The surprising Cross
We live in the twenty first century.
There are things that we value in this culture and things that we don’t.
One of the most least desirable things to have in your neighbourhood is a prison.
Nothing is more likely to drop your property values than the building of a prison among modern lifestyle blocks.
When they were planning and proposing a new prison just north of Milton in south Otago a huge protest went up.
People were far from happy.
There was a groundswell protest.
Signs were erected alongside the highways - you could not mistake the message – it was:-
“We don’t want your prison here!!! This prison is crazy.”
One thing is for sure people expected no blessing from the planting of a prison in their midst.
Any blessing from that prison would be most surprising to the local residents.
You may wonder where I am coming from.
But let us – instead of thinking of undesirable things in the 21st century think of undesirable things in the first century.
In Palestine – the Jews felt that the Romans as an occupying force were highly undesirable.
The Romans were viewed as undesirable Aliens.
Deep in the Jewish religious psychie was a revulsion of the Romans and all that they stood for. From 63 B.C.. Palestine was subject to Rome. In that year the Roman general Pompey marched on Jerusalem, and after a three month siege entered the city, went into the Temple, and even inspected the Holy of Holies—a terrible desecration of the Temple. He made Hyrcanus both high priest and local ruler, thus bringing the Hasmonean line to an end. During the next two troubled decades, Antipater emerged as the most powerful figure in Palestine, although he was never designated king. Finally, in 40 B.C., Herod, a son of Antipater, was named king of the Jews by Rome, although it was not until 37 B.C. that he entered Jerusalem and gained control of his kingdom. Herod was the most competent Jewish king of this period and amply earned the title, “Herod the Great,” bestowed on him by historians. He was an able administrator, who loyally carried out the wishes of Rome. Yet he never did gain the approval of his Jewish subjects, who always regarded him as an alien (he was an Idumean, or Edomite). Herod dealt ruthlessly with real or suspected opponents, even having three of his sons and his wife Mariamne murdered; so the story of the massacre of the innocents (Matthew 2:16
Herod was, at the core of the Jewish mindset, highly undesirable.
They might use and even grudgingly appreciate some of his institutions but Herod, in the most loyal of Jewish subjects – beyond the pale.
And what of Pilate?. According to Josephus, Pilate’s first major act was that he ordered Roman standards brought within the walls of Jerusalem (a direct violation of the sanctity of the Jewish faith honoring false gods). Pilate also used money from the Temple treasury to construct an aqueduct. When the Jews assembled outside his quarters to protest, th Pilate did not relent killing many Jews. Why then would Pilate later give up Jesus in the famed trial and crucifixion of Jesus? The reason was the political situation was influencing him. Pilate’s behavior clearly changed after the fall of Sejanus a trraitor who had been highly influential on the Emporer Tiberius..
While under Sejanus the Jews were poorly treated, Tiberius simply to counter Sejanus (as Tiberius was no lover of Judaism himself), ordered that the Jews be tolerated. Despite his own personal feelings towards the Jews, his fear for Roman social status and survival would dictate his behavior.. With Tiberius back in charge, however, Pilate, and everyone else had to tread a very fine line. The Jews, it seems, were also very much aware of this. Jesus was brought before Pilate for treason against Rome. As the Gospel of Mark says, by Josephus and also by Tacitus, the Jewish leadership wished Jesus killed essentially for being a blasphemer against their faith and against them personally. Only Pilate had the authority to address the matter.. Despite several attempts to resist demands of Jesus death, Caiphas and the Jewish leadership wisely invoke the use of the term ‘Amicus Caesaris’ against Pilate to get their way. This term ‘friend of Caesar’ were not just theoretic words of friendship but practically functioned as a title. Losing that title, in Pilate’s case by not following Tiberius’ new Jew-favorable policies, might not only cause him to lose his life. The Jews with full knowledge of Roman politics, because of Pilate’s previous behavior and relation to the known traitor Sejanus, knew exactly how to force their will. Faced with a man accused of being ‘King of the Jews’, a crime against Tiberius himself, Pilate had no choice but to relent, and crucified Jesus in order to preserve the peace, and his own skin.
In short, Pilate, to the Jews was a despisable ruler and yet somehow a necessary pawn to deal with Jesus.
Pilate it seems was a most surprising vessel to be used in the Easter story.
Another surprising matter is the cross itself.
Undoubtedly, one of the cruelest and most humiliating forms of punishment in the ancient world was, according to ancient sources, crucifixion. The Jewish historian Josephus best described it following the siege of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD 66-70 as "the most wretched of deaths."
This form of state terror was widespread across the Roman Empire which included Europe, North Africa and Western Asia. It originated several centuries before Christ and continued into the fourth century AD when the practice was discontinued by Constantine, the emperor of Rome. While its origins are obscured in antiquity, it is clear that this form of capital punishment lasted for around 800 years and tens if not hundreds of thousands of individuals were subject to this cruel and humiliating death.
Crucifixion amongst the Jews was rare and except for a few instances, the subject was stoned to death first and then hung on a tree in accordance with the Biblical passage in Deuteronomy 21:22-23: "When someone is convicted of a crime punishable by death and executed, and you hang him on a tree, his corpse must not remain all night upon the tree; you shall bury him that same day, for anyone hung on a tree is under God’s curse
Jesus Himself – also is surprising – he is always surprising in his life but his manner of death is also surprising.
Jesus lived the best life that had ever been lived.
He is the only person, ever in world history who has lived a truly Holy life, without the need for God’s forgiveness.
He was incredibly kind to the sick and suffering in Israel.
He had entered Jerusalem as a popular hero being hailed by the general population as the King of the Jews just days before his trial.
He had helped a Roman centurian by healing his servant.
He was a great religious teacher in the countryside, in the synagogues and also in the temple.
He had gathered a group of men around himself who did nothing but good.
It is not only surprising that Jesus died on a cross but when you consider his life you would think it as entirely objectional that such a good man should be treated in this way.
We have to agre that it is at least surprising that someone as good as Jesus should die on the cross.
So far we have found a number of surprising features involved in the death of Jesus christ.
There is the hated Romans – the impure Jewish King Herod and the tyrant Pilate as well as the cross itself – over and against all of that is Jesus himself the only truly good person who has ever lived!
If all of this is surprising what is the missing factor that should reduce our surprise?
The answer is of course found deeply imbeded in the bible itself.
Some 800 years before this death we can read God predicting through his Prophet Isaiah with breathtaking accuracy about the death of Jesus.
In a sermon like this we have to just point out the common features between this passage and what actually happenned 800 years later.
ISA 53:1 Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
About Jesus birth and growth:-
ISA 53:2 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.
About his treatment.
ISA 53:3 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.
About how he was treated by his own people:-
ISA 53:4 Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.
About the cross:-
ISA 53:5 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.
About our need for the cross:-
ISA 53:6 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.
About Jesus response at his trial and suffering:-
ISA 53:7 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.
About the Jews and Roman trial:-
ISA 53:8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
About what it cost him:-
And who can speak of his descendants?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was stricken.
About who he died with and about his tomb:
ISA 53:9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
About God’s purposes in this:-
ISA 53:10 Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
About the resurrection:-
ISA 53:11 After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
ISA 53:12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
This passage takes all the surprises of the cross and predicts the manner of Jesus’ death.
The cross at first glance is surprising.
It is surprising that God would choose the Romans – the Herodians and pilate as players in the great Drama that unfolded.
It is also surpising that the son of God should die on the cross.
All kinds of people today are surprised by the cross but I want to suggest to you something more surprising.
Recently I went to ‘Auckland and as I was walking down Queen street about 5 pm one evening there were many people walking to catch trains and buses and drive cars home.
Not all of these people but many had spent the day making provision for their physicaql needsl
Work is good and it is good to work for aliving.
But most of them had made little use of the work of the cross.
The cross to many was an area of some confusion and their hearts were distant from it.
On the edge of the pavement was a Polynesian man – well dressed and about the build of boxer David Tua. He was crying out to the people as they walked by of their need fopr Jesus Christ and the work of the cross. His words drifted over the heads of the crowd as they rushed by to catch their transport home.
Highly logical – they wer in a hurry and had done a days work.
I think this man must have been, to them an embarasement.
But he was crying out about the power of the cross and they didn’t appear to want to listen.
You might want to criticise his timing or the means of presenting the gospel.
But if the man had set up a table and was offering some material advantage like cheap shares in a blue chip organisation – many would have stopped and checked it out.
But you know today many will reject the cross and it’s message and risk spending eternity without God because, for them, it is not that important.
1CO 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
For me, I was impressed by this man – hewasn’t condmning any one he was simply holding out a message of hope for the passing crowd.
The cross today remains surprising.
It still is the one place where humanity must come and make a decision – that decision will lead them to life and all it’s fullness or they will prefer a terrible desert.
For us who have accepted the work of the cross – we should be able to look at our lives and see the mark of the cross on them.
We all have downtimes but the cross should track it’s path all over our lives.
A man shared his philosophy of life with me just the other day. He said that surely if we all live a good life then god is not too concerned about our religion.
I suggested to him that none of us had lived a good life and that is why God sent Christ to save us from the bad bit.
The cross Makes a difference and we need to never lose sight of it’s power nor it’s importance to the world around us.
I was talking to someone the other day and they were telling me how busy they were. The message I got was that they were so busy that the cross was getting squeezed out of their lives.
Unless that person is helped their love for God will grow cold.
I would like to share a poem with you.
On a cold and lonely hill in a time long from here,
Son of man whipped and stripped hung silently bare,
Words of hatred, anger and brutal slurs swirled around
Son of man in agony – deserted – uttered little sound,
Darkness fell, in the time of light, the rocks and hills were shaken,
The wise shook their heads in disbelief regarding it mistaken,
But prophecies must be true and historys pages filled,
So vinegar and gall were pressed to the lips of the man they killed,
Love can only offer so much suffering in one human frame,
breathing their last, the best of us,are reduced to just a name
the living gather around confused staggered at their loss,
So it was on the barren hill when Jesus died upon the cross,
With hearts full of empty and eyes emptied of tear,
They wrapped up the body that was lifeless and bare,
They went to bury him with a dignity that belied his dying
while echoing in their ears God’s Son’s final sighing,
and the centurian’s words uttered at Golgotha’s Sod,
stirring hearts—raising hope “Surely he was the Son of God”
