All That Jesus Taught Bible Study - Part 77 — Zac Poonen

Jesus Refuses the Anesthetic Drink

We turn once again to continue our study in all that Jesus taught to Matthew chapter 27 and verse 33, they came to a place called Golgotha, which means the place of a skull. They gave him wine to drink, mingled with gall, and after tasting it he was unwilling to drink.

We considered that in our last study as to why he did not take that anesthetic drink because he wanted to be alert in the last moments on the cross to pray, Father forgive them and to encourage that thief on the right side to assure him that he would be with him in paradise to provide for his mother and to tell John to take care of his mother and also to cry out those words, my God, my God, why has thou forsaken me?

And that's why later on when he had finished all that and they gave him something to drink later on, as we read in verse 48, he was willing to take it. So we see there a sensitivity to the voice of the Holy Spirit even when he was hanging on the cross.

I mean it's normal for a man to take some type of anesthetic when it's offered to relieve the pain, but as soon as it was offered, Jesus heard the voice of the Spirit saying don't take it. It's wonderful to live like this.

Living by the Prompting of the Holy Spirit

All through his life we've seen it again and again and again. This is the Christian life. What we learn from Jesus is not to live by certain laws, but to live by the prompting of the Holy Spirit in every little thing from the time we are born again right up to the moment we die, even on our deathbed, to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit because so much is missed if we don't listen to the Holy Spirit.

God has called us on earth to be a blessing to other people, and if we listen to the voice of the Spirit, as we've seen in our study of the Gospel of Matthew, we can complete our earthly task fully. We move now to verse 35.

When they had crucified him, they divided up his garments among themselves, costing lots. Now we've noticed earlier in the Gospel of Matthew as we were studying it that many times we find this phrase, as the scripture, so that the scripture might be fulfilled.

For example, we saw that in Matthew chapter 1 and verse 22 that so that the scripture might be fulfilled, the virgin shall be with child. His birth in Bethlehem was so that the scripture might be fulfilled in Micah that he should be born in Bethlehem.

And in chapter 2 verse 6, so that the scripture might be fulfilled, as it was written by the prophet, Matthew 2 verse 5 and 6, about Bethlehem being the place he was to be born, and when he went to Egypt and came out of Egypt, it was written in chapter 2 verse 15, so that the word of the prophet might be fulfilled.

Out of Egypt I call my son. That's from Hosea. And then even his staying in Nazareth, Matthew 2 verse 23, when we were studying that, we saw he resided in Nazareth so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled.

He shall be called a Nazarene. And all through, even when he moved to Capernaum from Nazareth, chapter 4 verse 13, it was so that, verse 14, what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled.

And like that we could go through the whole gospel of Matthew. In chapter 12 verse 17, just to take a few here and there, that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled right through to the end.

Psalm 22 and the Prophecy of the Cross

And now we come to his time when he's hanging on the cross. And it says there, they divided up his garments among themselves, casting lots. Now this is not what Jesus was doing, it's what those Roman soldiers were doing.

And even that was in order to fulfill scripture. In the Old Testament we all know that, or probably you don't, that Psalm 22 is the psalm of the cross. It begins with, my God, my God, why has thou forsaken me?

It's a prophetic reference to how Jesus would be forsaken on the cross by the Father for our sins. Now in Psalm 22 it's a mixture of prophecy plus David's own experiences. So all of it is not prophetic.

Here and there you find something that is prophetic, but not all of it. But it says here that dogs have surrounded me, Psalm 22, 16, a band of evildoers has encompassed me, they pierced my hands and my feet.

This is a clear reference to the cross. It was not David's experience, nobody pierced his hands and feet. I can count all my bones, they look, they stare at me. That's hanging on the cross. And then they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.

So you see, this is exactly what happened in Matthew 27, verse 35. So even the Roman soldiers were unconsciously fulfilling a prophecy that is written by David 1 ,000 years earlier. What we see in this repeated reference to, as so that the scripture might be fulfilled, not only did Jesus do certain things, but even others, you know, later on, for example, when he did drink that sponge, as I said, in verse 48, if you compare that with John chapter 19, where this same thing is mentioned, it says in John 19, 28, that was also so that the scripture might be fulfilled.

He said, I'm thirsty, and then they gave him this jar full of sour wine, brought it up to his mouth. So what we learn from this is there was a specific plan that God had made for Jesus' life, right from the time of his birth in Bethlehem, all the way to the time when he was hanging on the cross, and even his resurrection.

And even what others would do would be fulfilling scripture related to Christ. He's being taken as a baby to Egypt, he's being brought back, he's living in Nazareth, he's moving to Capernaum, everything was written down, his movements, and concerning his preaching and things like that, like we saw in Matthew 12.

God's Specific Plan for Every Believer

Now what can we learn from this? Jesus recognized that God the Father had a plan for his life. In fact, that's something that applies to all of God's children, if you really understand it. It says in Psalm 139, that when I was unformed, verse 16, in my mother's womb, he's talking about the time when I was in my mother's womb, verse 13, when you wove me in my mother's womb, David says, and your eyes saw, verse 16, Psalm 139, 16, my unformed substance, and in your book, that is the book in which God's plan for David was written, they were all written down, the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not even one of them.

At what age he should be anointed, maybe around 19, 20, at what age he should be king, 30, at what age he should be king over all Israel, 37 or so, and at what age he should die, around 70. So that was all written, and that applies much more to every child of God.

If you believe it, and the earlier in your life you believe it, the better it is, because you can seek to fulfill God's plan for your life. Now we've often considered this great truth, which is what I believe the greatest truth in the whole Bible, which is written in John 17, 23, that God loves us as he loved Jesus Christ.

There are many verses that tell us that God loves us, but there's one verse that tells us how much God loves us, and that's John 17, 23, God loves us as much as he loved Jesus Christ. And if that be true, and it is true, then if God had a specific plan made out for Jesus' life from birth to death, then we can be absolutely sure that God has made a specific plan for us.

But that won't be fulfilled unless you believe it and you seek it. Jesus was always seeking to find that will, that's why he prayed often and sought, cried out, and kept himself from sin so that his mind would be clear, so that he'd be sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

In little, little things, he would walk down a road and the Spirit of God would say, stop, look up into the tree, and he would do that. And there's a man up there, ask him to come down, go and stay in his house.

This is how the Holy Spirit led him. He would be by the Sea of Galilee and the Spirit of God would say, go to Tyre and Sidon, which is a 70-kilometer walk, and he'd walk there and come back. This is how he lived his life, and he's given us an example how God wants us to live our life, constantly, constantly listening, God directing our life.

You know, we have a destination to become like Christ completely. The Bible says God has predestined us, Romans 8, 29, to become like Jesus Christ. And like the GPS that we have in cars nowadays that guides the driver where to turn left and where to turn right, the Holy Spirit is there to guide us all through our life right up to the last day if we will listen.

But like the driver in the car may not listen to the GPS, and usually they do, but if they don't listen, the GPS doesn't get upset. It says, well, I'll recalculate, I'll bring you back to the right path.

And that's how the Holy Spirit is. If you've gone astray somewhere and we don't listen, he doesn't get upset with us, but he guides us back to the right path. He always desires to bring us into God's perfect plan for our life.

And that's what we learn from this incident of the repeated reference to, as the Scripture is written in the Scripture so that the Scripture might be fulfilled. We must come to the end of our life also with numerous instances in our life.

As the Holy Spirit led him, he walked. And as the Spirit told him to go, he walked. And as it was written in the book, God's plan for his life, he went here, he went there, he did this, he did that. And you'll find if you walk like that, at least from the time you're born again, we can't do anything about the years before that.

Acts 17, verse 30 says, God overlooks the times of ignorance, but from the time we get light, he wants us to repent and turn around from that independent way of life and seek him all the time and not decide on our own.

Adam's Independence and the Spirit-Led Life

This is where Jesus lived so differently. What can we learn from Jesus? What did Jesus teach us? We would say not to live like Adam. Adam had the choice of two ways of life. The two trees symbolize two ways of life.

One is where you take the knowledge of good and evil within you and you don't have to consult God anymore. You just use your reason, go where you like, decide what is best, and use your mind to find out what is the best and do it.

This is how every human being lives. And many Christians live like that too. The other is the tree of life where we seek for the power of the Holy Spirit, seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and allow the Spirit of God to lead us every single day.

God wants to lead us every single day. And this is pictured in the Old Testament with the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire that led Israel day by day. God didn't give a map to the Israelites to go from Egypt, Canaan.

No, then they wouldn't have depended on God. That would have been like the tree of knowledge of good and evil. I've got it all before me, I don't need to consult God. But God gave them a pillar of cloud that led them moment by moment.

They wouldn't even know where they're going to be in the evening. The pillar of cloud may move up and move on. And there's a beautiful verse in the book of Numbers that tells us about this. In Numbers 9, it says here in verse 18, beautiful words that should be fulfilled in our life.

Numbers 9, verse 17, Whenever the cloud was lifted from over the tent, the sons of Israel would set out. And where this cloud settled down, the sons of Israel would camp. Think of this as the leading of the Holy Spirit.

And when the cloud and the command of the Lord, they would set out at the command of the Lord, they would camp. And as long as the cloud settled over the tabernacle, they remained camped. And when the cloud lingered over the tabernacle for many days, they would stay there many days.

Sometimes the cloud remained just a few days. And according to the command of the Lord, they remained camped. Then according to the command of the Lord, they set out. If sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning, then when this cloud is lifted in the morning they would move out or if it remained in the daytime and at night whenever the cloud is lifted they would set out whether it was two days or a month or a year that the cloud lingered over the tabernacle they stayed over it sons of Israel remained camped did not set out when it was lifted they did set out at the command of the Lord they camped at the command of the Lord they set out this is how they reached Canaan.

It's amazing passage numbers 9 verse 15 to 23 that means sometimes the you know they would the cloud would remain there from evening till morning. That means the cloud stopped in the evening and now remember what they got to do.

They got to pitch their tents now okay it take quite a while to pitch their tents and all these two million people pitch their tents and settle down and lo and behold this is just the night is over. Wake up in the morning the cloud is moving and they got to back up their tents again roll it up.

It was just pitched last night. And sometimes it says it would be a whole year verse 22 they'd go to some place they pitch their tents. Look up in the morning. Are we going to a no next day no next day no 365 days they'd be there.

God did not show them where they were gonna go next. And this is a beautiful picture of how the Holy Spirit leads us. He doesn't give us a plan for our future but he leads us step by step. This is what we learn from Jesus.

This is what Jesus taught us. We're not to live like Adam by the knowledge of good and evil. We're to live dependent on the Holy Spirit as many as are led by the Holy Spirit the other sons of God. And coming back to Matthew 27 it says they put above him his head the charge against him which was read this is Jesus the King of the Jews.

Jesus' Silence Before Ridicule

And at that time two robbers were crucified with him one on the right and one on the left. And those passing by were hurling abuse at him and wagging their heads. This also is fulfillment of Scripture if you read in Psalm 22.

We read there in Psalm 22 verse 7. All who see me sneer at me. They separate of the lip. They wag their head saying commit yourself the Lord let him deliver him let him rescue him. And that's exactly what they said.

Also they said in verse 43. He trusts in God let him deliver him if he takes pleasure. It's amazing how when we walk in the will of God even other people around us are just fulfilling God's plan for our life.

God knows exactly what they're gonna say what they're gonna do. They're gonna cast lots for our garments. They're gonna say he trusts in God let him deliver him. So many words in Psalm 22 literally being fulfilled here.

And they made fun of him saying you're gonna you who are going to destroy the temple rebuild it. Let's see if you're the Son of God come down from the cross. The chief priests verse 41. And the scribes and elders were all mocking him saying he saved others.

He cannot save himself. He's the king of Israel. Let him come down. And the robbers also who had been crucified with them were casting the same insults at him. Initially both robbers were making fun of him just along with the crowd.

And what is it that made one robber finally change and said Lord remember me when you come into your kingdom. I believe it was this that with all this sneering and mocking and ridiculing and saying you know the King of Israel come down.

They saw Jesus absolutely silent just like his evil. He was silent before Pilate and silent in the charges that were made before him. When he was in front of the chief priests in those courts he was silent on the cross.

And one thief got convicted. He probably never knew much about Jesus. But when he saw this man hanging on the cross completely silent not replying to any of the charges people mocking sneering and doing all types of things.

And the he hears him saying father forgive them. But they don't know what they're doing. He sees him caring for his mother saying John will take care of you John please take care of your mother. And he sees all this and he's convicted.

He says this is no ordinary man. And that's why he said on the cross. He turns round to the other. The other thief on the other side and tells him don't you fear God. Verse Luke 23 41. We are receiving our sentence justly.

But this man has done nothing wrong. And he was saying Jesus remember me when you come in your kingdom this man has done nothing wrong. How in the world did he know that. See when a person is quiet and does not reply to numerous charges made against him and instead he says father forgive them.

But they don't know what they're doing. The Holy Spirit gave revelation to that thief. This is the Son of God. And that is how any true son of child of God behaves. When other people accuse him and ridicule him he only says father forgive them.

He does not respond and retaliate. Is that how you behave. This is what we learned from Jesus. All that Jesus taught he's taught us hanging on the cross also how to behave towards those who ridicule us and make fun of us.

The Forsakenness and Submission of Christ

And then from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out my God my God why have you forsaken me. That period of darkness was when Jesus suffered the pangs of hell in three hours.

The concentrated punishment of an eternal hell that human beings would suffer in eternity was experienced by him because he was infinite. He was an infinite being. He could experience it in three hours.

What finite beings experience in eternity. It was awesome. It was truly terrible. And we'd never know the depth of that suffering till we see Jesus face to face one day. And if you see it you will realize how much he loved you.

And when he cried out my God my God why is thou forsaken me. I want you to see this in his entire life. He had never called God God. He always called him father father father. This is the only time that he called him God.

Why was that. Because now he was standing before one as a convicted criminal for the sins of others before the judge of the universe he had voluntarily decided to take the sin of humanity upon himself.

So he was like a criminal as it were. And he was standing before the judge of the universe. So he addresses him as God. But there's no rebellion there. He doesn't say Oh God Oh God why are you forsaken me.

That would have sound rebellious. He says my God my God. Which means well I can't understand why you've forsaken me. Because at that moment you know when God forsakes a person he is his clear thinking is not clear at all.

He was literally forsaken. But there in the midst of it he says you are still my God. I don't know why you forsaken me but he was still my God. You see the submission of the Son of God there that even when he can't understand something he says my God my God you're still my God.

Even though I don't understand why you're forsaken me. But we know now why he was forsaken. Because it's for our sin. He was experiencing hell. And there we learn something from Jesus. What does. What can we learn from here from this example of Jesus.

That is there are times in our life when we can't understand why God is dealing with us in a certain way. And that's the time we say you're still my God you're still my father. And we know that at the end of that time on the cross he is relationship with the father was restored.

Christ's Final Words and the Opened Way to God

It says here that some were thinking he was calling for Elijah. He wasn't. He was saying Eli. Somebody ran with a sponge and gave it to me drank and the rest of them said let's see whether Elijah will come to him and save him.

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. What did he say at that moment with a loud voice. That we know from one of the other Gospels we read father into your hands. First of all he said it is finished.

The work of salvation was over. The work of redemption was over. And then. That's from John 19 and verse 30. And we also know from Luke 23 and verse 46 that he also cried out saying father. Now it was not God.

The relationship had been restored by the end of the three hours. Father into thy hands I commit my spirit. It's very beautiful to see comparing scripture with scripture the different Gospels what happened on the cross.

The relationship with the father was restored and as he cried out it is finished. The veil of the temple verse 51 is torn from top to bottom. The veil was the thing that blocked off the presence of God from people.

In the Old Testament times God dwelt in the most holy place of the tabernacle when it was rent. It showed that the way into the most holy place was now open. You can go right into God's presence. Man could come into God's presence now and call him father.

Something that they could not experience. That was the price that had to be paid. And we read in Luke's Gospel and in Hebrews chapter 10 that this veil symbolizes verse 20 the flesh of Jesus. That's a big subject in itself.

But it was the flesh of Jesus the symbolized that veil was torn. And the way was opened into the most holy place. And it was torn from the top to the bottom. It says in verse 51 signifying that it was God who did it not man.

God did it. And then the tombs were opened. At that very moment the tombs were opened and many bodies of the Saints who had fallen asleep were raised after the resurrection of Christ. They came out of the tombs.

The tombs were opened but the Saints could not come out until Christ was raised from the dead because he had to be the first first Christ and then the others. So even though the tombs were open at that time the bodies came out only after his resurrection.

Saints who had died in the past came out in a resurrection bodies. There are people in heaven now with the resurrection body. And they appeared to many of the people in the city. And the centurion who saw this the earthquake he said truly this is the Son of God.

Imagine a Roman soldier who didn't know anything about the Bible sees that this is the Son of God. It's wonderful to see what all events took place at the cross. If we are faithful till the end God will make our witness shine that even heathen military people will recognize that we are children of God.

We will continue our study in the next episode.