HoHum:
15 years is a long time to spend in prison, especially for a crime one did not commit. Joseph Webster, 41, was released from Davidson County (Nashville, TN) jail on November 10, 2020 and reunited with his mother, sons and other family members after the state approved a petition to overturn his murder conviction. “Oh God is good, Joseph! Your home baby. Oh Lord have mercy,” Webster’s mother said while embracing her son once he was released. In 1998, LeRoy Owens was in a parking lot in downtown Nashville when 2 men in a white station wagon chased him down and bludgeoned him to death with a cinderblock, according to court documents. Witnesses said they believed the motive was a drug debt and identified 2 black men as the assailants. One was described as having a medium build and weighing roughly 160 pounds. A witness picked Joseph Webster from a photo lineup as that suspect. But Webster was roughly 300 pounds and had gold teeth, a description no witness recalled either man having. The court case was in 2006 but in 2020 the district attorney’s office announced it “no longer had confidence in the conviction of Mr. Webster” and recommended to a judge that “Mr. Webster’s conviction be vacated and the charges against him dismissed.” Mr. Webster’s attorney said, “Joseph Webster loves his family, and he’s missed them every single day he was incarcerated. He went straight to his mother’s house, had his first home cooked meal- meatloaf, cornbread, turnip greens, macaroni and cheese- in almost 2 decades, and started making up for lost time with his mom and kids.” How would we feel if something like this happened to us?
WBTU:
Justice is hard to come by in this world. Courts do make mistakes and sometimes innocent people suffer for crimes they did not commit. That’s what happened to Jesus when he was crucified 2,000 years ago. Though Jesus had done no wrong, uttered no threats, committed no crime, and had hurt no one, the powers that be decided that he had to die. So they trumped up charges against him, shuffled him from one hearing to another, and in the end they got what they wanted. When Isaiah consider the death of the Servant of the Lord, he stresses how Christ responded to unjust accusations, how no one came to his aid, and how even his burial testified to the wrong way he was treated. This passage ought to drive us to our knees in gratitude to Jesus for what he endured for our salvation.
Thesis: Let’s talk about the Silent Savior on this Palm Sunday
For instances:
I. His submissive silence- how Christ responded to unjust accusations- Isaiah 53:7
Sometimes we are known by what we don’t say. Isaiah prophesied that Christ would not open his mouth to defend himself. Hundreds of years later this came true when Jesus stood in front of his accusers: “But Jesus remained silent.” Matthew 26:63, NIV. “When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer.” Matthew 27:12, NIV. “But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.” Mark 14:61, NIV. “But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.” Mark 15:5, NIV. “He (Herod) plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer.” Luke 23:9, NIV. “he (Pilate) asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer.” John 19:9, NIV. Speaking of Pilate, he was so confused about Jesus’ true identity. Therefore, Jesus spoke the most with him. Even with Pilate, Jesus only spoke to force them to make a decision, not to enter into a debate with any of them. The buck stopped with Pilate so Pilate had to make a decision. What to do with Jesus? In that sense, he stands for all of us. Once Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent, he should have let him go. We can speculate about Pilate’s motives for hours, but in the end he could not wash his hands of the guilt of Jesus’ blood. When Peter wrote to the persecuted Christians in the first century, he said this: “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” 1 Peter 2:21-23, NIV. We see that following Jesus means that sometimes we will suffer even when we have done nothing wrong. The greatest honor for any Christian is to be like Jesus. When we suffer unjustly, we share in a tiny portion of what happened to him. When these things happen, how will we respond? As the old spiritual puts it, “He never said a mumblin’ word.” Overall that is what our response should be! When we are mistreated, repeat these 4 sentences: It’s not about me. It’s not about now. It’s all about God. It’s all about eternity. Say these 4 sentences out loud. Do we think Jesus was a helpless victim that day at Calvary? He was the Son of God. He had the power to call down legions of angels to set him free. He had but to say the word and all of heaven would come to his aid. But he never said a mumblin’ word.
II. His unjust sentence- no one came to his aid- Isaiah 53:8
Who protested the death of Christ? Who spoke out about this miscarriage of justice? Who came to his defense? No one. Of all the personalities involved in the death of Christ, ironically it was Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, who showed the most concern for Christ. Unlike the others, Jesus engaged in a dialogue with Pilate because the governor seems on one level to have been seeking the truth. “What is truth?” John 18:38. At least Pilate came to the right conclusions. “and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him.” Luke 23:14, NIV. In the end, Pilate caved to pressure and sentenced Jesus to death. Others did not speak up. The Jewish leaders were so enraged with Jesus that they were determined to kill him no matter what. They paid off Judas, arrested Jesus at night, put him through 6 hearings before morning, and then stood by as the Romans put him to death. Isaiah says that he was cut off. He was a young man in his early 30’s when he died. When a person dies young, we think of all they might have accomplished. Sad when a person of my age dies but I am there. Asked to apply for a position as chaplain at Children’s Hospital- too much for me. Can say that they died too young, but we can’t say that about Jesus. What else did he have left to accomplish? Jesus was put to death for the transgression of his own people. Only one person in history never left behind any unfinished business and that is Jesus Christ. Just before Jesus died, he cried out, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Note that he did not say, “I am finished,” for that would imply that he died defeated. Rather, he cried out “It is finished,” meaning “I successfully completed the work I came to do.” This is Savior’s cry of victory. Man of Sorrow’s hymn: Guilty, vile, and helpless we; spotless lamb of God was he; “Full atonement!” can it be? Hallelujah! What a Savior!
III. His humble grave- his burial testified to wrong way he was treated- Isaiah 53:9
How could Jesus be assigned a grave with the wicked and yet also with the rich in his death? I am sure Isaiah wondered about this himself. What, is the Messiah a member of the Mafia? The wicked and the rich generally end up in different places. We bury the wicked with dishonor and with as little fanfare as possible. The rich we honor with monuments and flowers and generous inscriptions. “An important man is buried here.” We forget the wicked and remember the rich. So how could Jesus be assigned with the wicked and with the rich in his burial? R. T. Kendall in Why Jesus died? points out that Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of being assigned a grave with the wicked in 3 ways: 1) When Barabbas, a genuine criminal, was set free, Jesus literally died in his place. 2) When he died alongside 2 criminals who were also crucified that day at Calvary. 3) He died for sinners by taking their iniquity upon himself (“the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” vs. 6). Romans 5:8 tells us that Christ died for sinners, and Romans 4:5 even says that God justifies the wicked. Though he lived a sinless life, Jesus died for sinners and thus was assigned a grace with the wicked. But what about the part “with the rich?” Jesus was buried in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb. “As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.” Matthew 27:57-60, NIV.
Even the burial of Jesus fulfilled OT prophecy to the letter. Even though no one could have foreseen it in advance, both the nature of his death (by crucifixion) and the place of his burial (a rich man’s tomb) fulfilled prophecy given 700 years earlier.
So what?
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8, NIV. Note the little word “still.” We were “still” sinners when Christ died for us. He didn’t die for us while we were still “church members” or “good people” or “law abiding citizens” or “nice neighbors” or “high achievers,” but he died for us while were still lost in our sin and far away from God. Not just indifferent but enemies of God (Romans 5:10). “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1 John 4:10, NIV. When former President George W. Bush was asked about regrets during his presidency, Bush answered that he regrets speaking in front of a “Mission Accomplished” banner just weeks after the invasion of Iraq. It conveyed the wrong message and the war dragged on for several years. “It is finished” did not send the wrong message. Christ’s mission was accomplished. “Love God? Sometimes I hate him”- Martin Luther. Martin Luther was unable to attain righteousness through his own efforts. Not until he understood the gospel would Martin Luther get relief. On the cross, a “great exchange” (as Martin Luther liked to call it) took place. Jesus took our sin and gave us his righteousness. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21, NIV.
