Gtcotr/ss032821
Hebrews 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
The Jewish Feast of Passover began last night at sundown in Jerusalem. In accordance with the Biblical calendar, the anniversary of the Crucifixion of Christ occurred on either Thursday or Friday of this past week, just a couple of days ago. We are in the season of the cross and we should be expecting a resurrection of the Body of Christ at any moment.
The season of the cross is a season of suffering. It is arguably the best and the worst times the world has ever seen. The best because of the salvation the cross affords and the worst because of the price Jesus had to pay for our forgiveness.
It does not take a prophet to tell us that we are in an intense season of suffering for so many people around the world. The affects of COVID 19 on families, world affairs and finances, coupled with the erosion of personal freedoms and the increased attacks on faith all serve to remind us that this world is not our home. Thankfully, there is a resurrection in our future.
Let’s begin this morning by reading from the 14th and 15th chapters of Mark. This account occurred one day before Passover, at night, just after what we know as the Last Supper.
Mark 14
32 Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane …
Let’s pause here for a moment. Gethsemane means “an olive press.” In those days, the Roman government taxed the produce people grew on their lands. Olives were grown primarily for oil, and taxes were levied on that oil. To insure no one escaped being taxed, the Roman government made it against the law for any private person to own an oil or wine press.
Gethsemane was the place where individuals brought their olives to be pressed in public by the Romans. It was the point of taxation. The oil was measured, and taxes were collected at that time. All around Gethsemane were small private olive groves called gardens. This is why the mountain upon which Gethsemane is located is called the Mount of Olives.
The Gospels describe this Garden of Gethsemane as being just across the Kidron Valley from the city of Jerusalem, most likely on the way to Bethany. Jesus used this path frequently as did many of His followers. He was very familiar with this garden and knew it would be a place where His disciples could rest while He sought a more secluded place to pray.
There was so much pressure on Jesus. His followers describe the stress He was under. He was committed to doing the will of His Father and yet He prayed for another way. We are told this moment was so intense that drops of blood came from His pores like sweat as He prayed.
Have you ever been under such stress and pressure? A place where you need help and direction but want to be alone. A place where it is a challenge even to think about how you are going to make it through the night. Perhaps we all come to a personal Gethsemane at some point in our lives.
32 Then they came to a place
which was named Gethsemane;
and He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.”
38 “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
At times we also find ourselves willing, but weak.
43 ¶ And immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.
Share the story of the crucifixion …(in brief)
Mark 15
15 ¶ So Pilate, wanting to
gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he
had scourged Him, to be crucified.
34 And at the ninth hour
Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”
which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
37 And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.
Jesus
felt abandoned, shame, despised, rejected, betrayed, and alone. But why? He was
the Son of God. Didn’t He know God loved Him and had a plan for His life?
·
It
is certain God loved Him.
·
It
is certain God approved of His life and work.
·
It
is certain Jesus was innocent and did not deserve this.
·
It
is certain God had a plan for His future.
· Yet He felt abandoned, forsaken, and forgotten in the moment.
Suffering
such intense pain, injustice, and betrayal weighs heavy, even on the mind of God.
·
Betrayed
by a friend.
·
Abandoned
by followers.
·
Disregarded
by family.
·
Rejected
by community.
·
Disdained
by the church.
·
Dishonored
by strangers.
·
Disrespected
by even the criminals.
· It is enough to make a loving, giving, caring Savior feel forsaken.
To imagine Jesus does not feel the physical, emotional, or spiritual pain of your hurts, disappointments, betrayals, would be to deny the great exchange which took place on the Cross of Calvary. .
God was committed to Jesus and God would not leave His soul in hell, (Psalms 16:10). However, Jesus went through hell to gain victory over hell.
Psalms 16:10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Our earnest and honest questions to God in times of pain and suffering will not go unanswered. Although it may seem for a moment as if we are abandoned, joy will come in the morning. But, that day on the cross Jesus felt such pain. Why did God turn His face from all that was going on that day?
God’s intent is to save man, not destroy him in his sinful state. God wants to be a Father, not a Judge. The injustice delivered to the children of God is no where better seen than in the way these ingrates treated His only begotten Son, Jesus. Perhaps God wrestled with the plan of salvation at the cross more than Jesus did in the garden.
A few hours before the scourging and crucifixion, Jesus asked the Father to remove this burden from Him. “If there be any other way, take this cup from Me … nevertheless … not My will but Thine be done.”
Of course there was another way. Simply abandon the salvation of the souls of men. Let them pay for their own sins. Allow evil to take over the earth and destroy all mankind forever. Or choose to be a willing sacrifice and suffer the shame and endure the scourging and die on the cross.
God and Jesus no doubt agreed to go forward with the plan to save mankind, but I can see why God did not want to watch His Son become sin. Jesus felt abandoned when His Father turned His face from the earth that day.
The full account tells us that early in the morning Jesus was sentenced to be scourged and crucified. He was taken by Roman soldiers and stripped of His clothes. Then Jesus was beaten with 39 stripes by a cat of nine-tails. This was the foremost punishment which could be given short of crucifixion. The whip used was designed to tear pieces of flesh from the victim and weaken them through blood loss and unrelenting pain.
Jesus was forced to shoulder a heavy cross and carry it outside of the city to the hill of Golgotha. When on His way, Jesus fell beneath the load, a man named Simon was compelled to carry the cross the rest of the way.
Beaten beyond recognition, with a crown of thorns pressed into His head, Jesus was laid on His back and His arms stretched wide. There the Roman soldiers drove spikes through His hands and His feet. The cross was lifted and set in place that morning at 9 o’clock.
Jesus hung suspended between heaven and earth in agony for 3 hours while people cursed Him and spat on Him and made fun of Him saying, “You saved others, now save yourself!” Even the leading priests and the criminals crucified on either side of Jesus insulted and belittled Him. They all watched with joy and disdain while the Son of God bled in agony and suffered alone.
Along with everything that was going on in the natural, there is no doubt hoards of demons and angels of satan, perhaps the devil himself, was looking on and cheering as the Son of his avowed enemy was suffering evident defeat. Insults and arrogance, pride and wickedness filled the air.
By noon, no doubt God had had enough. I can easily imagine Him wrestling with allowing this to continue, especially since Jesus was suffering this cruel violence for the very ones who despised Him. It was at that time the scriptures account, that God must have hid His face from the agony of Christ and the sins being laid on His innocent Son.
Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin, so the undeserving souls of men and women, boys, and girls, might have a chance to be born-again and be saved from the eternal wrath of God. Suddenly, at noon, the sky became dark for the space of 3 hours. When it was finished and Jesus had taken upon Himself the sins of the world, He cried out.
I cannot fully imagine how alone Jesus must have felt. The King of Glory, the Son of God, the Prince of Peace, the Wonderful Savior, alone, despised, rejected, full of sin, shame, and sorrow. At His lowest moment Jesus looked into heaven and perhaps for the first time, He did not see His Father’s face smiling back at Him. There Jesus cried: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?” Then He died!
It is finished! It’s over. Jesus did it, and God allowed it. But don’t ever imagine it was easy or that it was something either of them were forced to endure … it was something they both chose to do for you.
Earlier I asked the question: Have you ever been under such stress and pressure? A place where you need help and direction but had rather be alone. A place where it is a challenge even to think about how you are going to make it through the night. Perhaps we all come to a personal Gethsemane at some point in our lives. After all, this is the season of the cross.
How are you dealing with your personal Gethsemane? Are you burdened with knowing how to make it through the night? Do you feel alone … committed to doing whatever God requires yet earnestly seeking a way out?
Might I recommend doing what Jesus did … He is our ultimate example.
When
your spirit is willing, but your flesh is weak:
·
Go to God in prayer.
·
More than once if necessary.
·
Ask others to pray with you.
·
I
can’t guarantee the situation will always change, because It may not always be all
about you.
· But You will find rest, peace, and strength for your soul.
We are in the season of the cross … but Good News!!! – The cross was not the end of the story … Soon there will be a resurrection.
But for the moment, we must look to Jesus as our example …
Hebrews
12:2 Looking unto Jesus, the author and
finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured
the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the
throne of God.
