The Disgraced Death

And this morning we are going to be looking at verses 10-12, and we are going to be comparing it to the passage regarding Jesus’ last appearance before Pilate found in .

And as we continue to inch closer and closer to Easter Sunday, it is very important that we understand the implications of everything that Jesus did and Jesus went through that actually led up to his glorious resurrection.

We typically spend very little time looking at the subjects of the trial and the eventual crucifixion, mainly because those are unpleasant things and also those ultimately are not the main point.

Because the main point is through everything Jesus rose from the dead.

Through it all He overcame death and won victory not for Himself, but for us all.

And through His victory we can enjoy the spoils, namely eternal life, in heaven, with Him.

But there are lots of things that led up to that that played a role in the validity of the victory Jesus won for us all.

Which is what we have been and will continue to talk about over the next few weeks.

And if you recall, we started out a couple of weeks ago looking and prophesy and probability, in that how probable was it that the prophesy’s about Jesus would even come true.

We have been primarily in and 53, a passage written 700 years before Jesus’ birth that foretold everything that the Gospels record that happens.

And then last week, we looked more specifically at really human nature and how Jesus and every action he took, completely defied what we understand and know as natural human nature.

And this week we are going to be looking more specifically at the “why” behind Jesus’ trial and crucifixion.

And we are focusing primarily on the last visit before Pilate and even though all four Gospel’s record Jesus’ trial and crucifixion, we are going to be primarily in Matthew, because Matthew offers the most detail.

Remember also, Matthew, was a Jew and Matthew is writing from a first hand account of Jesus’ trial and crucifixion, not from what we would call a Christian perspective, but from a Jewish perspective.

He was writing as a Jew for the Jews, in hopes that they would understand and accept Jesus as the Christ—the Messiah.

So, just sort of keeping all of that in mind, let’s first turn to and I am going to be picking up in verse 10, reading through the end of the chapter in verse 12.

Isaiah writes this . . .

Scripture Focus

Isaiah 53:10–12 NIV - Anglicised

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

The Lord’s Will

Now again remember this is 700 years before Jesus is ever even born.

And also the passage makes reference to the “LORD” with LORD in all capital letters.

This reference is to who we know as Yaweh or God as a whole.

So it is saying that it was God’s will that Jesus endure what Jesus endured.

And we will often think about this in terms of God the Father—but the reference is not related solely to God the Father.

It is a reference to God as a whole.

God the Father, Son, and Spirit—it was all of their will that this should take place.

Jesus—the Son voluntarily because of love (remember God is love), sacrificed Himself, fully knowing before it every happened, what would be in store.

The depth of God’s love for us is so deep that God is willing to sacrifice His very self for us.

Which is honestly something as humans we cannot really wrap our heads around fully.

Sure we know what self-sacrifice is but the depth of God’s sacrifice is really beyond our full understanding, until we get to heaven.

Until we can see Him face to face.

Until we can fully realize everything that has went on from every aspect of what has happened.

But again in verse 10 . . .

Isaiah 53:10 NIV - Anglicised

So we have God’s sacrifice and God’s suffering on OUR BEHALF, and notice it says he was offered as a “guilt offering.”

But what was he guilty of?

Absolutely nothing.

However, the guilt offering the sacrifice of atonement was not offered on behalf of the bull or ram that sacrificed.

No, it is offered on the behalf of the people.

So Jesus, who was innocent, willingly sacrificed himself, for us, WHO ARE GUILTY.

But hold on—I’ve not broke the law—I’ve not committed any crimes.

But oh, yes we have.

Probably everyone in here over the age of 18 has violated some law of man.

Have you ever drove to fast?

Ran a red light?

Ran a stop-sign?

Those are all man’s law.

But that’s not really what we are talking about here though.

We are talking about God’s law.

We are talking about sin.

And if we believe our Bibles we know that . . .

Romans 3:23 NIV - Anglicised

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 5:8 NIV - Anglicised

8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

That is just the reality.

We have all sinned.

However—however—

Romans 3:28 NIV - Anglicised

28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.

Romans 5:8 NIV - Anglicised

8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Not forced, but willingly Christ died for us.

Crucify Him! Crucify Him!

Which is where we pick up in the Gospel of Matthew.

Looking at chapter 27, starting in verse 15 . .

Matthew 27:15–26 NIV - Anglicised

15 Now it was the governor’s custom at the Feast to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. 16 At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. 17 So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18 For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him. 19 While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.” 20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed. 21 “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor. “Barabbas,” they answered. 22 “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!” 23 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” 24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!” 25 All the people answered, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

Now, if you remember from last week, both Herod and Pilate had said Jesus had committed no crime and was innocent.

And Pilate was trying to find a way out of this situation.

And Pilate knew that during the Passover, it was customary to release a prisoner back to the Jews as a sign of good will between the Romans and the Jews.

Most of the time, this was some sort of low level or political criminal.

So, Pilate thought he would be able to use this to his advantage.

He was going to let the people choose.

And their choice was either Jesus—who had done nothing wrong and a threat to no one.

Or Barabbas—a thief and a murderer.

To Pilate the choice was obvious.

He thought they would say to release Jesus and the whole mess would be over and done with.

Oh, how wrong he was.

The Jewish leaders had gotten the people into such an uproar they were screaming to let this murderer go and kill Jesus.

Over and over, the the point that Pilate thought they would start a riot.

So, he basically removes himself from the whole situation (literally washes his hands of it) and turns Jesus over to them.

But real quickly look at the exchange between Pilate and the Jews at the end.

Matthew 27:24–25 NIV - Anglicised

24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!” 25 All the people answered, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!”

Matthew 27:24-25

“Let his blood be on us and our children.”

They basically cursed themselves and their children for their hate filled actions.

And we know what happened from there . . .

Matthew 27:27–38 NIV - Anglicised

27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers round him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. 30 They spat on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. 31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him. 32 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. 33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). 34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.36 And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. 37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews. 38 Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.

Matthew 27:28-

And Jesus hung there among two thieves, two criminals.

Point 3

Remember back what Isaiah said . . .

Isaiah 53:12 NIV - Anglicised

12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Altar Call

We see the second part here, he was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

But what about the first part of that?

What about the part that says therefore I will give him a portion among the great and he will divide the spoils with the strong.

Paul explains this to us in . . .

Philippians 2:5-8

Philippians 2:5–8 NIV - Anglicised

5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!

Again, this goes right back to what we talked about in the beginning with Jesus—God the Son, giving Himself willingly for us—being the guilt offering for us.

And then starting in verse 9 . . .

Philippians 2:9–11 NIV - Anglicised

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient.

Jesus’ sacrifice took care of it all.

Jesus went lower than anyone could ever go because He wants us to know that there is no place we can go—no sin we can commit that is beyond his saving grace.

There is nothing that we can do that can separate us from the love of God.

Now, don’t confuse that with our actions.

Because our sins separate us from the presence of God but NOTHING makes God stop loving us.

And there are no lengths that God will not go through to redeem us and bring us back to Him.

And this is important because when we are confronted with our sin, we typically will respond in just a few ways.

Either we will ignore and sweep the sin under the rug, thinking we got away with it.

Kind of like running a red light and you don’t get caught—until the ticket comes in the mail a few weeks later because there are cameras watching.

Or we descend into crippling guilt thinking that it is too bad for God to fix.

Well to answer the first issue, God always knows—we don’t get away with it.

And for the second, that’s Satan lying to you about it.

God can and will forgive anything we can do, if we come to Him with a repentant heart.

That is a fact.

But what is up to us, is whether we will come to God or not.

Whether we will release ourselves to Him or not.

Is He asking you to do that this morning?

Is there something in your life, big or small, sin or not, that God is asking you to release to Him?

If there is, will you do that today?

Can you do that today?

Our altars are available, will you take advantage of God’s offer today?

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