20. The Crisis Hour
March 2007
Topics:
The Mystery of Godliness
Why did Jesus Die?
The Hour is Come
The Last Supper
Gethsemane
Why did Jesus die? This is a crucial question that is often discussed. To help in understanding why He died, we first need to know why He came.
Before the "foundation of the world," before the creation of this world, it was decided in the council of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit that Jesus would come. He came to do the work of the Father. This included:
Preaching, teaching, and
healing—even to the extent
of raising from the dead.
He lived as a man, a
sinless life, thus
fulfilling the law given at
Sinai.
He came to bring in the
kingdom of grace, to change
the lives of men and
nations.
He laid the foundation
for the church.
He showed that God is
love and mercy as well as a
God of justice.
He came to die as a
ransom for every man who has
lived.
Jesus knew the prophecies of the Messiah and He worked to fulfill them all. Jesus was tempted as we are yet without sin, died a sacrifice on Calvary, and now ministers as our High Priest in Heaven making effectual the work of grace on our hearts.
Why would God give up the glory of His position in heaven and become a man? The motivation is given in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world." This is a love that man cannot understand, but we can take it by faith. We can understand that God loves you and me. Even then it "is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh" (1 Timothy 3:16). It did not stop there. He accepted poverty, rejection and death "to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10).
"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Philippians 2:5-8).
The mystery of Godliness! The Creator chose to become one with His creation! This is the most exciting, interesting, life changing event in all creation history. Jesus Christ, Jehovah, the great Creator God became a man. Unfallen beings in all creation were impacted, intensely interested, and actively followed each turn in events in this drama.
• Humanity scarcely
understood the gift of the
Son of God. Yet He still
came.
• Mankind was depraved
and in rebellion. Yet He
still came.
• Immorality, even
murder, was imbedded in
heathen worship. Yet He
still came.
Jesus stooped to become a man, even a servant. He took on, not just the problems of humanity, but the problems of poverty, rejection and insult as to the circumstances of His birth. He accepted even death as a criminal. He stooped low enough to reach every man.
When Jesus Christ lived on this earth, He considered His life a fulfillment of an agreed and pre-arranged plan. He is the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev 13:8; Matthew 13:35; 25:34; John 17:24; 1 Peter 1:19, 20)
In response to the call of God, He said: "Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart" (Psalm 40:7). At the appointed time, Christ repeatedly referred to the fact that He was sent of God. "When the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son" (Galatians 4:4). When Christ was about to leave this earth He declared, "I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do" (John 17:4).
When He comes back again the second time, He lifts man to sit with Him in His throne. Jesus gives Himself to humanity for eternity. Mankind redeemed, more fully recognizing what Jesus has done, will spend eternity returning to Him the glory that He put aside, in praise, in song and in service.
In the fullest sense, Jesus fulfilled the covenant made before the foundation of the world: "I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people." He was, He is and He will be for eternity, "Emmanuel, God with us."
Before the foundation of the world, God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit were in council regarding their new creation. With freedom of choice, They knew that man could choose to do wrong. It was determined that Jesus, the Creator, would meet the demands of the broken law. He would be the Sacrifice and die for the sins of men.
Knowing this, on several occasions during His life, He stated that "Mine hour is not yet come" (John 2:4). In the Garden of Gethsemane the time came when He could say that "the hour is come" (Mark 14:41; John 13:1). His purpose was to be the sacrifice. Just before His death on Calvary, He could say in triumph, "It is finished." During His life, the Devil had failed in every attempt to make Him sin (John 14:30). After His sacrificial death on Calvary, the law of God was upheld, His throne and the future of mankind assured for eternity.
There are some who question the rationale for the "substitutionary" purpose of the crucifixion. Some will say that God is altogether too kind and loving to require the death of His Son to satisfy any "abstract" notion of legality. There is no question, that God is Love, and this includes the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Regarding the question of legalities: only the Lawgiver could meet the demands of the broken law. He could do this only by Himself living a sinless life on this earth as a man, and then offering that life to pay for the sins of men.
Could not God just "forgive" the sinner and allow him to start over? To some this is an attractive thought. However, to do this would require that God overrule free choice. Not only that, but such an arrangement would trivialize sin. The cross of Calvary teaches us the seriousness of sin.
Forgiveness is possible only after the sinner recognizes his sin, chooses to confess and asks for forgiveness (1 John 1:9). Man cannot recognize sin unless the Holy Spirit awakens him (John 1:9; John 16:8-9), gives him the desire and teaches him what is right. After confession, repentance and forgiveness the sinner is then cleansed of unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Forgiveness is possible only because Jesus has met the demands of the law in the sinner’s place.
The Lamb was "slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8). The Plan of Salvation was not an afterthought. Jesus was a volunteer. He gave His life and He took it again (John 19:17,18). The Lawgiver Himself guaranteed the law.
"Even as the Son
of man came not to
be ministered unto,
but to minister, and
to give his life a
ransom for many"
(Matthew 20:28).
"But God
commendeth his love
toward us, in that,
while we were yet
sinners, Christ died
for us" (Romans
5:8).
"For as by one
man's disobedience
many were made
sinners, so by the
obedience of one
shall many be made
righteous" (Romans
5:19).
"For ye are
bought with a price:
therefore glorify
God in your body,
and in your spirit,
which are God's" (1
Cor. 6:20).
Jesus gave Himself as a sacrifice that we might have life. His death was planned and prophesied. Were the human agents who took part in this event essential? Were they doing the will of God? Would the crucifixion have happened if it were not for Judas, Caiaphas, Pilate, and others? From John 10:17,18; Matthew 18:7 and Mark 14:21 it seems that their actions were not needed. The prophecy would have been fulfilled without their actions.
A concordance search of ransom, ransomed, redeem, redeemed, redemption, and bought brings up about 20 references that confirm the substitutionary aspect of the crucifixion. Many more passages express the same idea in different terms. It is not an obscure teaching, rather it is emphasized.
Paul found the power of the gospel to be in Christ and Him crucified. Jesus won the victory over Satan. We are now "bought with a price" (1 Cor. 7:23). We belong to Him. If we consent to the power of grace, our lives will be changed (2 Cor. 5:17; 2 Peter 1:4; John 3:3).
In Jesus the sacrificial system met its fulfillment. God’s people in the Old Testament times looked forward in faith to a Redeemer who will come, and provide for forgiveness of sins. After Jesus came, men now looked back in faith to the accomplished fact that Jesus had come, the sacrifice was made, and mankind was now reconciled to God.
The 490 year prophecy of Daniel 9:24 was about to close. During the last "week" (seven years) of the prophecy, the Messiah would "confirm the covenant" bringing to a close the "sacrifice and the oblation" in the middle of this time. The beginning date of this prophecy is established by the third decree, given by King Artaxerxes in 457 BC. It was from this decree that Jerusalem was rebuilt, temple services restored, and local government established (Ezra 7).
"And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate" (Daniel 9:27).
Daniel gives the exact time when Messiah would begin His ministry, and when the sacrificial system met its fulfillment. Isaiah 53 prophesied in detail His suffering and death. The Jewish leaders took this evidence but ignored what they did not want to believe. They clung to their concept of salvation through the sacrifices and ceremonies written in the law of Moses and to their lineage from Abraham. They hoped for an earthly messiah to take the earthly throne of David and restore the lost glory and influence they had in the past.
The disciples shared in this general misconception. This is why they often strove among themselves as to which of them should be the greatest in the kingdom. At the crucifixion, all these false hopes were dashed to the ground. When Jesus joined the two travelers on the road to Emmaus, He pointed out that the crucifixion was not a failure, but a great victory. Everything had happened exactly as prophesied. After the resurrection they were finally ready to hear!
"Then he said
unto them, O fools,
and slow of heart to
believe all that the
prophets have
spoken: ought not
Christ to have
suffered these
things, and to enter
into his glory?
"And beginning at
Moses and all the
prophets, he
expounded unto them
in all the
scriptures the
things concerning
himself" (Luke
24:25-27).
Even from His teen years, Jesus knew what His ministry was to accomplish. He knew that He would die a sacrifice for the sins of men. Furthermore He knew when He would die. Satan in his malignant hatred for Christ tried repeatedly to kill Him. He tried without success to cause Jesus to make a mistake that would bring retribution upon His head. But Satan failed at every point to cause Jesus to sin. Jesus knew the prophecies. He knew the people and the times.
Jesus also avoided situations that might precipitate a crisis. Even in the ordinary course of His mission, crises arose where evil men tried to kill Him. He had laid aside His divinity and was living as a man. He depended on the Father for protection. Through frequent and close communication with the Father through prayer, He received guidance for his daily life and quite likely received information as to expected events for the following day. He was also very much aware of timing and of the prophecies.
In His ministry there was an increasing momentum toward a supreme event—His sacrifice on the cross. On at least four occasions Jesus said "Mine hour is not yet come" (John 2:4; John 7:6; John 7:30; John 8:20). When the time of His crucifixion arrived, He said nine times, "My time is at hand" (Matthew 26:18; Matthew 26:45; Mark 14:35; Mark 14:41; Luke 9:51; John 12:23; John 12:27; John 13:1; John 17:1).
As Jesus ministry neared its climax, momentous events came in rapid succession. Lazarus was raised from the dead. The Jews now had their sign! A person who was undeniably dead had been resurrected. Instead of believing, the Pharisees and the chief priests had a council to plan His death. See John 11.
Then Simon the Pharisee had a feast for Jesus and the disciples. At this feast Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with spikenard, extravagant in amount and cost! Judas objected at the extravagance, saying that the money used should have been given to the poor. Jesus immediately commended Mary:
7 "Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this.
8 "For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always" (John 12:7-8).
Judas took offense at Jesus’ rebuke (Matthew 26:14-15). He went to the Jewish leaders and arranged a secret betrayal for thirty pieces of silver. The Jewish leaders were afraid to arrest Jesus openly because of the people. Judas would provide what was needed, a secret betrayal.
Six days before Passover, Jesus made a triumphal entry into Jerusalem. He cleansed the temple but did not leave immediately as He had the first time. He taught daily in the court (Luke 19:45-47). He did not permit any activity that was not in accordance with Mosaic law (Mark 11:16). All this was done at great acclaim by the people.
For several days, He held possession of the Temple. Jewish leaders were terrified, they expected Him to take the throne of David. But Jesus had other plans. With sorrow He left the Temple precincts for the last time. "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate" (Luke 13:35).
Jesus and the disciples had a quiet, special Passover supper. See the story as told in Matthew 26:17-29. The atmosphere was heavy. The disciples knew of the evil designs of the chief priests.
"Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee" (Matthew 26:31-32).
Jesus talked with the disciples at length, as recorded in John chapters 13 to 16. He washed their feet. They partook of the food. Jesus prayed His special prayer for unity (John 17). The disciples learned that He would be betrayed by one of their own number. It was a time of sorrow and foreboding. Jesus had become to them not just teacher and Messiah, but a much loved Friend. As they partook of the food and drink, Jesus invested the supper with special meaning. This was to be the "new Passover", a memorial of Him, of His death, and a promise of reunion in the hereafter.
"And when he had
given thanks, he
brake it, and said,
Take, eat: this is
my body, which is
broken for you: this
do in remembrance of
me."
"After the same
manner also he took
the cup, when he had
supped, saying, This
cup is the new
testament in my
blood: this do ye,
as oft as ye drink
it, in remembrance
of me. For as often
as ye eat this
bread, and drink
this cup, ye do shew
the Lord's death
till he come" (1
Corinthians
11:24-26).
In this simple ceremony, Jesus showed a side that needs to be seen. Jesus was human. He craved love and friendship just like the rest of us. He didn’t just want to be Messiah, teacher, and healer. He wanted to be loved as a Friend. Jesus was touched in a special way when Mary broke the box of costly ointment and anointed His feet. It was a rare act of love that helped sustain Him in the ordeal of the Cross. Christians show their love every time they take part in this service.
"The new testament in my blood:" In these few words is bound up the New Covenant, the Everlasting Covenant, the meaning of the sacrificial services and the Everlasting Gospel which would be their message to the world. All this and more was possible only because Jesus went to the cross for us!
Another aspect of this event is that the ceremony of the Lord’s Supper was definitely and formally established. Christians are to "shew the Lord’s death" whenever they have the Lord’s Supper. Baptism by immersion was also given to remind us of His death and resurrection. "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4).
The ceremonies of the Lord’s Supper and of Baptism were important enough that Jesus established each by His example and by His command. This is in contrast to the day appointed for worship for the Christian church. The Jews kept the seventh-day. Jesus did not change it. If it were His desire to change the day, He would have given us His example and His command, just as He did with the Lord’s Supper and Baptism.
The original purpose for the seventh-day Sabbath was as a memorial to Creation. To change the day would destroy this meaning. We are His by Creation and by Redemption. It is upon the truth of Creation that the story of the fall of man and his need for a Redeemer rests.
There is no question Jesus’ resurrection is a pivotal event. Without His resurrection, our faith is vain. But, He did not set apart the first day of the week for a memorial, nor did He change the Sabbath from the seventh day to the first day. The Lord’s Supper and Baptism are based on solid admonition in the Bible. Nothing was said about a "first day Sabbath."
After the supper, they sang a hymn and then went out into the mount of Olives and the garden of Gethsemane.
The crucial event in Gethsemane was the struggle Jesus endured to accept all that the sacrifice entailed. From Old Testament times instructions and rituals had been established to maintain the purity of God’s people, and to help them to tell the difference between clean and unclean, holy and unholy. See Ezekiel 22:26; 44:23. Jesus knew that sin separates from God. He knew that sin was extremely offensive to God.
"But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear" (Isaiah 59:2).
"Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he" (Habakkuk 1:13)?
Jesus came to this earth to live as a man. His ministry and His miracles were all performed through faith in the power of God, the Father. Now the time had come to "bear the iniquity of us all." As a man, a human being, Jesus did not know but that sin was so offensive to God, that their separation would be eternal. But Jesus came to show us that in the plan of God, we don’t wait till we "know for certain."
He knew the promises of the covenant. He knew the plan and purposes of God. He remembered the divine affirmations he received as "My beloved Son", the refreshment of hours spent in prayer, and the prophecies that the Redeemer would be victorious over evil. After a terrible struggle, faith won the battle and He accepted the will of the Father.
This is the faith of Jesus, a faith that holds onto God even when everything is black and you cannot see to the other side. Jesus’ victory is ours. "Strengthened by the angel, Jesus goes forth to meet the mob" (The Desire of Ages, 693-4).
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