The Fourth and Fifth Statements: Jesus Christ, our Sin Bearer

This past Thursday night at theTURN, we dove into the first three statements Jesus uttered on the Cross. Each of them portrayed Jesus as our example, our example of a Savior that is ever gracious. Tonight we will look at the fourth and fifth statements from the Cross. So here is a sneak peek:

Fourth Statement from the Cross - His Cry of Neglect

“From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice,…”My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” – Matthew 27:45-46

If the first three words from the cross portray Jesus as our example, the fourth (and later the fifth) portray him as our sin bearer. The crucifixion took place at about 9 a.m. (“the third hour”), when the sun was at the meridian, an inexplicable darkness moved over the countryside. It cannot have been a natural eclipse of the sun, because the Feast of the Passover took place at full moon. No, it was a supernatural phenomenon, perhaps intended by God to symbolize the horror of great darkness into which the soul of Jesus now plunged. It lasted three hours, during which no word escaped the lips of the suffering Savior. He bore our sins in silence.

Then suddenly, at about 3 p.m. (“the ninth hour”), Jesus broke the silence and spoke the remaining four words from the cross in rapid succession, beginning with “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This terrible cry is recorded by Matthew and Mark alone, and in the original Aramaic – “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachtani?” The onlookers who said, “He’s calling Elijah” (v.47) were almost certainly joking; no Jews could have been so ignorant of Aramaic as to make that foolish blunder.

Everybody agrees that Jesus was quoting from Psalm 22:1. But why did he quote it and declare himself forsaken? Logically there can only be two explanations. Either Jesus was mistaken and not forsaken or he was telling the truth and was forsaken. For myself I reject the first explanation. To me it is inconceivable that Jesus, in the moment of his greatest surrender, could have been mistaken and that his sense of godforsakenness was imaginary. The alternative explanation is simple and straightforward. Jesus was not mistaken. The stiuation on the cross was of God forsaken by God – and the estrangement was due to our sins and their just reward. And Jesus expressed this terrible experience of godforsakenness by quoting the only Scripture that foretold it and that he had perfectly fulfilled.

Fifth Statement from the Cross - His Agony of Thirst

“Jesus said, ‘I am thirsty.’” – John 19:28

At the time of his crucifixion Jesus was offered wine to drink mixed with gall, but after tasting it, he refused to drink it (Matthew 27:34), perhaps because he was determined to be in full possession of his senses while suffering for us on the cross. Hours later, however, on emerging from the godforsaken darkness, and knowing that the end was near, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” In response the bystanders soaked a sponge in wine vinegar (the Roman soldiers’ common drink) and lifted it on a stalk of hyssop to Jesus’s lips.

This is the only word from the cross that expressed Jesus’s physical pain. He spoke it, the evangelist added it, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. Indeed, it had been prophesied twice in the Psalms. In Psalm 22:15 it is written, “My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth,” while in Psalm 69:21 we read, “They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.”

It would be a mistake to suppose, however, that a literal physical thirst exhausts the significance of Jesus’s fifth cry from the cross. His thirst, like the darkness, was also surely figurative. If the darkness of the sky symbolized the darkness in which our sins enveloped Jesus, and if the death of his body was to symbolize his spiritual death, then his thirst symbolized the torment of separation from God. Darkness, death, and thirst. What are these but what the Bible calls hell – outer darkness, the second death, and the lake of fire – all expressing the horror of exclusion from God? This is what our Savior suffered for us on the cross.

Thirst is an especially poignant symbol, because Jesus had earlier said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink” (John 7:37). But he who satisfies our thirst himself now experiences on the cross a ghastly thirst. He longs, like the rich man in the parable, that Lazarus will dip the tip of his finger in water and cool his tongue. Thus Jesus thirsted on the cross that we might never thirst again. (from John Stott)

See you tonight at 7:30!

pcraig

What's On Your Mind?

It can't be emphasized enough the importance of daily meditation on God's Word.

"We modern Christians are long on talk and short on conduct." AW Tozer

We talk so much about daily reading and meditation on Scripture, yet many of us rarely ever do it. But we can't do it just for the praise and approval of men, we must be consumed with a passion for His Word. The only trick: we will never gain an appetite for something we only sample. We must discipline ourselves to make reading a daily habit. As we read the Word, the Word will read us, and we will soon develop an insatiable appetite for His truth. But it all starts with disciplining ourselves to embark on the journey.

We can’t be in a hurry when we study God's Word. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says, "These words...shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up."

In other words, God's Word ought to occupy your mind all the time. This is the point we all must strive for in our lives!

And this can happen only if we are steadily reading and meditating on Scripture.

A new revelation: Bible study always begins with reading. No, not quite a new revelation, but a revelation so many of us still never actualize in our lives. Because quite frankly, a lot of people never get to that point; that is reading. At best, most people nibble at the text. They may read books about the Bible or devotional materials loosely based on it, but they don't read the Bible itself. Good Christian books and magazines that supplement your Bible reading are fine, but there is no substitute for reading Scripture. We are to embark on some reading each day, and we MUST have people in our lives to hold us accountable to it each week.

Meditation is the process that molds the individual parts into a cohesive comprehension of biblical truth. It's another word for deep thinking and reflection. Meditation--in the biblical sense of the word--is a contemplative, intelligent process.

Psalm 1:1-2 says, " How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. " We should repeatedly meditate and reflect on Scripture.

So what occupies your mind? Is your mind being renewed day by day? What's on your mind?

pcraig

Do You Understand?

I woke up this morning in my bed, and immediately the thought hit me - Am I really understanding all that I am reading in God's Word? Not sure how it came to be, I guess the Holy Spirit was checking me as I was sleeping last night.

It is a difficult question to ask I think sometimes...

I want to share with you some thoughts that I have as I glean from Scripture concerning this subject:

"For my people are foolish, they have not known Me. They are silly children, and they have no understanding. They are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge." - Jeremiah 4:22

To be a fool biblically means does not mean that one is a silly or stupid person in the sense of zany, but to be a fool in that one does not delight in understanding. In the above verse, "understanding" is the key word.

To be a fool spiritually is to be childish. To be immature and without understanding - this is childishness. Listen to Proverbs 22:15: "Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child. The rod of correction will drive it far from him."

When Jesus spoke of the parable of the sower, this is essentially what he was talking about. Look at verses 6-9: "But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times." Then Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear.'"

What is Jesus calling good soil? Only that soil which has understanding of the seed that is sown. If the Word of God is falling on your soul and spirit, but you are not understanding its truth, you are not allowing the seed to grow in good soil. Good soil is soil of understanding, soil that is no longer childish, no longer foolish.

"Actually, I do find Christians these days who seem to have largely wasted their lives. They were converted to Christ but they have never sought to go on to an increasing knowledge of God. There is untold loss and failure because they have accepted the whole level of things around them as being normal and desirable." AW Tozer

Do you understand, or better yet, are you just reading, or are you seeking to understand?

pcraig

If You Are a Student, Are You Teaching?

Thought: if you are a student of the Word, are you also teaching the Word?

I have discovered that the best way to retain something is to give it away. That's because the only way you can effectively explain a subject is if you thoroughly understand it first. As a teacher, you are forced to master your subject. Find someone with a desire to learn who knows less than you do, and pass on what you know in a systematic way. By feeding someone else, you'll feed your own heart.

Whether it is right or wrong, I have found this to be true in my own life - I believe that the motivation for studying Scripture largely comes from one's responsibility in this area. If I didn't have someone to teach, I might not produce.

Share with others what the Lord has shared with you.

pcraig

Message PPT Slides from Tonight....

Just wanted to share the message ppt slides from part one of "Famous Last Words" tonight....

See you next Thursday night!

pcraig

The Third Statement

As promised - here is His third statement on the Cross:

His Acclamation of His Mother

Perhaps Jesus closed his eyes as he bore the brunt of the first onslaught of pain. Perhaps as it subsided a bit he opened them again. At all events, as he looked down from the cross, he saw a little group of faithful women and the apostle John (“the disciple whom he loved” [v.26]). And then he saw his mother. She was, of course, very precious to him from a human point of view. True, she had not always understood him, and once or twice he had had to speak to her firmly when she stood in the way of his doing his Father’s will. Nevertheless, she was his mother. He had been conceived in her womb by the supernatural operation of the Holy Spirit. She had given birth to him, laid him in a manger, and cared for him during his childhood. It would have been she who taught him the biblical stories of the patriarchs, kings, and prophets, and the plan and purpose of God. She had also set him a radiant example of godliness.

Now we read that “near the cross of Jesus stood his mother” (v.25). It is hard to imagine the depth of her grief as she watched him suffer. Simeon’s prohecy was being fulfilled that a sword would pierce her own soul (Luke 2:35). Jesus thinks not of his pain but of hers. He is determined to spare her the anguish of seeing him die. So he avails himself of a right that scholars tell us a crucified man had, even from the cross, namely to make a testamentary disposition. Using the terminology of family law, he put her under John’s protection and care and put John under hers. Immediately John took her away to his Jerusalem home.

Looking back over the first three words from the cross, we are amazed at the unselfishness of Jesus. He had no thought for himself. In spite of the pain and shame he was experiencing, he prayed for the forgiveness of his enemies, he promised paradise to a repentant thief, and he provided for his bereaved mother. This is love, and Scripture says to us, “Live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us” (Eph. 5:2) (from John Stott)

See you tonight!

pcraig

A Foreshadowing....

So we start a brand new series this Thursday night called "Famous Last Words!" Jesus spoke seven short sentences from the cross. These seven words disclose the otherwise unknown thoughts of Jesus. None of them was uttered in bitterness or complaint. Join theTURN all month long as we dive into these statements. Think of them as final orders – the last and most important statements that become the first and foremost words of instruction for a new generation of disciples.

In light of that, I wanted to provide for you just a foreshadowing of what this Thursday will look like - here are the first two statements - enjoy:

1. His Prayer for His Executioners

“Jesus said, ‘Father , forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’” – Luke 23:34

The first three words from the cross portray Jesus the example. They express the love he showed to others. “Do not weep for me,” he had said earlier (v.28). Nor did he weep for himself. He did not dwell in self-pity on his pain or loneliness nor on the gross injustice that was being done to him. Indeed, he had no thought for himself, only for others. Unbelievable! He had nothing left now to give away; even his clothes had been taken from him. But he was still able to give people his love. The cross is the epitome of his self-giving – as he showed his concern for the men who crucified him, the mother who bore him, and the sorrowful thief who was dying at his side.

His first word was his prayer for the forgiveness of his executioners. Think how remarkable this was. His physical and emotional sufferings had already been almost intolerable. But now he had been stripped and laid on his back, and the rough hands of the soldiers had wielded their hammers clumsily. Surely now he will think of himself? Surely now he will complain against God like Job, or plead with God to avenge him, or exhibit a little self-pity? But no, he thinks only of others. He may well have cried out in pain, but his first word is a prayer for his enemies. The two criminals beside him curse and swear. But not Jesus. He practices what he has preached in the Sermon on the Mount: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27-28).

For whom,then, was he praying? No doubt especially for the Jewish leaders who had rejected their Messiah. In answer to Jesus’ prayer, they were granted a forty-year reprieve, during which many thousands repented and believed in Jesus. Only in AD 70 did the judgment of God fall on the nation, when Jerusalem was taken and its temple destroyed.

2. His Salvation of a Criminal

“Jesus answered him, ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.’” – Luke 23:43

All four evangelists tell us that three crosses were erected at Golgotha (“the place called the Skull” [v.33]) that fateful morning. They make it plain that Jesus was on the middle cross, while two robbers were crucified on either side of him. At first both thieves joined in the chorus of hate to which Jesus was now subjected (Matthew 27:44). Only one continued, however, hurling insults at Jesus and challenging him to save himself and them. But the second thief rebuked him saying, “Don’t you fear God…since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly,..But this man has done nothing wrong” (Luke 23:40-41). Then, turning to Jesus, the repentant robber said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (v.42).

This ascription of kingship to Jesus is remarkable. No doubt the broken thief had heard the priests mocking Jesus’ claim to be the king of Israel, and he had probably read the inscription over his head, “This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” He had also seen Jesus’ quiet, kingly dignity. At all events, he had come to believe that Jesus was a king. He had also heard Jesus’ prayer for the forgiveness of his executioners, and forgiveness is what he knew he needed, since he confessed that he was being punished justly.

To his cry to be remembered by Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise” (v.43). There were no counter-charges brought against the criminal. He was not reproached because he waited to repent at the eleventh hour. No doubt was cast on the genuineness of his repentance. Jesus simply gave this sorrowful believer the assurance he longed for. He promised him not only entry into paradise, involving the joy of Christ’s presence, but an immediate entry that very day. And he assured him of these things with his, “I tell you the truth,” the last time he used this familiar formula. I imagine that, during the long hours of pain that followed, the forgiven thief kept his heart and mind on the sure and saving promise of Jesus. (from John Stott)

The third statement coming tomorrow!

pcraig