The Passion of Christ.

Pastor Jonathan Hansen

Matthew • Sermon • Submitted 2 years ago

Matthew 26:30–27:66

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Notes

Transcript

Handout

Premise:

Opening:

Introduction of the Text:

Prayer:

26:30-35

Matthew 26:30-35 And after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.31 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, ‘I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered.’32 But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”33 But Peter answered and said to Him, “Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away.”34 Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you that this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”35 Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You.” All the disciples said the same thing too.

Explanation:

In these verses, we see Jesus and the disciples leave the upper room where they had just taken the first communion. Jesus then prophesies that they will all fall away that night. This prophesy is also contained within Zechariah. He also says that He will rise again and go ahead of them to Galilee. Peter speaks up and says that he will never fall away. Peter has always been bold and brash, but Jesus gives bad news. Jesus prophesies the exact circumstances of Peter’s betrayal.

Argumentation:

We must also notice that Jesus again ties this back to prophesy. We are reminded again and again that this is all happening exactly as God has determined. Not one thing is outside of His control.

26:36-46

Matthew 26:36-46 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed.38 Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.”39 And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”40 And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour?41 Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”42 He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.”43 And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.44 And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more.45 Then He came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.46 Get up, let us go; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!”

Explanation:

This passage says that Jesus is grieved. C.H. Spurgeon says, “Then came that desperate struggle in which the great Captain of our salvation wrestled even to a bloody sweat and prevailed.” He says His soul is so grieved that it is grieved to the point of death. This is very strong language. Jesus is so grieved that He feels He is dying. This is a deep set and cutting grief. This is the start of the darkest and hardest moment for our Lord. But what made this so difficult for our Lord? Spurgeon again has great insight. C.H. Spurgeon, “Christ was not afraid to die. What was it, then, that made that cup so terrible? After dwelling in the love of God from all eternity, we was, in a few hours, to bear the punishment of of man’s sin. Jesus was to be made sin for us. He was to come under the curse for us. He was to feel the Father’s wrath on account of human guilt, and his whole nature- not only his flesh but his whole being- shrank from that fearful ordeal.”

We see here the humanity of Christ. Truly Hebrews 4:14-15 is true. This passage says, Heb 4:14-15 “14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” Christ can fully and truly identify with us in pain. He experienced fear and dread. We also know that Jesus has knowledge of God's plan here. Knowledge of God's sovereign plan is comforting but it does not always remove dread and grief. If we are not careful we can view grief and sorrow as sinful. But this passage gives us hope. Grief is not sinful. We are free to feel. We are free to feel pain and grief. And we are not alone in this emotion. Our Lord felt this. He longed for a different plan, and yet accepted when there was not one. What a lesson.

However, Jesus went through this alone. His closest friends abandoned Him in His hour of need. They would be scattered. This was their time to comfort and console Him, yet they failed Him. I am hesitant to say Jesus "needed" them, but if there was a time He needed them, it was now. He longed for company and companionship. And they failed. We also see Jesus' foreknowledge and omnipotence in His divinity was so extensive that He knew when the betrayer was approaching. There were no surprises. He knew exactly what was happening and how it would happen.

26:47-56

Matthew 26:47-56 And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came up, and with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, who came from the chief priests and elders of the people.48 Now he who was betraying Him gave them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him.”49 And immediately Judas went to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.50 And Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you have come for.” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him.51 And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew out his sword and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear.52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.53 Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?54 Therefore, how will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?”55 At that time Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would against a robber? Every day I used to sit in the temple teaching and you did not seize Me.56 But all this has taken place in order that the Scriptures of the prophets would be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left Him and fled.

Explanation:

Judas finishes what he started. Jesus told him at the supper, "do what you are going to do quickly." And yet, Judas, the betrayer, keeps the language of friendship. This is such a cutting thing. Judas greats Christ is seeming kindness, but inside, he is a devil doing evil work.

John tells us that Peter is the one who cuts off the servants ear. Peter is attempting to protect Christ. However, Jesus says He could appeal to the Father and twelve legions of angels would come to His defence. A legion is 3-6 thousand. So with a word, Jesus could summon 72,000 angels to defend Him. It is clear that Jesus went to the cross willingly. We see this is the plan of the Father and the willingness of the Son. People take great offense and the idea of God planning the death of Christ. They say God did not kill Jesus, but here we see the truth. God killed Jesus, but Jesus went willingly. The Father sent the Son to die according to His plan. But The Father did not force the Son to do anything. There is perfect unity in the Trinity. The Son came willingly.

Jesus also points out the illegitimate nature of the arrest. They conspired to take Him at night in an illegal arrest. They did not confront Him in public but in secret. And these verses close with the fulfilment of the prophesy that the disciples would all flee.

26:57-68

Matthew 26:57-68 Now those who had seized Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together.58 But Peter was following Him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and entered in, and sat down with the officers to see the outcome.59 Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death.60 And they did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later on two came forward,61 and said, “This man stated, ‘I am able to destroy the sanctuary of God and to rebuild it in three days.’”62 And the high priest stood up and said to Him, “Do You not answer? What are these men testifying against You?”63 But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.”64 Jesus said to him, “You yourself said it; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”65 Then the high priest tore his garments and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy;66 what do you think?” They answered and said, “He deserves death!”67 Then they spat in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others slapped Him,68 and said, “Prophesy to us, O Christ; who is the one who hit You?”

Explanation:

The ones who were plotting to see Jesus killed have assembled to do their filthy act. To his credit, Saint Peter did follow Jesus at a distance while the others fully ran away. However, this leads to His betrayal of Christ. Jesus has been abandoned. The twelve are all gone. If any of them are there, it is Judas the betrayer. R.C. Sproul says regarding this passage. “When we read these texts, we are not interested only in history lessons, as important as they may be. When we read the Word of God, we always should be looking for ways in which the text of Scripture applies to us today. It was— and is— typical of the followers of Jesus to put distance between themselves and their Lord when the moment of crisis comes. When our well-being is threatened, it is easy to retreat. So, we have to ask ourselves: Had we been a part of Jesus’ band of followers when He was arrested, would we have fled? Would we have kept a safe distance from Him?”

It is noted specifically that the testimony brought against of Jesus is false. However, even the false testimony could not find fault in Christ. One must wonder if the Lord in His sovereignty stopped the mouths of the witnesses and kept blasphemy from them. However, there were two who confirmed Jesus' words about destroying and rebuilding the "temple" referring to His body. They twisted these words. Jesus however, remained silent.

Then they adjure Him by God to answer if He is the Christ. Jesus replies in the common affirmation of the day, "you have said it." Jesus then reaffirms His statements about the coming judgement. These men would witness the wrath of God for what they are doing.

The high priest know what was said. Jesus had admitted to being God and the priest condemned Him for blasphemy. They sentence Jesus to death after this hung trial. It was a false trial and a false conviction. Then comes the beginning of Jesus' passion. Here He is beaten. The emotional turmoil had already begun, here the physical turmoil has begun.

26:69-75

Matthew 26:69-75 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a servant-girl came to him and said, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.”70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.”71 And when he had gone out to the gateway, another servant-girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”72 And again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man.”73 A little later the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Surely you too are one of them; for even the way you talk gives you away.”74 Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed.75 And Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said, “Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and cried bitterly.

Explanation:

Here is a tragic passage. There is no denying Peter’s love for Christ. Peter had been the one who had spoken the words, “You the Christ.” Think back to the passage in John when the crowds had left Jesus. The crowds had followed Jesus because of His miracles, but Jesus taught them “unless you eat my body and drink my blood, you cannot be my disciple.” The crowds all leave because of this hard teaching. Jesus turns to the disciples and asks if they will leave too. What does Peter say? “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.” Peter is expressing they have no where else to go. They had given up everything for Christ. This is why Peter, who dearly loved His Lord, followed at a distance.

One can clearly picture this scene. Peter is afraid. His whole world is tipped upside down. He is broken. He thought Christ was establishing the fulness of the Kingdom by force. He had not understood the words of Christ about dying. And now all was falling apart. He did not understand the providence of God. And when he was questioned, he failed. He denied any knowledge of Christ. He took a false oath and then even began to swear that he did not know Jesus. Immediately the rooster crowed. Picture it, Peter utters the curses and swears. It quiets and he hears the rooster and remembers Jesus' prophesy. Luke tells us that Jesus turned and looked at Peter. This is a pain I cannot imagine. Peter runs away and weeps bitterly. One can almost feel Peter's pain. He had just betrayed the Lord. He betrayed the one he deeply and truly loved. No one denies Peter's love of Christ. And he has betrayed Him. This is the epitome of hopelessness.

27:1-10

Matthew 27:1-10 Now when morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel together against Jesus to put Him to death;2 and they bound Him, and led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate the governor.3 Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to that yourself!”5 And he threw the pieces of silver into the sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself.6 And the chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the temple treasury, since it is the price of blood.”7 And taking counsel together, they bought with the money the Potter’s Field as a burial place for strangers.8 For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.9 Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one whose price had been set by the sons of Israel;10 and they gave them for the Potter’s Field, as the Lord directed me.”

Explanation:

We cut away from Peter's remorse to Judas' remorse. Peter leaves and weeps. Judas leaves and tries to make physical amends. We must note that Judas attempts to make things right, but never repents. Sorrow and repentance are different things and we cannot conflate them. There is a difference between feeling bad about something and repenting. Peter will eventually return and repent. Judas, in guilt kills himself. Judas thinks that returning the money may make things better. He seeks solace with the chief priest. But the faulty priest gives no hope. The priests condemn him further. The Hope Judas needed was marching to the cross. Judas then throws the money into the temple and leaves and kills himself. The priests debate what to do with the guilty silver they had given for Jesus' blood. They buy the field where Judas had killed himself. This was to fulfil the prophesy of Jeremiah.

27:11-26

Matthew 27:11-26 Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And Jesus said to him, “You yourself say it.”12 And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He did not answer.13 Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?”14 And He did not answer him with regard to even a single charge, so the governor marveled greatly.15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted.16 And at that time they were holding a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas.17 So when the people gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”18 For he knew that because of envy they had delivered Him over.19 Now while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.”20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to put Jesus to death.21 But the governor answered and said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.”22 Pilate said to them, “Then, what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let Him be crucified!”23 And he said, “Why, what evil did He do?” But they were crying out all the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified!”24 Now when Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to that yourselves.”25 And all the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children!”26 Then he released Barabbas for them; but after having Jesus scourged, he delivered Him over to be crucified.

Explanation:

Jesus is taken before Pilate who asks Him if He is the King of the Jews. Jesus admits this again with that common affirmation. "You have said it." This phrase means quite literally, "What you said is true." The priests bring their accusations against Jesus to Pilate and Jesus is silent. Pilate is clearly shaken by Jesus' silence. Jesus is committed to not defending Himself. This is bizarre. What defendant does not seek to defend themselves? Even guilty people will seek to defend themselves. They always seek to lessen their crimes. Jesus was innocent and silent. One would expect an innocent man to defend their innocence. But Jesus is silent. Jesus is the innocent Lamb that willingly goes to the sacrifice. This is to fulfil what Isaiah said in Isaiah 53:7. “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.”

Pilate seeks to get Jesus off the hook by use of a tradition that during the feast he would release a prisoner. Pilate offers Barabbas or Jesus. Barabbas was a "notorious prisoner." And here the tragedy is compounded. We expect the people to cry out for Jesus. Pilate clearly expected this as well. He knew that Jesus was innocent and that the priests were just jealous of Jesus. This seems to be a clear choice. A clear criminal who deserved death, or an innocent man who was convicted in an illegitimate trial. Pilate's wife also spoke up. She tells her husband not to have anything to do with this "righteous man." She had apparently had horrible dreams about Christ that night. She begs her husband to reject anything to do with this event.

The elders and priests however conspire and convince the crowds to cry out for Barabbas instead of Jesus. When the question is asked, "who do you want me to release?" The cry is expected to be Jesus. However, the cry comes out "BARABBAS!" This is horrific. The innocent Lamb of God stands beside a convicted criminal and the people cry out for Jesus to face the punishment. But this is not the worst of it. When Pilate asks the people what they want done with Jesus, they cry out the unthinkable. "Crucify Him!"

The crowd is so wild and passionate that a riot is on the verge of breaking out. If they are denied the blood of this innocent man, they will riot and take it by force. This is a text book example of blood lust. They are hungry for the blood of Christ. Pilate, in order to avoid a riot washes his hands and says "His blood is not on me. It is on you."

But note what they say, "His blood shall be on us and our children." Remember that this is covenantal language. They are so blood thirsty for Christ that they invoke a covenant upon themselves. This is a generational covenant of death. How much hatred must you have towards someone that you would invoke a covenant upon your children for their blood? This is demonic and evil beyond words. "We will bear this guilt, us and our families." Jesus is handed over to be crucified.

27:27-32

Matthew 27:27-32 Then when the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium, they gathered the whole Roman cohort around Him.28 And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.29 And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”30 And they spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head.31 When they had mocked Him, they took the scarlet robe off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.32 And as they were coming out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon, whom they pressed into service to bear His cross.

Explanation:

The physical torment of Christ is resumed. We know from the previous verses this is when He is scourged. This was a horrifying Roman practice of whipping someone with a whip containing bone and glass. It would remove chunks of flesh. They whip Him to within an inch of His life. They then beat Him and mock Him. They place a scarlet robe on Him and press a crown of thorns into His head. They begin to mock and bow to Him. "Hail, King of the Jews." The truth is that Jesus is King. However, they mock Him. They hate Him and torment Him. This is too horrific. The Lord of Glory is here beaten, bloodied, mocked, and marched off to His death.

Then a historical detail is noted. Victims of crucifixion were forced to carry their cross. But often they could not bear the weight after scourging. Jesus carries the cross part way, but then His strength fails. So the Romans press a man named Simon into service to bear the cross the rest of way.

27:33-44

Matthew 27:33-44 And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull,34 they gave Him wine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He did not want to drink.35 And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among themselves by casting lots.36 And sitting down, they began to keep watch over Him there.37 And above His head they put up the charge against Him which read, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”38 At that time two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left.39 And those passing by were blaspheming Him, shaking their heads40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the sanctuary and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”41 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying,42 “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him.43 He trusts in God; let God rescue Him now, if He delights in Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”44 And the robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words.

Explanation:

Jesus is marched up the hill to "Golgotha." This was a place of execution. Two criminals were there, one on each side. Jesus is crucified. This means that Jesus has three spikes hammered into Him. One in each wrist, through the flesh, in-between the bones, into the cross member of wood. The feet are placed together and one spike is driven through them into the wood. The person is then lifted up and hung from those spikes. They are forced to bear the weight of their body on those spikes. They must press up on their feet to breathe. In history, it is one of the most painful and horrific ways to die.

The wicked cast lots for His clothing. Fulfilling Psalm 22:18 “18 They divide my garments among them, And for my clothing they cast lots.” A sign is placed above Jesus' head is placed, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews." This sign is placed here as a mockery. And yet, the sign, in the providence of God, is true. Jesus is the King of the Jews.

The mockery continues. People begin to jeer at Him. They say, that He cannot save Himself. But then something spectacular happens. The elders and priests begin to quote Scripture at Him in mockery. They quote Psalm 22. This is bizarre because Psalm 22 is prophetically speaking of this very moment. This tells us something about God's plan. They are wickedly quoting this passage. They likely think they are being clever. However, this passage was written long long before this event about this very event This is what they say, "He trusts in God, let God rescue Him! If He delights in Him!" God had sovereignly inspired those words many many generations before about this moment, and here it is being quoted at this moment. People begin to take up this cry. The ones this psalm was about are reading their lines like a script. This shows that God's sovereignty extends even over the words that we speak.

Psalm 22:7-8 “7 All who see me sneer at me; They separate with the lip, they wag the head, saying, 8 “Commit yourself to the Lord; let Him deliver him; Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.””

27:45-50

Matthew 27:45-50 Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour.46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”47 And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, “This man is calling for Elijah.”48 And immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink.49 But the rest of them were saying, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him.”50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.

Explanation:

The sixth hour is noon. Darkness falls at mid-day. Jesus then takes up the cry of Psalm 22, quoting "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?" Here, Jesus is speaking His line from this Psalm. Psalm 22:1 “1 My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning.”

The people do not hear Him correctly over the noise. They hear "Eli" and assume it to mean Elijah. They assume Jesus is crying out for deliverance. However, we must remember that Jesus could speak one word and over 72 thousand angels would flood to His rescue. Jesus stays on the cross of His own will.

In the same manner, Jesus does not have His life taken from Him. He gives up His Spirit. Jesus lets go and gives His life. The work is done. John tells us that He says "It is finished." John 19:30 “30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.” The word for “It is finished” is “Tetelasti.” The work is done. The sin of all the elect are imputed to Him. He has taken the sin on Himself. It is done. He gives up His Spirit, dying. Not Killed, but willingly dying when the work is done. The wrath of God has been satisfied.

27:51-53

Matthew 27:51-53 And behold, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split.52 And the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;53 and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.

Explanation:

I will not dwell on this, even though we could spend hours on it, but what are the immediate ramifications of the finished work of Christ? The temple curtain is torn from top to bottom. The barrier between God and man has been torn. The earth itself responds by shaking. And many faithful saints who had died are brought back to life. The tombs open and they walk out. They reveal themselves to many. There is a cosmic and physical response to the death of Christ. The earth shakes and life enters into many of the dead. This is an event that we cannot truly comprehend.

27:54-56

Matthew 27:54-56 Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was God’s Son!”55 And many women were there looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee while ministering to Him.56 Among them was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

Explanation:

Here we have the admonition of the person of Christ from the Roman centurion. Many saw the chaos that was happening and knew it was connected to Christ. This centurion knew it was linked to who Christ is. He saw it was no coincidence. The ramifications were clearly linked to Christ. This wise man knew at once what this meant. It meant that Jesus was right. He was the son of God. They had executed an innocent man. His claims were true.

We also see a list of who was there. It is worth noting that the list is of women. This is very odd for the day. Women were not recorded, but they are noted here. They were there when our Lord died. They witnessed up close the horror of the death of Christ. We know from the other accounts that there were others there as well. It is a beautiful truth that Jesus was not fully alone in the horrible moment.

27:57-66

Matthew 27:57-66 Now when it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus.58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him.59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away.61 And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the grave.62 Now on the next day, the day after the Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate,63 and said, “Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I am to rise again.’64 Therefore, order for the grave to be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come and steal Him away and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.”65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how.”66 And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone.

Explanation:

Joseph, a rich man from Arimathea, is noted for having become a disciple. It was not just the poor who followed Jesus. The followers of Jesus were diverse. They were rich and poor, Jew and gentile.

Joseph is worth noting because He cared deeply for Jesus. This is shown by his treatment and love for the body of Jesus. We show our love for each other in many ways. One of the ways we do this is by our care for the earthly temple of loved ones. We know there is something sacred about the body. We are not gnostics who think the body is evil. We know that even if this body is corrupted by sin, there is something sacred about it. So we care for the dead. It is so beautiful that even if the twelve were scattered and afraid, someone who loved Jesus took care of His body. This is truly an act of love. So Joseph took the sacred body of Christ and wrapped it in clean cloth, and laid it in the tomb that was newly made for Joseph. This was Joseph's personal tomb. This was a luxury of the day. It was a wealth and privilege. However, Joseph freely gives this to His Lord. Joseph then had a stone rolled in front of the entrance. Jesus had died. He is now entombed.

We also note that Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there. Mary Magdalene was a noted faithful follower of Christ. Christ cast seven demons from her and she dearly loved the Lord. There are many other Mary's in the New Testament. So we are not fully sure who this other Mary is. And we must not the response of the chief priests and pharisees. They remembered Jesus' words about rising from the dead. They therefore set a guard on the tomb in order to ensure no one steals the body.

Transition:

That is the end our our passages for this morning. Christ has died. He is in the grave. The crucifixion and resurrection are probably the two most central doctrines in Christianity. So what is the significance of the crucifixion of Christ?

Argumentation:

The Shock of Christ’s Death.

Perhaps the most pertinent question is why did Christ have to die? What is it that demanded the death of Christ? We just read the account. This is a traumatic event. It is not a light and fluffy passage. It is traumatizing and ought to make us squirm a little. The Lord of all was crucified. Christ was the single most loving, perfect, just, righteous, man to ever live. This is because He is truly God and truly man. He is God in human flesh. He never once sinned.

We often object to the idea of bad things happening to good people. We see great tragedies and we are appalled. And this is a good thing. When we are stirred to anger at wicked acts of injustice and evil, that is right. But we must note something very specific. All mankind are sinners. And in this sense, bad things don’t happen to “good” people. This does not justify the bad things. But often we object to many things as unfair. When someone dies of a sickness, we say things like “that’s not fair.” “Why would they get sick, they were such a good person.” We must recognize that is not strictly true. Sickness is a result of being in a sinful world. We are all sinners. We are all sinners. We have all disobeyed God. In a very real way, it makes sense when bad things happen. I am not justifying those things. We ought to be appalled when evil happens. We ought to fight to prevent it. However, we should never be shocked.

We should not look at death and evil as a shock. That is expected of sinners. However, there was one event in history that was truly shocking. The only good man, who never sinned, died a horrific death. He never lied. He never stole. He never even coveted anything. He always perfectly obeyed God. He always loved God with all His heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength. He always loved His neighbor as Himself. If I were to just describe a man like that, you would be excused for thinking that He would likely be the most popular man on earth. That would be our assumption, right? Someone who always loved perfectly, who always acted rightly, who never strayed, who was never wrongly angry, who was only upset at the right things. We would assume everyone would love Him. But that is not what we see. We see the only truly shocking death in all of history. This perfect man was hated and executed in the most brutal way imaginable. He was betrayed by one of His closest friends and was executed by those who had taken oaths to watch for Him and serve Him. But why is this? To understand this, we must know why Christ came to die. Why did Jesus have to die?

Why Did Jesus Have to Die?

What is it that caused Jesus to have to die? To understand that, we have to understand our sin. What is sin? Sin is any want of conformity unto or transgression of the Law of God. What does this mean? It means that at it’s core, sin is cosmic treason. (R.C. Sproul) Sin is a violation of the very person and character of God. God is the perfect judge. As the perfect judge, He must punish evil.

Think of it like this, if a judge let’s a murderer get away with murder, is he a good judge? NO, of course not. That is a wicked judge. A good judge punishes evil. Sin is evil. By nature, it must be punished. God is perfectly good, and perfectly just. However, these two facts do not give us much hope. What does give us hope is that God is also loving.

God would be perfectly just in condemning all humanity and punishing us. Justice would be instant death. It is mercy that we are given life at all. However, God did not just leave us in our condemnation. In John 6, Jesus makes clear that God the Father has given Him a people. So why did Jesus have to die? Jesus dies to redeem His people. You see, Sin deserves death. If God just said, “never mind, I won’t punish sin.” That would be unjust. So are the options, death or injustice? Must God punish sin or defile His righteousness?

No. Jesus, God the Son, came and paid the price we owed. That is what we just read! Jesus, who is truly God, came to earth. He became a man. Therefore, He could pay the debt we owe as humans, and He could forgive us because He is God. You see, our sin demands death. But Jesus paid the price we owe. He stood in our place. Why did Jesus have to die? Jesus died so that we may live. He took our death, so that we may receive His life. He took our sin and gave us His righteousness.

Who is This Promise For?

But who is this promise for? This is in essence what Peter was asked in Acts 2. Peter has just preached a sermon declaring that Jesus is the Messiah. Listen to this, Acts 2:22-24, “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God did through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know—23 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of lawless men and put Him to death.24 But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.” Peter continues on, but listen to the response.

Acts 2:37-42, “Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men, brothers, what should we do?”38 And Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.39 For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”40 And with many other words he solemnly bore witness and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this crooked generation!”41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.42 And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.”

What hope is there? Who is this message for? Is your heart pierced? Repent and be baptized. For the promise is for you, your children, and all whom God calls to Himself. The message is for all of those God calls. Have you repented, turned away from your sin? If not, do so today! Turn from your sins and turn to Christ. You can be forgiven of your sins! You can be washed clean! Have you been baptized? If you have not, please speak to me! Obey Christ and be baptized. But if you have turned from your sin to Christ and been baptized, take hope! You are no longer in your sins. You are alive with Christ!

Communion:

What did these saints do after being saved? They devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship, and the breaking of bread. This means they partook of the Lord’s Supper together. Well, we have heard the teaching, we have will continue to fellowship, so let us break bread.

Closing Prayer:

Closing doxology:

Closing Benediction:

Acts 2:22-24“Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God did through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know—23 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of lawless men and put Him to death.24 But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.”

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