Closed Doors and Open Gates

Welcome to the teaching ministry of Kungsvinger Lutheran Church. Kungsvinger is a beacon for the gospel of Jesus Christ and is located on the plains of northwestern Minnesota. We proclaim Christ and Him crucified for our sins and salvation by grace through faith alone.

And now here's a message.

From Pastor Chris Rosebrook. The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew chapters 26 and 27. When Jesus had finished all these sayings he said to his disciples you know that after two days the Passover is coming and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.

The Plot Against Jesus and the Anointing at Bethany

Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest whose name was Caiaphas and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. But they said not during the feast lest there be an uproar among the people.

Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask a very expensive ointment and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. And when the disciples saw it they were indignant saying why this waste for this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.

But Jesus aware of this said to them why do you trouble the woman for she has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you but you will not always have me. In pouring this ointment on my body she has done it to prepare me for burial.

Truly I say to you wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world what she has done will also be told in memory of her. Then one of the twelve whose name was Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests and said what will you give me if I deliver him over to you?

And they paid him 30 pieces of silver and from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him. Now on the first day of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus saying where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?

He said go into the city to a certain man and say to him the teacher says my time is at hand and I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples. And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and they prepared the Passover.

When it was evening he reclined at table with the twelve and as they were eating he said truly I say to you one of you will betray me. And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another is it I Lord?

He answered he who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.

Judas who would betray him answered is it I Rabbi? He said to him you have said so. Now as they were eating Jesus took bread and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples and said take eat this is my body.

And he took a cup and when he had given thanks he gave it to them saying drink of it all of you for this blood this this my this is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it drink it new with you in my father's kingdom. And when they had sung a hymn they went out to the Mount of Olives then Jesus said to them you will all fall away because of me this night for it is written I will strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered but after I am raised up I will go before you to Galilee.

Peter answered him though they all fall away because of you I will never fall away. Jesus said to him truly I tell you this very night before the rooster crows you will deny me three times. Peter said to him even if I must die with you I will not deny you and all the disciples said the same.

Gethsemane, Betrayal, and Arrest

Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane and he said to his disciples sit here while I go over there and pray. And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee he began to be sorrowful and troubled and then he said to them my soul is very sorrowful even to death remain here and watch with me.

And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed saying my father if it be possible let this cup pass from me nevertheless not as I will but as you will. And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping and he said to Peter so could you not watch with me one hour?

Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak. Again for the second time he went away and prayed my father if this cannot pass unless I drink it your will be done.

And again he came and found them sleeping for their eyes were heavy. So leaving them again he went away and prayed for the third time saying the same words again. And then he came to the disciples and said to them sleep and take your rest later on see the hour is at hand the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

Rise let us be going see my betrayer is at hand. And 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.

Now the betrayer had given them a sign saying the one I will kiss is the man seize him. And he came up to Jesus at once and said greetings rabbi and he kissed him. Jesus said to him friend do what you came to do.

And then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. 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.

Then Jesus said to them put your sword back into its place for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my father and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels.

But how then should the scriptures be fulfilled that I that it must be so. At that hour Jesus said to the crowds have you come out as against a robber with swords and clubs to capture me. Day after day I sat in the temple teaching and you did not seize me.

But all this has taken place that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples left him and fled. Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest. Where the scribes and the elders had gathered and Peter was following him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the high priest.

And going inside he sat with the guards to see the end. Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death. But they found none though many false witnesses came forward.

At last two came forward and said this man said I am able to destroy the temple and to rebuild it in three days. And the high priest stood up and said have you no answer to make what is this that these men testify against you.

But Jesus remained silent and the high priest said to him I adjure you by the Living God tell us if you are the Christ the Son of God. Jesus said to him you have said so. But I tell you from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the power and coming on the clouds of heaven.

Then the high priest tore his robes and said he has uttered blasphemy what further witness do we need. You have now heard his blasphemy what is your judgment. They answered he deserves death. Then they spit on his face and struck him and some slapped him saying prophesy to us you Christ who is it that struck you.

Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard and a servant girl came up to him and said you also were with Jesus the Galilean. But he denied it before them all saying I do not know what you mean. And when he went out to the entrance another servant girl saw him and she said to the bystanders this man was with Jesus of Nazareth.

And again he denied it with an oath I do not know the man. After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter certainly you too are one of them for your accent betrays you. Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear I do not know the man.

And immediately the rooster crowed and Peter remembered the saying of Jesus before the rooster crows you will deny me three times. And he went out and he wept bitterly. When morning came all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.

And they bound him and led him away and delivering him over to Pilate the governor. Then when Judas his betrayer saw that Jesus was condemned he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders saying I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.

They said what is that to us see to it yourself. And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple he departed and went and hanged himself. But the chief priest taking the pieces of silver said it is not lawful to put them into the treasury since it is blood money.

So they took counsel and brought bought with them the potter's field as a burial place for strangers. Therefore that field has been called the field of blood to this day. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah saying and they took the thirty pieces of silver the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel.

And they gave them for the potter's field as the Lord directed me. Now Jesus stood before the governor and the governor asked him are you the king of the Jews? Jesus said you have said so. But when he was accused by the chief priests and the elders he gave no answer.

Then Pilate said to him do you not hear how many things they testify against you? But he gave them no answer not even to a single charge so that the governor was greatly amazed. Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted.

And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. So when they gathered Pilate said to them whom do you want me to release for you? Barabbas or Jesus who is called Christ? For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up.

Besides while he was sitting on the judgment seat his wife sent word to him have nothing to do with that righteous man for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream. Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.

The governor again said to them which of the two do you want me to release for you? And they said Barabbas. Pilate then said to them then what shall I do with Jesus who is called 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. 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 on our children. Then he released for them Barabbas and having scourged Jesus delivered him to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters and they gathered the whole battalion before him and they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him and twisting together a crown of thorns they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand and kneeling before him they mocked him saying hail king of the Jews and they spit on him and took the reed 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 led him away to crucify him.

The Crucifixion, Death, and Burial of Jesus

As they went out they found a man of Cyrene Simon by name they compelled this man to carry his cross and when they came to a place called Golgotha which means place of a skull they offered him wine to drink mixed with gall but when he had tasted it he would not drink it and when they had crucified him they divided his garments among them by casting lots.

Then they sat down and kept watch over him there and over his head they put the charge against him which read this is Jesus king of the Jews. Then two robbers were crucified with him one on the right and one on the left and those who passed by derided him wagging their heads and saying you who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days save yourself if you are the son of God come down from the cross.

So also the chief priests with the scribes and the elders mocked him saying he saved others he cannot even save himself he's the king of Israel let him come down from the cross and we will believe in him.

He trusts in God let God deliver him now if he desires him for he had said I am the son of God and the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way. Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour 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?

And some of the bystanders hearing it said this man is calling Elijah and one of them at once ran and took a sponge and filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink but others said wait let's see whether Elijah will come to save him and Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit and behold the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom and the earth shook and the rocks were split the tombs also 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 Holy City and appeared to many.

When the 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. There were also many women there looking on from a distance who had followed Jesus from Galilee ministering to him among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

When it was evening there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph who also was a disciple of Jesus and he went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus then Pilate ordered it to be given to him and Joseph took the body wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb which he had cut in the rock and he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away.

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there sitting opposite the tomb. Next day that is after the day of preparation the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, Sir we remember how that imposter said while he was still alive after three days I will rise.

Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people he has risen from the dead and the last fraud will be worse than the first. Pilate said to them you have a guard of soldiers go and make it as secure as you can.

So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard. This is the gospel of the Lord in the name of Jesus. Hear a portion of the assigned psalm for today which is taken from Psalm 118 starting at verse 19.

Open to me the gates of righteousness that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord the righteous shall enter through it and I thank you that you have answered me and you have become my salvation.

The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. Gates and doors. Think of gates and doors here for a second. When you think of like good movies, good movies always have a way of making very dramatic props or setting scenes that are pretty dramatic.

I think back to when I was a kid. I loved to watch this time of the year The Wizard of Oz. It was always on CBS this time of the year around Easter time, right? And those of you who remember you had to get the rabbit ears just right.

And I always liked it when Dorothy and the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion and the Scarecrow would finally get to the Emerald City and when they got there what were they met with? Ginormous doors, right?

And in good Hollywood fashion when they bang on the door it makes that echoey, right? It's just crazy stuff. And then you can also think another one would be the return of the Jedi when C -3PO and R2-D2 are on the rescue mission to rescue Han Solo from being frozen by Jabba the Hutt.

They come up to Jabba the Hutt's lair and there's this ginormous door, right? Doors are kind of big things. And so you'll note something here. If we were to think of salvation like a door or a gate, something huge and dramatic, you'll note that in Psalm 118 it says, open to me the gates of righteousness that I may enter through them.

And here's where we have to soberly take something into consideration. And that is this small fact. Who are you to demand of God that he opens the gates of righteousness to you? Who do you think you are?

You'll note that because of our sin the gates of righteousness and the gates of salvation are barred. They will not open at our command. In fact, that's really a problem for us. If you were to think of it this way, there's a lot of things that we can give in exchange for crimes and misdemeanors that we perform here on earth.

You'll note that when somebody commits a misdemeanor or a felony they are arrested and in order to pay their debt to society they can offer their body, or actually it'll be taken from them, their body and their life will be taken for them for a brief period of time while they cool their heels and think about their bad decisions in prison.

If you live in Texas and you murder somebody, right, you will be giving your life as the penalty for the crime of murder. But what can you give in exchange for the sins that you've committed in order that you might be saved?

Can you give your own blood? Can you give your own life? No, the answer is no to all of that. You are not able to do that. So the gates of righteousness stand closed to every single one of us who by nature are born dead in trespasses and in sins and we are conceived in unrighteousness and we have transgressed God's holy law.

And so open to me the gates of righteousness. Well how can I expect the gates of righteousness to open? For me or for you? And it's here where we consider again the substitutionary work of Christ. And in our gospel text today, I won't reread the entire thing, but we'll pick up some highlights.

You're going to notice there's a big theme here and that theme is that Jesus Christ himself has pretty much every single door slammed in his face. Every single one of them. So that at the end of this he doesn't have any mercy.

There's no way out. All ways of escape are barred. All doors are closed. All gates are closed. And there is only one outcome and that's the death of Christ. And so we read in the beginning of our gospel texts that the chief priests and the elders of the people they had gathered in the palace of the high priest whose name was Caiaphas and they plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him.

But they said not during the feast lest there be an uproar among the people. You'll know that the fact that they wanted to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him without anyone knowing shows that their intent from beginning to end was nefarious.

They were up to no good. If real justice was to be in play then Jesus would have been properly arrested with everybody understanding the crime and the allegations against him spoken very clearly and the trial would have taken place and witnesses would have come forth properly in order to bring about the end and demise of Christ.

But the fact that they had to do this by stealth means that Jesus has done nothing wrong. If they're going to get rid of Jesus, if they're going to unalive him, they're going to have to do it on false pretenses.

And so from there you'll note that Judas, one of Jesus's inside guys, one of the twelve, he went to the chief priests and he said, what will you give me if I deliver Jesus over to you? And they paid him 30 pieces of silver.

Does anyone else think that that is just an absolutely ridiculously low price for any human life, yet alone the life of the very Son of God? What is going on here? And from that moment Judas sought an opportunity to betray him.

The chief priests now have a guy on the inside working with him so that they can arrest Jesus by stealth and put him to death before anybody figures out what's going on. Doors are closing for Christ. Doors that should never have been shut.

And then to make matters worse, Jesus knows full well what's going to go down and he tells his disciples, all of them, you all fall away because of me this night for it is written I will strike the shepherd of the sheep and the flock will be scattered.

But after I am raised up I will go before you to Galilee. And of course Peter, the pretentious, Peter the sounds so much like me at times, he just thinks he's got everything figured out and really doesn't.

Doesn't quite get what's going on here. Puts on a brave front and says, well I, you know, they'll all fall away. I will never fall away. And Jesus looks him straight in the eyes and says, I tell you this very night before the rooster crows, you're gonna deny me three times.

And then Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane three times prays to the Father that if it's possible that this cup would pass for him, from him. But then he notes, but not my will but your will be done. And you can hear doors creaking and closing all over the place for Jesus.

His world is getting smaller and smaller. And by the time he is finished praying, and note none of his disciples had enough energy to even join him in any kind of meaningful prayer themselves, Judas arrives, betrays Jesus with a kiss.

What a horrible betrayal that is. And then they seize him. A scuffle ensues and we know from the cross-references who took off the ear of the servant of the high priest. In fact we even know his name.

His name is Malchus. And the guy who took off his ear, the one wielding the sword, it was Peter. And you'll note right from the get-go here when things start to heat up, it looks like Peter's right. Peter's the one who's really, he's not gonna deny Jesus no matter what.

In fact he even drew a sword and drew some blood. But Jesus heals the fellow and then he chastises his disciples. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my father and that he will at once send me more than 12 legions of angels?

But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled that it must be so? And Christ knows what he's talking about. The Scriptures are clear. God's Word cannot be broken. That being the case, you'll note, for anyone out there who sits there and goes, well the Bible really can't be inerrant.

Really? It can't be inerrant? You think the Bible cannot be without error? God's Word itself says it cannot be broken. And Jesus here, when he's arrested, he's basically telling his disciples to stand down because the Scriptures must and will be fulfilled.

And then he addresses the crowd. Jesus, always a repentance preacher, leaves them with a little bit of a message, a little bit of law to get them to think about what's going on. Have you come out against me as a robber with swords and clubs to capture me?

Day after day I sat in the temple teaching you and you didn't seize me. But all of this is taking place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. You'll note that Jesus kind of looks them in the eyes and goes, you guys do realize that you're doing exactly what the Bible said you were going to do.

Don't you think that that should make you a little bit nervous? You might want to rethink your life decisions. Jesus clearly is still in control here. And so they seized Jesus and led him to Caiaphas the high priest where the scribes and the elders had gathered.

And we know where this took place. It's actually, it's on this list of sites that you can visit in Jerusalem if you were to go on a Holy Land tour. And I would note that Caiaphas's house, this courtyard that's in his house is where the trial took place.

It ain't much bigger than Kongsvinger right here. I mean that shows you kind of how intimate of a place this was. In fact I think Kongsvinger is a little bit bigger. Maybe if we just take the middle section, right?

If we just took the middle section. That shows you how intimate of a place this was. And it says this, that Peter was following him at a distance and the chief priests and the whole council were seeking, listen to this, they were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death.

Let me give you an analogy that we can kind of grasp on to. This would be the equivalent of the Pope looking for people to give false testimony against somebody for whatever reason, right? Popes aren't supposed to do that.

Neither are pastors or leaders in the church. So if the head of the AALC, the presiding pastor, were to basically put some pastor on trial for whatever things and he was soliciting people, we need some guys to bear false witness against so-and-so.

Anyone up for that? You'll note that this is corruption of the highest order. And here's the problem, is that when you're seeking false testimony against somebody, it's really difficult to get the testimony to agree.

So you can see some guy coming up saying, and they go, what would you like to say? What are you testifying against Jesus? Well, he threatened to turn me into a newt, right? Uh-huh, he did, really, yeah.

Did he? Yes, well, he did turn me into a newt. And how come you're not a newt now? Well, I got better, right? We know how this goes down. And so you'll note that getting false testimony to agree is a little bit difficult.

But finally they found two guys, they finally found two guys who said the same thing. And what did they say? Oh, we heard this man say, I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.

We all know about this. This is actually recorded for us in the Gospel of John. And of course, the temple that Jesus was referring to was the temple of his body. But don't let details get in the way. So Jesus, they said, this guy said he can tear down the temple and rebuild it in three days.

And the high priest stood up and he has to go with it at this point. This is the best that he's got. He says, have you no answer to make? Right? What is this that these men are testifying against you?

Oh, this is serious stuff, Jesus. Right? But Jesus remained silent. Isn't that interesting? Long before the Miranda rites, you have the right to remain silent. Jesus did nothing to defend himself. Not a thing.

Doors, more doors are slamming. So the high priest said to him, I adjure you by the living God. You tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus said to him, you've said so, but I tell you from now on, you'll see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the power and coming on the clouds of heaven.

At this point, all right, he goes ballistic. The high priest tore his robes and said, he's uttered blasphemy. What further witness do we need? You've heard the blasphemy. What is your judgment? And they all answered, he deserves death.

And they spit on his face and they struck him. Some slapped him, saying, prophesy to us, you Christ, who is it that struck you? More doors are closing in on Jesus. Of course, Peter, he's there watching all of this.

We learned from another gospel that when Peter finally denies Christ the third time, Jesus looked at him because this is an intimate sight. Peter was sitting outside the courtyard and a servant girl came up to him and said, you also were with Jesus the Galilean.

Ah, the brave Peter who just cut off the ear of Malchus. All of a sudden, he's become Mr. Fradycat. A servant girl has asked a question, has made a statement. He says, I don't know what you mean. And then he went out to the entrance and another servant girl saw him and said, this man was with Jesus of Nazareth.

And again, he denied it with an oath. Didn't Peter say that even everybody, even if everybody were to leave you, I'll never leave you, even unto death? Well, here's your great opportunity, Peter. But you're gonna know the Word of God cannot be broken.

The Word must be fulfilled. The Scripture says, I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter. And here you have this ornery sheep doing his best to disobey the Word of God. You can't do that.

And so things are not going well for him. He denied that he knew Jesus and after a little while the bystanders came up to him and said, well certainly you two are one of them. And he began to invoke a curse on himself and swear, I don't know the man.