The Cross was Always the Plan
Matthew 26:47-56
August 30, 2009
Me: How many people in here are planners?
You plan everything out, or at least as much as possible.
You plan your work day, your work week, maybe even your work month.
You plan your vacation to the smallest detail, including bathroom stops based on the distance between rest areas.
I’m a planner in some ways and not a planner in others. To look at my office you’d never guess that there are some things I like to plan rather meticulously, even if my plans don’t come to fruition.
But sometimes I’m scrambling by the seat of my pants, and by some miracle, whatever needed to come together came together.
And all I can do is thank God that He allowed it to come together and avoid a disaster.
We: Sometimes we might wonder if life isn’t just random.
We look around and even in spite of our planning, something happens that throws our plans into the garbage disposal.
And if life on earth seems random, what hope is there that anything outside of us is under any sort of divine order?
Can God really have things under control, given not only all the stuff happening on earth, but having to keep all the stars and planets going.
Some people, including famous people like Thomas Jefferson were of the view that God basically started things going, but has no control over what happens on earth.
Just like winding a clock and letting it run on its own, God “wound up” the earth, and is just letting it run, with no desire, no effort, and maybe no power to help us.
Let me ask you, “Where’s the hope in that?”
Well, there really is none, is there?
So how do we know that God’s got it under control when it comes to getting us ready for eternity?
Folks, the good news for us is that God does have it under control. His plan has been in force since before the beginning of time, and that plan is still going strong today.
And the main component of that plan, the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, was in place from the very beginning of that plan.
God: In the passage we’re going to look at today, Jesus assures us that not only is a plan in place, but that He would make sure His part would be carried out to the letter.
Matthew 26:47-56 (p. 704) –
47 While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is the man; arrest him." 49 Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him.
50 Jesus replied, "Friend, do what you came for."
Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. 51 With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
Note: according to John, this was Peter, and Luke tells us that Jesus immediately healed the servant – even in the midst of this terrible event.
52 "Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. 53 Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?"
55 At that time Jesus said to the crowd, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. 56 But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.
We could get really down and dirty with this passage in looking at all the details that are in this episode of Jesus’ arrest.
We could talk about the irony of Judas using a sign of love as a tool of betrayal.
We could talk about how once again, Peter jumps in without thinking and nearly blows it – at least for himself by striking out with a sword.
We could talk about how some people feel Jesus’ words about the sword are a teaching against violence and war, and is a statement for pacifism. That’s not my view, by the way…
We could talk about the legions of angels at Jesus’ disposal.
We could talk for weeks about these things. And maybe we’ll touch on some of them in the coming weeks, I don’t know.
But what I really want to focus on today is two statements Jesus made in this passage.
I have been under the impression for some time that when Jesus repeats Himself, or when anything is repeated in Scripture, especially so close together, God’s trying to tell us something.
That just makes sense, doesn’t it?
Parents understand this really well.
When we have something really important to say, sometimes we repeat it.
I do this all the time: “Don’t light that on fire. Don’t light that on fire. I SAID, ‘Don’t light that on fire!”
Jesus said a couple things here to emphasize something in the midst of turmoil and chaos, because He needed those around Him to understand something.
The first occurrence is in verse 54 –
54 But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?"
This was in response to Peter’s impulsive surgery on the high priests servant.
Jesus told Peter to put away his sword. He needed to allow God’s plan to unfold.
Peter, like the others, didn’t understand that Jesus had to die in order to gain victory. He felt he needed to take the situation into his own hands.
I think a lot of times, people look at a situation, especially a situation that looks hopeless or at least desperate, and they think, “I’ll just take care of this myself.”
And that’s just what Peter was thinking. So he takes some action that could have cost Peter his own freedom.
The Bible says that to take revenge on your own is to set yourself against the will of God.
The Bible says that God’s got it under control, and He’ll take care of “paying back” whoever for whatever.
We’re not supposed to do it on our own. Peter wasn’t supposed to take matters into his own hands in this situation.
Jesus made this clear by stating that He could call on his Father who would at once make available to him thousands of angels.
This was Jesus saying once again, “Not My will, but Yours, Father. I want Your Scriptures fulfilled more than I want my own comfort and convenience.
He demonstrated perfect commitment to his Father’s will.
Jesus’ Kingdom would not be advanced with swords, but with faith and obedience to what God had laid out centuries before in Scripture.
That included allowing Himself to suffer at the hands of men. Jesus’ suffering would be necessary to God’s plan; no one must stand in the way of God’s will.
So Jesus was saying that He was in control—so everything was happening with His permission, and according to the Scriptures that prophesied all this.
And He talks about it again just a little bit later in verse 56 –
56 But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled."
Jesus is saying that all this stuff, and the stuff that’s about to happen is all part of God’s plan.
It has to happen this way. It has to lead to the cross.
None of this is accidental. It had all been spelled out in God’s Word through the previous centuries.
I said earlier that Jesus mentioned the fulfillment twice because He needed the people around Him to understand something. What was it?
He needed them to understand that nothing that was happening was a coincidence or just the unhappy unfolding of circumstance.
What was happening had to happen, and what was coming had to come, because God’s Word had to be fulfilled in Christ and His mission.
This was why Jesus would not call on the legions of angels that were at His beck and call.
This was why Jesus had to allow Himself to be taken away like a common criminal.
God’s Word needed to be fulfilled.
Let’s park on that just a little, okay?
The theme of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation is God delivering and redeeming His people.
And I want us to look for just a few moments at one specific piece of that theme by reading a bit from Isaiah 53.
Most are familiar with this passage, but allow me to refresh your memory a bit.
I’m not going to read the whole passage, but I want to pull out a few verses.
Verse2-7 –
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
Folks, the plan was always to go to the cross.
The plan was always to die for you. To die for your sins and mine.
But then we have to ask, “Why did Jesus even need to die?”
Why didn’t He just create a people who would always just love Him and never disobey? Then a Savior wouldn’t be necessary.
There would be no need for the “prophets to be fulfilled,” as Jesus puts it.
Kinda makes sense, doesn’t it? Perfect, loving obedience means there would be no sin.
No sin, no need for a Savior.
It’s because God didn’t want a “robot-people” who would just love because they didn’t know there was an alternative.
God wanted a people who would love Him of their own free will. But for that to happen, He had to give us the possibility to reject Him.
It’s that little thing we call “free will.” Everyone in the history of the world and each one of us has the capacity to choose whether or not to love and serve God.
And all of us have chosen against God on occasion. For some of us that was a lot of occasions.
For free will to really apply, it has to apply to both the free will to love and the free will to reject the love that’s offered to us.
Understand?
I used to think that the cross was “Plan B,” because if Adam hadn’t blown it in the garden, Jesus wouldn’t have had to come.
But God knew all along that Adam would disobey Him. He knew all along that you and I would inherit a nature that pushes to sin against God, and that we would obey that nature instead of God more times than we could count.
He knew that to truly have a people who truly loved Him, He would need to send Jesus.
Then there could be a people who love Him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength and show that love to those around them.
And He knew that it would cost Him His only Son.
Folks, the cross was ALWAYS the plan.
Do you understand that? It was ALWAYS the plan.
It wasn’t something the Father just cooked up when He looked down and saw Adam eating the fruit.
It’s not like He said, “Oh no! Adam disobeyed Me! NOW what am I gonna do?
“I know – I’ll just ignore it. Maybe he just won’t do it again.”
“Okay, that didn’t work. Oh boy, now I’m stuck. I just don’t know how to make this right.”
“Hey – I’ve got an idea, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to convince my Son to do it…”
No, folks! Before the beginning of time, the Father knew that we would choose ourselves over Him.
And He knew what it would take to save them from those choices.
Before the beginning of time He knew that you, (name some names…), would turn your back on Him and need a Savior.
And He knew that Jesus would have to die for you.
And Jesus did it – voluntarily, so that you could have the opportunity to spend eternity in heaven with Him in spite of your sinfulness and mine.
The cross was ALWAYS the plan.
You: There is only one appropriate response to this: willful, humble, submission to Christ out of gratitude for what He did for you, in spite of His knowing every word, thought, and deed you would commit in sin.
For some of you that might mean that for the first time in your life, you really put your faith in Jesus – that what He did for you on the cross is your only hope for forgiveness of your sins and a home in heaven.
For others, it might mean that, maybe for the first time in your life, you really let Jesus be the boss in your life.
Where you say, “Okay, Jesus. I’ve tried it my way and it’s not working as well as I thought. I guess You know what You’re talking about after all. So from now on, You’re the boss. Help me to live for you instead of myself from now on.”
And yet for others, it might simply mean that you reaffirm your love and allegiance to Christ.
When you say, “Lord, I re-commit my life to You. Thank You for giving me the full life You’ve promised. Help me to live for you even more.”
All three of these are simply saying that out of gratitude for Jesus going all the way, for fulfilling the Father’s plan, we’re going to live for Him instead of ourselves.
It’s the least you and I can do.
We: Folks, so many people – so many Christians – are casual in their relationship and obedience to Christ.
The world doesn’t see nearly enough Christians who are truly thankful for Christ fulfilling the mission set out for Him by the Father.
So when they see you, will they see the same thing? Or will they see someone who has a deep enough understanding of what Jesus did, just there in the garden being arrested, that they will alter their lives to show their love for Him, even when it’s not convenient?
I hope it’s the second one. I pray that for myself as well.
Let’s pray.
