Tuesday Evening Study

Join us this evening as we begin our study of the doctrine of Hell using Robert Peterson's book, Hell on Trial.  All are welcome, we meet at 7 PM.

"Real is Better" Sermon: Hebrews 8:1-7

“Real is Better”

[Hebrews 8:1-7]

April 7, 2013 Second Reformed Church

            Would you rather have your favorite dinner or a picture of your favorite dinner?  Would you rather have your favorite car or a picture of your favorite car?  Would you rather have your spouse – answer carefully! – or a picture of your spouse?  Would you agree that having the real thing that we want is better – more pleasurable – more satisfying – than merely having a picture – a representation – of the thing that we want?

            When we last looked at the book of Hebrews, we saw that Jesus is a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek – not a high priest after the order of Levi or Aaron.  And we said that Jesus’ priesthood – the priesthood of Melchizedek – is a better priesthood than that of Levi or Aaron because the office is not passed from father to son, but God appoints the priest directly, and the priest holds the office eternally.

            We saw that Jesus, Who acts as High Priest on behalf of all those who will ever believe in Him, offered up Himself as the Final and Perfect Sacrifice on the cross, after having lived a perfect life under the Law, shedding His Blood under the Wrath of God, that we who believe would be forgiven for our sin and be counted as righteous before God.

            We begin this morning with a summary statement from the author of Hebrews:

            “Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man.”

            “we have such a high priest” We have a High Priest Who is after the order of Melchizedek, which is a higher and everlasting order.  We have Someone Who stands between God and us Who has offered up a Sacrifice, Who was a greater Sacrifice than all of the sacrifices before.  So now, this High Priest is our Mediator based on His Work – a work that will always stand.

            “one who is seated” Notice that this High Priest is seated.  As we look through the Scripture, we see that the high priest is never seated while he is carrying out his office.  So, we can only conclude that this High Priest has finished His Work and secured salvation – reconciliation with God – something that the high priests of four thousand years before were unable to accomplish.

            “at the right hand” This High Priest is seated on the throne of the Son of God, and so He is the Son of God.  He is seated “at the right hand” which means He is Sovereign – He has full authority and power.

            “of the throne of the Majesty” The author of Hebrews uses the term “Majesty” for God – and, specifically, God the Father.  He also indicates in this name that God is King, and He is glorified in His Deity – in His Kingship.

            “in heaven” Who is in Heaven?  Well, God is.  God the Father and God the Son.  And as we look at the context, we see that the human Jesus, the Incarnate Son of God is the main Person in mind as being in Heaven.  This does not mean that Jesus’ body has become divinized – Jesus’ body is still a real human body.

            “a minister” The word that is translated “minister” literally means, “one who carries out God’s will by serving others” [Bible Windows].  Minsters carry out God’s Will as servants, and Jesus, the Incarnate Son of God, carries out the Will of His Father by serving the elect.

            “When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed’” (John 17:1-5, ESV).

            In Jesus’ “High Priestly Prayer,” He acknowledges that He is a minister, having been given work by God the Father, which He had accomplished, and now was looking forward to the day when He would return to Heaven and the glory which He had put aside in the Incarnation.

            “in the holy places” Where are the holy places?  Technically, this is referring to the holy of holies – that inner sanctum – of the Temple into which only the high priest would go once a year on Yom Kippur to make atonement for the sins of the people.  The obvious problem is that there is no Temple – there is no holy of holies, so what is this referring to?

            We may remember that the massive curtain which went from floor to ceiling and separated the holy of holies from the rest of the Temple was torn apart as Jesus was crucified:  “And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom” (Mark 15:38, ESV).  This meant there was no more separation of God from His people.  There was no going through a priest to find atonement in God.  “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,” (1 Timothy 2:5, ESV).

            So, “the holy places” are in the presence of God where Jesus mediates for us before the Father.  This is a work which Jesus does constantly on our behalf, and it points forward to the heavenly Kingdom, when all of God’s people will be received on behalf of the work that Jesus did and continues to do on our behalf.

            “in the true tent” What tent is Jesus in?  The Tabernacle in the Wilderness was a tent, but that is long gone.  Peter asked about building Jesus a tent on the Mount of Transfiguration, but God told him not to.  What “tent” is this? 

Usually the word “tent” refers to a structure or dwelling place like the ones just mentioned, but Paul also uses the word ”tent” to refer to something else, as we see in his second letter to the Corinthians:  “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee” (2 Corinthians 5:1-5, ESV).

Here, we see that Paul is not referring to a building, but to our bodies.  The word “tent” can refer to our physical bodies, and that is the way the author of Hebrews is using it in this text:  Jesus, the Incarnate Son, is carrying out His Ministry in Heaven in His risen and physical body.  Jesus’ physical body is in Heaven where God the Triune Spirit has lived from before the Creation.

Now, someone may question that and ask, “Didn’t you say that the Temple in the Kingdom is Jesus?”  And it is true that John tells us of his vision of the Kingdom, “And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb” (Revelation 21:22, ESV).  However, that does not mean that Jesus will become a building made out of rocks and metal or what have you in the Kingdom.  What it means is that that place of God will be with all those who believe – there will be no separation or levels to navigate to be in the presence of God.  As John also tell us, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God” (Revelation 21:3, ESV).

Still, we have further confirmation of this in the final phrase of verse two:  “that the Lord set up, not man.”  What “tent” was set up by God and not by man?  In our context, there can only be one:  “And the angel answered [Mary], ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God’” (Luke 1:35, ESV).  The normal process of human generation was not involved in the creating of the Child, Jesus, in Mary’s womb.  God, Himself, caused Mary to bear the Incarnate God in the “tent” – the body – that God created through Mary.

So, what is the author of Hebrews telling us in this summary statement?

Jesus, the Incarnate Son of God, Who is in Heaven, in His glorified physical human body, Who is a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek and the Perfect and Final Sacrifice for His people, is Sovereignly reigning, and mediating between His people and God the Father.

Did you get that?

Jesus, the Incarnate Son of God, Who is in Heaven, in His glorified physical human body, Who is a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek and the Perfect and Final Sacrifice for His people, is Sovereignly reigning, and mediating between His people and God the Father.

That’s everything we have looked at so far this morning.  We should find assurance in knowing this.  If God is the One Who is our High Priest and our Sacrifice and our Mediator and He has been received and glorified back into Heaven, in His real physical human body, we should find that great hope that we are saved in Jesus and we will be raised in our physical bodies to live eternally with Him.

Now the author of Hebrews continues with some additional information:

“For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer.”

If Jesus, the Incarnate Son of God, is our High Priest – and He was so on earth as well as in Heaven – while He was on earth, He would have to offer gifts and sacrifices.

That makes sense, doesn’t it?  It’s like saying if you’re a minister, you have to preach sermons.  If you’re a realtor, you have to sell houses.  If you’re a surgeon, you have to operate.  And so forth. 

If Jesus never offered a sacrifice, His being a high priest would be in question.  Similarly, if a piano player never played the piano, we might wonder.  If a baker never baked, we would wonder.  If a pilot never flew a plane, we might wonder.  And so forth.

So, if Jesus is our High Priest, He would have to offer gifts and sacrifices.

But there’s a problem:

“Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law.”

Under the Law, Jesus does not qualify to be a high priest.

Why not?  After Aaron’s family, who did God chose to be the priests of Israel?  “At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD to stand before the LORD to minister to him and to bless in his name, to this day” (Deuteronomy 10:8, ESV).  According to the Mosaic Law – the Law of Moses – only the descendants of Levi may serve as high priest.

What tribe was Jesus a descendant of?  “And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel” (Matthew 2:6, ESV).  Jesus was a descendant of Judah.  Under the Law, only descendants of Levi could serve as High Priest.  So, according to the Law, Jesus could not serve as High Priest.

So, we are at a point where we could realize that Christianity is wrong.  We could just throw in the towel and go home, as it were – after coffee hour, of course.  We can’t say, “Just forget the Law,” as some of us may be thinking, because God gave the Law.  So, what are we to do?

“They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, ‘See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.’”

Do you remember we began today by talking about the difference between a picture and the real thing?  When Moses went up on the mountain and God gave him the instructions – the Law – about how to build the Tabernacle and the Temple and all the implements in them and what the priests were to do on the holidays, etc., God told Moses, “And see that you make them after the pattern for them, which is being shown you on the mountain” (Exodus 25:40, ESV).  The Ceremonial and Judicial Law and especially the Sacrificial Law, though they were real in themselves, were also patterns – types – shadows – of Jesus and what He would do.  The Old Testament Law, and especially the sacrifices looked forward to Jesus – they were preparatory for Jesus.

For example:  If your husband or wife or girlfriend or boyfriend gave you a birthday card, and in the birthday card there was a picture of your favorite car, though the picture is real, you would understand it to symbolize something else.  You would understand that the picture was given to you for you to look forward to the “real thing.”

If someone were to give me a card with a picture of Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae, a twenty-one volume commentary on the whole Bible, which I would love to have in print books, and which is next to impossible to find, I would understand that I was not just receiving the picture, but the actual set of books.

So the Sacrificial Laws – the Ceremonial and Judicial Laws – served as a copy and a shadow of heavenly things – they were given – ultimately – to point us to Jesus, High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, and the One Perfect and Final Sacrifice.  So, God ordained the Law to prefigure Jesus – they were to point us forward – they were patterns of the heavenly reality.

“But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.”

The author of Hebrews argues that the covenant of Jesus is “much more excellent” than the covenant of Moses – why?  John Owen explains that the Mosaic Covenant and the Gospel of Jesus are not really two different covenants, but two different administrations of the same covenant [Owen, Hebrews, vol. 6, 70].  Since the Mosaic Covenant is “a copy and a shadow” of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they are the same. 

For example, if I had a picture of Carlos’ Mercedes and I asked you what it was, you would say, “Carlos’ Mercedes.”  And if I were to take you outside and point to the car, you would say it was “Carlos’ Mercedes.”  Similarly, both the Mosaic Covenant and Jesus’ Gospel have an obligation to holiness and fruitfulness and a hatred and repentance of sin.  The difference between the two is that in the Mosaic Covenant, the Savior was unknown, but in Jesus’ Gospel, the Savior is known.

So, why is Jesus’ Gospel “much more excellent” than the Mosaic Covenant?   Because we do not have the shadow of a Savior Who is to come, but we have the reality of Jesus Who has come.  Specifically, the Mosaic Covenant had the sacrifice of animals by sinful humans, whereas Jesus’ Gospel has the sacrifice of Jesus – as the Perfect and Final Sacrifice – by Jesus, the Holy High Priest after the order of Melchizedek.  The Mosaic Covenant is endless without the Savior coming.  Jesus’ Gospel is once for all who will ever believe – final and finished – no more sacrifices need ever be offered.

Paul puts it this way:  “Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses' face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory” (2 Corinthians 3:7-11, ESV).

In other words, if Moses’ face shone with glory after receiving the Law with its shadows, how much more will the Gospel shine through Jesus and His Gospel and the ministry of God the Holy Spirit in those who believe?  The glory is the same glory, but in the Mosaic Covenant, the glory was largely hidden, whereas in the Gospel of Jesus, it is largely revealed.

It is as though you have a lamp and you put a bucket over it – light is still shining out, but it is very difficult to see.  Whereas, if you put a lamp shade over the lamp, you will see much more of the light.  The light is the same – the Covenant is the same – but the way in which it is mediated is different.

But why are the promises of Jesus’ Gospel “much more excellent” than the Mosaic Covenant?  Although the promise of the Savior is the same in both and the way of faith alone is the same in both, Jesus’ Gospel is better because we know Who Jesus is and what He did in history to save His people.  The promises are essentially the same, but the Gospel is better, because it is the fulfillment of the promise.

We end our reading this morning with the author of Hebrews writing, “For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.”  If, as we said, the Covenant is the same, just revealed – mediated – differently, how can we say the Covenant is has a fault?

In this way:  the first Covenant – the Mosaic Covenant – had a flaw – it could be used for an end for which it was not designed.  What does that mean?  The Mosaic Covenant was designed to point people to the Savior.  It called people to holiness and fruitful living and to turning away from and repenting of sin, but the hope of the Mosaic Covent was the Savior Who was to come – Who would fulfill the Law.  But – here is the flaw – people tried to merit salvation by keeping the Law – something the Law was never intended to do.

What we see this morning is that the Old Testament Law – and specifically the Sacrificial Law – was given to prompt people to holy living, fruit-bearing, repentance and hatred of sin, and to point them forward to Jesus, the Incarnate Son of God, the Promised Savior, Who fulfills the Law, as Holy High Priest and Sacrifice for His People, and now sits, glorified in His human body, risen, ascended, at the Right Hand of God, interceding for we who believe, until the end of the age. 

The Old Testament Law was never meant to be a way to earn salvation.  Salvation is the free gift of God through Jesus Christ.

Let us pray:

Almighty God, we thank You for giving the Law, that all who read it would see the shadows of the Savior.  We thank You for opening the eyes of those who have believed, so we were able to see past the shadows to the real Savior, Himself.  Help us to continue to understand better what Jesus did and what He is doing now and what a great salvation this is.  Help us not to disregard the Mosaic Law, but look to it all the more to see how You pointed to Jesus through symbols and patterns that those who read it and encounter Him would know Him for Who He is.  And we pray these things in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Puritan Wisdom

 “And there are three parts of this steadfastness of the mind: -- First, A full purpose of cleaving to God in all things; secondly, A daily renovation and quickening of the heart unto a discharge of this purpose; thirdly; Resolutions against all dalliances or parleys about negligence sub that discharge; -- which are not here to be spoken unto.” – John Owen, The Nature and Power…of…Indwelling Sin…, in The Works of John Owen, Volume 6:  Temptation and Sin, 232.

Puritan Wisdom

 “It is with indwelling sin as with a river.  Whilst the springs and fountains of it are open, and waters are continually supplied unto its streams, set a dam before it, and causeth it to rise and swell until it bear down all or overflowed the banks about it. Let these waters be abated, dried up in some good measure in the springs of them, and the remainder may be coerced and restrained. But still, as long as there is any running water, it will constantly press upon what stands before it, according to its weight and strength, because it is its nature so to do; and if, by any means it makes a passage, it will proceed. So it is with indwelling sin; whilst the springs and fountains of yet are open, in the vein is it for men to set a dam before it by their convictions, resolutions, vows, and promises. They may check it for a while, but it will increase, rise high, and rage, at one time or another, until it bears down all those convictions and resolutions, or makes itself an under-ground passage by some secret lust, that shall give a full vent unto it. But now, suppose that the springs of it are much dried up by regenerating grace, the streams or actings of it abated by holiness, yet whilst any thing remains of it, it will be pressing constantly to have vent, to press forward into actual sin; and this is its lusting.”– John Owen, The Nature and Power…of…Indwelling Sin…, in The Works of John Owen, Volume 6:  Temptation and Sin, 191.

Puritan Wisdom

“My meaning is:  Whatever good, as the apostle speaks, we have to do, and find evil present with us (as we shall find it present), prevent its parleying with the soul, its insinuating of poison into the mind and affections, by a vigorous, holy, violent stirring up of the grace or graces that are to be acted and set at work peculiarly in that duty.” – John Owen, The Nature and Power…of…Indwelling Sin…, in The Works of John Owen, Volume 6:  Temptation and Sin, 186.

Puritan Wisdom

"Some ministers of meaner gifts and parts are more successful than some that are far above them in their abilities; not because they preach better, so much as because they pray more.  Many good sermons are lost for lack of much prayer in study" -- Robert Traill, Works, 1:246.

Tuesday Night Study

There is NO study this evening.  D.V., next week we will begin a study of the doctrine of Hell, using Robert Petersen's book, Hell on Trial.  Join us at 7 PM on April 9th!

April Sermons

D.V., I will preach the following this month:

4/7/13 
 Hebrews 8:1-7  “Real is Better”
 
4/14/13

 Hebrews 8:8-13  “A New Covenant”

4/21/13

 Hebrews 9:1-10  “The First Covenant’s Failure”

4/28/13

 Hebrews 9:11-14  “A Better Tent”

Join us at 10:30 AM.

"Are You Looking for the Living or the Dead?" Sermon: Luke 24:1-12

“Are You Looking for the Living or the Dead?”

[Luke 24:1-12]

March 31, 2013 Second Reformed Church

            Jesus had to be buried quickly.  (Jews understand days as going from sunset to sunset, not sunrise to sunrise, like Westerners do.)  The sun was setting.  It was Friday night.  Jesus would have to remain in the grave until Sunday when they could fully prepare Him for burial.  They took Him to Joseph’s grave – generously donated – and they lay Him in it.

            The Sanhedrin – the ruling Jews – were concerned that Jesus’ body would be stolen – there was a rumor going around that Jesus would rise from the dead.  They were not going to allow any to believe that nonsense.  They asked Pilate to have a stone rolled in front of the grave and have wax poured on it to seal it and to have him press his ring into the wax, so it would be a crime to break the seal.  And they asked Pilate for a guard to be placed at the tomb.  Pilate acquiesced:  the stone was rolled in place, wax sealed the stone, his ring marked the wax, and he posted a minimum of sixteen centurions – possibly many more – to guard the tomb.

            They kept the Sabbath, and while the apostles were hiding, Mary, Mary Magdalene, Salome, Joanna, and a number of other women made their way to Jesus’ tomb to finish the embalming preparations – it was early morning of the first day of the week – Sunday.  They carried with them the spices they had prepared to anoint Jesus’ body.

            When they arrived at the tomb, Pilate’s seal was broken, the stone was rolled up and out of the way, and the centurions were either gone or lying on the ground – passed out.  So they went into the tomb and looked around.  They found the burial clothes, but the body of the Lord Jesus was gone.

            They began to discuss what could have happened – who could have moved the stone – who could have removed the guards – who could have taken Jesus’ body.  They just wanted to anoint His body for burial – so He would be buried appropriately.  Jesus was dead.  Mary’s Son was dead.  Their rabbi was dead.  Their Savior was dead.  Why had someone taken His body?

            Suddenly, two men appeared – they were angels in human form – and their clothes were blindingly white.  So the women fell on their faces, being frightened – and they waited for what would happen.

            And the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”

            Today is Easter Sunday – why are you here?  We ought to ask ourselves that every Sunday when we come to worship, but, especially today, as we emphasize the historical event of the first Easter – early that first Easter Sunday morning.

            This is Resurrection Sunday – that is, it is socially acceptable to believe in the resurrection whatever you personally chose to believe that means day as long as you don’t offend anyone and especially not me.

“Why do you seek the living among the dead?”

What happened to Jesus’ body?  Does it matter?

“No, what matters is that we remember that Jesus is one of many great teachers who leads us to everlasting peace.”

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6, ESV).

“I and the Father are one” (John 10:30, ESV).

“What really matters is that we live out the spirit of love of Jesus and follow His moral teaching.”

Jesus said, “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.

“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation” (Matthew 23:13-36, ESV).

 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell” (Matthew 5:27-30, ESV).

This kind of thinking is looking for the living among the dead – it makes no sense.  We can’t say Jesus was one of many great teachers Who leads to everlasting peace, because He said He is the Only Way to God.  And we can’t just say Jesus was a loving teacher and to follow His moral teachings, because Jesus had some very harsh things to say.  And I would hope none of us would give our children or grandchildren a knife and tell them, “Have a good day, honey, and remember, if anything causes you to sin, cut it off.”

“Why do you seek the living among the dead?”

If you’re looking for some kind of truth or great way of living from Jesus, but believe that Jesus is dead – just give it up.  It doesn’t work.  What Jesus did and said is meaningless if He is dead – no, it’s worse than meaningless – it is a lie.

Paul explains this to the Corinthians – some of whom were saying there was no resurrection from the dead – they were looking for the living among the dead – they were trying to make something of Jesus, but deny the resurrection.

“Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:12-19, ESV).

Do you get Paul’s argument?

If you are preaching that Jesus is risen from the dead, how can you say there is no resurrection from the dead?

If there is no resurrection from the dead, then Jesus didn’t rise from the dead.

If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, our preaching has no value.

Worse – if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, our faith has no value.

Even worse – if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, we have been lying about God.

And we are still dead in our sins, damned, and of all people most to be pitied.

That’s what you’re left with if you have been seeking the living among the dead – if you have been satisfied with something less than a physically risen Jesus – if you have looked to Christianity to be about being a good and loving person.  If that’s where you are, you are stuck in the tomb and there is no way out – because the living do not abide with the dead.

The angels said, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”  That could only mean one thing – Jesus is alive.  And so you don’t get confused and think, “Well, good thing they came back, they almost buried a live man – Jesus must have just fainted from being tortured and crucified – happens all the time.”  No!  The angels said, “He is not here, but has risen.”  Jesus was dead, but now He is alive.  Jesus did die on the cross, but a resurrection occurred, and Jesus is alive again – that’s why He’s not in the tomb.

So we go back to Paul’s argument:

If you are preaching that Jesus is risen from the dead, we must believe that there is a resurrection from the dead.

If there is a resurrection from the dead, then Jesus did rise from the dead.

If Jesus did rise from the dead, our preaching is of great value.

Better – if Jesus did rise from the dead, our faith has great value.

Even better – if Jesus did rise from the dead, we have been telling the truth about God.

And we are alive – having been forgiven of sins and of all people most to be joy-filled.

Are you seeking the living among the dead?  Or are you seeking life among the living?

The very reason we gather together – every Sunday to worship – not just Easter – is because Jesus was stone cold dead and He stood up – resurrected – alive – and walked out of the tomb.  If that is not true, then this is all bad for you.  But if it’s true, then this is the greatest news there is – and this news – the Gospel – is what the Church should be about.  Whatever else we may do, we are to be about reading the Bible, teaching the Bible, and preaching the Bible.  Where is your Bible this morning?  Did you have to dust it off?  What was the last thing you read in it?

The women had gone to look for a dead man, but He wasn’t there.  The angels told them that Jesus was alive – look for Him among the living!  “Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”

Multiple times, Jesus told His disciples that this was the way He would bring salvation:

“Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, ‘Who do the crowds say that I am?’ And they answered, ‘John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.’ Then he said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ And Peter answered, ‘The Christ of God.’

“And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, ‘The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised’” (Luke 9:18-22, ESV).

“For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation” (Luke 17:24-25, ESV).

“And he said to them, ‘I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer’” (Luke 22:15, ESV).

“Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” (Luke 24:26, ESV).

“Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem’” (Luke 24:45-47, ESV).

“And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.”

The women return to the apostles and all the other men who were hiding, but they didn’t believe them – they were still looking for the dead – they thought the living – Jesus – should be with the dead.  They still did not understand what Jesus said about this being absolutely necessary for salvation:  if the Incarnate God did not suffer and die for the sins of everyone who would ever believe, we could not be forgiven.  And if the Incarnate God did not physically rise from the dead in His body, then we would not have His righteousness – His perfect keeping of the Law – credited to our accounts, and the whole of His Work would not be proven victorious.  If Jesus remained dead in the ground – at best, His Work would be half done.

But Jesus did physically rise from the dead in His body – the angels told the women, and the women told the men who were hiding, but they didn’t believe them, because they were women.

What excuses have you heard not to believe?  How many people have you told that the Living is not among the dead, only to have them laugh in your face?  Tell them again.  If you believe that Jesus has risen, tell them again.

And if you are the one who doesn’t believe, have you considered them evidence?  Where is His body?  The tomb was well-guarded; His body wasn’t stolen.  He stood up – alive – and walked out of the tomb.

“Why do you seek the living among the dead?”

“But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.”

Are you marveling this morning?  If you are not, I charge you to seriously consider why not, and to consider if you believe that Jesus is not among the dead, but among the living.

Let us pray:

Almighty God, it is sometimes difficult for us to believe that the dead can rise from the dead in their bodies.  Help us to believe and to see that our whole faith and hope is based on the Resurrection.  Keep us from believing that Jesus is dead and from believing that following His teachings is enough.  Show us how that does not make sense at all.  Help us to open our mouths and be prepared with words to say the Jesus is risen in His body, and therein lies the truth of what we believe.  For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

"The Judgment of Pilate" Sermon: John 18:33-19:16a

“The Judgment of Pilate”

[John 18:33-19:16a]

March 29, 2013 Second Reformed Church

            What do we know about Pontius Pilate?  The answer is – surprisingly little.

            We know nothing of his early years.  He was appointed to be prefect – governor – of Judea by Tiberius Caesar in 26 A.D.  Historians indicate that Pilate went out of his way to offend Jewish customs and religion, and many historians say he had a vindictive and furious temper.

            Pilate is best known for crucifying a Jewish rabbi somewhere between 30 and 33 A.D. – which is what our text concerns tonight.

            Second to this event was Pilate’s reaction to a large group of armed Samaritans climbing Mount Gerizim to view relics of Moses.  It is not at all clear as to whether Pilate set them up, or whether someone else set them up, or whether the Samaritans just believed such relics existed there.  But Pilate chose to marshal his forces and slaughter them in a preventative strike.  This event was so anger-provoking, that Pilate was recalled to Rome by Tiberius in 36 A.D.  What happened to him after that is unknown.

            What is better known is the job description of a Roman governor of an occupied land – like Israel.  Pilate had two jobs:  he was to handle judicial matters – for which he was judge and jury, and he was to collect taxes for Rome.

            After Jesus was betrayed by Judas and turned over to the Sanhedrin – the ruling Pharisees and Sadducees – they sought a way to get rid of Him – permanently.  However, under Roman occupation, they were not allowed to enforce the law by capital punishment – they had to go to the Romans if they wanted to have someone put to death.  The problem with Jesus was they wanted to put Him to death for blasphemy – for claiming He was God – and the Romans wouldn’t have cared about that charge – they had to come up with something else.  And so they came up with charges of trying to overthrow the government and dissuade people from paying their taxes.  Those charges would get the attention of Rome.  And so, they delivered Jesus to Pilate to be judged.

            “So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ Jesus answered, ‘Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?’ Pilate answered, ‘Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?’ Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.’ Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.’ Pilate said to him, ‘What is truth?’

            “After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, ‘I find no guilt in him.’”

            Pilate’s job, once charges had been made, was to investigate the charge and rule on it.  And so, Pilate began his interrogation by asking Jesus if He was the King of the Jews.  Pilate asked Jesus if it was His intention to overthrow the government.  And Jesus asked him what evidence he had against Him.  To which Pilate effectively answered, “It’s your own people who have brought You here and charged You.  Tell me what You have done wrong?”  Pilate demands that Jesus defend Himself, because Roman law was “guilty until proven innocent.”

            Jesus told Pilate that He was a king, but a king of another world.  If He was king of this world or wanted to be king of this world, He supporters would have taken up arms to free Him.  And Pilate questions Him again, “So You are a king?”  And Jesus tells him, yes, He is a king.  And the purpose of His birth was to bear witness to the truth – everyone who believes in the truth follows Him.  And then we have one of the most famous lines of the Bible, “What is truth?”

            How did Pilate ask the question?  Was he sincerely asking Jesus for an answer?  Was he wistfully wishing there were such a thing?  Or was he responding with sarcasm – or dismissing Jesus and His claim of the truth?  We don’t know.  It seems more likely, given what little we know about Pilate that he was responding in the latter way:  What is truth?

            Pilate had enough.  Jesus claimed to be the king of another planet Who knew the truth – hardly an offense to Rome.  Pilate came out before the crowd and gave his judgment:  “I find no guilt in Him.”

            Pilate’s judgment was “not guilty.”

            Even so, Pilate was not a fool – he had the religious leaders stirring up the crowd that something would happen, and he thought of a way to appease them:

“‘But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?’ They cried out again, ‘Not this man, but Barabbas!’ Now Barabbas was a robber.’”

Luke tells us more:  Barabbas was a robber, yes, but he was also a mass murderer – Barabbas was a terrorist.  R. C. Sproul points out that Pilate was trying to set this choice up so Jesus would be set free.  It was as if Pilate offered us, today, the choice of the release of Osama Bin Laden or Jesus.  The answer was easy – no one would choose a terrorist over Jesus – no matter what problems you may have had with Him, right?

The people chose to free Barabbas – the terrorist – and not Jesus.  Pilate must have been stunned.  Perhaps, he thought, “they are so mad at Jesus that they want to see some blood spilt – so I will flog Him.” 

A point of Roman law:  it was illegal to flog someone until he had been found guilty.

Flogging was done with a whip with many tails – and there were three different types of whips, but the historians of the day describe this as the most severe whip – based on what they saw and what it did.  The whips had numerous tails, and those tails were embedded with pieces of glass and metal and sharp rocks.  Jesus was whipped the maximum number of times by law – thirty-nine lashes – and the historians of the day report that by the time they finished, there was not a spot on Jesus’ body that was not torn, bruised, or bloodied.

And Pilate allowed the soldiers to humiliate Him:  he allowed them – after the flogging – to make a crown of thorns and press it down into His head.  These were not the little thorns like the thorns on our little crown.  Scholars differ, but say the thorns were somewhere between three and twelve inches long – depending on what plant they took them from.  The crown would not have been placed on His head, but pushed and beaten down on His head, so the thorns would tear into Him.

And they continued by dressing Him in a purple robe – mocking Him as King.  Mockingly calling to Him, and punching Him in the face.

            “Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. They came up to him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ and struck him with their hands. Pilate went out again and said to them, ‘See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.’ So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, ‘Behold the man!’”

            Pilate brought the bloodied, beaten, mocked Jesus out before the crowd again.  Surely, He was more dead than alive after being up all night, being flogged to the fullest extent of the law, having a crown of thorns beaten into His brow, and having the soldiers mock Him and beat Him.

            And Pilate announced for a second time, “I find no guilt in Him.”

            And Pilate spoke another famous line, “Behold the man!”  “Look at Him.  He has been beaten almost to death.  He has been mocked.  He is nothing.  He is nothing to fear.  Why do you let Him upset You?  What danger could He be to you?  Look at Him now.”

The judgment of Pilate was that Jesus was “not guilty.”

But the crowd would have none of it:

“When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, ‘Crucify him, crucify him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.’”

Incredulously, the Jews still clamored for Jesus to be crucified.  So out of frustration and disgust, Pilate told them to take Jesus and crucify Him themselves – he would have nothing to do with it.  But he knew that they couldn’t do that – it was against the law.

Still, Pilate announced for a third time, “I find no guilt in Him.”

The judgment of Pilate was that Jesus was “not guilty.”

 “The Jews answered him, ‘We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.’”

The Jews finally admitted why they had brought Jesus to Pilate.  Jesus claimed to be God – and they would not tolerate Him as God.  Without examining a whit of evidence, they had condemned Jesus as a blasphemer, and they wanted Him put to death as a blasphemer – He had claimed to be God!

 “When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid.”

Why was Pilate afraid?  It could be that he was getting more concerning about the volatility of the crowd, but considering what Pilate does, Calvin and R.C. Sproul suggest that Pilate had just become afraid of Jesus.

The Romans believed that gods came to earth from time to time and took part and interfered in our history – so it was possible that Jesus really was a god – and if Jesus was a god, and the Jews were clamoring for Pilate to crucify Him – that could result in all kinds of horrible things for Pilate’s future.  He was afraid of committing sacrilege.  He probably also thought about what he had already done – if Jesus was a god, and he had had Him scourged and beaten, how might He take revenge on Pilate?

“He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, ‘Where are you from?’ But Jesus gave him no answer.”

“Jesus – where are You from?  Are you a god?  Or are You a mere man?”  To Pilate’s extreme frustration, Jesus said nothing.

“So Pilate said to him, ‘You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?’ Jesus answered him, ‘You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.’”

So Pilate lost it with Jesus:  “Jesus.  Whoever or whatever You are – don’t You understand, I am Your only hope.  I am judge and jury.  If You would just reveal Yourself to me – give me some argument that I can use against the crowd, I will let You go, but if You don’t, I will have to send You to be crucified.  Don’t You understand, Your life is in my hands?”

Jesus responded, “The only reason My life is in your hands is that you have been given the authority to pass judgment on Me here.  The only reason you have authority over Me is because God gave you the authority – you were chosen for this very purpose.  Although the rest of your life will be all but forgotten, everyone on earth will know that I “suffer under Pontius Pilate” – you will be remembered forever for what occurred here today.   Yet, the ones who brought me to you committed the greater sin.”

Pilate was scared all the more.  He wanted nothing more to do with Jesus.  Whoever or whatever He was – Pilate just wanted Him out of his court.

            “From then on Pilate sought to release him,”

            From then on – and we don’t know how long he argued with the religious leaders and the crowd, but Pilate kept arguing with them, that he found no guilt in Jesus.  His ruling, according to his position as governor, was that Jesus was “not guilty.”  What else could he do?  What else did they want for which he could let Jesus go and not be haunted by Him?

“but the Jews cried out, ‘If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.’ So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour.”

The Jews pulled out their “ace” – they told Pilate that if he did not crucify Jesus, he was not a “friend of Caesar.”  The expression “friend of Caesar” indicated that you were loyal to Caesar.  If you were found not to be a “friend of Caesar,” you were found to be a traitor – it was an actionable crime.  If Pilate did not crucify Jesus, they would inform Caesar that Pilate was a traitor to Rome – they would have argued that Pilate freed a terrorist – someone who sought to overthrown the crown – someone who sought to be king instead of Caesar.  It would have likely meant Pilate’s own crucifixion.

Pilate had nothing left.  He brought Jesus forward, and Pilate crumpled down in the judgment seat.

 “He said to the Jews, ‘Behold your King!’ They cried out, ‘Away with him, away with him, crucify him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but Caesar.’”

Pilate was disgusted with the Jews – disgusted with the situation he was in – so he now mocked the Jews – he spoke with irony. “Behold you King!”  Pilate sat in the judgment seat as he would to deliver his verdict, and he cast dispersions on the Jews:  “You brought this Man to me because He does not suit your interpretation of your religion.  You brought Him to me because you wanted Him dead, not because the charge merited Roman justice.  So, here He is – for you – your King!”  Pilate didn’t know how true his words were:  Jesus is indeed King of the Jews, King of the Gentiles, King of heaven and earth.

And Pilate asked them one last time – after fighting to declare Jesus “not guilty” and set Him free – “Shall I crucify your king?”

And the chief priests answered with the most pathetic and damning answer, “We have no king but Caesar.”

Calvin comments, “This is a display of shocking madness, that the priests, who ought to have been well acquainted with the Law, reject Christ, in whom the salvation of the people was wholly contained, on whom all the promises depended, and on whom the whole of their religion was founded; and, indeed, by rejecting Christ, they deprive themselves of the grace of God and of every blessing. We see, then, what insanity had seized them. Let us suppose that Jesus Christ was not the Christ; still they have no excuse for acknowledging no other king but Caesar. For, first, they revolt from the spiritual kingdom of God; and, secondly, they prefer the tyranny of the Roman Empire, which they greatly abhorred, to a just government, such as God had promised to them. Thus wicked men, in order to fly from Christ, not only deprive themselves of eternal life, but draw down on their heads every kind of miseries. On the other hand, the sole happiness of the godly is, to be subject to the royal authority of Christ, whether, according to the flesh, they are placed under a just and lawful government, under the oppression of tyrants” [Calvin’s Commentaries].

 So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.

            How shall we judge Pilate?  Did he do enough?  Did he judge fairly?  Did he judge well?  Did he consider the facts of the matter?  How might he fair on the Day of Judgment?  Would you have done better on the judgment seat?

            How do you answer, this evening, to the cry, “Behold your King!”?

            Do you reject Him in the hopes of someone else?

            Do you reject Him for a human king or government?

            Or do you submit yourself – and all that your are – to His Sovereign Rule – knowing that there is no better place to be, and He Alone makes you right with God through His Work on earth?

            Let us pray:

            Almighty God, You sent Your Son to be the Way back to You for all those who would believe.  As we look at what He endured at the hands of sinful men, we are horrified and agape and we wonder how this could happen.  Yet, Your Word tells us that we were all the same, so we know we would have reacted the same way.  Help us to live holy lives now and submit to Jesus as our King.  For it is in Jesus’’ Name we pray, Amen.