14:22.159 --> 00:14:25.279 Later in verse 48, they will also offer him sour wine. 00:14:25.279 --> 00:14:30.539 Thus fulfilling in minute detail the prophecy of Psalm 69. 00:14:31.019 --> 00:14:37.279 The pungent smell of wine that has gone bad would have immediately pierced Jesus' nose as they offered it to him. 00:14:38.459 --> 00:14:49.339 In most places in the U.S., those who are condemned on death row are allowed to request a specific last meal that they want before they are executed. 00:14:49.340 --> 00:14:53.379 This is Jesus' last meal. 00:14:54.500 --> 00:14:59.160 A meal not of his own choosing, but gall and sour wine. 00:15:00.899 --> 00:15:04.899 And like the psalmist, Jesus looked for pity, but there was none. 00:15:05.600 --> 00:15:07.680 And for comforters, but found none. 00:15:08.340 --> 00:15:09.700 Instead, it says in verse 39, 00:15:09.700 --> 00:15:14.240 Verse 41 says, 00:15:14.240 --> 00:15:32.820 From the Jewish criminals to the passersbys to the chief priests and the elders, 00:15:32.820 --> 00:15:39.180 Jesus is rejected by every stratum of Jewish society and Roman society. 00:15:40.379 --> 00:15:44.560 He came to his own, and his own did not receive him. 00:15:46.560 --> 00:15:51.920 People mocking and wagging their heads and the Jewish leaders' specific words in verse 43, 00:15:52.160 --> 00:15:55.040 He trusts in God, let God deliver him now if he desires him. 00:15:55.120 --> 00:15:57.260 All precisely echoes Psalm 22, 00:15:57.820 --> 00:16:01.940 fulfilling another very specific prophecy from a thousand years before. 00:16:01.940 --> 00:16:06.420 They encircle him, pierce his hands and feet, 00:16:06.660 --> 00:16:09.540 stare at him and gloat over him and cast lots for his clothing, 00:16:09.800 --> 00:16:13.320 all of which were prophesied specifically in Psalm 22. 00:16:15.040 --> 00:16:17.480 He, how can his own people be so ignorant? 00:16:19.220 --> 00:16:22.180 Sure, we might say these Romans might not know any better, 00:16:22.940 --> 00:16:25.360 but shouldn't the Jews who have had the scriptures, 00:16:26.100 --> 00:16:28.680 who have had God's revelation, who have had God's law, 00:16:28.680 --> 00:16:31.280 shouldn't they, who have had the prophecies, 00:16:31.279 --> 00:16:32.579 shouldn't they know better? 00:16:33.659 --> 00:16:35.199 Jesus' heart is for them. 00:16:36.379 --> 00:16:38.159 He came to save them. 00:16:39.039 --> 00:16:41.480 Even if all the other nations rejected him, 00:16:41.600 --> 00:16:43.259 they at least should have received him. 00:16:43.299 --> 00:16:46.879 But no, Jesus is rejected by his own people. 00:16:48.480 --> 00:16:51.899 His last remaining dignity is taken away from him in verse 35, 00:16:51.899 --> 00:16:55.120 when the soldiers cast lots and divide his clothing, 00:16:55.120 --> 00:16:56.179 his garments. 00:16:56.860 --> 00:17:00.399 The last piece of property that he can call his own on earth 00:17:00.399 --> 00:17:02.679 is stolen off of his back 00:17:02.679 --> 00:17:07.299 and completely naked and exposed to the elements 00:17:07.299 --> 00:17:10.920 and exposed and naked before the gawking crowd. 00:17:10.920 --> 00:17:14.840 Imagine the pathetic sight. 00:17:17.380 --> 00:17:19.100 That's how our King Jesus died. 00:17:21.660 --> 00:17:25.140 And while Jesus is reduced to this gruesome spectacle, 00:17:25.720 --> 00:17:27.100 where are his disciples, 00:17:28.120 --> 00:17:29.340 his closest friends? 00:17:30.220 --> 00:17:34.300 When a man of Cyrene is compelled to carry Jesus' cross in verse 32, 00:17:34.400 --> 00:17:36.640 notice how Matthew specifically says 00:17:36.640 --> 00:17:39.380 that the man was called Simon by name. 00:17:40.480 --> 00:17:42.800 His name is really kind of irrelevant for us. 00:17:42.900 --> 00:17:44.160 It's kind of like a nobody. 00:17:44.340 --> 00:17:46.600 He's just like a side character, an extra in the scene. 00:17:46.759 --> 00:17:47.820 We don't need to know his name. 00:17:48.100 --> 00:17:49.900 But Matthew intentionally includes his name 00:17:49.900 --> 00:17:51.840 and say he was called Simon by name. 00:17:51.980 --> 00:17:52.240 Why? 00:17:52.380 --> 00:17:55.280 Because it invites a contrast to another, 00:17:55.440 --> 00:17:57.980 more prominent Simon we know from Matthew's gospel, 00:17:58.240 --> 00:18:00.140 Simon called Peter, 00:18:01.140 --> 00:18:03.740 who had insisted to Jesus in chapter 26 00:18:03.740 --> 00:18:07.660 that even if all the other disciples fall away on account of him, 00:18:07.900 --> 00:18:09.700 I will stay with you, Jesus. 00:18:11.099 --> 00:18:13.220 I am willing to die for you, Jesus. 00:18:15.500 --> 00:18:17.779 And this Simon Peter is nowhere to be seen. 00:18:19.299 --> 00:18:20.680 Earlier in Matthew 16, 00:18:20.779 --> 00:18:22.099 Jesus had told his disciples, 00:18:22.339 --> 00:18:24.059 whoever would follow me must deny himself 00:18:24.059 --> 00:18:26.240 and pick up his cross and follow me. 00:18:26.240 --> 00:18:28.620 And here there is no disciple left 00:18:28.620 --> 00:18:31.319 to help Jesus carry a literal cross 00:18:31.319 --> 00:18:33.480 on his way to execution. 00:18:34.539 --> 00:18:36.180 None of his disciples are there. 00:18:37.299 --> 00:18:39.500 Similarly, early in Matthew 20, 00:18:39.859 --> 00:18:41.160 earlier in Matthew 20, 00:18:41.240 --> 00:18:42.880 the mother of James and John, 00:18:43.019 --> 00:18:44.339 remember, approached Jesus 00:18:44.339 --> 00:18:46.279 with an unusual request, 00:18:46.559 --> 00:18:47.240 saying of him, 00:18:47.680 --> 00:18:49.579 say, make these two sons of mine, 00:18:49.759 --> 00:18:50.380 James and John, 00:18:50.539 --> 00:18:52.539 sit one at your right hand 00:18:52.539 --> 00:18:54.500 and one on your left, 00:18:55.660 --> 00:18:57.200 asking for positions of glory. 00:18:58.380 --> 00:19:00.700 However, as Jesus ascends the cross 00:19:00.700 --> 00:19:02.519 to usher in the kingdom of God, 00:19:02.519 --> 00:19:05.339 John and James are not flanking Jesus 00:19:05.339 --> 00:19:08.319 to his right and to his left. 00:19:09.599 --> 00:19:11.859 No, that exact same expression is used 00:19:11.859 --> 00:19:14.379 to hearken back to that instance. 00:19:15.480 --> 00:19:17.720 Instead, the people flanking Jesus 00:19:17.720 --> 00:19:21.119 are two robbers being killed alongside him. 00:19:22.119 --> 00:19:25.460 These parallels highlight intentionally for us 00:19:25.460 --> 00:19:27.480 the intense loneliness 00:19:27.480 --> 00:19:29.559 and the sharp betrayal 00:19:29.559 --> 00:19:32.519 that Jesus must have felt. 00:19:34.380 --> 00:19:35.500 Rejected by all, 00:19:36.220 --> 00:19:37.660 forsaken by his own disciples. 00:19:38.200 --> 00:19:40.299 This is a cross that Jesus must bear alone. 00:19:41.420 --> 00:19:43.200 Only his shoulders can bear the weight. 00:19:44.799 --> 00:19:47.180 We can see why this is the case 00:19:47.180 --> 00:19:49.440 in the chief priests' misplaced mockery 00:19:49.440 --> 00:19:50.400 in verse 42. 00:19:50.400 --> 00:19:52.920 They say he saved others. 00:19:53.580 --> 00:19:54.580 He cannot save himself. 00:19:55.340 --> 00:19:56.400 He is the king of Israel. 00:19:56.640 --> 00:19:58.420 Let him come down now from the cross 00:19:58.420 --> 00:19:59.920 and we will believe in him. 00:20:01.440 --> 00:20:04.900 They taught Jesus to come down now from the cross. 00:20:05.540 --> 00:20:06.840 If he really is a savior, 00:20:06.960 --> 00:20:08.040 he should be able to save himself. 00:20:09.100 --> 00:20:11.360 A fitness coach should be fit himself. 00:20:11.519 --> 00:20:13.840 A dentist should have good teeth himself. 00:20:14.160 --> 00:20:15.900 So likewise, they argue, 00:20:16.360 --> 00:20:17.519 the savior of the world 00:20:17.519 --> 00:20:19.000 should be able to save himself. 00:20:20.680 --> 00:20:22.259 But they don't understand 00:20:22.259 --> 00:20:24.980 that in order to save others, 00:20:25.900 --> 00:20:28.440 Jesus must not save himself 00:20:28.440 --> 00:20:29.680 out of this situation. 00:20:33.180 --> 00:20:35.660 Jesus said earlier in Matthew 20, verse 28, 00:20:36.039 --> 00:20:38.420 that he came not to be served, 00:20:38.420 --> 00:20:40.940 but to serve and to give his life 00:20:40.940 --> 00:20:42.680 as a ransom for many. 00:20:43.299 --> 00:20:45.859 In order for many to be saved, 00:20:45.859 --> 00:20:49.019 he must die as a ransom price 00:20:49.019 --> 00:20:50.339 for their freedom. 00:20:51.240 --> 00:20:53.659 All of humanity has sinned against God 00:20:53.659 --> 00:20:55.819 and we are there for spiritual debtors. 00:20:57.099 --> 00:20:59.159 And debtors cannot go free 00:20:59.159 --> 00:21:01.359 until their debt has been paid. 00:21:02.759 --> 00:21:04.619 But God, the creditor, 00:21:05.419 --> 00:21:05.899 the lender, 00:21:06.599 --> 00:21:07.839 is merciful and gracious. 00:21:08.639 --> 00:21:10.759 And instead of insisting on their punishment, 00:21:10.879 --> 00:21:11.659 on our punishment, 00:21:11.819 --> 00:21:13.799 he has graciously provided a way 00:21:13.799 --> 00:21:17.259 of absorbing the enormous debt himself. 00:21:19.500 --> 00:21:20.460 His son, 00:21:21.460 --> 00:21:22.159 his heir, 00:21:22.779 --> 00:21:24.039 heir to all of his wealth 00:21:24.039 --> 00:21:25.180 and all of his kingdom, 00:21:25.319 --> 00:21:26.299 Jesus Christ himself, 00:21:26.879 --> 00:21:28.039 will pay the price, 00:21:28.139 --> 00:21:28.940 the debt that we owe 00:21:28.940 --> 00:21:30.059 by dying on the cross 00:21:30.059 --> 00:21:32.019 as a substitute for sinners 00:21:32.019 --> 00:21:33.519 to pay the debt 00:21:33.519 --> 00:21:35.359 that we enslaved sinners 00:21:35.359 --> 00:21:36.119 could never pay 00:21:36.119 --> 00:21:38.980 so that you and I might be free. 00:21:38.980 --> 00:21:42.339 If Jesus came down from the cross 00:21:42.339 --> 00:21:43.079 at that moment, 00:21:43.339 --> 00:21:44.759 the debt would not be paid, 00:21:45.140 --> 00:21:45.880 the wrath of God 00:21:45.880 --> 00:21:46.920 would not be satisfied, 00:21:47.299 --> 00:21:48.299 and we would still, 00:21:48.500 --> 00:21:49.339 to this day, 00:21:49.380 --> 00:21:51.420 be enslaved to sin and death. 00:21:53.039 --> 00:21:54.519 A crucified king 00:21:54.519 --> 00:21:56.279 looks ridiculous 00:21:56.279 --> 00:21:58.039 and foolish to the world. 00:21:59.180 --> 00:22:00.599 Look at verse 42 again. 00:22:00.680 --> 00:22:01.779 The chief priests say this, 00:22:01.779 --> 00:22:03.339 Let him come down now 00:22:03.339 --> 00:22:04.039 from the cross 00:22:04.039 --> 00:22:06.200 and we will believe in him. 00:22:07.579 --> 00:22:09.420 See how even to the very end, 00:22:09.940 --> 00:22:11.700 these Jews demand signs. 00:22:13.160 --> 00:22:15.579 If you show us a sign, 00:22:16.420 --> 00:22:17.899 if you prove yourself 00:22:17.899 --> 00:22:19.819 to my satisfaction 00:22:19.819 --> 00:22:21.899 and satisfy my demands 00:22:21.899 --> 00:22:23.259 and requirements and standards, 00:22:23.420 --> 00:22:24.700 then we will believe in you. 00:22:26.000 --> 00:22:27.720 This is exactly what Paul said 00:22:27.720 --> 00:22:30.299 in 1 Corinthians 1, 22-24. 00:22:30.299 --> 00:22:32.619 For Jews demand signs 00:22:32.619 --> 00:22:34.099 and Greeks seek wisdom, 00:22:34.319 --> 00:22:36.500 but we preach Christ crucified, 00:22:37.419 --> 00:22:38.659 a stumbling block to Jews 00:22:38.659 --> 00:22:40.200 and folly to Gentiles. 00:22:40.659 --> 00:22:41.899 But to those who are called, 00:22:42.000 --> 00:22:43.359 both Jews and Greeks, 00:22:43.559 --> 00:22:44.480 the power of God 00:22:44.480 --> 00:22:45.619 and the wisdom of God. 00:22:46.559 --> 00:22:48.480 The Jews seek power. 00:22:48.859 --> 00:22:50.379 The Greeks seek wisdom. 00:22:50.919 --> 00:22:52.599 That's what the world looks for 00:22:52.599 --> 00:22:53.940 in their kings and rulers. 00:22:54.440 --> 00:22:55.819 They want someone powerful. 00:22:55.940 --> 00:22:57.279 They want someone wise. 00:22:57.779 --> 00:22:58.700 Jesus is both, 00:22:58.700 --> 00:23:00.440 but not in the way 00:23:00.440 --> 00:23:01.819 this sinful world expects. 00:23:03.660 --> 00:23:05.080 God opposes the proud 00:23:05.080 --> 00:23:06.400 but gives grace to the humble. 00:23:07.180 --> 00:23:08.920 He seeks to save the humble. 00:23:09.740 --> 00:23:11.279 Sinners who acknowledge 00:23:11.279 --> 00:23:12.640 their own wickedness, 00:23:12.960 --> 00:23:14.519 the weak who acknowledge 00:23:14.519 --> 00:23:16.380 their own neediness 00:23:16.380 --> 00:23:18.140 and call out to God 00:23:18.140 --> 00:23:19.160 alone for salvation. 00:23:19.160 --> 00:23:21.640 In order to be saved, 00:23:21.759 --> 00:23:22.660 we must acknowledge 00:23:22.660 --> 00:23:24.180 that what Jesus endured 00:23:24.180 --> 00:23:25.140 on the cross 00:23:25.140 --> 00:23:25.920 on that day, 00:23:26.000 --> 00:23:26.980 2,000 years ago, 00:23:27.100 --> 00:23:28.040 is precisely, 00:23:28.240 --> 00:23:29.860 exactly what we deserved. 00:23:31.019 --> 00:23:32.860 But the proud and the strong 00:23:32.860 --> 00:23:33.980 will never admit that. 00:23:35.160 --> 00:23:37.080 This is why the word of the cross 00:23:37.080 --> 00:23:37.779 is folly 00:23:37.779 --> 00:23:39.040 to those who are perishing, 00:23:39.180 --> 00:23:40.600 but to us who are being saved, 00:23:40.680 --> 00:23:41.920 it is the power of God. 00:23:42.820 --> 00:23:44.000 Those who are powerful 00:23:44.000 --> 00:23:45.180 and wise in the world 00:23:45.180 --> 00:23:47.060 think that they could find 00:23:47.060 --> 00:23:48.340 another way to save themselves. 00:23:48.339 --> 00:23:51.720 They think that their own ingenuity, 00:23:52.259 --> 00:23:53.639 their own resources, 00:23:54.299 --> 00:23:55.279 their own philanthropy, 00:23:55.879 --> 00:23:57.039 their own righteousness 00:23:57.039 --> 00:23:58.519 can save themselves 00:23:58.519 --> 00:23:59.159 and the world. 00:24:00.439 --> 00:24:02.480 But at the cross of Jesus Christ, 00:24:02.639 --> 00:24:04.240 God makes foolish 00:24:04.240 --> 00:24:05.419 the wisdom of the world. 00:24:07.019 --> 00:24:08.819 He displays once and for all 00:24:08.819 --> 00:24:10.279 that there is no other way 00:24:10.279 --> 00:24:10.899 of salvation 00:24:10.899 --> 00:24:13.059 because God saves us 00:24:13.059 --> 00:24:14.039 through the folly 00:24:14.039 --> 00:24:15.959 of Christ crucified. 00:24:15.960 --> 00:24:16.960 God saves us 00:24:16.960 --> 00:24:17.579 and for all that 00:24:17.579 --> 00:24:17.960 God saves us 00:24:17.960 --> 00:24:18.579 and for all that 00:24:18.579 --> 00:24:19.180 brothers and sisters, 00:24:19.880 --> 00:24:21.579 where is your hope 00:24:21.579 --> 00:24:22.200 of salvation? 00:24:22.819 --> 00:24:23.340 Really? 00:24:25.420 --> 00:24:26.579 Is it in the power 00:24:26.579 --> 00:24:27.100 and wisdom 00:24:27.100 --> 00:24:27.980 of this world? 00:24:29.819 --> 00:24:30.819 The academics, 00:24:31.579 --> 00:24:32.400 the geniuses, 00:24:32.779 --> 00:24:33.759 the entrepreneurs, 00:24:34.299 --> 00:24:34.980 the billionaires, 00:24:35.120 --> 00:24:35.759 the activists, 00:24:35.920 --> 00:24:36.500 the politicians? 00:24:38.660 --> 00:24:39.480 Do you think 00:24:39.480 --> 00:24:40.420 they will save the world? 00:24:40.420 --> 00:24:41.420 No. 00:24:43.420 --> 00:24:44.400 1 Corinthians 2.8 00:24:44.400 --> 00:24:45.120 tells us that 00:24:45.120 --> 00:24:46.500 none of the rulers 00:24:46.500 --> 00:24:47.160 of this age 00:24:47.160 --> 00:24:48.340 understood the secret 00:24:48.340 --> 00:24:49.680 and hidden wisdom of God. 00:24:50.019 --> 00:24:50.980 For if they had, 00:24:51.080 --> 00:24:51.940 they would not have 00:24:51.940 --> 00:24:53.300 crucified the Lord of glory. 00:24:54.779 --> 00:24:56.000 In every generation, 00:24:56.120 --> 00:24:57.400 the rulers of this sinful world, 00:24:57.500 --> 00:24:58.560 those who are wise 00:24:58.560 --> 00:24:59.200 and powerful 00:24:59.200 --> 00:25:00.100 in their generation, 00:25:00.340 --> 00:25:01.680 crucify the Lord of glory 00:25:01.680 --> 00:25:02.560 all over again 00:25:02.560 --> 00:25:04.300 because they do not understand 00:25:04.300 --> 00:25:04.940 the secret 00:25:04.940 --> 00:25:06.320 and hidden wisdom of God. 00:25:06.319 --> 00:25:08.899 brothers and sisters, 00:25:09.419 --> 00:25:10.259 do not crave 00:25:10.259 --> 00:25:11.339 the world's approval. 00:25:12.559 --> 00:25:13.639 Do not seek 00:25:13.639 --> 00:25:14.240 intellectual 00:25:14.240 --> 00:25:15.819 and cultural respectability 00:25:15.819 --> 00:25:17.639 in the eyes of the world. 00:25:18.319 --> 00:25:19.319 If it comes, 00:25:19.419 --> 00:25:19.960 it comes. 00:25:21.759 --> 00:25:22.500 Don't fret 00:25:22.500 --> 00:25:23.179 if it doesn't. 00:25:24.099 --> 00:25:25.559 The gospel of Jesus Christ 00:25:25.559 --> 00:25:26.779 will always be 00:25:26.779 --> 00:25:27.700 a stumbling block 00:25:27.700 --> 00:25:28.480 and folly 00:25:28.480 --> 00:25:29.500 to those who are perishing. 00:25:30.639 --> 00:25:31.759 If you win them 00:25:31.759 --> 00:25:32.919 with worldly wisdom 00:25:32.919 --> 00:25:33.720 rather than 00:25:33.720 --> 00:25:34.339 with the folly 00:25:34.339 --> 00:25:35.299 of Christ crucified, 00:25:35.299 --> 00:25:37.240 they will ever remain 00:25:37.240 --> 00:25:38.220 worldly people. 00:25:40.279 --> 00:25:40.759 Likewise, 00:25:40.919 --> 00:25:41.480 brothers and sisters, 00:25:41.619 --> 00:25:42.839 do not expect your life 00:25:42.839 --> 00:25:43.440 as a Christian 00:25:43.440 --> 00:25:44.960 to be free of suffering, 00:25:45.480 --> 00:25:45.940 derision, 00:25:46.359 --> 00:25:46.759 mockery, 00:25:46.819 --> 00:25:47.460 and persecution. 00:25:48.599 --> 00:25:49.319 1 Peter 2, 00:25:49.399 --> 00:25:50.339 21-24, 00:25:50.460 --> 00:25:50.579 it says, 00:25:50.659 --> 00:25:51.700 God has called us 00:25:51.700 --> 00:25:53.480 to endure unjust suffering. 00:25:54.279 --> 00:25:54.799 Why? 00:25:55.519 --> 00:25:56.419 For to this 00:25:56.419 --> 00:25:57.579 you have been called 00:25:57.579 --> 00:25:58.799 because Christ 00:25:58.799 --> 00:26:00.259 also suffered for you, 00:26:00.639 --> 00:26:01.960 leaving you an example 00:26:01.960 --> 00:26:03.039 so that you might 00:26:03.039 --> 00:26:04.099 follow in his steps. 00:26:04.099 --> 00:26:06.019 He committed no sin, 00:26:06.240 --> 00:26:07.139 neither was deceit 00:26:07.139 --> 00:26:08.159 found in his mouth. 00:26:08.500 --> 00:26:09.839 When he was reviled, 00:26:09.939 --> 00:26:10.959 he did not revile 00:26:10.959 --> 00:26:11.559 in return. 00:26:11.879 --> 00:26:12.619 When he suffered, 00:26:12.719 --> 00:26:13.639 he did not threaten, 00:26:14.019 --> 00:26:14.839 but continued 00:26:14.839 --> 00:26:15.899 entrusting himself 00:26:15.899 --> 00:26:17.599 to him who judges justly. 00:26:18.039 --> 00:26:18.819 He himself 00:26:18.819 --> 00:26:19.959 bore our sins 00:26:19.959 --> 00:26:20.639 in his body 00:26:20.639 --> 00:26:21.359 on the tree 00:26:21.359 --> 00:26:22.819 that we might die 00:26:22.819 --> 00:26:23.519 to sin 00:26:23.519 --> 00:26:24.699 and live to righteousness. 00:26:25.079 --> 00:26:26.319 By his wounds 00:26:26.319 --> 00:26:27.959 you have been healed. 00:26:27.960 --> 00:26:30.819 All the mockery 00:26:30.819 --> 00:26:31.759 that Jesus endured 00:26:31.759 --> 00:26:32.340 at the hands 00:26:32.340 --> 00:26:32.880 of the Jews 00:26:32.880 --> 00:26:33.759 and the Gentiles 00:26:33.759 --> 00:26:35.960 expect to endure 00:26:35.960 --> 00:26:36.680 the same. 00:26:38.079 --> 00:26:39.539 For that is the example 00:26:39.539 --> 00:26:40.420 that Jesus set. 00:26:40.660 --> 00:26:41.840 For that's the pattern 00:26:41.840 --> 00:26:43.079 that Jesus has set 00:26:43.079 --> 00:26:44.120 for us to follow. 00:26:45.220 --> 00:26:46.279 Jesus is crucified 00:26:46.279 --> 00:26:47.700 along with two robbers 00:26:47.700 --> 00:26:49.240 in this passage. 00:26:49.980 --> 00:26:51.019 They very well 00:26:51.019 --> 00:26:51.759 may have been 00:26:51.759 --> 00:26:53.200 accomplices of Barabbas. 00:26:53.240 --> 00:26:54.140 If you remember Barabbas 00:26:54.140 --> 00:26:55.140 from last week's passage, 00:26:55.140 --> 00:26:56.620 because it says 00:26:56.620 --> 00:26:57.680 in Mark 15, 7 00:26:57.680 --> 00:26:59.000 that Barabbas was a rebel 00:26:59.000 --> 00:26:59.700 who participated 00:26:59.700 --> 00:27:00.980 in the insurrection. 00:27:01.460 --> 00:27:02.380 Since he's a Jew, 00:27:02.640 --> 00:27:03.780 his name is Barabbas, 00:27:03.920 --> 00:27:05.200 an Aramaic name, 00:27:05.680 --> 00:27:06.800 he was probably 00:27:06.800 --> 00:27:07.480 a participant, 00:27:07.620 --> 00:27:08.259 a zealot, 00:27:08.540 --> 00:27:09.240 who participated 00:27:09.240 --> 00:27:10.700 in the Jewish insurrection 00:27:10.700 --> 00:27:12.400 to overthrow Roman rule. 00:27:13.200 --> 00:27:14.180 And that middle spot 00:27:14.180 --> 00:27:14.640 on the cross 00:27:14.640 --> 00:27:15.700 was probably reserved 00:27:15.700 --> 00:27:16.300 for Barabbas, 00:27:16.400 --> 00:27:17.860 but Jesus took his place 00:27:17.860 --> 00:27:20.100 as a substitute. 00:27:21.960 --> 00:27:22.900 Jesus sets 00:27:22.900 --> 00:27:23.800 a different pattern 00:27:23.800 --> 00:27:25.100 from the pattern 00:27:25.099 --> 00:27:25.759 of Barabbas. 00:27:26.559 --> 00:27:27.500 Barabbas is the way 00:27:27.500 --> 00:27:28.740 of pride and power. 00:27:29.500 --> 00:27:30.879 Jesus is the way 00:27:30.879 --> 00:27:32.019 of humility and faith. 00:27:33.099 --> 00:27:34.059 Barabbas is the way 00:27:34.059 --> 00:27:34.879 of conquest. 00:27:35.559 --> 00:27:36.679 Jesus is the way 00:27:36.679 --> 00:27:37.939 of suffering. 00:27:39.099 --> 00:27:40.179 Barabbas is the way 00:27:40.179 --> 00:27:41.059 of this sinful 00:27:41.059 --> 00:27:42.459 dog-eat-dog world, 00:27:42.779 --> 00:27:43.799 the law of the jungle, 00:27:43.980 --> 00:27:44.859 eat or be eaten, 00:27:45.199 --> 00:27:46.179 kill or be killed, 00:27:46.559 --> 00:27:47.179 the survival 00:27:47.179 --> 00:27:47.959 of the fittest. 00:27:48.419 --> 00:27:49.480 Jesus is the way 00:27:49.480 --> 00:27:50.019 of heaven, 00:27:50.419 --> 00:27:51.459 the law of grace, 00:27:51.719 --> 00:27:52.659 mercy for sinners, 00:27:53.059 --> 00:27:53.439 justification 00:27:53.439 --> 00:27:54.799 for the ungodly, 00:27:54.799 --> 00:27:56.419 salvation for the weakest. 00:27:58.879 --> 00:28:00.019 When we model 00:28:00.019 --> 00:28:00.639 weakness 00:28:00.639 --> 00:28:02.200 and humble suffering 00:28:02.200 --> 00:28:03.240 under mockery 00:28:03.240 --> 00:28:03.940 and persecution, 00:28:04.440 --> 00:28:05.419 that's when we 00:28:05.419 --> 00:28:06.079 most follow 00:28:06.079 --> 00:28:07.440 the way of Jesus, 00:28:08.200 --> 00:28:09.659 the way of the cross. 00:28:11.139 --> 00:28:12.419 Let's pray together. 00:28:12.420 --> 00:28:18.960 Heavenly Father, 00:28:19.960 --> 00:28:21.400 this is so countercultural, 00:28:21.740 --> 00:28:22.279 this truth, 00:28:23.380 --> 00:28:27.560 that we are strong in you 00:28:27.560 --> 00:28:28.340 when we acknowledge 00:28:28.340 --> 00:28:29.080 our weakness, 00:28:29.880 --> 00:28:33.200 that we are forgiven 00:28:33.200 --> 00:28:34.180 when we acknowledge 00:28:34.180 --> 00:28:35.000 that we are sinners, 00:28:35.940 --> 00:28:38.620 that we are saved 00:28:38.620 --> 00:28:39.360 when we acknowledge 00:28:39.360 --> 00:28:40.039 that we are poor 00:28:40.039 --> 00:28:40.619 and needy 00:28:40.619 --> 00:28:42.359 and come to you 00:28:42.359 --> 00:28:43.359 alone for salvation. 00:28:44.980 --> 00:28:45.899 Would you grant, 00:28:46.099 --> 00:28:46.379 please, 00:28:46.460 --> 00:28:47.440 to everyone here 00:28:47.440 --> 00:28:49.420 the humility 00:28:49.420 --> 00:28:50.119 and faith 00:28:50.119 --> 00:28:50.940 that you require, 00:28:51.940 --> 00:28:54.599 that we might walk 00:28:54.599 --> 00:28:55.139 the path 00:28:55.139 --> 00:28:56.220 that Jesus has walked, 00:28:57.680 --> 00:28:58.819 that we might pick up 00:28:58.819 --> 00:28:59.460 our cross 00:28:59.460 --> 00:29:01.139 and follow him 00:29:01.139 --> 00:29:02.259 in faith 00:29:02.259 --> 00:29:02.740 and obedience. 00:29:02.740 --> 00:29:07.180 please move in that way 00:29:07.180 --> 00:29:07.599 in the hearts 00:29:07.599 --> 00:29:08.539 of every single man 00:29:08.539 --> 00:29:08.920 and woman, 00:29:09.059 --> 00:29:09.819 boy and girl here. 00:29:12.220 --> 00:29:13.599 In Jesus' name we pray. 00:29:14.519 --> 00:29:14.900 Amen.