From a Cradle, to a Cross, to a Crypt, to a Crown
Text: Matthew 1: 18-25
Introduction:
Jesus Christ being born that first Christmas morning was, in my opinion, the greatest miracle of all, because every other miracle results from this miracle. How could fallen, sinful mankind – separated from fellowship with God because of Adam’s original sin, once again have the opportunity to be reunited with the God who made us? The only way was for God to become a man! But how could this be? How could deity stoop so low? But it had to be, because only by God becoming a man, could God’s justice be reconciled with His mercy.
In his book, “Miracles,” C.S. Lewis says it this way: “God…comes down; down from the heights of absolute being into time and space, down into humanity; down further still, to shrink Himself into the womb. To the very roots and seabed of the Nature He has created.”
The why of this was explained by Paul in his letter to the Romans by writing that Jesus came and shed His blood as an atonement for sin, so that God could “…demonstrate His justice at this present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus” (Romans 3: 25, 26 NIV).
On this same theme, in his letter to the Philippians, Paul wrote of Jesus: “Though He was in the form of God, He did not count equality with God, a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men, and being found in human form” (Php. 2: 6-8). What a miracle! In his “Expanded Translation of the New Testament,” Kenneth Wuest, prominent among New Testament Greek Scholars, describes Christ’s mindset like this: “…after weighing the facts, Jesus did not consider His deity a treasure to be clutched and retained at all costs, but He emptied Himself; He made Himself void, having taken the outward expression of a bond slave…He entered into a new existence, that of mankind; and being found in outward guise as a man, He stooped very low, having become obedient to God the Father, to the extent of death, even such a death as that upon a cross” (Philippians 2: 6-8). Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
John Piper is the pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. I’ve been reading his book: “Jesus: The Only Way to God,” for the 2nd time. In it he has this to say about the birth of Jesus: “Something of immense historical significance happened with the coming of the Son of God into the world. So great was the significance of this event that the focus of saving faith was, from that time on, made to center on Jesus Christ alone.” In his sermon on Mars Hill in Athens, recorded in Acts the 17th chapter, Paul says that because of the coming of Christ into the world, the “times of ignorance have ended,” and “…He commands all men everywhere to repent.”
The revelation of God, which had before, been reserved exclusively to the Jews through the sacred writings given to Jewish prophets, would now be open and available to all people everywhere: in fact, to “whosoever will.” Now, through the incarnation of Jesus, all nations and their people would have access to God. Paul wrote about this to the Ephesians: “When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” He goes on to call it “…the mystery hidden for ages” (Ephesians 3: 4-6, 9). In that same passage, Paul said, “Of this gospel, I am made a minister.” Let’s look for a few moments at Christ: from a cradle to a cross to a crypt to a crown.
I. From a Cradle
A. When most people are planning on having a baby, at least in the developed countries, such as America, they do just that: they plan. Many want to know the sex of the child, so they can buy the right kind of clothes, and paint the nursery the proper color. Some go to special classes that teach natural child-birth methods. The mothers shop for maternity clothes, and we pick our doctor and the hospital we want to use; in the case of a Caesarian Section, some can even plan the date for the birth
B. Even in ancient Palestine, I’m sure there was some planning and preparation that went on, but for the parents of Jesus, there would be no opportunity for planning – the planning was done for them by God Himself through the Holy Spirit. God had said the holy child would be born in Bethlehem. Whatever preparation they had made in Nazareth went by the boards.
1. The Lord revealed the birth place to His prophet Micah hundreds of years before: “But you, O Bethlehem, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days” (Micah 5: 21).
2. But the parents were living in Nazareth. Naturally, they had things prepared for the birth there. This was no problem for God. He just moved upon the man who at that time thought he was the one ruling the world: “In those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be registered” (Luke 2: 1). A census of all Roman subjects was to be taken for the purposes of taxation. So, as a result, it was an order, enforceable by law that Joseph and his pregnant wife, Mary, had to go to Bethlehem, which was where they had to go for their registration. God moved upon the mind of Caesar: “It’s about time that I take a census.”
3. In doing so Caesar was unknowingly fulfilling the will of the One who was REALLY ruling the world: God Almighty! And we read: “And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her first-born Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manager, because there was no place for them in the inn” (Luke 2:6, 7).
4. Interestingly, Mary and Joseph couldn’t even provide a nice crib, let alone a cradle, but had to lay the King of glory, the very Son of the Living God, in hay manger. Is it any wonder that later on Jesus would say of Himself: “I am meek and lowly of heart…” (Matt. 11:29).
II. To a Cross
A. Hebrews 12: 2 says that Jesus "endured the cross, despising the shame; the cross was a symbol of shame to the Romans and the world, but it has become a symbol of glory for all those who look to it for their eternal salvation.
B. Scripture tells us that “The preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but us who are being saved it is the power of God” (I Cor. 1: 18).
C. Jesus was crucified at Golgotha, or “a place of a skull.” It was called a place of a skull, because people were brought there to be killed. He was nailed to the cross and experienced one of the most horrible forms of torture and execution ever devised by man.
1. But He not only experienced physical pain, but also experienced the pain of bearing our sins. Isaiah 53: 6 says that our sins were “put on Christ.” Peter says He “…bore our sins in His body on the tree” (I Peter 2: 24).
2. Christ, the most holy, the perfectly holy, who hated sin with everything in His being, took on the untold millions of sins of all those who would someday be called to Him and be saved
D. There He was abandoned by His Father and suffered the wrath of the Father against sin
1. In Habakuk, we are told that “God is of purer eyes than to behold evil” (Hab. 1: 13). So Jesus had to suffer the weight of the degradation of sin totally alone.
2. That’s why He cried out, “Eli, Eli, Lama Sabacthani – My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?”
3. His greatest joy – His source of strength, which was fellowship with the Father, was lost as He hung suspended between heaven and earth – the most alone ANYONE has ever been. No one has ever, nor will ever experience that sense of total abandonment that Jesus experienced
4. One of my favorite contemporary theologians, Wayne Grudem, wrote: “The pain of bearing the wrath of God was the most difficult pain of all. As Jesus bore the guilt of our sins alone, God the Father…poured out on Jesus the fury of His wrath: Jesus became the object of the intense hatred of sin and vengeance against sin that God had patiently stored up since the beginning of the world.”
5. Then finally, in Luke 23: 40 we read, “Calling out with a loud voice, Jesus said, ‘Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit.’ And having said this, He breathed His last.” His physical body ceased to have life in it, and ceased to function, just as our bodies do when we die.
III. To a Crypt
A. The title of the sub-heading listed right after this in most of my Bibles is “The Burial,” or “Jesus is Buried.” He had told one of the thieves who had been crucified with Him: “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” So his soul and spirit went to Paradise, but His body went into the ground, just like ours will
B. Combining all the gospels we get this picture of the burial and interment: The women who had been so faithful to Him in life: His mother Mary, Mary Magdalene, the mother of James and John, and others had come to witness the crucifixion and were standing at a distance and observing everything that had happened
C. He was buried the same evening that He died, before sunset, and we are told that Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, both who were members of the Sanhedrin, took care of the final arrangements. Joseph was a rich man, and Jesus was to be buried in his tomb or crypt, because Jesus didn’t have one of his own
D. Since the crucifixion was an official Roman execution, the body was still under the possession of the soldiers, so Joseph had to go to Pilate and ask permission to have the body.
E. Then we’re told that Joseph and Nicodemus took the Lord’s body, covered it in about 75 pounds of a mixture of spices, wrapped it in a linen burial cloth, and then placed the body in the crypt. They then proceeded to roll a large stone across the entrance, sealing the grave against any unwanted intruders. There His body would lay, until the morning of the first day of the week
IV. To a Crown
A. **READ LUKE 24: 1-7 ** READ**
1. Matthew, Mark and John all also describe the resurrection in great detail. The devel and his followers have attacked the truth of the resurrection more than any other event of history. From the perspective of hell, it signals the end of hope for any ultimate success by the forces of darkness. From the beginning, there have been attempts to discredit the fact of the resurrection.
2. We read that when the Jewish leaders learned of the disappearance of the body from the tomb, they bribed the guards to lie and say His body was stolen, and unfortunately most Jews still believe that story
3. There have been many other theories over the years to try and discredit the truth of the resurrection. Some of these are: that the women went to the wrong tomb; that the disciples had hallucinations or visions; that someone impersonated the risen Jesus, or that it was only a spiritual resurrection, but I am here to tell you today, that Jesus did indeed rise from the grave. He was truly killed, and truly buried, and He truly arose again, alive from the dead, never having to die again.
B. The resurrection proves and makes valid the truth of the crucifixion. If He hadn’t risen from the dead, Jesus would just be known, if at all, as a good, moral man, a wonderful teacher of truth, who had the courage of His convictions. It would be said, “Poor fellow, He said He was God, and must have really believed it, but His grave is right over there outside Jerusalem, and His bones are probably turned to powder by now.”
C. But I’m here to tell you that outside the grave of Jesus there is a sign blinking: “Vacancy!” “Room Available!” Benny Triplett wrote “The Tomb is Empty.” (SING)
D. He then walked on the earth 40 days. Paul describes this time in I Corinthians: “…He was raised the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. Then He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still living. Then to James, then all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared also to me.” (I Cor. 15: 4-8).
E. The Ascension: In both Luke’s Gospel and in Luke’s Book of Acts we read that Jesus took his disciples outside Jerusalem, lifted up His hands and pronounced a blessing on them, and was lifted up bodily into the sky, carried up into heaven until a cloud took Him out of their sight. As they stood gazing into the sky an angel appeared to them and told them that Jesus would come back to earth again in the same manner He went up into heaven
1. The Bible then tells us that they went back to Jerusalem “with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God” (Luke 24: 52, 53).
2. The Bible clearly tells us that Jesus went to a place, and that place is called “heaven.” We are also told that He went back there to receive great glory and honor. Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Father, glorify me with the glory I had with You before the world was made” (John 17: 5).
3. Now He is in heaven, where the angels are singing: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom, and might and honor and glory and blessing!” (Rev. 5: 12).
4. He is “seated at the right hand of God” also called the right hand of power, and has been “…given a Name that’s above every name, that at the Name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of things in heaven, things in earth and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Php. 2: 9-11).
5. Jesus has received His kingly crown back. He traded a crown of thorns for a royal crown. We read in Hebrews: “You have crowned Him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under His feet…crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death…” (Hebrews 2: 7-9).
Close:
So Jesus started out with a crown, then He went from a cradle, to a cross, to a crypt, and back to receive a crown again. He is forever living to save all who put their trust in Him. But we must put ALL our hope for ALL our eternity IN HIM and HIM ALONE! We cannot trust in anything else: not good deeds done for moral and ethically sound reasons; nor any amount of religious activity can save us from hell. We can say a billion “Hail Mary’s” and it will do us no good. We can go and work in Mother Teresa’s Home for the Dying, and cleanse the sores of lepers, but if we put our hope for eternal life in that, or ANY so-called “good” deed, without surrendering all to Christ, we will be lost for eternity.
I’d like to close with a quote from Dr. Wayne Grudem. He concludes one of his lectures on the incarnation of Christ with the following: “It is by far the most amazing miracle of the entire Bible – far more amazing than the resurrection and more amazing even than the creation of the universe. The fact that the infinite, omnipotent, eternal Son of God could become man and join himself to a human nature forever, so that the infinite God became one person with finite man, will remain for eternity the most profound miracle and the most profound mystery in all the universe.”
This Christmas season, as we celebrate and contemplate the miracle of the birth of Christ let us renew our vows; let us submit ourselves once more under the hand of Jesus, to be used by Him.
