Passage: Matthew 20:17-19
Intro: Thins were going pretty well in the brand new kingdom of God on earth.
1. popular, enemies routinely overcome with wise words or powerful action.
2. after three years, Jesus and His disciples were on a pretty good roll.
3. and as they headed for Jerusalem and the Passover celebration, the 12 were feeling pretty good about their chances to be very important.
4. there was no question that the things Jesus said were out of the mainstream.
5. and once in a while He would shock them with some strange prediction of His violent death.
6. but all in all, things were looking pretty good.
7. but one day, as they were walking up the steady incline toward Jerusalem, things changed.
8. and suddenly the tendency of Jesus to go against the obvious and “the way things were” became very personal.
9. these three verses contain incredible power. Fabulous prophecy
10. let’s get inside the time and listen to this, because it is…
I. Insider Information
Il) knowledge is power, and we seek it.
1. and here Jesus delivers that knowledge to a chosen few.
2. v17, in Greek “He took the 12 disciples aside by themselves” NASB
3. there is no doubt this was a secret conference, and this raises the significance.
4. now what he said He had said before, but not with such detail.
-3rd time in Matthew.
5. “we” are going, but only I will be in danger.
6. but know this! I will be delivered to Jewish leaders, condemned by them to die, and then given to the Romans to torture and kill
7. the Greek is fantastic! It is full of the grammar of purpose!
8. word of purpose, followed by three “purpose” verb tenses; mocked, flogged, crucified.” (see later)
9. this info is being given to the disciples for several reasons.
10. “to increase their faith.” As we will see, what they saw in Jerusalem they ultimately understood.
11. and they would recognize that Jesus was a prophet, and knew the future.
PP) Amos 3:7
12. they were being given like, so they would not be fooled by the “spin” that others would put on the events.
13. Jesus was putting the disciples into a position to see God at work.
14. and He does the same for us.
PP) 1 Thessalonians 5:4
15. and we are in the light, we will not give in to fear
16. because fear is the tool of the enemy
II. The Satanic Purposes of Evil Men
1. let’s look at the details
2. vv18-19, Son of Man will be betrayed, “turned over to Jewish authorities”
3. these authorities will condemn Him to death, but not be allowed to execute him themselves.
4. but that works in their favor, because they have a perfect alternative
5. the Romans can do it, and not only deflect blame, but they have devised ways to make the death of Jesus legal, humiliating, horribly painful, and publicly discrediting.
6. these purposes are spelled out in “mocked, flogged, crucified.”
7. the purpose of the Jews was to publicly humiliate Jesus by causing him to suffer a “bad public death”
8. because in the OT, bad deaths were often reserved for people under the wrath of God.
Il) Jezebel, thrown out of a window and eaten by dogs. Absalom, stuck with three javelins as he hung in a tree by his hair, Sisera nailed to the floor of a tent by a peg driven thru his head.
9. and of course the best and most specific one,
PP Deuteronomy 21:22-23
10. the Romans could accomplish all of this, so that was the plan.
11. and furthermore, the Jews believed that the Messiah could not die.
PP John 12:31-34
PP Luke 23:35
12. so if the Jews could accomplish a public horrific death involving Jesus being hung on a tree, they could convince the people that they were right to reject Jesus as their Messiah!
13. their plan was perfect, and if anyone complained, they could blame the Romans!!
14. but as the old saying goes, “The best laid plans of mice and men…”
II. The Purpose of God
1. now there is a short phrase at the end that we have saved till last.
2. because after the Jews and Romans and Satan have given it their best shot, God steps in
3. “On the third day He will be raised from the dead”
4. and in that one event, the plan of evil men turns out to have been the plan of God all along, but with a different purpose.
5. and this event, as evil as the intentions were of those who planned it, now becomes the very core of the Good News proclaimed to all the world.
PP Acts 2:22-24
PP Acts 3:15
PP Acts 5:30-32 They got it!!!
6. even the Scripture about being hung on a tree!
PP Galatians 3:13
7. and why?
PP 2 Corinthians 5:21
8. here is the amazing principle that just saturates this passage.
9. no matter what men do to you, whatever might be happening in your life, God has the final say.
10. no matter what men think of you, how they treat you, God has the final say.
11. at the end of the very worst Satan can do to us, God says, “Is that all you’ve got?”
12. then, using the very plans of Satan to destroy and discredit, God delivers and honors and fulfills His purposes.
13. what men meant for evil, God means for good.
14. and the very scars inflicted by evil men motivated by Satan himself are now and forevermore the marks of honor.
PP Revelation 5:6, 9 (all in caps)
Conc. God’s purposes cannot be thwarted.
1. righteousness will always have the final word.
2. that is why we can look death squarely in the eye and say “Where is your sting?”
3. that’s why we can look persecution in the eye and say “You can’t take anything away from me that really matters, because God will have the final say.”
4. that is the knowledge that Jesus had as He walked to Jerusalem to be rejected by men and to die.
5. and that same knowledge can carry us through our trials.
6. trust the God who has the final say
