ATONEMENT FRIDAY 2013

Mr 14:26 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.

• Both before and after the Passover meal, the “Halell” Psalms, 113-118 are read and sung.
• Significantly it is a prophetic Psalm of the Messiah.  Here Jesus was singing about Himself.  "The stone which the builders have refused, the same has become the head cornerstone. This is the work of the Lord; it is marvelous in our eyes.  This is the day that the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Hosanna, Hosanna!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"

27 And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered (Zech 13.7).

• It must be noted tonight that nothing that happened from Gethsemane to Calvary was a coincidence or accident. Every step was ordained by the sovereign, eternal purposes of God.

28 But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee.

• Jesus’ words here promises that He would meet them after He rose again from the dead. He would spend 40 days and nights with them. They would go on to be filled with The Spirit on Pentecost and all except John would go on to be martyred for His Names sake.

29 But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I.

30 And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.

• In Jewish reckoning of time, “cock crow” was the third watch of the night, ending at 3:00 a.m.

31 But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all.

• Jesus’ dialogue with Peter about Satan desiring to sift him like wheat here. Luke 22.31,32. We are reminded here of a lesson that all of us know all too well. And that is the danger of being confident in our own strength apart from the strength of The Spirit.

32 ¶ And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray.

• The word "Gethsemane" means "the olive press."  And the Mount of Olives, is an olive orchard.

33 And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy;

34 And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.

• Sore amazed. Note how keenly Our Lord felt the burden of the world’s sin. He was feeling the weight of being made sin for us who knew no sin. He was feeling the weight of being made a curse for us. He was feeling the weight of absorbing the wrath and penalty of sin.
• May our Lord’s agony over sin cause us to never take any sin lightly. 35 And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
• The hour. The time of His sacrificial death as decreed by God.

36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.

• Not My will, but Thy will be done- That is the standard of Christian behavior. That is the standard of decision making for the Christian.
• Biblical freedom is not about getting to do whatever I want to do. Biblical freedom is found in knowing and doing the will of God. Self will is the surest path to misery. Progressive, daily mortification of our self will is evidence that the grace of God is working in our lives. As long as you are fighting the will of God for your life, you’re destined for defeat. 

37 And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?

38 Watch ye and pray (be on guard, stay alert), lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.

• Spirit is willing, flesh is weak. Every Christian has a double nature, a ready spirit and a weak flesh. A carnal nature that is inclined to evil, and a spiritual nature that is inclined unto good (Gal 5.17). If we do not prayerfully guard our hearts and minds, we will by default fall into the flesh every single time.  

39 And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words.

• Luke records that angels came to minister to Jesus and that He began to sweat great drops of blood. Jesus literally drank the cup at Calvary, but He decided once for all to drink it at Gethsemane. The struggle of the cross was won at the Garden of Gethsemane.

40 And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him.

41 And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

42 Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand.

• Jesus could rise up because He had already knelt down. He could stand up because He already had bowed down. Jesus found strength for this moment because of the time He had spent in prayer.
• Because we see Him the next day bravely facing all of the events of His mock trial, and subsequent passion, we are prone to sometimes to forget the real battle was waged here in Gethsemane.  The reason why He was so strong and brave the next day, was because He already had gained the victory through intimate fellowship with The Father (Heb 5.9).  As always is the case, we gain the victory through prayer. 
• Here was the real victory wrought for you and for me.  Here in the garden was the real battle. Once the victory was accomplished in the garden, the rest was academic. The real battles are wrought in the prayer closets, not on the battle fields.

43 ¶ And immediately, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.

44 And he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; take him, and lead him away safely.

45 And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him, and saith, Master, master; and kissed him.

• A kiss was a sign of special affection among family members and close friends. It was also a sign of a disciples honor and affection for his teacher. Thus, Judas’ kiss is a special act of hypocrisy. The kisses of an enemy are deceitful (Prov 27.6).
• Not once in the Scriptures do we find Judas calling Jesus Lord.

46 And they laid their hands on him, and took him.

47 And one of them that stood by drew a sword, and smote a servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.

• John tells us that the one who wielded the sword here was Peter. Luke records that the soldiers name was Malchus and that Jesus healed him.
• This is the last recorded miracle of Jesus before His crucifixion and look who He chooses to heal!
• What Peter did here in the garden was a capital offence worthy of death; Jesus destroyed the evidence so that Peter could go free!

48 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and with staves to take me?

49 I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took me not: but the scriptures must be fulfilled.

• The scriptures must be fulfilled. All of Bibleprophecy must be fulfilled, and there is nothing that mortal man can do to change it or stop it.

50 And they all forsook him, and fled (just like He said they would).

51 And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him:

52 And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked.

• Tradition tells us that this was John Mark.

53 And they led Jesus away to the high priest: and with him were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes.

• Jesus was tried in two general phases: first, before the religious authorities (the Jewish Sanhedrin), and second, before the secular political authorities (Rome, represented by governor Pontius Pilate).
• There were so many aspects of this “trial” of Jesus that violated Jewish law.

54 And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire.

55 And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none.

56 For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together.

• The law required the testimony of 2 or 3 witnesses.

57 And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying,

58  We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.

59 But neither so did their witness agree together.

• Of course, that is misquoting what Jesus said.  He, at one time, said, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will build it again"; but He wasn’t talking about the temple of stone made by Herod the Great, He was talking about His own body.

60 And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?

61 But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?

• The Blessed One was a common phrase for God.

62 And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

• Right hand of the Power. Jesus’ glorified position is next to the throne of God Cf. Dan 7.13,14; Acts 2:33;  7:55; Heb. 2:9; Rev. 12:5).
• Son of Man. Let the Christ in Whom we believe be not only the Christ Who died for our sin and rose again. But may He also be the Christ Who is coming again in power and great glory.

63 Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses?

64 Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death.

• The Jews could never say after this statement of Jesus that they were not clearly told that Jesus was the Christ. If Israel was unbelieving, it was not because Israel was not told what to believe.

65 And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands.

• For the Jews, to “spit” in another’s face was the grossest, most hateful form of personal insult.

• While they are accusing Jesus of being a false prophet, Peter is in the process of fulfilling the prophesy of Jesus that he would deny him 3 times.

66 ¶ And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the maids of the high priest:

67 And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth.

• Jesus of Nazareth- Their reference to Jesus’ hometown communicates a feeling of contempt.

68 But he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew.

69 And a maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by, This is one of them.

70 And he denied it again. And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilaean, and thy speech agreeth thereto.

71 But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak.

• How powerful is the fear of man? Peter denies that he knows The Lord Who healed His mother in law, that took him up to the Mt of Transfiguration, and that rescued him from drowning in the Sea of Galilee.
• The curses here are not to be understood as being vulgar language. He is invoking curses on himself if he is lying about not knowing Jesus Christ.  The infection of sin remains even in the regenerate. Let him who thinks that he stands, take heed lest he fall.

72 And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept.

MARK 15

1 And straightway in the morning (est.between 4.30 and 5.30 AM) the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate.

• Since blasphemy was by no means a criminal offense among the Romans, the Sanhedrin had sought to find reason to accuse Jesus of rebellion against Rome. Then, His execution could be blamed on the Romans and the leaders could escape potential reprisals from those Jews who admired Jesus.
• Matt 27.3-10 Judas hangs himself somewhere around this point; betraying Jesus is suicide.

2 And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto him, Thou sayest it.

• The only charge Pilate took seriously was that Jesus claimed to be a king, thus making Him guilty of rebellion against Rome.

3 And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing.

• Luke 23.2 tells us that one of the things that they falsely accused Jesus of was his “refusal” to pay tribute to Ceasar.
• Another thing that they falsely accused Jesus of was that He said He would destroy the Herodian temple and in 3 days raise it up.

4 And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee.

5 But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled.

• Jesus opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth (Isaiah 53:7).
• Heb 12:3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
• The first Adam was guilty and tried to excuse himself. The Second Adam was innocent and made no defense at all.

6 Now at that feast (Passover) he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired.

7 And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection.

8 And the multitude crying aloud began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them.

9 But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews?

10 For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy.

• Envy is murderous beloved.

11 But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them.

12 And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews?

• What shall I do with this man?"  That’s something that every one of you have to determine in your own hearts tonight. What are you going to do with Jesus who is called the King of the Jews? You see, you’ve got to do something with Him.  He is a radical and as a radical you cannot be neutral towards Him.

13 And they cried out again, Crucify him.

14 Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him.

• Keep in mind that when Psalm 22 speaks of the piercing of the hands and feet of Jesus Christ,it was written 1,000 years before crucifixion was used by the Romans for capital punishment; the usual death was by stoning.

15 ¶ And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.

• This was a fulfillment of Gen 49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
• Pilate here is the classic crowd pleaser; it was more important to him to be accepted by man than be a follower of Jesus.
• We learn from Josephus and others that the law required that those about to be crucified should first be scourged. With a whip (known as a flagellum) consisting of a wooden handle to which metal-tipped leather thongs were attached. Being scourged with a flagellum was a fearful ordeal, ripping the flesh down to the bone, causing severe bleeding. It was a beating from which prisoners often died.
• What a striking type the release of Barabbas affords of the gospel plan of salvation. The guilty is set free and the innocent is put to death. The great sinner is delivered, and the sinless one remains bound. Barabbas is spared, and Christ is crucified.
• Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Let us ever keep in mind that Jesus is The Son of God, Creator of heaven and earth Who is willingly subjecting Himself to the vile treatment of His very own creation that will one day bow before him and confess Him as Lord.

16 And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band.

• Praetorium. The governor’s official residence in Jerusalem, probably located in the Fortress Antonia complex. Whole band. The Roman cohort, consisting of 600 men

17 And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head,

• The crown of thorns. How significant!  In the book of Genesis when Adam rebelled against God and God began to pronounce the curse upon man and upon woman, He said, "Cursed be the ground; thorns and thistles shall it bring forth;" those thorns were the result of God’s curse against sin.  Here was Jesus ready to bear the curse of sin.  How appropriate that they should crown Him with a crown of thorns!

18 And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews!

19 And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him.

20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him.

21 And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross.

• Condemned prisoners were required to carry the heavy crossbeam of their cross to the execution site. Exhausted from a sleepless night and severely wounded and weakened by His scourging, Jesus was unable to continue. The Roman guards conscripted, Simon, apparently at random, to carry Jesus’ crossbeam the rest of the way.

22 ¶ And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull.

23 And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not.

• Ps 69:21 They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
• This mixture of sour wine mingled with gall and myrrh was intended to dull the sense of pain.

24 And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take.

25 And it was the third hour (9 AM, based on the Jewish reckoning of time), and they crucified him.

• Luke 23.34 tells us that as they are nailing our dear Lord to His cross He prays, Father forgive them for they know not what they do.

26 And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

• The superscription indicated the crime for which the chief priests accused Jesus before Pilate. Because Jesus declared Himself to be king of the Jews, the legal reason for His crucifixion was that He was guilty of treason against the Roman government.
• A comparison of all 4 gospel accounts reveals that the full inscription read THIS IS JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

27 And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left.

28 And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors (Isa 53.12).

29 And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days,

30 Save thyself, and come down from the cross.

31 Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save.

32 Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.

• Luke 23.39-43 tells us that The Holy Spirit touched the heart of one of the thieves.
• Their claim that they would then see and believe was false, since they later refused to believe the even greater miracle of Christ’s resurrection.

33 ¶ And when the sixth hour was come (noon), there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour (3 PM).

• The darkness that Jesus endured on the cross lasted for 3 hours. The darkness for the soul that rejects Christ lasts forever.
• There is no particular phenomenon that you can blame for the darkness.  It could not have been an eclipse of the sun, for this was Passover and it was full moon.  And the sun and the moon were opposite of each other during the Passover or during full moon, so it’s impossible that it could have been an eclipse.  It was as though heaven was veiling itself from this horrible crime that man was committing. 

34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me (Psa 22.1)?

• One cannot even fathom to think of the weight behind these words of Jesus to The Father. Because Jesus was forsaken, we are left with the promise that He will never leave us nor forsake us.

35 And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias.

36 And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down.

37 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.

• In the very instant that Jesus gave up the ghost, the work of atonement was finished. His sacrifice for sin on Calvary was the one sacrifice for sin forever.

38 And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.

• Veil. 80’ high; 40’ wide and 6 to 7” thick. Heb 9:7,8 tells us that the presence of this earthly veil signified that the way into the holiest--that is, into heaven--was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was standing.
• But the moment that Jesus died, the veil was appropriately rent in twain from top to bottom, thus making the way to The Father available to all who call upon His Name! All the barriers between sinful man and a holy God were removed.

39 And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.

40 There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome;

41 (Who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him;) and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem.

42 ¶ And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,

43 Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.

• John 19 tells us that Nicodemus ( a member of the Sanhedrin) came along with Joseph.

44 And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead.

• Pilate marveled. Victims of crucifixion often lingered for days, hence Pilate’s surprise that Jesus was dead after only 6 hours. Before granting Jesus’ body to Joseph, Pilate checked with the “centurion” in charge of the crucifixion to verify that Jesus was really dead.

45 And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.

46 And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.

• Isa 53:9 And He made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death.

47 And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid.

• Matt 27.62-66; the tomb was guarded to prevent Jesus disciples from stealing His body. So much for the lie that these women forgot where they laid the body of Jesus when they came to anoint His body on that Sunday morning.