Today's blog is a little different. It's out of sequence, for one thing. But I was working on a sermon for a large chunk of today, and to create an additional blog would have been crippling. Since my objective is not to punish myself but to ensure I get into the word of God, I decided that it was appropriate to count the sermon as equivalent to the commentary for today.
This sermon will be preached tomorrow at Sanctuary. If you're either thinking of being there or actually going to be there, don't read it yet - come and listen in person! Consider this a spoiler warning . . :)
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I want to start by saying that today’s sermon was chosen late last year. It wasn’t intended to be preached today; it was supposed to have been the week after Carols and Christmas.
Then we changed our plans, and we began the Simple Sanctuary Summer Service format. Which has been super satisfying, and sufficiently satisfactory for the summer situation. So . . We’re a little behind on our ten-year Bible preaching schedule.
Now, I have been going through the book of Acts this week, and I initially thought that I’d go out of order and start there. But I decided to look in the schedule from last year and see where we were anyway. And it turns out that we’re here in Matthew 26 – 28.
Somehow – Of course, this is almost certainly one of those “God things” – when I read this passage, it seems to be simply THE perfect place to start if we want to get back into the swing of working as a church is designed to – namely, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with as many people as possible!
The main problem with covering a three-chapter block of Matthew, or at least THIS three chapter block, is twofold.
Firstly, the passage is so well known that it’s hard to be original. I’m going to try, but I’m sure others will have said much of what I’m going to say to you this morning. Maybe even from this podium in this church. In some senses this is okay – the Gospel is changeless! – but even so you DO want to bring something new to a congregation every time you preach, and that will be challenging today.
Secondly, though, these three chapters are about some of the most crucial events that are told in Scripture. Quite literally, the events described in these few chapters split the entire history of God’s interactions with humankind into two distinct units – Before the cross, the interaction is characterized by law; but AFTER the cross, we are in an era where God’s grace is allowed free rein. Justice has been satisfied, the judge has paid the penalty – the guilty are legally justified, and all is new.
I won’t be able to give these chapters a comprehensive treatment. I believe every one of you could take them home and create a completely new sermon from the same chapters fairly simply. In fact, I am going to challenge you to do just that – read these chapters, and next week when we have sharing time, just share with us one thing that you got out of this that I didn’t mention!
That’s going to require you to listen fairly carefully, of course, so that you don’t double up on something I already said . . .
Anyways, the chapter breaks down into three broad sections. For convenience, I’m going to simply title them “Before the cross,” “The Cross,” and “After the Cross,” in recognition of the vitally important moment within.
Chapter 26 is before the crucifixion in its entirety. Chapter 27 includes a little of the leadup to the crucifixion, but it is dominated by the crucifixion itself. Chapter 28 is all about the aftermath of the cross, including the resurrection, the consequences of the resurrection and the Great Commission.
Jesus was human. Fully human in all respects, and we know what it’s like living inside a human mind. It’s because we understand this that I think we find the cool demeanour of Jesus during the lead up to the crucifixion to be a little unnerving.
Just check out chapter 26 vs 1 – 2: Jesus casually tells his disciples that he’s going to be betrayed and executed. I’ll bet that was a downer on the conversation! Or vs 10 – 13 where he speaks of the woman’s anointing as “preparing me for my burial.”
At this point, Jesus seems totally in control. This kind of control is beyond what we usually expect of humankind, and I don’t know about you, but I find it scary.
On the other hand, when you read of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, it is possible to see the anguish He is feeling, and it’s totally human and very understandable. He alone knows of what he is about to experience. Others might be able to guess that crucifixion is a likely outcome, but nobody else understands the spiritual dimension – that unlike any other human in history, Jesus is soon to be separated from God. Palpably, visibly, God will turn his face away from this place. And Jesus will bear the brunt of His anger.
Just as Jesus is telling people that His death is coming, there’s another element of people who are perhaps literally hell-bent on ensuring that his predictions come true. In Matthew, the enemies in question are the “chief priests and the elders of the people.” Other gospels mention interest from the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the Herodians.
These guys we know. But perhaps to the early readers, one person would have come as a shock – Judas.
To us, there’s no surprise. Even if you’re not a Christian, the name “Judas” is synonymous with treachery; so much so that it’s a fairly rare name today (ironically, since it was a name shared by at two other disciples and one of Jesus’ brothers!).
We’re not told what motivated Judas to betray Jesus, and of course people are very prone to speculating. Some people think it was sheer disillusionment with Jesus; they suggest that Judas was wanting to see the Romans overthrown, but when Jesus rejected a revolutionary approach, he couldn’t go with that. Others suggest that Judas was trying to force Jesus’ hand, make him grab for political power or influence. The Gospels imply that his betrayal was at least in part motivated by Satan.
We’ll never really know why it happened, but whatever the reason, Jesus was sold for the price of a discount slave.
I’m not going to go into the crucifixion itself because I have discussed it from this platform many times. Nevertheless, Jesus was mocked, beaten, nailed to a cross and stabbed in a procedure which was meant to break the spirit as much as it was to kill. Jesus died, and there could be no doubt that he was dead. “Eli, Eli, Lama Sabachthani” were some of his last words – my God, my God, why have You forsaken me?
Up to this point, many other religious leaders have had similar lives – only to end when either an assassin killed them or the system crushed them.
Jesus, by contrast, was to take a sudden left turn.
Matthew 28 details the shocking events that follow – that after His death, Jesus’ tomb was found to be empty. Not only that, but the Man Himself was encountered by people who knew Him.
In the Matthew account, this chapter is very brief, and it is less about the Resurrection itself than it is a set-up for Jesus’ final instructions to His disciples – the Great Commission. Again, I have preached on this wonderful passage many times from this pulpit. Jesus, now no longer a mere rabbi but the undisputed conqueror of death, instructs his Disciples to go out into the world and preach the Gospel.
And so, here we are.
How do we take this and apply it to our lives? We could be here all day with this. There are dozens of applications. I can think of at least five or six from each chapter. But the question of what is important to us right here, right now, is a little tougher. If Jesus Himself were standing here in physical form, what would He be saying to us?
Well, the approach I am going to take here is simply to give one challenge, one encouragement and one promise. There are a lot more of each, but I will attempt to pull out an important one of each within our current circumstance.
The challenge is this:
Look through chapters 26 and 27, and place yourself in Christ’s place. Imagine what it is like for all your friends to run as soon as trouble begins, and for one of your dearest friends to literally turn traitor and sell you to your enemies. How does this make you feel?
Picture yourself in the show trial before the Sanhedrin. Picture yourself before Pilate, watching with doomed certainty as the agitators turn the crowd against you. Feel the lashes between your shoulder blades. Wince as the crown of thorns is rammed into your forehead. Carry the cross for a bit, only to have it placed onto another man’s shoulder. Walk up to calvary. Sense the nails piercing your wrists and ankles, taste the cheap wine. But most of all, feel the terror and agony as you face the pain that no human was ever intended to face – the pain of Hell, of being totally separated from God.
As you imagine all this, I want you to consider these words that have haunted me for many years –
“All this I have done for you. What have you done for me?”
How many people have we shared our hope with this week? If someone were to look at our lives without the benefit of understanding our words, would they be able to tell that we are Christians?
The encouragement comes from the Great commission. “All Authority on Heaven and on Earth has been given to me.”
When it seems like all is lost, remember – All authority on Heaven and Earth has been given to our Lord and Saviour. There is nothing that is outside His control, nothing.
During this week, some of us here have had situations drop onto them seemingly from nowhere. It may seem like life has gone mad. But it hasn’t. The God who was in control yesterday and every day of history before that is the SAME God who is in control today. He is still in charge, still over all.
This year’s theme is “Be still and know that I am God.” Yes, there is a consequence of that knowledge, which is to share it with others. But we can do so in confidence because it comes from understanding who is in charge!
Finally a promise – and it’s the best promise that we can ever have. “Surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
This year we’re heading out into uncharted territory, both as a church and as individuals. It’s going to be scary at times, and we’re going to wonder if we’re on the right path. But God is always there with us. We can always count on Him, no matter where we go. Heaven forbid, but as individuals and as a church there are times when we may end up on paths that He doesn’t wish. No matter – He is still there, and we can still call on Him for aid.
The challenge – Jesus has done so much for us, what have we done for him?
The encouragement – All authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to Jesus.
The Promise: He will be with us always – to the very end of the age.
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