The Horror of the Cross
Matthew 26:30-46
February 17, 2013
As you know, we are presently in that most important section
Of Matthew’s gospel which relates to the death of Jesus.
There is no other event in human history
That even comes close to the magnitude of this one event.
And while Matthew spent an enormous amount of time and was very meticulous in proving to us that Jesus was in fact the Messiah,
Even more important to Matthew was that you and I know what He did.
This was also the way in which Jesus worked with His disciples.
You may remember in chapter 16.
Jesus and the disciples had come to Caesarea Philippi and it was there
That Jesus asked the question as to who the world says that He is.
And they gave various answers.
Then Jesus asked the greater question.
Matthew 16:15 “He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
And of course to that Peter answered,
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Getting the disciples to understand that truth
Had really been the focal point of Jesus’ ministry up until then.
Everything He had done was to reveal that He was in fact the Messiah.
And now they finally knew that.
Of course that was not by their own intelligence.
Matthew 16:17 “And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.”
God had made it plain to the disciples exactly who Jesus was.
And so revealing who the Messiah was had been made clear.
The next objective was to reveal what the Messiah would do.
And that is immediately where Jesus went.
Matthew 16:21 “From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.”
Once the disciples knew who Jesus was,
It was immediately time to show them what He would do.
• The incarnation was not just a fact finding mission.
• The incarnation was not just about learning to sympathize with weak humans.
The incarnation had a purpose, and that purpose
Was ultimately to atone for the sin of His people.
• It was never just about the baby in the manger.
• It was never just about God becoming flesh.
The focal point was, is, and always will be the cross.
For even in heaven the songs ring with a familiar theme.
Revelation 5:11-12 “Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”
It is always about the cross of Christ!
And it is the cross that Matthew focuses on
To end his tremendous gospel account.
And having begun this study we have already seen Matthew’s first point
And that was THE PLOT
Matthew showed us that God was behind the crucifixion.
As Peter would tell us at Pentecost, Jesus was crucified according to “predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God”
And yet sinful man was more than willing to oblige.
We saw Judas overcome with himself when Mary wasted the perfume on Jesus’ feet and since that day the plot has been set.
We are presently studying Matthew’s second point.
That is THE PURPOSE
Last week we saw Jesus in the upper room partaking in the last ever Passover, Literally transforming it into the Lord’s Supper.
And the purpose of His death could not have been clearer.
Matthew 26:27-28 “And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.”
The purpose of the cross is forgiveness of sinners.
The cross is the means by which Holy God would atone for sinful man.
AND I MUST ASSURE YOU THAT THIS IS NO MINOR THING
It is necessary that you and I understand
THE ENORMOUS COST INVOLVED IN PAYING THE DEBT OF SINNERS.
The cost of justifying the many would be the death of the innocent
In the most horrifying way imaginable.
I know we sing of the cross as wonderful,
And it is for us as we look back to it.
But I don’t know if either of us can even begin to understand
The agony that occurred there.
Isaiah 52:13-14 “Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted. Just as many were astonished at you, My people, So His appearance was marred more than any man And His form more than the sons of men.”
According to that passage the agony endured on the cross left Him literally beyond recognition. He was beaten beyond the form of a human.
Isaiah 53:7-9 “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.”
David gave us a picture of the cross, as he looked forward into time
And literally became an eye-witness of the suffering of the cross.
Psalms 22:6-8 “But I am a worm and not a man, A reproach of men and despised by the people. All who see me sneer at me; They separate with the lip, they wag the head, saying, “Commit yourself to the LORD; let Him deliver him; Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.”
Psalms 22:14-18 “I am poured out like water, And all my bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It is melted within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And my tongue cleaves to my jaws; And You lay me in the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded me; A band of evildoers has encompassed me; They pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me; They divide my garments among them, And for my clothing they cast lots.”
The cross was horrific.
But that was just the physical side of it.
We can’t forget that the spiritual torment of the cross
Was even greater than the physical torment.
Not only was His body marred, His soul was burdened.
Psalms 22:1 “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning.”
If you’ve ever felt as though you were totally abandoned, even by God
Then you begin to understand the pain of the cross.
Isaiah 53:4-6 “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”
He literally bore our sin on His body.
Our trespasses were credited to His account.
We can’t even begin to fathom the anguish of His soul.
2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
And one of the tragedies of our day is that we talk about it so much
That the familiarity tends to minimize the cost in our minds.
And this should never happen.
We must understand the weight, and brutality, and horror of the cross
Because in that intensity we learn some very important things.
1) We are reminded of God’s hatred for sin.
• On the cross God “did not spare His own Son.”
• Isaiah said that God was “pleased to crush Him”
If you are tempted to view your sin as a minor thing, look at the cross.
Sin is no laughing matter to God.
He would crush His Son to kill sin.
2) We are reminded of God’s love for us.
It is tremendous love indeed that God would take
A debt so severe from us and apply it to His Son.
3) We are reminded of Christ’s worth.
• If Christ would endure such hostility from sinners…
• If Christ would bear all our iniquity…
Then certainly His sacrifice is worth honoring
And His purpose is worth submitting to.
1 Peter 1:17-19 “If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”
Christ shed His precious unblemished blood and He did so to redeem you from “your futile way of life”
If He paid that much to get you out of your old life, don’t you think you owe it to Him to leave it?
And so it is necessary that you and I understand the horror of the cross.
Such an understanding intensifies our commitment to Christ.
And Scripture is serious about you understanding the horror of the cross, ONLY Scripture accomplishes this in a UNIQUE way.
Scripture doesn’t get graphic or grotesque as it reveals the cross.
The way Scripture shows you the horror of the cross
Is by taking you to a garden.
As we study our text, I just want to show you three reasons
Why we know the cross was horrific.
#1 THE STRONG DESERTED IT
Matthew 26:30-35
So Jesus has just partaken of the Lord’s Supper
And laid out the blueprint for the forgiveness of the many.
And “After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”
The hymn would have been “The Hallel”
(Probably Psalms 118, which was the last chapter of that song)
And then came the second shocking statement of the evening.
(31-32) “Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, ‘I WILL STRIKE DOWN THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP OF THE FLOCK SHALL BE SCATTERED.’ “But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”
Jesus says, “You will all fall away”
This is the second time in a matter of hours
That Jesus has shocked them with a promise.
The first was when He told them that one of them would betray Him.
But this one is even more shocking.
For this doesn’t pertain to one of them, but ALL of them.
“You will all fall away because of Me this night”
And just as in the case of the betrayal,
THE REASON it will occur is because Scripture said it would.
“for it is written, ‘I WILL STRIKE DOWN THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP OF THE FLOCK SHALL BE SCATTERED.’”
Zechariah said it would occur and Jesus solidified it.
All of His disciples will fall away.
Now it wouldn’t be permanent,
For even Jesus knew He would permanently lose none.
(32) “But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”
Jesus almost speaks it like a technicality here.
“Oh and by the way, you are all going to deny Me, but once that is behind us, I’ll meet you in Galilee.”
Jesus knew this would happen.
The events He is about to endure are too much for mortal man.
No one else would be able to endure what He is about to suffer.
What He is going to do, He will do alone.
Now at this point, we run across the arrogance of the disciples,
Most notably Peter.
(33) “But Peter said to Him, “Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away.”
Oh Peter, you have to love him,
And I’m sure the other disciples appreciated that statement too.
Peter looks at Jesus and basically says, “Look, I’ll agree with you that those other guys look a little suspect, but trust me, even when their gone, I’ll still be here.”
I’m not going anywhere.
Peter was certain of his own strength.
But Jesus knew Peter better than Peter knew Himself.
(34) “Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you that this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”
Jesus is saying, Peter you have no idea what you’re talking about.
You won’t stand, you won’t make it until morning.
And as far as not denying, you’ll do it three times.
But again, Peter never seemed to mind arguing with Jesus.
(35) “Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You.” All the disciples said the same thing too.”
Obviously Peter has way over estimated himself.
1 Corinthians 10:12-13 “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”
I hope to talk about this more in the coming weeks,
Peter didn’t understand that the thing that made Christ strong
Was the very thing that made him weak.
Peter thought he fought his battles in his own strength
And his arrogance caused him to be unprepared.
I mean before Peter’s monumental denial we find him:
• Arguing with Jesus about it
• Sleeping when he should have been praying
• Taking a sword instead of submitting
PETER IS WALKING IN HIS OWN STRENGTH.
DO YOU KNOW WHY PETER IS WALKING IN HIS OWN STRENGTH?
Because Peter is a strong guy.
He’s a fisherman, and I promise you he hasn’t met many obstacles in life
That he wasn’t strong enough to handle.
And so his natural response when facing any hardship
(even spiritual ones) is to rely on his own strength to overcome it.
And that is a dangerous and destructive mindset.
Do you know how you overcome temptation?
• It isn’t by being strong.
• It is by being submissive.
Galatians 5:16 “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.”
This is why Jesus was able to endure temptation,
Because His food was to do the will of Him who sent Him.
He always did the things that pleased the Father.
What you have here is men so confident in their own strength,
That they aren’t even worried.
BUT JESUS WAS RIGHT, THEY WOULD ALL FALL AWAY.
DO YOU KNOW WHY?
Because the cross was horrifying.
When those soldiers come and they realize what is coming,
Even the strong will run and hide.
That gives you a clue as to just how horrible the cross was.
Even the strong deserted it.
Let show you another reason we know the cross was horrible.
#2 THE SAVIOR DREADED IT
Matthew 26:36-44
And really, texts like this make a man wish he was a better preacher.
• I cannot put into words…
• I know I cannot fully grasp…
• What must have been going through the mind of Jesus here.
But I know what I see, is totally shocking to me.
Here we have the Son of God in a way we never see Him anywhere else.
• We saw Him stare down the crowds that wanted to throw Him off a cliff…
• We saw Him clear a temple with a whip…
• We saw Him attend feasts where they wanted to kill Him…
• We saw Him stand toe to toe with Pharisees and chief priests…
• We saw Him return to Lazarus when the disciples were sure it was a death
sentence…
• We saw Him stand up for a woman in adultery…
• We saw Him talk publicly to a Samaritan woman…
I mean we’ve seen Him boldly do so much,
And He never even seemed to flinch.
And then we get this scene.
If you were under any misconception that the cross was no big deal
Then spend a some time in these verses.
Jesus takes the disciples to the garden known as “Gethsemane”
And tells 8 of them to sit, presumable to sort of secure the gate.
He takes Peter, James and John a little further.
And the Bible says He “began to be grieved and distressed.”
• All of a sudden the reality is setting in on Him.
• He is hours away from the cross.
• This is the day He came for, and it is finally here.
There is no comparison that does justice to what He is about to face.
Our Savior is at a point of personal grief and distress.
And He has brought Peter, James and John.
WHY?
(38) “Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.”
He took them because He wanted help from them.
Have you ever walked through a trial or a burden and wanted someone to help you?
Have you ever longed for the caring embrace or the fervent prayer of a brother or sister in Christ?
That is what Jesus wanted.
His grief has Him “to the point of death”.
And then look at this:
(39) “And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”
He walked a little further “and fell on his face and prayed’
Friends that is grief.
Luke says it was so bad that He sweat drops of blood.
That is what the cross did to Him.
And don’t miss His prayer.
“My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”
Jesus called God His Father many times.
This is the only time He called Him “My Father”
Mark’s gospel says Jesus called Him “Abba Father!”
(Which is the equivalent of “Daddy”)
Jesus, the One who has faced everything without so much as a flinch, actually asks for the most shocking of things.
“let this cup pass from Me”
WHAT IS THE CUP?
Psalms 75:8 “For a cup is in the hand of the LORD, and the wine foams; It is well mixed, and He pours out of this; Surely all the wicked of the earth must drain and drink down its dregs.”
It is the cup of God’s wrath to be poured out on sin,
And Jesus is about to drink it.
His prayer, “let this cup pass”
DO YOU KNOW WHAT HE IS ASKING?
“Daddy, can we save them by any other means?”
Friends when we quote John 14:6, we aren’t being arrogant.
John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
When we say Jesus is the only way, we mean it.
If there was another way, they would have tried it in the garden.
But even then Jesus was submissive to the Father,
“yet not as I will, but as You will.”
Jesus dreaded the cross.
His human will wanted to skip it.
The cross was horrifying.
And then:
(40) “And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour?”
WHY DID HE COME BACK TO THEM?
• Because He wanted help.
• He wanted encouragement.
• He wanted them to pick Him up.
But they were sleeping.
On this earth, He was alone.
Now He didn’t want to be.
(41) “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
There He asks them again, please stay awake and pray.
Please intercede.
Can you hear His grief?
And then, He does it all again – 2 more times.
(42-44) “He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.” Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more.”
• Three times Jesus asked for a different way to save sinners.
• Three times Jesus looked for some way to avoid the cross.
• Three times Jesus sought to lean upon friends for help.
WHY?
Because the cross was horrifying!
What He was about to bear was terrible.
The cross is so horrifying that not only did the strong desert it,
But the Savior dreaded it.
#3 THE SINISTER DEVISED IT
Matthew 26:45-56
Here we have the presence of those who hated Jesus.
Judas, leading his band of self-righteous priests and their soldiers.
(45-46) “Then He came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. “Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!”
These men hated Jesus.
They saw Him as a threat.
They saw Him as a blasphemer.
They wanted nothing more than to kill Him in the worst possible way.
And when they devised a plan of how to do it,
They thought of the cross.
They didn’t just want Him gone they wanted Him to be so humiliated
That they could undo all that He had accomplished the past three years.
• They were looking to cause a negative reaction for all of His followers.
• They were looking to put a stop to the entire Jesus movement.
And the way they would stop it was to kill Him in such a horrific way
That everyone who followed would run from Him.
THE CROSS WAS THE MOST HORRIFYING THING THEY COULD DEVISE
That is how I know the cross is horrible.
• The strong deserted it
• The Savior dreaded it
• The sinister devised it
And friends when we see how horrible the cross is,
Then you and I should understand a few things.
God really hates sin.
God really loves sinners.
Christ deserves all the respect and adoration that you can give Him.
Such a sacrifice demands a total commitment
Of everything you have for Him.
What did Jesus say?
Matthew 10:37-39 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. “He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.”
And yet so many regard His sacrifice as such a small thing,
Not worth their time or their money or their comfort.
Look at the cross, look at what He endured
And then have the audacity to tell Him you won’t do what He asks
Look at the cross Pharisee and then tell Him you won’t give up your accolades and precious reputation.
Look at the cross Rich Young Ruler and then tell Him you won’t give up your possessions to follow Him.
Look at the cross Pilate and tell Him you won’t endure hardship for Him.
The cross demands a love and devotion that can never be defined.
“Where the whole realm of nature mine, that were an offering far too small. Love so amazing so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”
To follow Christ requires the same commitment that He showed to you.
Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”
That is what He is asking for.
But even more, that is what He deserves!
Paul said it like this:
Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”
He gave Himself up for you, will you give yourself up for Him?
If you’ve never submitted your life to Christ then do it.
God’s wrath on sin is no joke.
If you have submitted your life to Christ,
Then honor your commitment and go through with it, just as He did.
The cross was horrible and it deserves all we have to give.
Romans 12:1 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”
