#1296 Matthew 20 Part 2 Son Of Man Will Be Delivered

 

17 And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, 18 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death 19 and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.” Matthew 20: 17-19 ESV

Matthew 20: 17-19

So Jesus going to suffer is no accident. It is not a bad turn in a nice revolution. It is no shock. This was foretold by myriads of prophets. And people who accuse Jesus of being some misguided patriot or some well-meaning peacemaker whose revolution went array, not only do they not understand Jesus, but they don’t understand the Old Testament either, and all they do is demonstrate their ignorance. This is the culmination of the redemptive plan of God. And you can go back into the Old Testament, and you will find passage, upon passage, upon passage predicting all of the factors of Jesus Christ’s life.

Zechariah 9:9 says that He would enter into Jerusalem. Psalm 2, that He would know the fury and rage of His enemies. Zechariah 13:7, that He would be deserted by His friends. Zechariah 11:12, that His betrayal would be for thirty pieces of silver. Psalm 22:16, that He would be pierced on the cross. Exodus 12:46, that none of His bones would be broken; also Psalm 34:20.

Psalm 22:18 says that His garments will be parted by casting of lots. Psalm 69:21 says He’ll be given vinegar to drink. Psalm 22:1, He will cry out in the pain of distress. Zechariah 12:10 says they’ll pierce Him with a sphere. And Psalm 16:10, that He will rise from the dead. Psalm 110:1 even says He’ll ascend into heaven.

All of those things are part of the Old Testament prophets. And you want a piece by piece detailed description of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in minute detail, you read Psalm 22, Isaiah 53, and Zechariah’s prophecy, and you’ll have there explicitly a description of all the details of our Lord’s death on the cross. So when He’s going to Jerusalem, He is on schedule, on target, on plan – no deviation at all.

But as you go to the Old Testament, you know, it’s interesting, there are not only – and I want to just talk about this for a moment – there are not only very explicit, verbal predictions about Christ, but the whole sweep of the Old Testament, the whole flow of the Old Testament in its types and symbols and pictures demands that the Messiah die for the sins of the world. It demands that. Not only verbal predictions but the whole picture, the graphic of the Old Testament demands that. Let me show you what I mean.

The death of Jesus Christ is the primary event in history and also the primary event in the Bible; and as someone has said, it is the scarlet thread woven through the whole Scripture. And I think it really comes into focus, first of all, in the third chapter of Genesis, because in Genesis chapter 3 you have Adam and Eve’s sin. And immediately when they sin, they feel cut off from God. So the first thing they do is they hide themselves. They are estranged from God. There’s a separation.

The second thing that occurs is that they immediately become aware that they’re what? They’re naked. And God comes and clothes them. And in order to clothe them with the skin of animals, there has to be death. And so some animals are slain to make clothes for them.

Now that’s a very important thought, because if you listen very carefully to that account, you can hear the first soft sounds of what becomes an Old Testament symphony, that guilt and shame and separation are covered by sacrifice. It’s a very important truth. And that’s where that truth is introduced. Sacrifice is the only way to deal with guilt and separation from God. We find that not a verbal prediction of Jesus Christ, but a setting in motion of truth that demands the ultimate Passover Lamb. - J Mac

See, we are going to Jerusalem - This is where the temple is which represents Christ, and this is Mt. Moriah where Abraham took his son Isaac to offer up as a sacrifice, and where he was replaced by a ram. This is not unknown to Jesus, He is God the Son, and so He goes as one on a mission, "sets His face", so to speak, this is determination. Jesus is headed to Passover to be the Passover Lamb, the One without blemish or spot.

…6I offered My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who tore out My beard. I did not hide My face from scorn and spittle. 7Because the Lord GOD helps Me, I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set My face like flint, and I know that I will not be put to shame. 8The One who vindicates Me is near. Who will dare to contend with Me? Let us confront each other! Who has a case against Me? Let him approach Me!… Isaiah 50: 6-8

The Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priest and scribes - He knows what's waiting for Him and who, the religious elite, the ones who have read about Messiah, know what the prophets have written about His suffering, yet have rejected that for an image of Messiah they have in their mind, an idol. 

…11Be not far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. 12Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. 13They open their jaws against me like lions that roar and maul.… Psalm 22: 11-13

Deliver Him over to the gentiles - Jesus is giving them play by play about what's coming next, imagine walking into something like that completely aware. Imagine being one of the disciples hearing this; it's not what they want, but if only they and we understood how necessary it is. The gentiles He refers to here is Rome, and about a thousand years before this, before Roman occupation, before the Persian empire, before the Babylonian empire, King David, of whom Jesus is a Son, wrote about the style of crucifixion the Romans made famous.

I am poured out like water,

and all my bones are out of joint;

my heart is like wax;

it is melted within my breast;

15 my strength is dried up like a potsherd,

and my tongue sticks to my jaws;

you lay me in the dust of death.

16 For dogs encompass me;

a company of evildoers encircles me;

they have pierced my hands and feet—

17 I can count all my bones—

they stare and gloat over me;

18 they divide my garments among them,

and for my clothing they cast lots.

19 But you, O Lord, do not be far off!

O you my help, come quickly to my aid!

20 Deliver my soul from the sword,

my precious life from the power of the dog!

21 Save me from the mouth of the lion!

You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen! Psalm 22: 14-21 

He will be raised on the third day - It would be difficult to take all of this in, and it would be hard to imagine letting others do all that prior to you, if you have the power to raise yourself from the dead. They had seen visible signs of His power over death, raising Lazarus, raising others, telling disease to leave, demons fleeing before Him, but I think it's hard to accept pain, massive amounts of responsibility for something you didn't do, the innocent dying on behalf of the guilty, and not truly understanding that you are the guilty.

2according to the foreknowledge of God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by His blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance. 3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you,… 1 Peter 1: 2-4

20But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.… 1 Corinthians 15: 20-22

…23He was delivered up by God’s set plan and foreknowledge, and you, by the hands of the lawless, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross. 24But God raised Him from the dead, releasing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for Him to be held in its clutches. 25David says about Him: ‘I saw the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.… Acts 2: 23-25

…8But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.… Romans 10: 8-10