CHRIST & HIM CRUCIFIED:
He spilled both blood & water
8-25-02
John 19:15-34
John 19:15 But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.
In this verse… the Jewish religious leaders run up their true colors:
"We have no king but Caesar."
They had long since abandoned the Theocracy—the God-King—relationship established with the promise given to Abraham… and confirmed with the Law given to Moses.
More than a 1,000 years before… they demanded a king like other nations.
They chose to be like the world… not like God!
For 600 years they both prospered ... and suffered ... through a parade of GOOD kings and BAD kings.
For the past 400 years no prophet had spoken until John the Baptizer came out of the wilderness.
Three hundred years before they had suffered domination under Greek rule.
Some years later… they enjoyed a flash of nationalism when the Maccabees overthrew the Greeks… and cleansed the temple of their Greek Gods.
But their joy was short-lived.
Rome moved in.
Now their religion—as they had corrupted it, is more important than God!
They were comfortable.
They had redefined God’s Word to suit their own purposes.
The emptiness of their cry, "We have no king but Caesar!" still echoes through the bloody streets of Palestine today.
19:16 Then delivered he (Pilot) him (Jesus) therefore unto them (Jewish leaders and the military guard) to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away.
This is the beginning of the end.
It, too, is the end of the beginning.
Jesus came to earth for this very purpose!
It was the end of his first advent ...
but the beginning of our salvation!
19:17 “And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:”
John spares us the agony of the trip out the gate and up the hill.
Jesus had been beaten in the face until he was unrecognizable.
He had been flogged with a cat-o-nine tails to within an inch of his life.
Now he has to carry the equivalent of a railroad crosstie nearly half a mile.
Jesus stumbled (according to Mark’s account) and a wealthy North African—Simon of Cyrene—was commanded to pick up the cross and carry it for Jesus.
This had a lasting impact on Simon.
He and his sons became a building force in the early Church.
This parade to Golgotha is the culmination of 2 examples of the Old Testament:
1. Isaac carried the wood for his own offering up the hill.
2. Sin offerings always were taken outside the camp or city.
19:18 “Where they crucified him, and two others with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.”
Matthew called the others "robbers."
Luke referred to them as "criminals."
They represent the world—you and me! Everyone... then... now... in the future... must confront Jesus.
Sooner… or later… everyone will have to make a decision about Jesus—everyone!
The thieves:
· Both cursed him at first.
· One remained unrepentant and arrogant.
· The other recognized… and accepted Jesus for who he is… and he asked:
"Remember me when Thou comest into thy kingdom."
What is the significance of all of this?
Why crucifixion?
Why Rome?
A lot of learned people put Christianity down—call it one of the newer religions ... like Islam.
Communist China for years has referred to Christianity as a “Western” religion—rooted in European culture.
However, Just last week (8-22-02) Chinese anthropologist announced finding Christian artifacts dating back to the first century.
Actually, ancient Chinese writings reference Hebrew doctrine as early as Abraham.
Christianity predates all world religions. Christianity predates creation!
Eph 1:4 “According as he (GOD the Father) hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:”
1 Pet 1:19-20 “But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you…”
Good & Evil
GOOD and EVIL are absolute terms as defined by God
“Good” is anything that is according to God’s will and God’s Plan.
“Evil” is everything that is according to man’s will—that which comes out of the flesh, or according to the world’s ... or Satan’s ... standards!
CHRISTIANITY was celebrated by ABEL outside of the Garden when he made an offering according to instructions from God ... and offering in commemorating of the gift of salvation that would come on the Cross of Christ.
CAIN introduced RELIGION when he fashioned a faith based upon his own accomplishments.
He made an offering of his own works—according to his will ... not God’s. He commemorated his own efforts… not God’s promise of a Messiah.
The Tabernacle ... its contents…
The Temple ... its ritual, were both designed by God to keep the promise and image of Christ before the Jewish nation until Christ was born ... and died.
At the writing of this text… that time has come.
And Israel has rejected its Messiah.
Israel has denounced its allegiance to God as their King.
They condemned Jesus as a fake.
They perjured themselves to execute their Jehovah—their self-existent one ... the great “I am that I am” ...
· Who led them out of Egypt ...
· Who led them into the promised land!
They have surrendered their Messiah to Rome.
19:19 “And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
Pilot is fed up. Jesus won’t talk.
His wife was disturbed by a dream about Jesus. What Pilot is doing is a slap in the face of the Jewish leaders.
19:20 “This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin.”
Without knowing it… Pilate testified to the whole world about Jesus as the Christ.
First, to the GREEK—the language of culture and science…recognizes Jesus, the creator of the universe—It was God, himself, who established scientific law.
Next, was in LATIN—the language of government ... and administration. Pilate’s title recognized Jesus as the administrator of God’s plan ... executor of God’s will.
Finally, in HEBREW—the language of faith… Pilate’s sign recognizes Jesus as the only hope for Israel and the rest of the world.
19:21 “Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews
19:22 “Pilate answered, What I have written I have written.”
His disgust is showing.
19:23 “Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.
19:24 “They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.”
Psalm 22:18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
19:25 “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.”
NOTE the contrast: First…the faces of faith: 4 Women, in grief ... love ... and adoration.
Second… the faces of ignorance … the soldiers totally indifferent to what they have done.
They shoot craps for the shirt of Jesus!
Jesus responds to his mother’s grief… and asks John to take care of her.
Jesus then asks for something to drink.
The guards offer him vinegar and hyssop.
Again, this fulfills prophesy.
19:30 “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.”
His death was voluntary!
Jesus fulfilled all of God’s requirements.
He became the price of sin for all who will accept his payment.
It is finished—the word means, PAID IN FULL!
It’s what the tax collectors wrote on your tax bill when you paid your taxes.
2 Cor 5:21 “For he (GOD) made him (JESUS) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
It is finished!
Our salvation is complete!
The gift of eternal life is offered!
Acceptance is all that is required!
Take it … if you haven’t!
Appreciate it if you have!
But the story does not end there…
19:34 “But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.
19:35 “And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.”
It had been prophesied 1000 years before that no bone would be broken.
The soldier could not have known that.
But he was moved to spear Jesus in the side instead of breaking his legs.
And God is careful to reveal… not only blood… but water also came out.
We need not be much of a Bible student to know that the “blood” speaks of God’s mercy.
Hebrew 9:22 tells us “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”
Abel’s blood offering was accepted.
Cain’s “works” offering was rejected.
Faith in the shedding of innocent blood is rooted deeply in the plan of God…
· Drafted before creation itself,
· Expressed by every person of faith from Abel, through Noah… Abraham… Moses… Gideon… David… Haggai and Zechariah, but
· It ended when Jesus said, “It is finished.”
The promise of God had been kept.
The Lamb of God had taken our sin upon himself.
The Son of God had given us the righteousness of God, himself.
But there was water!
In addition to the blood… there was water!
Why?
Back in the 7th chapter…verse 38… John tells us, “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”
This water is the very essence of the new life that we have in Christ.
It comes with the new birth.
It’s the Holy Spirit within us!
The evening before his crucifixion… Jesus had explained that he must “go away,”but that he would send the Holy Spirit—the Comforter.
John 16:7 “…but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
8 “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9 “Of sin, because they believe not on me;
10 “Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
11 “Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
12 Jesus added, “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
13 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.”
The living water that Jesus gives is his life… his love… his strength… and his purpose… flowing through us… to those around us.
If we have no outlet… the Good News becomes polluted within us.
The living water stagnates… and does no one any good.
But if we know Jesus as our Christ;
If we love him… as he loves us;
If we yield to his Spirit—the Holy Spirit… will flow through us.
We become the source of satisfaction for everyone’s problems.
We become the doorway to the living God for someone.
If we will but invest all that Jesus is to us… into all that we can be with him… we become the hope of salvation to all who will trust Jesus as their Christ.
If you truly trust the “blood of Christ,” please trust the “water” too.
Become a conduit to someone’s eternally blessed life.
Let us pray.
