WWUTT 415 The Meaning of the Cross of Christ?

The Meaning of Jesus’ Last Supper, Gethsemane, and the Disciples’ Failure

Do you understand what it means that Jesus went to the cross and died for our sins? And then what it means that he was resurrected again from the grave? We have the answer given to us when we understand the text.

Many of the Bible stories and verses we think we know, we don't. When we understand the text, as an online ministry committed to teaching sound doctrine and exposing the faulty, visit our website at www .utt .com.

Now here's our host, Pastor Gabe Hughes.

Thank you, Becky. All this week we have been studying the events leading up to Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection from the grave. And today is Good Friday, when Jesus died on the cross for our sins. So today we're going to be looking at Jesus' arrest, his trial, his crucifixion, and his resurrection as captured in Matthew chapters 26, 27, and 28.

If you want to open up your Bible and join with me there, I'm going to start at the end of Jesus' last supper with his disciples. So this is Matthew 26, starting in verse 30. And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Wouldn't you like to know what hymn it was Jesus and the disciples were singing? Well, actually, we kind of have an idea. It would have been out of Psalms 113 through 118. This is the section of the Psalms known as the Egyptian Hallel.

And they would have been associated with Passover and also other Jewish festival days. These were the songs that the Jews sang in celebration for the deliverance of God. And Jesus and his disciples would have been singing the same because they were the songs that were associated with Passover.

Psalm 118 in particular is where we get the song, this is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. It might be hard to imagine Jesus going from the last supper to the Garden of Gethsemane where he knows he's going to be arrested.

So he knows he's about to go to his death, and yet he would be singing a song like, this is the day that the Lord has made. But don't you know that Jesus would have been the perfect picture of praising God, even in the most difficult of our circumstances.

When we read from James, count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds. Don't you know that Jesus would have rejoiced in his Father also for the many blessings that he gives. And so Jesus would have shown this to his disciples, they would have seen it.

But he goes from here to the Garden of Gethsemane where he mourns and weeps for what it is that is about to happen, not because Jesus fears death, but because he's about to take the wrath of God upon himself on the cross.

Jesus’ Arrest in Gethsemane and the Betrayal by Judas

Verse 31, 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.

And Peter answered him, though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away. And Jesus said to him, truly, I say to you this very night before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.

And Peter said to him, even if I must die with you, I will not deny you. And all the disciples said the same. Yet we know that when Jesus was arrested, all the disciples fled and Peter himself would not come near Jesus.

And when he was recognized, he denied that he even knew him. Verse 36, 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, that would have been James and John.

He began to be sorrowful and troubled. So here is where the sorrow and trouble would have vexed Christ. But I do believe that he would have rejoiced with his disciples singing hymns after Passover as they went.

Verse 38, 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 is 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 is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak.

And this is Jesus speaking into the words that Peter had spoken to him just a moment ago when he said, even if they all fall away, I will never, I will never leave you. I'll die with you. Jesus saying the spirit 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 and the son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand.

It's in Luke chapter 22, verse 44, where we read that Jesus was in such agony when he prayed with, with such earnest that his sweat became like drops of blood falling down to the ground. Have you ever been that stressed before?

So imagine the kind of anxiety that Jesus was feeling when he prayed in the garden, knowing that he was about to go to the cross and experience the wrath of God. If you have never been under such duress that you have sweat drops of blood, know that your Lord has.

And whenever you feel anxious, whenever you feel stressed out or you feel oppressed, you feel like rumors are coming against you by the people that you thought you, that the people you thought loved you, that you could trust when you don't understand what's about to happen.

And you're in such mystery and you're in such fear and dread. And you're crying out to God and you're asking for answers. Remember that you are praying to your Lord Christ who experienced even more than what you are experiencing in your moment.

And he will hear your prayer and he will answer you. We do not pray to a savior who is unable to sympathize with us in our weaknesses, but he experienced what we experienced and even worse. The blessing in knowing that is that we will not have to experience that.

We will never experience the wrath of God if we are in Christ Jesus, because Christ took that upon himself. So verse 47, while he was still speaking, Judas came one of the 12 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 kiss is the man sees him. So there was nothing about Jesus appearance that even made him look different than the rest of his disciples. He was a normal Galilean.

And so Judas had a sign as to which one was Christ, because there was that possibility one of the disciples would step forward and say, oh, I'm him. Take me in order to protect Jesus. So that is why Judas had this sign.

Verse 49, he came up to Jesus at once and said, greetings, rabbi, and he kissed him. And Jesus said to him, friend, do what you came to do. I had a situation happen to me just recently where somebody confronted me online about a person that I had called out as a false teacher.

In fact, I had said of this false teacher that they were a liar and have nothing to do with them. And this woman contacted me and said, what a what a horrible and unloving thing for you to say that that person is a liar.

This person loves people. You see the compassion that they have for people. Didn't Jesus say that we need to love one another and you call this person a liar? And I responded to her and I said, didn't Judas kiss Jesus when he betrayed him?

Did that not look like it was something loving? And yet it was an act of betrayal. Doesn't matter to me that the things that they do look kind and compassionate. The words that come from their mouth are contrary to the scriptures.

They are liars. They are thieves that Jesus warns about in John chapter 10 and we need to stay far from them. They would be in league with Judas, not somebody who is sharing and demonstrating the love of Christ.

Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss and Jesus said to him, friend, do what you came to do, emphasizing all the more this act of betrayal that Judas had committed against him when Jesus called him friend.

Then they came 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.

We happen to know that one that was with Jesus and did this was Peter. And we read about it in John chapter 18 that Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest ear, the high priest servant, I'm sorry, and cut off his right ear.

And the servant's name was Malchus. And John John captures that in John chapter 18. And so you could actually go and find a servant of the high priest named Malchus and ask him, did did somebody cut your ear off when you guys went to go arrest Jesus?

And then, according to John, Jesus healed his ear. And you could say to Malchus, can I see it? And Malchus will show you. Yeah, there it is. Peter cut my ear off. It was that guy. And Jesus stuck it back on me and healed me.

So you you have an eyewitness that you could go to and hear about this miracle that was performed even at this time that Jesus was being arrested. Jesus said to him, put your sword back into its place for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.

We have a what video about that. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my father and 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?

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, just as he said was going to happen. Also, in John chapter 18, they come to arrest Jesus and he says, who are you looking for? And they say, Jesus of Nazareth.

And he says, I am he. And they all fall to the ground. The power of those words for Jesus to identify himself as I am knocked everyone off their feet. Verse 57, 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 priest 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 to came forward and said, this man, I am able to this man said, I'm able to destroy the temple of God and 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 about 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. And 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 power and coming on the clouds of heaven.

Then the high priest tore his robes and said he has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. What is your judgment? And they answered, he deserves death.

Then they spit in his face, struck him, and some slapped him, saying, prophesy to us, you Christ, who is it that struck you? Amazing the pure character of Christ in that people who are even trying to come up with lies to accuse him with couldn't come up with anything.

In verses 69 through 75 is where we read the story of Peter denying Jesus. And then he went out and wept bitterly. And you can trust Peter's reaction to what he had done to Christ with Judas. Judas goes and hangs himself.

And that's what we see next in chapter 27. Jesus was led away to appear before Pilate, the governor, and Judas went and hung himself in verses 3 through 10. So Peter showed genuine remorse for denying Christ.

Judas experienced a sorrow that led to death. And Paul talked about this with the Corinthians when he said that there is a kind of grief that is a good kind of grief because it leads to repentance. But there is a kind of grief that's a worldly grief that leads to death.

Judas experienced the worldly grief. Peter experienced godly grief. And it turned to repentance. Verse 11. Jesus stood before the governor and the governor asked him, are you the king of the Jews? And Jesus said, you have said so.

We've got a what video on the three wise men that connects this conversation Jesus had with Pilate with with the Magi who came into Jerusalem saying, where is he who has been born king of the Jews? I'd encourage you to go and look that video up.

But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, Jesus gave no answer. Then Pilate said to him, do you not hear how many things they testify against you? But Jesus gave no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

The apostle Peter writes about in 1 Peter chapter 4 that Jesus uttered nothing but went quietly as as like a lamb goes to the slaughter and was obedient to the Lord, even unto death. Paul talks about that in Philippians chapter two.

And so Peter says that when we are reviled by those who hate us because we are followers of Christ, we should not revile in return, just as Jesus did not revile in return. So Pilate gave the crowd an option either to crucify Jesus or have released to them Barabbas, the criminal, and they chose Barabbas.

So in verse 24, 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, which is a frightening statement. That is terrifying that they would say such a thing about Christ, his blood be on us and on our children, about the son of God.

And so Peter, when he preached at Pentecost in Acts chapter two, said this Jesus whom you raised up and crucified at the hands of lawless men. This is the son of God and use the scriptures to show that Jesus fulfilled all the law and the prophets.

So they were cut to the heart, realizing what they had done, what the Jews had done to the very son of God and asked, what shall we do? And Peter said, repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins.

And so here the crowd is saying his blood be on us and on our children, not realizing what it is that they have just said in the in the gospel account of Luke, when Jesus is hanging on the cross, he prays to his father, forgive them for they know not what they do.

The Crucifixion, Mockery, and Death of Jesus

Verse 27, the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters and they gathered the whole battalion before him and they stripped him, put on a scarlet robe 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 his robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.

Verse 32, 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 the skull, they offered him wine to drink mixed with gall.

But when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among him by casting lots. All four gospel accounts incidentally record that, that they they cast lots for his garments, just as was prophesied would be done.

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, the king of the Jews. Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right hand and one on his left.

And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, you would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days. Save yourself. If you are the son of God, come down off of that cross. So also the chief priest with the scribes and elders mocked him, saying he saved others.

He cannot save himself. He is the king of Israel. Let him come down from that cross and will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God deliver him now if he desires him. For he said, I am the son of God.

And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way. When we read it in Luke's account, one of them had derided Jesus and the other one defended Jesus. And Jesus said to him today, you will be with me in paradise.

Notice that in verse thirty nine, it says that those who passed by him derided him, wagging their heads. Oftentimes we think of Golgotha is up on a hill that's far away from the city and distant from everybody else.

And he had to be stuck there because it was a deplorable thing to be crucified. And he didn't want to have anything to do with it. So that's why they were so far away. But Jesus was actually crucified along a road.

So it was indeed Golgotha, the place of the skull wasn't because they were on a hill that looked like a skull. It was because it was a place of death. That's why it was it was referred to in that way.

And so the Romans would crucify people and hang them along roadsides because they wanted that to bear witness to others, to not rebel against Rome. See, this is what happens to criminals. You act like a criminal.

Here's what happens to you. So they hung people in in view of everyone else to give warning to others who would potentially rebel against the empire. So that was why they did it that way. And this would have been in view of everybody was passing by and and many of whom were mocking Jesus and deriding him.

The Pharisees were saying, hey, let him come down off of that cross and then we will believe in him. I had an atheist say to me one time, I've got a 15 digit number written on a piece of paper and hidden somewhere in my room.

If you can pray to God and ask him to reveal to you what that 15 digit number is and say it to me, then I'll repent of my sins and I'll believe in God. And I responded to him. No, you won't. And I said, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law said this same thing.

They said, let him come down off the cross and then we'll believe in him. Same sort of thing that you're doing, saying I've got this 15 digit number. Pray to God and tell me what the number is. So Jesus was buried in a tomb and came back from the grave and was witnessed by over 500 people as to being alive between his resurrection and his ascension into heaven.

Yet there were many that still didn't believe and they went to their own destruction, never believing in Christ. So it has nothing to do with a lack of seeing signs and miracles. That is not why you don't believe in Christ.

The reason why you don't believe in Christ is because you're a son of the devil. And Jesus said that plainly in John, chapter eight, verse 45. 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, a loud voice saying, Eli, Eli, let me say that is my God, my God. And 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, filled it with sour wine and put it on, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. But the other said, wait, let us see if Elijah will come to save him.

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. We have in one gospel account, Jesus saying into thy hands, I commit my spirit. And then he died. The book of John, his final words were, it is finished.

Tetelestai. And then he breathed his last. So both both recollections count in both cases. They were still the last words of Christ. Verse 51. 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 were also 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 kept watching over Jesus saw the earthquake and what took place.

They were filled with awe and said, truly, this was the son of God. We've got a what video coming up soon explaining this, the tombs being opened and the bodies of the saints coming out. Verse 55. 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 was also a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus, and then Pilate ordered it to be given to him.

And Joseph took the body and 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.

The 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 make it as secure as you can. So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard. Chapter 28. Now, after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb, and behold, there was a great earthquake for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.

His appearance was like lightning and his clothing white as snow, and for fear of him, the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus, who is crucified.

He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him.

See, I have told you. So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, Greetings, and they came up and took hold of his feet and worshipped him.

And then Jesus said to them, Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me. And I'm going to skip down to verse 16. Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.

And when they saw him, they worshipped him. But some doubted. Some still did not understand what they were seeing with their own eyes. And Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the very end of the age.

The Resurrection, the Great Commission, and the Meaning of the Cross

Do you understand why these things happened the way that they did? Why Jesus went to the cross and died? Why he shed his blood for our sins, was buried in a tomb and came back from the grave? It's not because he rebelled against the scribes and the Pharisees.

It's not because he was a rebel to Rome somehow, and the Roman Empire feared him. And so they knew they had to put him to death because he was disrupting things. None of that is the reason why Jesus was put to death.

He willingly laid his life down and took it back up again, just as he said he was going to. We read this in Isaiah chapter 53,. Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

For he grew up before him like a young plant and like a root out of dry ground. He had no form or majesty that we should look at him and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and is one from whom men hide their faces.

He was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities.

Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace. And with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned every one of us to his own way. And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

That is the meaning of these things that we have read about in the Gospel of Matthew, that we see talked about in all four Gospels and continue to be talked about and explained in the rest of the New Testament from Acts to the book of Revelation.

Jesus went to the cross and died for our sins. The wrath of God was taken upon himself on the cross. He drank every last drop of it, this cup of God's wrath. That is what Jesus was referring to when in the garden he prayed, Lord, take this cup from me, not as I will, but as you will.

It was the cup of God's wrath, which he absorbed for us on the cross, so that all who believe in Jesus will not experience the wrath of God, but instead experience his life, his joy, and his peace in Christ Jesus.

We are saved. We read this in 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Double imputation. Our sins impugned upon Christ, his righteousness impugned upon us.

So gather with the saints this Sunday and every Sunday. This coming Sunday is Easter Sunday, but it is not any more special than any other Sunday. Every Sunday that we gather as the saints in Christ Jesus is the Lord's day.

It is the day that we remember our resurrected Lord. He rose again on a Sunday. That's why we gather on Sunday, and that's why we call it the Lord's day. So regularly meet with the saints and rejoice in our risen Christ and Savior, in whom we have salvation from sin and death and resurrection into his life eternal.

Amen.

This is When We Understand the Text with Pastor Gabe Hughes. There are lots of great Bible teaching programs on the web, and we thank you for selecting ours. But this is no replacement for regular fellowship with a church family.

Find a good gospel-teaching, Christ-centered church to worship with this weekend, and join us again Monday for more Bible study, When We Understand the Text.