The President Writes ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  THE SUFFERING ON THE WAY TO THE CROSS

(Read Matthew 26:47-68; John 18)

Judas arrived just ahead of a large mob. The priests must have thought they’d have to fight the eleven, or that Jesus would run and hide in the shadows. Thus the swords and staves as well as the lanterns and torches. Jesus pointed out that they were going way out of whack in the way they were handling this–"You act like you are arresting a thief."

Judas came to Jesus as if he is warning him of the coming danger. Jesus said, "Friend, wherefore art thou come?’ Judas said, "Hail, master; and kissed him." The word implies he kissed him repeatedly like the sinner woman that kissed Jesus’ feet and washed them with tears (Luke 7:45).

Then the mob having received the sign of the kiss stepped up and Jesus asked, "Whom seek ye?" (John 18:4). This led to the circumstances of the mob falling back and the question being repeated. Jesus surrenders himself to them showing that a traitor was not needed, and commands them to let the eleven go. Peter lost his restraint and cut off Malcus’ ear. Jesus then healed Malcus as recorded by Dr. Luke, and the disciples flee.

John, who knew the high priest’s family, tells us that the temple guards took Jesus to Annas’ house first. Annas had been high priest but that office had now been passed on to his son-in-law, Caiaphas. Annas asked Jesus of His disciples and His doctrine. Jesus realizing it was an insincere and pointless question seeing his ministry was public, said, "Ask them which heard me." One of the officers thought Jesus was being disrespectful to the former high priest and slapped his mouth. Jesus told the officer that struck him: "If I said anything wrong then show us in the Bible where it is wrong–but if I simply told the truth then why did you strike me?"

Then Annas sent Jesus with his hands still tied to his son-in-law, Caiaphas, the acting high priest that year. The Sanhedrin was gathered there, waiting for the mob to bring Jesus to them. The majority of the members had been working on getting false witnesses against Jesus so they could give him the death sentence. They found many witnesses, but they couldn’t find any two that agreed. The one really hot prospect was about the temple. "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up"( John 2:19). But what the witnesses said in Matthew 26:61 and Mark 14:58 and 59 didn’t agree.

The high priest is frustrated by this time. He jumps up and says: "Have you no answer? What about the evidence these men give against you?" Jesus didn’t say anything. The high priest said, "I command you that under oath you tell us whether you are Christ, the Son of God."

Matthew, Mark, and Luke each give us a different detail of what Jesus said. Jesus responded: "If I ask you questions you won’t answer me, and there is no chance you will let me go. It is as you say, I am, hereafter ye shall see the son of man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven."

Finally Caiaphas has what he wants. He rends his robe and cries "blasphemy." "What further need have we of witnesses?" "Look at this, now we have heard his blasphemy." "What do you think?" What is your verdict?

And the members of the Sanhedrin–well, most of them cried out in unison, "He is guilty of death!" Mark says, "And they condemned him to death."

The abuse started in force as soon as the verdict was pronounced. Then they spit in his face. They buffeted him. They punched him with their fists. They covered his face. In Luke it says, they blindfolded him, then struck him, and asked, "Prophesy unto us Christ, who is it that just hit you?" At this point, when the captain of the temple guard felt they had enjoyed their cruel game enough, he led Jesus out of Caiaphas’ house to Pilate’s judgment hall.

Let us stop here and learn a few lessons that may help us be better followers of our Savior who was "despised and rejected of men."

The crimes against Christ as described in the short passage we have just considered are not only historical; they are exemplary. We can and must learn from them.

I. WHEN THE TEMPLE GUARDS MOCKED THE LORD’S OMNISCIENCE, IT WAS THE HEIGHT OF HUMAN FOLLY.

"And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy; and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands" (Mark 14:65). "And the men that held Jesus mocked him, and smote him. And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee?" (Luke 22:63,64).

These guards mocked because they didn’t know who Jesus really was. They thought He was just another zealot whose religious fervor had gotten Him in trouble. They listened to the gray bearded leadership and accepted what they said, no questions. In spite of the miracles, the teaching, even Malcus standing there with both ears, they still didn’t know who Jesus was.

"But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of the world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Corinthians 2:7, 8). If they had known in that day what we know now, they wouldn’t have done what they did.

But what does that say about us? We know who He is! We know you can’t blindfold Him and stop Him from seeing! We know that He is all-knowing. Then why should we continue to do things that because of our relationship to Him hurt Him or His cause? If they had known they would not have done it. But we know! Are we deceived into thinking it doesn’t matter? Or is it that we just don’t care if we hurt Him? All we want is a God that is there when life hurts us, not one we have to be concerned about His feelings.

II. WHEN THE HIGH PRIEST KNEW INTELLECTUALLY FOR WHAT PURPOSE JESUS NEEDED TO DIE BUT NEVER EMBRACED IT PERSONALLY, THAT WAS THE HEIGHT OF RELIGIOUS IRONY.

Irony means the quality or effect of speeches understood by the audience, but not grasped by the speaker himself. "And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said, unto them, Ye know nothing at all, Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad" (John 11:49-52).

"Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus and bound him, And led him away to Annas first; for he was father in law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same year. Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people" (John 18:12-14).

Familiarity breeds contempt is an old adage. I was raised 19 miles from Washington D.C., and haven’t seen as much as a lot of folks from California. People in China will copy parts of the Bible by hand and secret it away under the floor of their shack, yet some church people in America have at least five Bibles in their possession and haven’t blown the dust off one of them in days. Persecuted people in countries where Islam is in control want to go to church so badly they risk their lives, and in America if it doesn’t cater to their comfort they won’t come.

So with this concept in mind, could we be as bad as Caiaphas? Tell each other intellectually why he died, but lose the awe of what it means personally! Jesus had to die for you! Can you hear Caiaphas saying? "You are really dumb!" Haven’t you ever considered that it is expedient that Jesus die in the place of the people? Can you take that a step further and consider it was expedient that Jesus die in your place? John says in chapter 12, verses 51 and 52, that Caiaphas not only missed the personal nature of Jesus’ sacrifice, but also the universal nature of it!

"And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad." (John 12:51, 52). Sometimes even if we grasp the personal part of His suffering, we miss getting hold of the burden of His suffering for the purpose of gathering together the children scattered abroad.

This is material for a missions message on understanding the three levels of Christ’s suffering. First, we understand that He had to die for people’s sins. Secondly, we understand that He had to die for our sins personally. Thirdly, we understand that He had to die for a vast multitude of people who have not heard about it yet, and we must take it to them.

III. WHEN JUDAS THOUGHT THAT HE COULD BETRAY JESUS WITHOUT DETECTION AND RETAIN HIS POSITION IN CHRIST, THAT WAS THE HEIGHT OF SATANIC DECEPTION.

I think Judas thought he could betray Jesus without being exposed. I think he came to Jesus weeping, Master, Master, and kissed Him in hopes that everyone would think he was fleeing, not leading the mob. I think Judas thought he would get the thirty pieces of silver NOW, and Jesus would respond to the arrest by using that divine power Judas knew He had. I think Judas thought that it was a win-win situation–that if Jesus didn’t detect that he had led the mob, he was still in, and if he did detect it, he could repent and knowing how longsuffering Jesus was, he would still be in. I think Judas thought that after Jesus used his power to take over after the arrest that he would rejoin the apostolic band as a significant and powerful member of the Messianic kingdom, or at least Jesus would be released and he could go back to his old job as treasurer and be thirty pieces of silver richer for his trouble. I base my assumption on what happened in the morning right after the verdict of the Sanhedrin was published abroad. "When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death: And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate, the governor. Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? See thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself" (Matthew 27:1-5).

I think in Judas’ deceived mind he thought his betrayal of his faith was somehow going to turn out alright. I think all people who are slipping spiritually are deceived into thinking like Judas." This won’t really hurt anything. I will come back before it goes too far. It won’t kill me." No, but like Judas it will make you kill yourself.

IV. WHEN JOSEPH AND NICODEMUS IN SUCH A TENSE ENVIRONMENT OF RESENTMENT AND HATE TOWARD JESUS AS WAS IN THE SANHEDRIN COUNCIL THAT NIGHT, CHOSE TO LET FRIEND AND FOE KNOW WHERE THEY STOOD, THAT WAS THE HEIGHT OF MORAL COURAGE.

We, like Joseph and Nicocdemus when we look at Christ’s suffering, know we can’t stop it or change it. But we can choose how we respond to it. And we can choose how we stand up for it. I am not trying to stretch the symbolic blanket until it rips, but here is what Joseph and Nicodemus did when they let the world know where they stood.

First, it was obvious what brought them out of hiding as far as their commitment was concerned: His suffering. When you really comprehend what Jesus went through for you, you want Him and everyone else to know where you stand.

Secondly, they showed how they felt toward their suffering Savior in how much they cared about his body. Like us, they couldn’t do anything about what He had to suffer for their sins, but they reverenced his body. "Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church" (Colossians 1:24). Their reverence for his body is shown in three ways:

1. Their reverence for the body of Christ is shown by the way Joseph begged for an opportunity to do something for it (John 19:38).

2. Their reverence for the body of Christ is shown in how they both provided for it from their own resources (John 19:39; Matthew 27:60).

3. Their reverence for the body of Christ is shown in how they gathered around it even in its severest trial (John 19:4).

So now here we are confronted with "Jesus Christ and him crucified." Has His suffering brought out any of these noble qualities in us?

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Last modified: 01/11/08