Lessons Learned From The Easter Story Part 2
Scriptures: Luke 23:13-55; 24:1-8; Matt. 27:28-30
Introduction
Last week I covered the lessons pertaining to our natural life and how we interact with others. This morning I will focus on the lessons learned from Jesus’ trial, crucifixion death and burial. Next week I will close this series with the lessons learned from His resurrection. Let’s begin with His trial.
I. Jesus’ Trial
After Pilate and Herod and sent Jesus’ back and forth, the decision was left in Pilate’s hands as to the fate of Jesus. Pilate, having been warned by his wife not to have anything to do with killing Jesus, tried to find a way to free Him. Verse 20 in Luke chapter 23 says “Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again.” The chief priests did not want Jesus released because He could ruin their status and the benefits they received from being priests. They wanted Him dead and encouraged the people to cry out against Him. The crowd, starting to act like a mob, followed the chief priest’s recommendation calling for his death. Remember, some in this crowd were also praising Jesus at the beginning of the week when He made His entrance into the city. Pilate offered them a choice between Jesus and a murderer. Some believe he did this to get the people to choose Jesus’ release versus that of a dangerous criminal. However, the people being worked up by the priests, wanted blood. Pilate, after three times of trying to find a way to release Jesus, gave in to the demands of the people and handed Jesus over to the soldiers to be crucified. Lesson One: It is a good thing in certain situations for a man to listen to his wife over the crowd. Had Pilate listened to his wife instead of the crowd, He would have released Jesus. Lesson Two: Leaders must stand and do what is right even though many may try to persuade them to do otherwise. Pilate had the authority to override the people’s will and free Jesus. He did not have to give in to the people, but for some reason he thought it would be in his best interest to do so. Sometimes we must stand for what is right even if we find ourselves standing alone.
II. Jesus’ Crucifixion
I learned several lessons from the actual crucifixion. Let me start with the soldiers. When Jesus was handed over to the soldiers, they had a lot of fun with Him. Matthew 27:28-30 records “They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on His head. They put a staff in His right hand and knelt in front of Him and mocked him. ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’ they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.” The soldiers were very pleased to torment someone who was not a Roman citizen. What is interesting is that they did not necessarily know Jesus or had anything against Him. They were just doing their jobs and what was “normal” for them. In their minds He was no different from anyone else that they had crucified, including the others who were being crucified with Him. Through all of this, Jesus did not say anything in His defense, nor did He call on His Father to send a legion of angels to deliver Him. He understood what He had to do and that is what He focused on. Lesson Learned: When your enemies have the upper hand, do not forget whose hands you are in. Know what your purpose is and do not forsake your purpose in order to save your life. I can’t help but imagine that if I had a legion of angels standing beside me what chances I would be willing to take for the gospel – truly walking with no fear or consideration of my life. Although Jesus had them available to Him, He chose to fulfill His mission instead.
After they completed their mocking of Him, they led Him away to be crucified. They had beaten Him so badly that He could barely carry His cross. After Jesus fell, they forced a man named Simon from Cyrene to carry His cross. Luke 23:26 says “As they led Him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.” Cyrene was in North Africa so Simon was an African who just happened to be in the city at the same time as the crucifixion was taking place. He was one of many who was in the crowd watching Jesus attempt to carry His own cross. Lesson Learned: Always be ready for service. Although you may be on the “side-lines” now, you can be called into service at any time. I am sure when Simon started on his trip home he was not thinking about having an interaction with Jesus. But after carrying His cross, I am sure he watched the remaining parts of the crucifixion. We can only imagine the change that came over him from this interaction.
When the soldiers had nailed Jesus on the cross with the two criminals on His side, they continued to mock Him. One of the two criminals joined in the mocking while the other truly understood that Jesus had not done anything wrong. Luke 23:40-42 says But the other criminal rebuked him, ‘Don’t you fear God’ he said, ‘since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” The second criminal asked Jesus to remember him when came to His kingdom. Lesson Learned: It is never too late to confess your sins and truly repent. Jesus forgave the man on the spot. Jesus not only forgave the man, He prayed to God that He would forgive the people because they truly did not understand what they were doing. Lesson Learned: Always be willing to forgive. No matter how bad a situation may be, your willingness to forgive benefits you more so than the offender.
III. Jesus’ Death
After Jesus had asked God to forgive the people, He “gave up the ghost.” In other words, He laid down His life, He chose to leave this world fulfilling His mission. There is an important lesson that I learned for this part of the crucifixion. Matthew 27:51 records “At that moment the certain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.” When it refers to “that moment” it is talking about the moment in which Jesus died. At the moment Jesus died, the curtain in the temple was torn in two. You may ask what is so important about the curtain being torn and why it was mentioned in the record. Let me explain this to you.
When Matthew describes this event, he referred to the darkness that came upon the earth. At the moment that Jesus died, suddenly and unexpectedly clouds started rolling in over the land. Becoming darker and darker until the entire sky was dark. The Greek word used for dark means something that is “very dark” or what we may refer to as “pitch black”. At this same time the curtain (veil) in the temple was torn. There were two veils (curtains) inside the temple, one at the entrance to the Holy Place and a second at the entrance to the Holy of Holies. Only the high priest was allowed to pass through the second veil and only once per year. That second veil was sixty feet high, thirty feet wide, and an entire handbreadth (about 4 inches) in thickness. One early Jewish writing state that the veil was so heavy, it too three hundred priests to move or manipulate it. I share this so that you can understand that it would have been impossible, humanly speaking, to tear such a veil.
Now based on Jewish tradition in the celebration of the Passover, the high priest Caiaphas would have been entering the Holy of Holies at the exact time that Jesus exclaimed “It is finished” and died. Imagine his shock when he saw the curtain being torn in two. Imagine the high priest’s thoughts when he saw the Holy of Holies was open and God’s presence was no longer there. When Jesus was lifted up on the cross, that cross became the eternal mercy seat on which the blood of the final sacrifice was sprinkled. Once that sacrifice was made, it was no longer necessary for a high priest to continually make sacrifices year after year, for Jesus’ blood had now settled the issue forever. For this reason God ripped the veil of the temple in half, declaring that the way to the Holy of Holies was now available to everyone who came to Him through the blood of Jesus. Lesson Learned: When the veil was torn in two, God made it possible for me to enter into His presence through His Son. I do not have to seek God in a building for He now dwells within me. Do you understand what this means. For many years the power of the priests rested in the fact that they were the conduit that the people used (needed) in order to reach God. When Jesus died on the cross, everyone could now reach God. It became possible for the average person to have a personal relationship with God without any type of sacrifice (of animals). Jesus was the final sacrifice.
IV. Jesus Burial
John 19:38-40 records the following: “Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.” Joseph was a high-ranking member of the Sanhedrin (Jewish court in Jerusalem) who was a secret follower of Jesus. Nicodemus was also a member of the Sanhedrin and a secret disciple of Christ. The fact that Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin put him (in theory) directly against Christ. If it was know that he was a follower of Christ, his life and position could have been in jeopardy. Marks tells us that Joseph boldly went before Pilate – thus giving evidence of his belief in Jesus. Mark also records that Joseph “craved” Christ’s body, meaning that not only was he bold in his request, he made it know that he must have it. Why was this so important? Joseph loved Christ. You see, the Roman custom was to leave the body of a crucified person on the cross until it rotted or until the vultures had picked away at it. Afterwards, they discarded the corpse in the wilderness. Jews, however, held the human body in great honor because it was made in the image of God. Thus it was not permitted for a Jew’s body to hand on a cross after sunset or to be left to rot or for birds to devour. Nicodemus was in the same situation. He was one who actually ruled over the Jews. Because he was so famous within the city, when he visited Jesus, he did so by night. He had heard Christ and referred to Him as “Rabbi”, something a Pharisee would not have done who was not a believer. Finally, he spent a lot of money on the myrrh and aloes to prepare Christ’s body (he was very wealthy).
This is an amazing story of two men who dearly loved Jesus. Although Joseph and Nicodemus lived in circumstances that made it difficult for them to publicly follow Jesus, they chose to follow Him to their fullest capability. When Jesus died, they continued to demonstrate their deep love for Him, treating His dead body with tender care and using their personal wealth to bury Him with honor. As far as they understood at the time, this was their last opportunity to show Jesus how much they loved Him and they took full advantage of it.
Lesson learned: In some situations you have no choice but to acknowledge your faith. Joseph and Nicodemus were able to hide their faith until Christ’s death. At the point of His death, they felt they had no choice but to make a stand. This put them in direct conflict with their peers. Why? If they had not claimed the body, the high priests could have witnessed the decay of His body and thus one prophecy would not have been fulfilled. David records the following in Psalm 16:10 pertaining to Jesus death “because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy one see decay.” There was no way that Jesus body would see decay. These two men in stepping out in their faith actually fulfilled a prophecy that they knew about yet did not think it pertained to Jesus. This was only the first part of the prophecy. You see if Jesus had stayed in the grave, His body still would have decayed, but He was not there long enough.
I am sorry to have to do this, but I will complete this message next week – I promise. Have a very blessed week.
