Jesus and the Cross

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0:00 Today's Palm Sunday which is like really fun. Palm Sunday is like growing up in the church Palm Sunday was a big deal. We always made a really big deal out of it. Church I grew up at my dad was a pastor and he was like full of energy you know he was like Harold Hill in high school. Imagine Harold Hill leading Palm Sunday for a big suburban church. It's not an exaggeration to say that at

0:33 like Harold Hill's the guy from Music Man you know that like leads 76 trombones of the big parade. It's not an exaggeration at once one time we had rented a donkey and possessed with kids down the main street of Lake Mary up to the church waving palm bronze. There's a normal occurrence that when you got there on Sunday you couldn't walk inside the church everyone stood outside and you waited and after he read the story Carol just read you all walked in together waving palm bronze. Kevin maybe you remember some of those Meredith maybe

1:06 you remember some of those Sundays. Palm Sunday is a big celebratory Sunday and it's a fitting that it's celebratory because when you look at the story of the life of Jesus he has all these periods remember where he's like healing people where people are recognizing who he is and he's telling them now's not the time keep quiet don't tell anybody what happens there's a lot around the secret about keeping who Jesus is secret and then there's this one time right

1:37 where they're moving into Jerusalem Carol just read the story for us and and all the people line up and they put down palm bronze in front of the the donkey and they throw their jackets the donkey's feet don't get muddy and doggy was not a lowly animal but a kingly animal means that you're coming in peace the king rides into the city on a donkey means the king's coming in peace and they're calling him son of David and they're saying come and save us which is a loaded term son of David means we need this delivering king like calm and

2:11 rescue us right and the church leaders are saying hey man tell them to quit like that's blasphemous and Jesus says hey if they be quiet even the rocks will cry out right now because today is the day that is ordained to receive praise Palm Sunday is a celebratory Sunday and I grew up loving it I was pretty disappointed then in college when I had a pastor who really stuck to the electionary meaning he didn't pick whatever texts he wanted he he preached

2:44 specifically on the text that the church had laid out for that Sunday and the church lays out for the Sunday of Palm Sunday called the Sunday of the Passion meaning it's the story of Passion to be gone Palm Sunday so you get the Palm Sunday story at the processional which that we just had our processional we sang the doxology we read the Palm Sunday story now we go to the Sunday as the passion where we look at what happens after Palm Sunday remember that in the

3:15 way that the story is told it's a week about what things flip on it and we're gonna look at the the text they have laid out I picked the shorter version of it because I wanted to do more than just read text for you all so Matthew chapter 27 starting at verse 11 we're gonna look through so it's a longer section of the story this morning but it's worth looking at it's like kind of the heart of our gospel here Matthew chapter 27 verse 11 of course all of the four accounts of

3:49 the life of Jesus have a story of the Passion Week that get to the crucifixion Matthew's is the one that's picked for us here and it starts at verse 11 where Jesus is in front of a pilot by this point in the story remember that Jesus has been through the Passover so in the part that Carol read he he's telling

4:19 him to prepare the place for Passover he goes to celebrate the Passover with them famous phrase an account of John of the Passover says John says having loved them to this point he now shows them the full extent of his love and washes their feet he let them know that they'll betray him he goes to the garden of Gethsemane where he asks God could we could I handle this some other way Lord but not my will but yours be done when you compare Gethsemane and Eden and

4:50 the willingness of Jesus to let God do it God's way to trust that God knows the difference between right and wrong and in the garden of Eden where humanity are sure they know the difference between right and wrong Jesus seeds authority responsibility humanity grass for it and then he's betrayed and he goes before the Sanhedrin the leaders of the church they trump up charges and decide he's wrong he left them convict him on a on a trumped-up court and then they bring him to pilot because they don't have the ability to crucify I did think about this briefly this week why didn't the Sanhedrin just stoning you know it

5:26 seems like at different places in the story of the gospel there in the first century that that the church has the ability to stone people to execute people for religious crimes you could stone them and I'm wondering why they don't just stone Jesus and I decided that they needed the procedure the fear was that the people would rebel if they stone Jesus and so they needed the legitimacy of the Roman governor to execute a full-on crucifixion and so

5:57 they bring him to pilot so chapter 27 verse 11 now Jesus stood before the governor and the governor asked him are you the king of the Jews and Jesus said you have said so I love that when he was accused by the chief priests and the elders he gave no answer and then pilot said to him do you not hear how many things they testify against you but Jesus gave him no answer not even to a single charge so that the governor was greatly amazed of course he's amazed

6:29 Jesus should know his life is in danger and he doesn't defend himself he recognizes that what's gonna happen gonna happen and he's here for it right verse 15 now the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd anyone prisoner whom they wanted and they had they had been a notorious prisoner called Barabbas so people make some study of Barabbas Barabbas's name

7:05 Barabbas if you take it apart just means son of the father which is interesting also in some manuscripts it looks like Barabbas's first name was Jesus Jesus was a semi-common name in the first century and when we look at some early commentary it looks like maybe that was true his name his full name was Jesus Barabbas right which is funny or interesting or ironic that then the crowd gets a choice between two Jesus's right the one who actually is a

7:36 murderer and the one who has the false charges so when they gathered pilot said to them whom do you want me to release for you Barabbas or Jesus called the Christ to differentiate with Jesus Jesus Barabbas or Jesus called the Christ remember that the Christ is a title not a last name it means this is the liberating king do you want the liberating king or do you want the son of the you want Barabbas for he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up and besides while he was sitting on the judging seat his wife sent word to him

8:09 have nothing to do with the righteous man for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream now the chief priest and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroyed Jesus the governor again said to them which of which of you to which of the two do you want me to release to you and they said Barabbas and Pilate said to them then what shall I do with Jesus who was called

8:42 Christ they all said let him be crucified and he said why what evil has he done but they shouted all the more let him be crucified and so when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing but rather that a riot was beginning he took water and washed his hands before the crowd saying I am innocent of this man's blood see to it yourselves and all the people answered his blood be on us and our

9:14 children and then he released them Barabbas and having scourged Jesus delivered him to be crucified here's what I'm taking away from this story at this part pilot remember that Jerusalem Israel here's the Mediterranean Sea here's Rome the Sea to power also or streets lead to Rome here's Israel all the way over here here's Jerusalem in the center that there's some fertile area

9:49 in Israel right at the along the banks of the river but you got to get through a desert to get there Israel's in a strategic location because it's on the way to Egypt and North Africa which is really profitable and good but Israel's in the middle of a desert Israel's a place in the time in the first century not a lot of people want to be and certainly a Roman governor doesn't want to be in Israel pilot is in Israel because he's failed to keep the peace

10:23 everywhere else Rome has conquered all these places all the way around the Mediterranean and the job of the Roman governors in the places where they're ruling is to keep the locals in line and make sure they're sending their taxes to Rome just prop up a puppet king in Israel we have Herod just leave him there and say you could be your own king just pay taxes to us just keep the king doing the thing we want get the tax collectors out there bringing the money back in line and Israel is on the it's like podunk it's like on the wrong

10:58 side of the desert it's the last stop before you're dishonorably discharged just keep the locals on the wrong side of the desert in line would you and in pilot recognizes that these people that have this way of worth repeating in this temple are fighting amongst themselves over power right and and they have their own little space of power and he thinks it's silly and they bring in this one who claims to be a delivering king but he's like passive at that

11:32 before Jesus has come into the scene there are other people who have claimed to be Messiah some really brutally the Maccabees and other periods but even closer to Jesus that the Messiah the Christ is going to come and leave them throw off the Roman oppressor be the physical liberating king they've had to crack down multiple times on the Israelites on the wrong side of the desert who get uppity and think they can throw off Rome and they bring this one who's called the Christ and he doesn't even defend himself pilots like really

12:02 this guy is not a threat right this guy is like look I'll give the option between this guy who's calling the Christ and is so me right the meek little hair so me or I'll give him this brutal murderer Jesus grab us because I always give him one just to keep him happy and he can't believe that they choose the brutal murderer but this is what gets me about the story of the

12:33 crucifixion is pilot in the end can't be bothered enough to take care of Jesus or to pay attention to what's really happening he can't be distracted from the thing that he wants when it starts to look like a rebellion's coming up he knows he gets in trouble if they end up with the rebellion rebellion is not what Rome wants it costs a lot of money to send soldiers out there and crackdown they don't want to do that they'd rather

13:06 collect taxes pilot just keep the peace out there and so when it starts to see a rebellion he can't care quite that much he's got his own problems to worry about this guy Jesus will have to fight for himself same with the Pharisees the Pharisees have a really great system set up right where they're like be authority and Jesus is calling people to this new teaching that they don't

13:42 really understand that might use their tradition and procedures people are starting to follow them and believe that he might have something to offer he even says this thing where they're not going to need the temple anymore and the temple is kind of central about the Pharisees and the Sadducees keep what they want and so they'll take Barabbas if Jesus doesn't get in the way of what they want they can't stop and see what's happening because they're so focused on what they want this is the thing for me in this version of the story of the

14:12 Passion Week is two things don't get in the way of what I want and don't distract me or make me uncomfortable pilot cannot be distracted or uncomfortable and so the Savior of the world goes right through his hands and he in apathy allows him to be killed falsely brutally the Pharisees are so focused on a thing that they want so caught up in their own world that the Savior of the world

14:43 walks right but in front of them and they haven't killed they orchestrate a way to have him killed it's really easy for us all to get like really narrowly focused on our own little world our own little problems our own little wants the things

15:17 little things that we need as though that were all that matter you know I think that's part of what's happening here pilot Scott's own things he can't be bothered with this Jesus the Christ the Pharisees have what they want if Jesus the Christ gets in the way they just move him out of the way right so when pilots saw that he was gaining nothing but rather okay then he released them Barabbas having scourged Jesus and delivered him to be crucified verse 27

15:49 then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters and they gathered the whole battalion before him and they stripped it and put on scarlet robe on him and twisting together a crown of thorns they put on his head and put a read in his right hand and kneeling before him they mocked him saying hail king of the Jews they spit on him and took read and struck him on the head and when they had mocked him they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and let him away to crucify him this is their job so what

16:20 they're supposed to do the problem is the Israelites every once in a while have somebody who raises up who thinks they can actually be a liberating king and take off Rome the Roman soldiers like are you kidding me do you know the might of Rome we have built a civilization on the capability of our army have you seen our shields have you seen our swords have you seen our helmets we know how to kill some folks man and if you get in the way that's what we do and this little guy that's grew up in Nazareth what good comes from Nazareth things he can't be king let's show them all that he's ridiculous and so they publicly

16:53 mocked him you can come and watch them mock Jesus they're so focused on their job on what they need to do on their place in the world that they are caught up in mocking ridicule abusing the Savior of the world verse 32 as they went out they found a man of Cyrene named Cy, a Simeon by name and they compelled this man to carry his cross and when they came to a place called Golgotha which in place of the skull they offered him wine to drink mixed with Gull but when he

17:25 tasted it he wouldn't drink it there's some theories on why he wouldn't drink it one of them is that there might have been an aesthetic in the Gull and he didn't want to numb his pain Jesus conversely is unilaterally focused on everyone except himself everyone in this story is focused on what I need what comfort I need what job I've been given what future I protect for myself

18:00 what I want what I need what I've been given what I can take what I can lay out for myself and Jesus unilaterally is focused on how do I give to all these people out here it's stark how this how different it is how they just pass right by each other and in the passing God accomplishes something that he has set out on accomplishing since the foundation of the world since time begins and it happens right before their eyes they don't even realize it Jesus stands

18:35 in the middle of it and sees it all happen okay as they went out they found okay gulls and when they had crucified him wait and when they they offered him wine to mix with Gull but when he case he wouldn't drink it and when they crucified him they divide his garments it's interesting when you start studying the crucifixion and the story and the text how little they talk about the crucifixion Matthew doesn't describe what it means he just uses this word crucifixion hello it's because everyone who read

19:07 the gospel of Matthew knew what crucifixion was like thousands of people were crucified at one point the Romans killed six crucified six thousand people at once lined them all up outside of the town crucifixion was a regular thing you'd see people coming into a city hanging on a cross outside of town and you'd be reminded don't cross the Romans they know how to kill some folks just pay your taxes and they'll leave you alone crucifixion was a very normal

19:37 thing it's not remarkable that Jesus was crucified it's it's tragically unremarkable I don't know how to compare it right now but it might be like it might be like a person who's living on the street who dies on the street and no one knows it's like it's forgotten on the outside of town some people as they're coming in for the Passover or might might see him and stop and make fun of him

20:10 when they see the title over over his name because they put the title but that's why Matthew just runs right by crucifixion because everybody knows what it needs to be crucified okay and when they had crucified him they divided his garments among them by casting laws because they're just thinking about what they can get out of the situation then they sat down and kept watch over him there and over his head they put the charge against him which read this is

20:43 Jesus the king of the Jews again this is not remarkable they would just put the charge over top of guys that's what he claimed to be little what we do to people who think they're kings that aren't the emperor they hang right here then to Roberts were crucified with him one on the right and one on the left and those who who passed derided him see those who passed by sometimes we think there was a great cloud watching the crucifixion of Jesus there really wasn't it was normal to crucify people outside there are some people who passed by and made fun of

21:13 them on their way in but nobody really could be bothered this is what I want to think about it the crucifixion Jesus the world this goes on wagon and those who passed by derided him wage ragging their heads and saying you who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days save yourself if you're other son of God come down off the cross so also the chief priests and the scribes and the elders mocked and saying he saved others he cannot save himself he is the king of Israel let him come down from the cross and we'll

21:47 believe him he trusts in God the God delivered him now if he desires them for he said I am the son of God and the rubber to were crucified with him were also revolved him in the same way this is heartbreaking are you heartbroken this is heartbreaking humiliating this is sad I remember always being conflicted about this story because growing up as a kid

22:19 because in my head I thought well don't we don't we need Jesus to be crucified and so yeah we do and it still sucks that we are the ones who accomplish the crucifixion all the time like over and over Jesus one time tells this parabolas think about it where he says there imagine the kingdom of God it's like a a master of a house that is getting ready to throw a wedding feast and he has all

22:55 these people he wants to invite the wedding and he stands out all the invitations and the invitations come back yeah I know you've got a wedding but I've got a lot of things going on I've got a vineyard I've got to take care of I've got cows I've got to take care of I've got a family and they have to be taken care of I can't come to your wedding feast the guy writes back to this yeah but I've got the calf ready I've paid my my excited kid like the whole feast is ready why don't you guys come and they're like no thank you but no thank you and so

23:29 then the master of the feast invites the people who are willing to come and this is what I'm thinking about in the crucifixion like right walking before them is the one who would serve them to the end of his life and they can't be bothered a great danger for us is not that we're aggressive to Jesus but that we're apathetic that we've got a lot of things going on and so the way of life that Jesus calls us to is this I mean there are a lot of other things right

24:02 now I mean this is what happened to the Pharisees they had their system they had how they were good how they were bad they had a lot of work to do this what happened to Pilate he knew where he knew where his boundaries were he knew how to succeed he knew how to secure a future for himself that the things of others just didn't enter into his frame he couldn't be bothered he was so focused on what he wanted on what he needed and Jesus like I said he's focused outward and I

24:38 think that if will be ones right who go to the wedding feast if will be people like Jesus it starts by like stepping outside of what we want what we need our own little problems our own little futures our own little breakdowns or things we're building up if we could step out of our own concerns and and

25:12 consider what's happening to the people around us let alone the world around us if we could be people who are looking outward we encounter the work of Jesus this was a fatal flaw in the story of the crucifixion is that people were caught up in themselves Jesus is looking outward verse 45 now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour and about the ninth hour

25:44 Jesus cried out with a loud voice saying Eli Eli Llamak sabbatani which is my God my God why are you forsaking me I love that they saved the Aramaic I don't particularly know why except for I love this to remind you that there was a dude Jesus born of Mary grown up in Nazareth walked around Galilee had great friends three of them were Peter James and John had Mary Magdalene who followed him all raised his good friend Lazarus from the tomb wept at his death who hangs on

26:15 across and as he hung on across said real words the real words he said were lama were Eli Eli Llamak sabbatani which means my God my God why have you forsaken me he felt the absence of God I pray we never do and some of the bystanders hearing it they're just standing by oh my gosh the smell he's calling Elijah and one of them at once ran took a sponge filled it with sour

26:46 wine put it on a read and gave it to him to drink but the others said wait let's see if the lies actually comes they can't be distracted from the entertainment they want to care enough about the person in front of them wait let's see if whether Elijah will come or not and Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit it's worth saying he died way earlier than you usually do when you crucified in another places Jesus says nobody takes my life

27:18 but I laid down of my own accord that that here on the cross in the absolute opposite of the people around him he gives his life to the people who are in front of their hands not taken from them he gives to the very end he's thinking about the other people and behold the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom and the earth shook and the rocks were split and the tombs were opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the

27:50 holy city and appeared to many mountain rights is down because there are people who have stories of it and when they're centurion and those who were with him keeping watch over Jesus saw the earthquake and what took place they were filled with awe and said truly this was the Son of God here's the last point for us this morning all the people around Jesus up to the point where he gives up his spirit are so focused on themselves they can't even see what happens and inversely Jesus is unilaterally committed to serving giving every

28:23 ounce of breath to serve the people around them because there is ultimate wrong that only he can solve right and when he gives up his last and the curtain is torn to and the spirit of God comes out Jesus service works Jesus service works new life right in the moment this is the pro-leftic appearance of the end of the resurrection of all the immediate breaking the future the

28:59 final future breaking into the moment coming in the now and not yet impartial we see pro-leftically what will be coming in the future comes now in a taste and bodies come up out of the grave because the service of Jesus works and the centurions who accomplish his crucifixion and humiliated and brutally murdered him then turn to faith and say holy cow this was the Son of God the service of Jesus works and this service of Jesus the whole thing of this week Monty Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday finally next week Easter

29:34 resurrection is for you that you might have moments now that where you break out of yourself absorption and awaken to the creation that has the capacity to care and serve for the world in which you are an image bearer of God to the service of God this whole week is for you that you might be able to live fully who you were created to be from the very beginning caretaker of the world

30:04 image bearer of God to people right creator server lover this is you empowered by the service of Jesus I hope this week you have the capacity to just for a few moments step out of how all encompassing your little world is and look at what

30:36 Jesus has done in order that it might affect you like awaken you to faith call you to life now and then forever let me pray hey Lord wake us up this week this morning right now call us to

31:06 faith and life serve us we recognize and acknowledge good Lord that we need your service we need your sacrifice we receive your sacrifice this morning you may it affect us now for life and faith today in Jesus name we pray amen