Vicarious Sin Bearer

The Passion Reading from Mark 14–15

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 Roseberg.

The Holy Gospel according to St. Mark, chapters 14 and 15. It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest Jesus by stealth and to kill him.

For they said, not during the feast lest there be an uproar from the people. And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly.

She broke the flask and poured it over his head. There were some who said to themselves indignantly, why was the ointment wasted like that? For this ointment could have been sold for more than 300 denarii and given to the poor.

And they scolded her. But Jesus said, leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them.

But you will not always have me. She has done what she could. She has anointed my body beforehand for burial. And truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.

Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him.

And on the first day of unleavened bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover? And he sent two of his disciples and said to them, Go into the city.

A man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. And wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, The teacher says, Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?

And he will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. There prepare for us. And the disciples set out and went into the city and found it just as he had told them. And they prepared the Passover.

The Last Supper and the New Covenant

And when it was evening, he came with the twelve. And as they were reclining at table and eating, Jesus said, Truly I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me. They began to be sorrowful and say to him one after another, Is it I?

He said to them, It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the dish with me. And 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.

And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it, broke it, and gave it to them and said, Take, this is my body. And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank of it.

And he said to them, This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many. Truly I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God.

And when they had sung a hymn, they went to the Mount of Olives, and Jesus said to them, You will all fall away, for it is written, I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered. But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.

Peter said to him, Even though they all fall away, I will not. And Jesus said to him, Truly I tell you, this very night before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times. But he emphatically said, If I must die with you, I will not deny you.

And they all said the same. And they went to the place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, Sit here while I pray. And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled.

And he said to them, My soul is very sorrowful even to death. Remain here and watch. And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that if it were possible that the hour might pass from him.

And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but you will. And he came and he found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, Simon, are you asleep?

Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him.

And he came the third time and said to them, Are you still sleeping? Take your rest. It is enough. The hour has come. The Son of Man has betrayed into the hands of sinners.

Rise.

Let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand. And immediately while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.

Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard. And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, Rabbi. And he kissed him.

They laid hands on Jesus and seized him. But one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. And Jesus said to them, Have you come out as against a robber with swords and clubs to capture me?

Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the scriptures be fulfilled. And they all left him, and they fled. And a young man followed him with nothing but a linen cloth about his body, and they seized him.

But he left the linen cloth and ran away naked. And they led Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together, and Peter had followed him at a distance right into the courtyard of the high priest.

And he was sitting with the guards and warming himself at the fire. Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none. For many bore false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree.

And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying, We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another not made with hands. Yet even about this their testimony did not agree.

And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, Have you no answer to make? What is this that these men testify against you? But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?

And Jesus said, I am, and you will see the Son of Man, seated at the right hand of power and coming with the clouds of heaven. And the high priest tore his garments and said, What further witness do we need?

You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision? And they all condemned him as deserving death. And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to strike him, saying to him, Prophesy. And the guards received him with blows.

And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came, and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, You also were with the Nazarene Jesus. But he denied it, saying, I neither know nor understand what you mean.

And he went out into the gateway and the rooster crowed. And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, This man is one of them. But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.

But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, I do not know this man of whom you speak. And immediately the rooster crowed a second time, and Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.

And he broke down and he wept. And as soon as it was morning, the chief priest held a consultation with the elders and the scribes and the whole council, and they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate.

And Pilate asked him, Are you the king of the Jews? And he answered him, You have said so. And the chief priest accused him of many things. And Pilate again asked him, Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.

But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed. Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. And among the rebels in prison who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas.

And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. And he answered them, saying, Do you want me to release for you the king of the Jews? For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priest had delivered him up.

But the chief priest stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. And Pilate again said to them, Then what shall I do with the man that you call the king of the Jews? And they cried out, Crucify him.

And Pilate said to them, Why? What evil has he done? But they shouted all the more, Crucify him. So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

And the soldiers led him away inside the palace, that is, the governor's headquarters, and they called together the whole battalion. They clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him, and they began to salute him, Hail, king of the Jews!

And they were striking his head with a reed, and spitting on him, and kneeling down in homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him, and they led him out to crucify him.

And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. And they brought him to the place called Golgotha, which means Place of the Skull.

And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them to decide what each should take. And it was the third hour when they crucified him.

And the inscription of the charge against him read, The King of the Jews. And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, Aha, you who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself and come down from the cross.

So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, He saved others, he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down from the cross, that we may see and believe those who were crucified with him also reviled him.

And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? That means, My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?

And some of the bystanders hearing it said, Behold, he is calling Elijah. And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.

And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last, and the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion who stood facing him saw that this was the way that he breathed his last, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.

There were also women looking on from a distance among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger, and Joseph and Salome. When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.

And when evening had come, since it was the day of preparation, that is the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage, and he went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died, and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph.

And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb, and Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.

This is the gospel of the Lord. In the name of Jesus. Brothers and sisters, as we consider and meditate on the sufferings, death of our Lord Jesus Christ, and what it all means and why he does this, it is important for us to recognize the deceitfulness of our own sin, and the deceitfulness of many false teachers in amongst the visible church.

There is a growing movement of people who call themselves progressives, who literally teach that it is reprehensible to believe that Christ suffered in our place the punishment that we deserve because of our sins.

They, for real, teach that it is uncouth, it is not becoming of God, that he would have wrath. And this is where we must pay close attention to what the scriptures say. Because in the sufferings of Christ, we see God's wrath against our sin.

And we see the death that we deserve as the wages and consequences of our sins, and Christ is the one who bears them for us. So today, as we ponder what Christ has done, we're going to focus today on what it means that Christ bore our sins, and what exactly is it that we are saved from.

And so I would note to all those people out there who say that it's unbecoming of God to have wrath, I say that it is unbecoming of you to deny what the scriptures say. Scripture is clear. In the preaching of John the Baptist, and I would say John the Baptist has some pretty good credentials.

Not only is he the last of the Old Testament prophets, he's the first of the evangelists, and Christ himself says of John that among men born of women, none is greater than John the Baptist.

None.

That's a pretty good accolade, if you would. And so hear the preaching of John the Baptist this Passion Sunday. When the Pharisees and the Sadducees had come to check him out in his baptism, John the Baptist said to them, You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

The wrath to come. And then he says, Bear fruit in keeping with repentance, and do not presume to say to yourselves, Well, we have Abraham as our father, for I tell you God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.

And even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees, and every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Wrath and the fires of hell were part of the preaching of John the Baptist.

Was it because he was just cranky because of the diet that he was eating? Maybe he had a few too many grasshoppers, or maybe he ate a bad batch of honey? Is that the reason why he talked about the wrath of God and the fires of hell?

No.

He preached about the wrath of God and the fires of hell because this is the very thing that we've all earned by our rebellion against God. John puts it this way in his gospel. John 3, verse 36. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.

Whoever does not obey the Son, and when you hear the phrase obey the Son, what does it mean to obey the Son? It means to believe in, trust in Him for the forgiveness of your sins. Whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

Wrath.

You'll note that wrath doesn't seem to sound like God looks at sin and just goes, no big deal, I forgive you, it's no problem, just don't let it consume you. It's not like that at all. In fact, Paul in Romans 2 says it this way.

Because of your heart and your impenitent heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. And then he will render to each one according to his works, to those who by patience and doing well, seeking for glory and honor in immortality, he will give eternal life.

But for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and there will be fury, there will be tribulation and there will be distress for every human being who does evil.

First for the Jew and also for the Greek. But glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does what is good. The Jew first and also the Greek, for God shows no partiality. So do not let anyone deceive you.

God has wrath and he expends that wrath against real sinners. Because when you hear that phrase, God hates the sin, he loves the sinner, that's not true. Because you'll note that in hell right now are sinners who are experiencing the unending fury and the wrath of God.

This is what we have all earned. When Christ cries out on the cross, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? That is the point of his greatest suffering, being separated from God, because the sins of the world were laid on him.

The Old Testament Pattern of Sin-Bearing and Atonement

Now this is where we need to pay attention to what Jesus is doing on the cross. And we need other texts to tell us what it all means. Because there in the Passion account, we only get the details of his suffering.

We only get the details of the beating. We only get the details of the mocking. We only get the details of how he died. But we don't theologically understand what it means. And so consider this, brothers and sisters, that scripture is so clear throughout the Old Testament that the worst thing that could happen to a human being is that they bear their own sin.

That you bear it, or that I bear it. There are examples after examples throughout the Torah, especially in the book of Leviticus, talking about people committing various and sundry sins, and their blood being upon them is one of the phrases.

Their blood is upon them, their blood is upon them, their blood is upon them. And then worse than that is this phrase that we see multiple times throughout the Torah. They shall bear their iniquity. So understand this, that each and every one of our sins, each and every one of our rebellions, each and every one of those times when we thought that sin was, well, not that dangerous, that it was something that we can imbibe in, all those times when we listen to the world or our own sinful flesh, or even to the devil himself, that note that every sin, the wages of sin is death, brings you blood guilt against God.

And the worst thing that could happen to you is that you bear your iniquity. Another terrifying aspect of Scripture is that certain sacrifices of the Mosaic Covenant were only for unintentional sins. Have you ever heard the distinction, biblically, between intentional and unintentional sins?

And then there's a third category, a third category called the high-handed sins. This is apostasy. And you're gonna note the daily sin sacrifices were only for the unintentional sins. And it was only once a year, once a year, where intentional sins and high-handed sins can be atoned for, and that's the Day of Atonement.

And it is beyond this sermon to give all the details regarding the Day of Atonement and its correlations to Christ, but understand this, that something amazing happens on the Day of Atonement. There are two sacrificial animals, and you have to think of them as a unit.

They go together. And when we talk about what Christ accomplished for us on the cross, there's two ways in which we can talk about it biblically. One is expiation. The other is propitiation. Expiation is the removing of sin from an individual.

Propitiation is assuaging the wrath of God. And so the reason why there are two sacrificial animals on the Day of Atonement is because they go together as a unit. One is sacrificed for sins to propitiate God's wrath.

The other, the sins of the people are imputed to it, and it is driven off into the wilderness, back to the devil himself, and it shows how sin is removed from a human being. And so you'll note that it says in Leviticus 16 regarding the Day of Atonement that the high priest shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities of the people.

This will include unintentional sins, intentional sins, and high-handed sins. He will confess over it the iniquities of the people and all their transgressions, every one of them, all their sins, and he shall put them on the head of the goat, and he shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of the man who is in readiness.

And then the goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness. And I would remind you, what we heard today in the Gospel account of Christ's passion, it includes His trial.

And in the types and shadows, we see that there are two animals, one who represents propitiation, the other expiation. In the same way, then, you'll note that Christ is the lamb who is slaughtered. He is the sacrificial animal who atones for our sins.

And if you ever wonder why is it that we always hear about Barabbas going free, because Barabbas is a picture, if you would, of sins being removed from a person and them being able to go free. He is the symbol of expiation, sins being removed from a human being.

Isaiah 52–53 and the Suffering Servant

But all of that being said, I want to point something out. The clearest text we have in Scripture, and I will go to my grave believing that it is the clearest text, regarding what Christ has done for us is found in Isaiah chapters 52 and 53.

And here we get a very explicit telling of the theology behind the suffering of Christ. Now, if you were wondering, is there proof that Isaiah 52 and 53 is about Jesus? The answer is absolutely yes. You'll note that Peter, in 2 Peter, takes this text and applies it to Christ.

But more importantly, in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 22, verses 35 and 37, on Maundy Thursday, it's actually technically already Friday because Friday begins at sundown for Jews. But there, while Jesus is having the Passover with his disciples, Jesus takes Isaiah 52 and 53 and he says it is about him.

And I don't think you get any better of a biblical scholar than Jesus regarding that. If he says that Isaiah 53 is about him, then he's got the upper hand because he did die and rise again. So consider Jesus' words here.

He's in dialogue with his disciples on the night that he's betrayed and it says, when I sent you out with no money bag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything? They said, nothing. He said to them, but now let the one who has a money bag take it and likewise a knapsack and let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one.

For I tell you that this scripture must be fulfilled in me and he was numbered with the transgressors for what is written about me has its fulfillment. Here Christ takes the words of Isaiah, this section on the suffering servant and says that they must be fulfilled, those words, that prophecy must be fulfilled in him.

And here's where we would be wise to pay attention. Isaiah 52 verse 13 begins by saying, behold, my servant, he shall act wisely. He shall be high and lifted up and he shall be exalted. As many as were astonished at you, his appearance was so marred beyond human semblance and has formed beyond that of the children of mankind.

And we'll note here in verse 14 that this is describing Jesus after the beatings that we just read about. Remember that it was the temple guards who began the beating. They put a sack on Christ's head and punched him in the face relentlessly.

And then we also learn that the guards of Pilate, that the whole battalion took their licks on Jesus. They were beating him on the face with a reed and Isaiah reveals to us just how much damage was done to Christ.

So much damage was done that had you been feasting with Christ the night before at the Passover meal, looking at him after the beating, you would not have recognized him. This is what I have earned because of my sin.

This is what you have earned because of your sin. Wrath, fury, it's a picture of it. But Isaiah goes on. So shall he sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths because of him. For that which has not been told them they see and that which they have not heard they understand.

So who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 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, no beauty that we should even desire him.

He was despised and he was rejected by men. He was a man of sorrows. He was acquainted with grief. And as one from whom men hid their faces, he was despised and we esteemed him not. And now we start to get glimpses of what Christ was up to.

Surely he has borne our griefs and he has 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.

And upon him was the punishment that brought us peace. And with his wounds we are healed. And this is marvelous. It's almost unbelievable that this suffering servant, who is clearly a human being, it is describing his sufferings as being a form of injustice, and yet at the same time his willingness to do this, and not only that, that it was God's will that he would suffer these things and do so vicariously, bearing the punishment, the guilt for your sin and mine.

You see, all we like sheep have gone astray, and we have.

We have.

This past week, this past month, this past year, last year, the year before, you have made a habit. You have made, well, let's just say, a life of listening to your sinful desires and following after those passions of being tempted by the world and going along with it.

Each and every one of us has fallen short egregiously, and it is not something that is small. When we walk through the Ten Commandments, we can all say that we have failed to love God with our whole heart, our whole mind, our whole soul, and all of our strength.

We have despised the preaching of God's word. We have taken God's name in vain. We have not obeyed our parents or the people who are in authority over us. We are full of murder. We are full of adultery.

We are a bunch of liars and thieves and coveters, and that's the picture of all of us, me included. So when it says we are all like sheep who have gone astray, it's not talking about us maybe wandering the outside fence of the sheepfold but literally endangering our lives to being torn apart by wolves wandering off on our own way.

We have turned everyone to his own way, but listen to these words. Yahweh has laid on him the iniquity of us all. God has taken your sin and my sin, and what Aaron and the high priests of the Old Testament did in type and shadow and symbol, God did in reality.

Where Aaron prayed over and put the sins of the people on the animals, God does for real by laying on Christ your iniquity, my iniquity. And so he was oppressed. He was afflicted. He didn't open his mouth.

Isn't it amazing that six centuries before Christ was ever conceived in the womb of the virgin, here Isaiah prophesies that when Jesus is on trial, he's going to say nothing. Believe me, if we were on trial and our life was at stake and we were the ones having all this being done to us, we would be pleading with Pilate, please may I have an attorney.

I'm innocent. I'm innocent. Let there be a real trial.

But not Christ. He didn't open his mouth. Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter and like a sheep before its shearers is silent, he did not open his mouth. And I think there's got to be a good reason for this.