What Happened on the Cross?
Sabbath School Class—Life as Discovery and Hope
December 6, 2008Larry R Evans
Introductory Reflections
What happened on the cross? This question has been answered by several in many different ways. In 2004 the epic film, The Passion of the Christ, directed by actor Mel Gibson graphically chronicled the last twelve hours of Jesus’ life on earth. When asked why he wanted to tackle Christ's story, Gibson's response was heartfelt. "I wanted to make one that was as realistic as possible; I wanted the audience to feel like they were really there, witnessing the events as they had actually happened," he said in a telephone interview. The film is rated “R” for its graphic violence. We are left with the question, “To understand the suffering of Christ should the emphasis be on the physical? If the violence were not shown would we better understand the agony of Jesus or would we understand it less? Did Jesus suffer and if so why and how? This will be part of our study this week.
Questions for Reflection
1. Jesus suffered great anguish before Calvary. True (Mk 14:33,34)
It is possible to limit our understanding of Jesus’ suffering solely to own our past experiences but, if we do, it would seriously limit what He was actually going through. Jesus never sinned. He was not calloused by 6,000 years of sin. Sin was oppressive to Him because sin was separating Him from His Father. Consider this as we read Mark’s account of Gethsemane. Indeed Jesus suffered nearly to the point of death long before He ever was nailed to the cross.
Mark 14:32-36
32 They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." 33 He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34 "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," he said to them. "Stay here and keep watch."
35 Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36 "Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." (NIV)
2. When Jesus asked that the cup be taken from Him, it signaled He was no longer thirsty and that He was ready to carry out the Father’s plan. False (Matt 26: 36-42)
To get at this question we must ask two other questions: What is the cup and what kind of thirst did Jesus have?
Jer 25:12-16
12 "But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians, for their guilt," declares the LORD, "and will make it desolate forever. 13 I will bring upon that land all the things I have spoken against it, all that are written in this book and prophesied by Jeremiah against all the nations. 14 They themselves will be enslaved by many nations and great kings; I will repay them according to their deeds and the work of their hands."
15 This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: "Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. 16 When they drink it, they will stagger and go mad because of the sword I will send among them." (NIV)
Clearly the Old Testament uses the term “cup” to refer to the judgment of God upon the guilt incurred from sinful works. Associated with this is the deep thirst which Jesus was experiencing even prior to the time He was hanging on the cross although it was while He was on the cross that He said He was thirsty. Jesus longed for communion with His Father but the weight of sin began crushing and separating Him from His Father. Soon after expressing this deep spiritual hunger, Jesus died.
John 19:28-30
28 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
(NIV)
3. It was God who delivered Christ over to death for our sins. True (Rom 8:32; Gen 22:16; Gal 2:20)
What insights do we gain from the experience of Abraham and Isaac?
Gen 22:13-16
13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."
15 The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, (NIV)
Rom 8:31-32
31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all-how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
(NIV)
4. It is possible to have been delivered from the power of darkness and not know it. True (Col 1:13,14)
Col 1:13-14
13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
(NIV)
The point we wish to make here is simple: A provision has been made for our redemption whether we are aware of it or not. A major thrust of evangelism to share the good news of that provision! We are a people of hope because our hope is built on the gift of God which transcends our bent on sinning.
5. God Himself was crucified with Christ. True (in the sense described below) (Mat 27:46)
Mat 27:46 Around mid-afternoon Jesus groaned out of the depths, crying loudly, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" (Message)
Had God abandoned Jesus or was this statement the consequence of Jesus bearing our sins? Note the interesting parallel in Psalm 22 which must have been in His mind.
Ps 22:1-2
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, and am not silent. (NIV)
Ps 22:19-21
19 But you, O LORD, be not far off;
O my Strength, come quickly to help me.
20 Deliver my life from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.
21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen. (NIV)
This cry is not a cry of giving up on the Father. Despite the anguish of His soul, Christ still addressed the father as “My God!”
Ellen White says “the omnipotent God suffered with His Son.” (The Upward Look, p.223). It would be possible to say “God Himself was crucified with Christ; for Christ was one with the Father.” (EGW in Signs of the Times, March 26, 1894) The oneness of the Godhead meant that the pain was shared as the crushing blow of separation was realized. The temporary exclusion of the Son from the other members of the Godhead meant they felt full intensity of the eternal death of the fallen race.
6. The phrase spoken by Jesus on the cross, “It is finished,” was His way of expressing His resignation/willingness to accept God’s plan for our salvation. False (Jn 19:28-30; 10:18)
False in the sense that Christ’s entire life was lived as a “willingness to accepts God’s plan” for Him and us. The cross was a climax but the question implies that His submission began at the cross, not so! Even as a child He recognized that he “had to be in my Father’s house.” (Lk 2:49) and then with the wilderness temptations He revealed His resolve to be faithful to the Father’s plan. (Matt 4:1-17) Then in John 10:18 He makes it plain that no one takes His life from Him for it is He who surrenders it for the Father.
Reflective Review
Earlier this quarter we were reminded that the “portable” sanctuary was physically situated in the heart of all the different tribes—declaring that God was dwelling among them. Wherever they traveled, God was with them. The sanctuary services taught an extremely important and hopeful message: “Bring your burdens, your temptations and your sins to Me! I will heal your broken hearts, your aimless lives.” This was a message profoundly illustrated for the desert wanderers as they brought their sacrifices. Centuries later we see the fulfillment of the sanctuary service: Jesus hanging on the cross outside of Jerusalem where the vilest of sinners were executed. On Calvary we see the cross of Jesus situated between two thieves symbolically stating to the crowd gazing upon the scene that He was the worst of the worst. It was true. He was for upon Him rested the sins of the world. Generations before, Adam and Eve had been banned from the Garden of Eden because of their sin. Now Jesus was to be crucified outside the gates of Jerusalem (Heb 13:12), the city of peace, and what words do we hear Him say during His darkest hour: “Father forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Lk 23:34) To even the casual observer it becomes obvious that something profound was happening. Something was happening on the cross that exceeded the extreme physical agony so well pictured by Mel Gibson in his epic film. The beatings, the bruisings inflicted by whips and words, do not convey what was happening on the cross. There was indeed a struggle but it was not prompted by the fear of death or even by the torture which He endured. We have a hard time grasping just how terrible being separated from His Father really was for Jesus. His moaning words, “I thirst”, were not for water but for oneness with His Father. (Ps 42:1,2) We must not forget that Jesus offered others springs of water which would well up into eternal life (Jn 4:13,14) but on Calvary His vicariously sin parched soul was cut off from His Father. Jesus was thirsting after the spiritual connection with His Father unlike any thirst we have experienced. The whole Godhead suffered--for oneness had been their eternal experience. The Father, the Holy Spirit and the Son all suffered as the weight of sin crushed out the communion the three had experienced for eternity. The price of our salvation cannot be measured by the blood loss on Calvary. Rather the blood symbolizes not only the life of Jesus but the price the Trinity paid that we might come home to Them. The commitment to our redemption will be the study through the coming ages. How can we possibly refuse such an offer. No wonder Jesus could say,
14:1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” -- John 14:1-3 (NIV)
December 6, 2008Larry R Evans
Introductory Reflections
What happened on the cross? This question has been answered by several in many different ways. In 2004 the epic film, The Passion of the Christ, directed by actor Mel Gibson graphically chronicled the last twelve hours of Jesus’ life on earth. When asked why he wanted to tackle Christ's story, Gibson's response was heartfelt. "I wanted to make one that was as realistic as possible; I wanted the audience to feel like they were really there, witnessing the events as they had actually happened," he said in a telephone interview. The film is rated “R” for its graphic violence. We are left with the question, “To understand the suffering of Christ should the emphasis be on the physical? If the violence were not shown would we better understand the agony of Jesus or would we understand it less? Did Jesus suffer and if so why and how? This will be part of our study this week.
Questions for Reflection
1. Jesus suffered great anguish before Calvary. True (Mk 14:33,34)
It is possible to limit our understanding of Jesus’ suffering solely to own our past experiences but, if we do, it would seriously limit what He was actually going through. Jesus never sinned. He was not calloused by 6,000 years of sin. Sin was oppressive to Him because sin was separating Him from His Father. Consider this as we read Mark’s account of Gethsemane. Indeed Jesus suffered nearly to the point of death long before He ever was nailed to the cross.
Mark 14:32-36
32 They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." 33 He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34 "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," he said to them. "Stay here and keep watch."
35 Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36 "Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." (NIV)
2. When Jesus asked that the cup be taken from Him, it signaled He was no longer thirsty and that He was ready to carry out the Father’s plan. False (Matt 26: 36-42)
To get at this question we must ask two other questions: What is the cup and what kind of thirst did Jesus have?
Jer 25:12-16
12 "But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians, for their guilt," declares the LORD, "and will make it desolate forever. 13 I will bring upon that land all the things I have spoken against it, all that are written in this book and prophesied by Jeremiah against all the nations. 14 They themselves will be enslaved by many nations and great kings; I will repay them according to their deeds and the work of their hands."
15 This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: "Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. 16 When they drink it, they will stagger and go mad because of the sword I will send among them." (NIV)
Clearly the Old Testament uses the term “cup” to refer to the judgment of God upon the guilt incurred from sinful works. Associated with this is the deep thirst which Jesus was experiencing even prior to the time He was hanging on the cross although it was while He was on the cross that He said He was thirsty. Jesus longed for communion with His Father but the weight of sin began crushing and separating Him from His Father. Soon after expressing this deep spiritual hunger, Jesus died.
John 19:28-30
28 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
(NIV)
3. It was God who delivered Christ over to death for our sins. True (Rom 8:32; Gen 22:16; Gal 2:20)
What insights do we gain from the experience of Abraham and Isaac?
Gen 22:13-16
13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."
15 The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, (NIV)
Rom 8:31-32
31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all-how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
(NIV)
4. It is possible to have been delivered from the power of darkness and not know it. True (Col 1:13,14)
Col 1:13-14
13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
(NIV)
The point we wish to make here is simple: A provision has been made for our redemption whether we are aware of it or not. A major thrust of evangelism to share the good news of that provision! We are a people of hope because our hope is built on the gift of God which transcends our bent on sinning.
5. God Himself was crucified with Christ. True (in the sense described below) (Mat 27:46)
Mat 27:46 Around mid-afternoon Jesus groaned out of the depths, crying loudly, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" (Message)
Had God abandoned Jesus or was this statement the consequence of Jesus bearing our sins? Note the interesting parallel in Psalm 22 which must have been in His mind.
Ps 22:1-2
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, and am not silent. (NIV)
Ps 22:19-21
19 But you, O LORD, be not far off;
O my Strength, come quickly to help me.
20 Deliver my life from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.
21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen. (NIV)
This cry is not a cry of giving up on the Father. Despite the anguish of His soul, Christ still addressed the father as “My God!”
Ellen White says “the omnipotent God suffered with His Son.” (The Upward Look, p.223). It would be possible to say “God Himself was crucified with Christ; for Christ was one with the Father.” (EGW in Signs of the Times, March 26, 1894) The oneness of the Godhead meant that the pain was shared as the crushing blow of separation was realized. The temporary exclusion of the Son from the other members of the Godhead meant they felt full intensity of the eternal death of the fallen race.
6. The phrase spoken by Jesus on the cross, “It is finished,” was His way of expressing His resignation/willingness to accept God’s plan for our salvation. False (Jn 19:28-30; 10:18)
False in the sense that Christ’s entire life was lived as a “willingness to accepts God’s plan” for Him and us. The cross was a climax but the question implies that His submission began at the cross, not so! Even as a child He recognized that he “had to be in my Father’s house.” (Lk 2:49) and then with the wilderness temptations He revealed His resolve to be faithful to the Father’s plan. (Matt 4:1-17) Then in John 10:18 He makes it plain that no one takes His life from Him for it is He who surrenders it for the Father.
Reflective Review
Earlier this quarter we were reminded that the “portable” sanctuary was physically situated in the heart of all the different tribes—declaring that God was dwelling among them. Wherever they traveled, God was with them. The sanctuary services taught an extremely important and hopeful message: “Bring your burdens, your temptations and your sins to Me! I will heal your broken hearts, your aimless lives.” This was a message profoundly illustrated for the desert wanderers as they brought their sacrifices. Centuries later we see the fulfillment of the sanctuary service: Jesus hanging on the cross outside of Jerusalem where the vilest of sinners were executed. On Calvary we see the cross of Jesus situated between two thieves symbolically stating to the crowd gazing upon the scene that He was the worst of the worst. It was true. He was for upon Him rested the sins of the world. Generations before, Adam and Eve had been banned from the Garden of Eden because of their sin. Now Jesus was to be crucified outside the gates of Jerusalem (Heb 13:12), the city of peace, and what words do we hear Him say during His darkest hour: “Father forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Lk 23:34) To even the casual observer it becomes obvious that something profound was happening. Something was happening on the cross that exceeded the extreme physical agony so well pictured by Mel Gibson in his epic film. The beatings, the bruisings inflicted by whips and words, do not convey what was happening on the cross. There was indeed a struggle but it was not prompted by the fear of death or even by the torture which He endured. We have a hard time grasping just how terrible being separated from His Father really was for Jesus. His moaning words, “I thirst”, were not for water but for oneness with His Father. (Ps 42:1,2) We must not forget that Jesus offered others springs of water which would well up into eternal life (Jn 4:13,14) but on Calvary His vicariously sin parched soul was cut off from His Father. Jesus was thirsting after the spiritual connection with His Father unlike any thirst we have experienced. The whole Godhead suffered--for oneness had been their eternal experience. The Father, the Holy Spirit and the Son all suffered as the weight of sin crushed out the communion the three had experienced for eternity. The price of our salvation cannot be measured by the blood loss on Calvary. Rather the blood symbolizes not only the life of Jesus but the price the Trinity paid that we might come home to Them. The commitment to our redemption will be the study through the coming ages. How can we possibly refuse such an offer. No wonder Jesus could say,
14:1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” -- John 14:1-3 (NIV)
Comments
So Jesus went through all kinds of trials that we also have to go through, including in this case, God not granting His request to be spared, and Jesus was willing to do the Father's will no matter how painful it would be.
This is the example we should strive to follow.