John 18:1-11
John 19:13-30
What is the message of us Christians? We just don’t know anymore. In this broken world we lost the message of Jesus and his cross. Let our message focus again on the cross.
In late summer and early autumn many of our stores start lay-away programs for Christmas. You pay a small amount over that period of time until Christmas or you can save the amount of the charges and pay it off when you go to pick up the gifts. A few stores still advertise a lay-away program.
A mother of three had lost her husband in a car wreck and she was having a real financial struggle. She chose a lay-away plan at a store hoping to save enough money to pay her charges by Christmas. As it was getting close to Christmas she went to the store to tell the lay-away sales lady that she would not be able to pay for the gifts for her children. The sales clerk said, “Let me look at your bill.” Then the clerk told her that her bill was paid in full. The mother said that had to be a mistake for she had not paid for anything. The clerk said, “No, I am right.” She then set the bags of gifts on the counter. “Take them home and enjoy Christmas”, she said. Someone knew that she had gifts for the children on lay-away and came in and paid the bill in full. When she got home the friend had added presents for her also to have that Christmas. A Christian friend knew her financial struggles after the death of her husband and had gone to the store and paid her debt.
God made us out of his DNA and wanted to restore us so that we could return and have fellowship with him. Our sin and evil could not enter into heaven. We were lost and would not enter into His kingdom of heaven. In God’s plan He knew we could not pay our sin debt. We had sold out to the devil. We had put sin mortgages on our lives and this meant eternal death and separation from God. Yes, I believe we have more of life to come beyond this life.
God became one of us in Jesus Christ to pay off our sin debt. Our sin debt meant that Jesus would be betrayed and arrested and nailed to the cross to die. He would be betrayed by one of his own disciples and tried by the so-called religious leaders and nailed to the cross by the Roman soldiers.
After the Passover meal Jesus crossed the Kidron Valley with his disciples and entered a grove of olive trees. Judas, the betrayer, knew this place because Jesus had often gone there with his disciples to pray. The leading priests and pharisees had given Judas a contingent of Roman soldiers and temple guards to accompany him. With blazing torches, lanterns and weapons they arrived at the olive grove.
Jesus fully realized all that was going to happen to him, so he stepped forward to meet them. “Who are you looking for?”, he asked. “Jesus the Nazarene.” they replied. “I am he”, Jesus said. Judas, who betrayed him was standing with him. As Jesus said “I am he” they all drew back and fell to the ground! Once more he asked them, “Who are you looking for?”. And again they replied, “Jesus the Nazarene”. “I told you that I am he”, Jesus said, “And since I am the one you want, let these others go.” He did this to fulfill his own statement “I did not lose a single one of those you have given me.”
Then Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the right ear of Malchus, the high priest’s slave. But Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into the sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has givenme?”
They took him to Annas, the father-in-law of Caliphas, the high priest at that time. Caliphas was the one who had told the other Jewish leaders “It’s better that one man should die for the people.”
After the rigged trial before Caliphas and found guilty they sent Jesus before Pilate to try him. Pilate said “So you are a king?” Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.” “What is truth?”, Pilate asked. Then he went out again to the people and told them, He is not guilty of any crime. But you have a custom of asking my release of one prisoner each year at Passover. Would you like me to release this ‘King of the Jews’?”
But they shouted back, “No! Not this man. We want Barabbas!” Barabbas was a revolutionary. Many times we humans choose Barabbas.
A mob chose to kill Jesus the Savior over a man named Barabbas. That is what is what evil and sin does in the human family.
Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead tipped whip. The soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head and they put a purple robe on Him. They mocked him with “Hail king of the Jews” as they slapped him across the face.
Pilate asked one more time, ”Do you want to crucify your king?” The mob answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” Pilate was like the political leaders of our time. Give the mob what they want, even when it is wrong.
Then Pilate turned Jesus over to them to be crucified. They took Jesus to Golgotha and there the nailed him to the cross. This was God’s plan for our salvation so we could be restored by faith in Jesus. Out of his great love for us God’s plan was to offer us grace and forgiveness if we asked and seek His forgiveness. By faith we could have life over death. What is your response to the offer Jesus made to us from the cross? I want God’s grace, love and forgiveness. It is the only way to heaven.
God on the cross paid our sin debt that we might have a way to eternal life. Jesus paid our mortgage, paid our sin debt in full.
