March 2, 2008
Rev. Terry D. Campbell

What Jesus Got Out of the Cross
Hebrews 4:14-16

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. ¹⁵For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. ¹⁶Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Since Jesus is who he is, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess—we have a real faith for real life from the God who really knows what life is all about!  Hebrews 2:18-“Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”  Let’s see how Jesus was tested.

Jesus got physical pain.

We know that we suffer.  Does God really understand?  God knows what it feels like to be in pain.

Look at what happened:  Matthew 27:27-31-“Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. ²⁸They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, ²⁹and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’ they said. ³⁰They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. ³¹After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.”

Notice the before hand torture—(There are two different ways they could have “set” the crown of thorns on Jesus’ head—lightly, or PUSH it on!  Push it on seems to be the way they chose.  Remember that forehead wounds bleed easily anyway), nails in His body, and suffocation was an intrinsic part of crucifixion.

Then the torture of crucifixion:  Nails in His body; suffocation an intrinsic part of crucifixion.  Jesus’ crucifixion is described by the Messianic Psalm 22.  “’¹⁴I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint.  My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me.  ¹⁵My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.  ¹⁶Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.  ¹⁷I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me.’”

“Suffering is the heritage of the bad, of the penitent, and of the Son of God. Each one ends in the cross. The bad thief is crucified, the penitent thief is crucified, and the Son of God is crucified. By these signs we know the widespread heritage of suffering.”^[i]  God understands our physical suffering!

Jesus got mental pain.

Matthew 27:38-42-“Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. ³⁹Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads ⁴⁰and saying, ’You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!’

⁴¹In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. ⁴²’He saved others,’ they said, ‘but he can’t save himself! He’s the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.’”

Ridiculed—“Who hit you, Messiah?”

Lied about—“He said he would destroy the Temple”

Self-denial—“if you are the Christ, come down now and we will believe.”  It would be very tempting—but He couldn’t do that and save us from our sins.  Jesus could have chosen to win the battle, but lost the war!

From descriptive Psalm 22-“⁶But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.  ⁷All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads: ⁸’He trusts in the Lord; let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.’”

¹⁹But you, O Lord, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me.”

Jesus is like us, knowing embarrassment, the frustration of people rejecting us, misunderstanding us, and people not accepting us for who we know we are.

Jesus got spiritual pain.

Matthew 27:43-46-“’He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”   ⁴⁴In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

⁴⁵From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. ⁴⁶About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’--which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’”

My God—why have you forsaken me.  As God looked away from His Son who had become all sins.  For the first time Jesus of Nazareth had to experience life without God’s presence.  He WAS ALL ALONE!

• We have those times when it feels like God has left us.
• When it seems our prayers are stopping at the ceiling of our room.
• When terrible things are happening to us and it looks like God is not doing anything.

Think about it from the Father’s perspective, too!  I had trouble watching a dog laying on a hospital table being taken off to major, life-threatening surgery, let alone if it had been one of my children or my wife.  My impulse was to stop it.  God the Father had to watch as His only Son was carried away, tortured, and put to death—and he had to stand by and watch.  It had to be terrible for God the Father, too!  God is not some emotionless cloud.  God is absolute person with the attending feelings that go along with it.

Jesus got death.

“into thy hands I commit my Spirit.”

He committed Himself to God and it was over.  The spear into Jesus’ side and pericardium didn’t hurt because he was already gone.  The Roman solders, masters of death, testified to that fact.  God understands facing the unknown of death!

We have been there with loved ones and one day we will face it ourselves.  It can be a little scary “to go where we have never gone before.”

Jesus got victory over all evil forever!

“It is finished!”

By keeping on keeping on, ignoring His feelings, trusting God,  and continuing to do what He knew God had called Him to do, Jesus not only gained resurrection, but He became the Savior of the world—for all people for all time.

What will you do now?

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. 16Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”  Amen.

---