Leading
a Rebellion: Jesus Meekly Endured the Cross
Matthew
26:47-53; John 18:1-8; 19:5-11
Intro:
What’s the difference between “meekness” and “weakness”? Meekness is restrained
power. Weakness is absence of power. For example if I punch a lion in the head
and he doesn’t eat my face off it is because it is meek. If I punch a kitty cat
in the head and it doesn’t eat my face off it’s because it’s weak.
Tonight we are finishing off our Leading
a Rebellion series by discussing how Jesus meekly endured the cross. We could
go into great detail of all of the anguish and suffering Jesus endured with
every aspect of His flogging, mocking, beating, and eventual crucifixion, but
that is not the focus of our study tonight. We do have to understand what Jesus went to in order to know what Jesus
could have avoided.
How
many of you have ever been in excruciating pain? The word excruciating
literally is translated “out of the cross”—pain that is comparable to what
Jesus suffered on the cross. Pilate, in attempt to not have Jesus executed,
handed Him over to be flogged, hoping this would satisfy the Jews. Jesus was
flogged with a whip known as the “cat with nine tails.” This was a long leather
whip with nine additional strands of leather. Each of those strands had something
sharp tied to the end like a rock, piece of metal, shards of pottery—anything that
would rip the skin. It’s traditionally believed that Jesus was whipped 39 times
because according to Jewish custom, 40 times was known to kill people. But it
was the Romans whipping Him, not the Jews.
After the flogging they wrapped a
purple cloth on Him and jammed a crown of thorns into His head. Every had a
band-aid ripped off of your skin? When they put that purple cloth on Jesus, it
would have gotten really sticky on His open wounds and would have hurt
extremely badly when they pulled it off. Then they made Him carry His cross
about a half of a mile to the place of His execution suffering beatings and being
kicked the whole way. Finally they nailed Him to the cross buck naked, through
the wrists and feet. The reason the crucifixion killed people is because one
could not breathe. The cross was leaned slightly forward putting more strain on
the body and separating the shoulders. While hanging from the nails in your
hands, you could not breathe. You had to make a choice between breathing and
excruciating pain because the only way to breathe was by pushing up from the
nail in the feet and taking as deep of a breath as you could under the extreme
pain. The condemned would push up and down over the course of what could be
several days before their lungs would finally fill up with fluid and they would
die of asphyxiation. Also remember Jesus’ back was as raw as hamburger from the
flogging and He was slowly rubbing it up and down a rough-hewn cut piece of
wood.
Now…all of that being said, Jesus
could have avoided it all.
The Rebellion: Short
and sweet—Jesus endured all of that when He didn’t have to. The only reason He
did it was because of his great love for you.
The next three passages of scripture
very clearly indicate that Jesus in meekness endured it all for our sake, not
because He was trapped, imprisoned, or at the mercy of man.
Scripture: Matthew 26:47-53 While he was still
speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords
and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying,
“The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” 49 And he came up to Jesus at once and said,
“Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him. 50 Jesus said to him, “Friend,
do what you came to do.” Then they came up and laid
hands on Jesus and seized him. 51 And behold, one of those who were with Jesus
stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high
priest and cut off his ear. 52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put
your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the
sword. 53 Do
you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more
than twelve legions of angels?
A Roman legion was 6,000 fighting
men. Twelve legions would be 72,000 angels. Do you think just maybe, Jesus went
with them voluntarily?
Now John’s account of the arrest
scene.
John 18:1-8 When Jesus had spoken
these words, he went out with his disciples across the brook Kidron, where
there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. 2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place,
for Jesus often met there with his disciples. 3 So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and
some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with
lanterns and torches and weapons. 4 Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him,
came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?”
5 They answered him,
“Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6 When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the
ground. 7 So
he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” 8 Jesus answered, “I told you
that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.”
When Jesus asked who they were
seeking and He responded with “I AM” He was using the name God gave Himself to
Moses at the burning bush. It was a name that Jesus used to refer to Himself
when debating with the Jews in Jerusalem. When He said, “Before Abraham was I
AM,” they picked up stones to kill Him on the spot. They weren’t just fans of
good grammar, they recognized that Jesus used the very name of God to refer to
Himself which would have been blasphemy unless it was true. Just by speaking
the name of God, Jesus made these arresting soldiers fall backwards. Do you
think, just maybe Jesus went with them voluntarily?
And finally, when standing before
Pilate, Jesus let him know who was in charge.
John 19:5-11 So Jesus came out,
wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold
the man!”
6 When the chief priests
and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate
said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.”
7 The Jews[a] answered him, “We have a law, and according
to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.”
8 When Pilate heard this
statement, he was even more afraid. 9 He entered his headquarters again and said to
Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 So Pilate said to him, “You
will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and
authority to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered him, “You
would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above.
Pilate
had no authority over Jesus. Caesar had no authority over Jesus. The high
priests had no authority over Jesus. All of the military men in the entire
world gathered together could not restrain the power of Jesus. No, Jesus was
restrained through the betrayal, beatings, trial, and crucifixion by meekness.
Application: Why
did Jesus go through all of that? He went through all of that because the
sacrifice of bulls, goats, and sheep were never enough to cancel out our sins.
We are sinners. We sin every day. Romans 3:23 says that all have fallen short
of the glory of God. And Romans 6:23 says that the wages, or what we deserve
for those sins is death. 2nd Peter 3:9 says that God is not willing
that any should perish, and so according to Romans 5:8 while we were still
sinners Christ died for us. He died as the perfect sacrifice to end all other
sacrifices. He did what bulls, goats, and sheep could never do—cancel out all
of our sin (past, present, and future). The only catch, as with any gift, is
that we have to accept it. If I wrap up keys to a brand new Ferrari and give it
to you, but you never take it and open it, the gift is useless. Jesus died as a
gift to you, giving you something that you could never earn, but you have to accept
the gift offered to you.
