The
concepts of public humiliation and degradation are not something that has only
recently come to be with the explosion of social media. They are concepts that go as far back as
people disagreeing and fighting themselves.
Throughout history, it has always been the position of most soldiers
that if they were going to die, then they would prefer it to be swift and in
the midst of battle. We’ve all read or
heard stories about soldiers and warriors (both fictional and real) that say
that they wanted to go on the field of battle.
The worst thing imaginable was/is to be taken as a prisoner. If taken, then you were tortured, beaten, and
in many ways killed, just much more slowly.
It was quite common for prisoners of battle, even as resent as some cases
today, to be paraded through the streets wearing no clothing, further adding to
the humiliation that they were experiencing.
Take for example the case of William Wallace (who for those of you who
don’t know was actually a real person).
After being found guilty of his crimes against the crown of England, he
was dragged naked through the street by a horse, hung, quartered, and
eventually beheaded. Now, if the point
was to kill him, then that could have happened very quickly and without all the
theatrics. However, the point was not
just to kill him, but to embarrass him, demean him, degrade him, and hopefully
discourage any others from following in his footsteps. No just kill the person, but kill the idea of
him and his cause as well.
Well,
that’s what we have here when it comes to Jesus. If the ultimate goal was to eliminate the
threat and nuisance that was Jesus of Nazareth, then that would have been
fairly simple. He could have been slain
in Garden of Gethsemane at the time of his arrest. He could have been killed in an almost prison-like
shanking during his time imprisoned. No,
the point wasn’t just to kill him, but to do so in such a manner that his
ministry, his legacy, and his credibility would all be shattered. The chief priests, the scribes, and the
Pharisees were all trying to kill not just the person of Jesus, but his
teachings as well. They were trying to
make his being put to death so memorable, that no one would ever forget
it. Well, they succeeded in that regard,
but not in the way they intended.
Over the next
few weeks leading up to Easter, we’re going to look at several of those
characters who were there at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion. We’re going to look at things like the role
they played, how they fulfilled Scripture, and how we, in some cases, mirror
their actions still today. Today, as we
first look to one of the accounts of the crucifixion, I want to pay special
attention to the role and function that the chief priests, the scribes, and the
Pharisees, as well as the people of Jerusalem, all play in the events and
efficacy of the cross.
To
back up for just a second, we have to remember that the humiliation of Jesus
didn’t begin with his arrest. The
humiliation of Jesus began in his coming to earth. It began when the “Word became flesh” (John
1:14). That humiliation continued
through Jesus being born of parents of no account. Now, at the time of our text, he’s been
arrested, found guilty, had a hardened murderer freed instead of him, sentenced
to the most shameful of deaths, publicly beaten, carried his cross up the hill,
and then crucified. As if that were not
enough, then we find the events of our text today. Those gathered around the scene there are not
sitting in disbelief or stunned silence, they’re mocking him. Jesus is first mocked by the soldiers (a text
we will look at next Sunday), and then he’s mocked by the chief priests, the
scribes, and the people as well.
We’re
told in the accounts of Matthew, Mark, and Luke that those who see him ridicule
him, saying to him something to the effect of “You who would destroy the temple
and rebuild it in three days, save yourself!
If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” Now, a couple of things of note in these
words: the first of which being that
these folks obviously weren’t very good at math. I say that in jest because, as they point
out, Jesus said that the temple, after being destroyed, would be rebuilt in
three days. Well, the temple (i.e.
Jesus) hasn’t even been fully destroyed.
Three days has not come; it hasn’t even been one. Of this fact, John Calvin wrote, “Such is the
daring presumption of wicked men, when, under the pretence of the cross, they
endeavour to cut them off from the hope of the future life.” Now, it’s also of note here that no one
living at this time equated Jesus with the temple. No one understood that when Jesus said that
he would raise the temple, that he was really talking about himself. The second thing of note is that they are
telling Jesus that if he’s the Son of God, then he ought to come down from the
cross. Now, this is ironic, seeing as
how the best thing that anyone could hope for was for Jesus to remain on that
cross until he died. It’s because of his
remaining on that cross that the price was paid for our sins. It’s because of his not stepping down that
the wrath of God was once-for-all satisfied by the blood of Jesus Christ. It’s funny; those who looked to God then had
no clue what was really best for them.
Just as those who look to God today so often still have no clue what is
really best for us.
Did
you notice the comparison that could be made between the words of the people
there at the cross and the words of Satan in his temptation of Jesus in the
wilderness after the Holy Spirit had descended upon him at the time of his
baptism? “If you are the Son of God, come
down from the cross” sounds an awful lot like “If you are the Son of God,
command this stone to become bread.” (John 4:3). It sounds a lot like “If you are the Son of God, throw
yourself down [this temple so that the angels will bear you up on their hands],
lest you strike your foot against a stone.” If ever there was a question about Satan’s
using of this fallen world against the kingdom of God, let those who raise such
questions look no farther than the words of these seemingly insignificant
people there at the cross.
In
addition to the people, the chief priests and the scribes echo their sentiments
by saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down
now from the cross that we may see and believe.” It often saddens me to think of the spiritual
state of things during Jesus’ time when we see such mockery and vitriol coming
from the religious leaders of the day.
However, I am quickly reminded that we’re not immune from such issues
today. After all, the Pharisees were men
of great spiritual discipline and devotion.
They were evangelistic. They were
faithful givers and demanded all others tithe as well. They were devoted men of prayer and dedicated
to the regular reading of Scripture. All
of these are qualities that we would say would make fine Christian pastors and
leaders in today’s world. Let the
callousness and blindness of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day serve as a
great reminder to us all that our faith and guidance is not to be sought in
anyone outside of the person of Jesus Christ.
So,
we ultimately come to point of asking ourselves what role the actions of the
chief priests and scribes and the people gathered there at the cross really
played in terms of what happened at Calvary.
Well, the first thing is that they fulfill Old Testament prophecies
about the Messiah. David, in his 22nd
Psalm wrote that the Messiah would be surround by both Jews and Gentiles at the
time of his death. The prophet Zechariah
spoke several times of the Messiah’s being rejected and despised. So, Christ’s being rejected and despised is a
fulfillment of Scripture. His being
surrounded by Jews and Gentile at the time of his crucifixion is a fulfillment
of Scripture. Neither of these
prophecies would have reached their full fulfillment had the hatred of Christ
not been so great. Had Jesus been killed
in one of those more stealthy manners that we mentioned a moment ago, then
these Old Testament prophecies would not have been fulfilled.
Now
before we bring this look to a close, I want to make one more point or bring up
one more observation. We’ve seen that
there was anger. We’ve seen that there
was hatred. We’ve even seen that one could
make the strong case that Satan was present and active through people there at
the cross. Yet, God still accomplished
the greatest act of love through the cross.
Despite the greatest efforts of Satan and the strong hatred displayed,
the will of the Father was done. After
all, as Jesus lay there nailed to the cross, his life slowly coming to an end,
Satan felt as if he had won. He felt as
if victory was his. Well, much like the
crown of England who thought that he had crushed the ideas behind William
Wallace, Satan had in no way won victory on that day. We might be tempted to say that he had won
the battle, but God would win the war.
However, Satan didn’t even win the battle. Through the mockery and the hatred and anger
there at the cross, Jesus was actually accomplishing every detail according to
God’s will. God was saving the very
people who shouted in anger at Jesus as they mocked him. He was saving them just as He is saving those
of us who shout in anger at Him today.
We may not vocalize it like the chief priests or the scribes. We may not openly taunt Him like the people
of Jerusalem, but we do sin and we do disobey Him. However, God, through the very events that we
will spend the next month or so looking at, saved us from the sins of that day,
the sins of this day, and the sins of days yet to come. Thank God that He works even through our
straying, falling, and sinning to accomplish His purposes. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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