HE WENT A LITTLE FURTHER
Matthew 26:39.
He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” [NLT]
I would like to link this ministry with our communion service, so that we might have a better appreciation of what the Lord Jesus did for us on Calvary, as I believe the sharing of the bread and wine will be more meaningful for us as a result.
Our text speaks of the Lord going ‘a little further’, and we shall see that He continued to go further, during this time of great trial. I realise that the Lord went further during His life on earth, as He lived a sinless life; a life of caring for others; a life of pointing men and women to the wonderful love of God for them. In each of these He went further than anyone else, showing us an example of how we should live. This morning I want to centre our thinking on the fact that our Lord went further than anyone else as He took our place, dealt with our sin, and purchased our salvation.
I make no apology for drawing you attention to a number of scriptures this morning, let the Word of God speak to our hearts.
First of all I would like to see that He went further as
A. HE WENT TO GETHSEMANE’S TORMENT
AND THE CUP OF SUFFERING
Luke 22:39-46. 39 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40 On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." 41 He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. 45 When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. 46 “Why are you sleeping?" he asked them. "Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation." [NIV]
Here we have a picture of the Lord going ‘a little further’. The disciples could only go so far, the sorrow they felt had exhausted them, and they fell asleep; but Jesus went further and prayed through His personal anguish as He faced the dreadful cup that was His to drink.
The Master is about to taste the bitter dregs in the cup of death for the sin of the world. He was not afraid that he would die before the Cross, though he instinctively shrank from the cup, but instantly surrendered his will to the Father’s will and drank it to the full. [Robertson’s NT Word Pictures]
Gibson, in his comments on these verses says,
"Let this cup pass from Me:" It was not the weakness of the flesh, but the purity of His spirit, that made Him shrink, that wrung from Him once and again, and yet again, the cry, "Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me." [Gibson]
We need to try and understand that the Lord Jesus lived a perfect life; He is described in the Epistle to the Hebrews as - holy, faultless, unstained, separated from sinners. Hebrews 7:26 [J B Philips]. He fulfilled the requirements of the law, and so could not be penalised by the law, but here He is taking our sin on himself, and so became subject to the law’s penalties – death, the wages of sin is death. [Romans 6:23. NLT]. Yes, He went further.
He went even further as
B. HE WENT TO GABBATHA’S TRIAL
AND THE CROWN OF THORNS
John 19:1-16. 1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3 and went up to him again and again, saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!" And they struck him in the face. 4 Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, "Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him." 5 When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!" 6 As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!" But Pilate answered, "You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him." 7 The Jews insisted, "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God." 8 When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, 9 and he went back inside the palace. "Where do you come from?" he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10 “Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don’t you realise I have power either to free you or to crucify you?" 11 Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin." 12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar." 13 When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). 14 It was the day of Preparation of Passover Week, about the sixth hour. "Here is your king," Pilate said to the Jews. 15 But they shouted, "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!" "Shall I crucify your king?" Pilate asked. "We have no king but Caesar," the chief priests answered. 16 Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. [NIV]
Arthur Pink gives us a thought provoking comment just here,
Christ was on the point of making atonement for sin, therefore sin must be revealed in all its enormity. Sin is lawlessness; therefore did Pilate scourge the innocent One. Sin is transgression; therefore did Pilate set aside all the principles and statutes of Roman jurisprudence. Sin is iniquity; therefore did these soldiers smite that One who had never harmed a living creature. Sin is rebellion against God; therefore did Jew and Gentile alike maltreat the Son of God. Sin is an offence; therefore did they outrage every dictate of conscience and propriety. Sin is coming short of the glory of God; therefore did they heap ignominy upon His Son. Sin is defilement, uncleanness; therefore did they cover His face with vile spittle. [A Pink]
I think that, while we see the awfulness of sin, and the depth to which men are prepared to go to cover their sinful ways, even to crucifying the Son of God, we must also see that the Lord Jesus did allow this to happen because of His great love for us.
Isaiah 50:6 I gave My back to those who beat Me, and My cheeks to those who tore out My beard. I did not hide My face from scorn and spitting. [NIV]
This is hard for us to understand, as it is opposite to our human sinful nature.
As He had loved those who were His own in the world, He loved them to the last and to the highest degree. [John 13:1 Amp]
He went further.
C. HE WENT TO GOLGOTHA’S TORTURE
AND THE CROSS OF SHAME
Mark 15:22-38. 22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). 23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. 25 It was the third hour when they crucified him. 26 The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. 27 They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left. 28 29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 come down from the cross and save yourself!" 31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. "He saved others," they said, "but he can’t save himself! 32 Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
33 At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" - which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" 35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he’s calling Elijah." 36 One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down," he said. 37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. 38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
We are not able to enter into the fullness of the desolation felt by Jesus at this moment as the Father regarded him as sin. [Robertson]
It seems that God, seeing our sin on Jesus, draws a curtain across the scene as He judges the Lord Jesus. It was a very real judgement, as at that point in time the Father withdrew from the Son. I believe the Lord could understand the frailty of His followers as they deserted Him (at this point they did not understand the significance of the sacrifice of the Lamb of God that was taking place). But to have the Father withdraw from Him – that was a point that caused such pain as He cried out "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" If we pause to look at Deuteronomy 21:23 we will see why the Father withdrew from the Son
Anyone hung [on a tree] is under God’s curse. Deuteronomy 21:23 [Holman]
For us today it is easier to understand, especially when we read the words of Paul,
For our sake He made Christ to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness]. [2Co 5:21 Amp]
Yes, He went further than anyone had ever been, so that we could become ‘approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him’.
We are going to pause just here, and share the bread and wine as we remember with thankfulness the wonder of the sacrifice made on our behalf.
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I am glad that we can take our meditation an additional stage, and see that He went even further,
D. HE WENT TO GLORIOUS TRIUMPH
AND THE CULMINATION OF SERVICE
Philippians 2:5-11. 5 Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The writer to the Hebrew Christians takes up this same point’
Hebrews 1:3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
I want to assure you, on the authority of the Word of God, that He has been exalted to the highest place. The work of bringing salvation to fallen mankind has been accomplished, and He did this for you and for me.
As if the wonder of having our sins forgiven is not enough, He goes still further; the Lord Jesus wants us to be with Him!
John 17:24 Father, I desire those You have given Me to be with Me where I am. Then they will see My glory, which You have given Me because You loved Me before the world’s foundation.
This was something He had in mind even before Calvary, and He speaks of it to His followers,
John 14:2-3. I am going now to prepare a place for you, 3 and after I have gone and prepared you a place, I shall return to take you to myself, so that you may be with me where I am. [New Jerusalem Bible]
What a wonderful Saviour we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. He not only provides for our debt of sin to be cancelled, but He provides a place where we can rejoice in His presence.
Yes, thank God, He went further!
