I. THE PROBLEM OF EVIL	IV. FURTHER DETAILS
II. CHRIST'S SUFFERING	V. MEANING OF HIS DEATH
III. DETAILS IN PSALM 22	BACK TO LESSON 2
	AHEAD TO LESSON 4

I. DO YOU WISH GOD WOULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT EVIL?

Our world is filled with evil, pain, and suffering. Many people think God should do something about it. Well, He did.

One cold winter night a college student was walking home from an astronomy class. He was tormented by two thought battling in his mind. The grandeur of the galaxies told him that God must exist. But the suffering of Auschwitz seemed to say there is no God. Finally, he look up at the night sky and shouted, "The only God I can believe in is one who knows first hand what it's like to be a Jewish child buried alive, and knows what it's like to be a Jewish mother watching her child be buried."

And at that very moment he realized that only Christianity declares that God enters into our very world of hellish suffering. [Gregory Boyd, Letters from a Skeptic, 61-62 (Victor, 1994)]

II. THE SUFFERING OF THE SAVIOR.

We now come to the climax of Christ's mission to save mankind. Because these events are of such unparalleled consequence, God the Holy Spirit gave the prophets many details of the Savior's sufferings. Furthermore, Jesus Himself repeatedly prophesied during His ministry that He would die and rise again (see Matthew 16:21; 17:22,23; and 20:17-19; John 2:18-22; and 10:11,17,18).

The quantity and accuracy of these prophecies compel us to believe and find comfort in the Good News that Christ has indeed offered His life for the sins of us all.

A. Betrayal by a friend.

PROPHECY

Psalms 41:9 Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me. (1000 B.C.)

FULFILLMENT

Matthew 26:47-49 While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is the man; arrest him." Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him.

B. Forsaken by the disciples.

PROPHECY

Zechariah 13:7 "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is close to me!" declares the Lord Almighty. "Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn my hand against the little ones. (515 B.C.)

FULFILLMENT

Mark 14:50 Then everyone deserted him and fled.

C. Silent before His accusers.

PROPHECY

Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. (700 B.C.)

FULFILLMENT

Matthew 27:13-14 Then Pilate asked him, "Don't you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?" But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge--to the great amazement of the governor.

D. Beaten and tortured.

PROPHECY

Isaiah 52:14 There were many who were appalled at him--his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness (700 B.C.)

FULFILLMENT

Matthew 27:29-30 Then [they] twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said. So they spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.

III. MORE DETAILS FROM PSALM 22.

King David, the author of Psalm 22 reigned around the year 1000 B.C. God promised David that the Savior would be born from his family. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit guided David to write 73 Psalms, several of which speak about the coming Savior. Psalm 22 reads as though it were written by an eyewitness at the cross: Jesus' dying words, the sneers of His enemies, His hands and feet pierced, His garments divided. And most significant of all is that this Psalm was written hundreds of years before the cruel death of crucifixion had even been invented.

A. Hands and feet pierced.

PROPHECY

Psalm 22:16 Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. (1000 B.C.)

FULFILLMENT

Luke 23:33 When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him.

B. Scoffed at and scorned.

PROPHECY

Psalm 22:7,8 All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads: "He trusts in the Lord; let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him." (1000 B.C.)

FULFILLMENT

Matthew 27:39,41-43 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads... In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him."

C. Stared at in His misery.

PROPHECY

Psalm 22:17 I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. (1000 B.C.)

FULFILLMENT

Luke 23:35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One."

D. Clothes divided and gambled for.

PROPHECY

Psalm 22:18 They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing. (1000 B.C.)

FULFILLMENT

John 19:23,24 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. "Let's not tear it,'" they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it."

E. Abandoned by God.

PROPHECY

Psalm 22:1 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? (1000 B.C.)

FULFILLMENT

Matthew 27:46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

IV. FURTHER DETAILS OF THE SUFFERING HERO.

A. His bones were not broken, and His side was pierced.

PROPHECY

Psalm 34:20 He protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken. (1000 B.C.)

Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. (515) B.C.)

FULFILLMENT

John 19:33-37 But when they [the soldiers] came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken," and, as another scripture says, "They will look on the one they have pierced."

B. Darkness over the land.

PROPHECY

Amos 8:9-10 "In that day," declares the Sovereign Lord, "I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight....I will make that time like mourning for an only son and the end of it like a bitter day.

FULFILLMENT

Matthew 27:45 From the sixth hour [12 noon] until the ninth hour [3 p.m.] darkness came over all the land.

C. Although executed as a criminal, He was buried with honor.

PROPHECY

Isaiah 53:9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. (700 B.C.)

FULFILLMENT

Matthew 27:57-60 As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.

V. THE MEANING OF JESUS' DEATH.

A. Substitution

Why does the Bible relate all these details of Christ's sufferings? After all, millions of people die every year. So why is the death of this one man so significant? In order to answer this question, we turn our attention to Isaiah 52:13 to 53:12. This portion of the Old Testament is just as great a miracle as Psalm 22, describing the death of Christ centuries before it occurred.

PROPHECY

Isaiah 53:4-6, 9b-11 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all....He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life, and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.(700 B.C.)

FULFILLMENT

John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

1 Peter 1:18,19 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

1 Peter 2:24,25 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Romans 3:23-25 All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.

Hebrews 7:26,27 Such a high priest meets our need--one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.

Matthew 26:28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

Hebrews 9:26 But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.

The significance of Christ's death can be summarized in the word "substitute," for He died as the substitute for all mankind. As Isaiah says, we thought God was punishing Christ for His own sins and offenses. But the reality is that, though He was innocent, Christ chose to bear our sufferings, our pain, our punishment and humiliation. Thus those who trust in Christ trade their guilt for His innocence, their punishment for His acquittal.

This concept of substitution had been taught throughout the Old Testament. God ordered the people to worship Him through the sacrifice of animals such as sheep, goats, cows, and doves. These sacrifices taught the people that God could only be approached through the shedding of blood. The Jew who brought God a sacrifice was declaring by that act, "I know that because of my sin I deserve to die. However, God in His mercy does not require my death, but allows this animal to be my substitute."

The prophet Isaiah taught that all the symbolism of animal sacrifice would be fulfilled when the Savior gave up His own life for the sins of all people. This is just what John the Baptist predicted when he pointed at Jesus and declared, "Behold, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." This teaching is very clear in Hebrews 7:26,27, where Christ is portrayed as the great High Priest who offered His own life to make payment for our sins once for all.

John 19:30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

When Jesus cried out from the cross, "It is finished," He was proclaiming that He had fulfilled all God's promises and prophecies of a Savior. But the phrase means even more than this. The Greek word for "It is finished" is 'tetelestai.' This word means not only that something is complete, but that it has been paid. Christ said, "tetelestai," because He had paid the full price for man's disobedience. My friend, not a single sin stands between God the Father and those who trust in His Son's death.

B. Is substitution fair?

Psalms 49:7 No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Some people argue that it is not fair that Christ should die for all. They argue that each person should be responsible for their own sins. Well, ask yourself, is it fair that a firefighter must risk his life to rescue the very person who started the fire by his own carelessness? No, it's not fair. But it's the right thing to do. Similarly, it wasn't fair that Christ died for you and me. But it was entirely necessary. Imagine someone who is trapped in a fire. What will he say to the fireman who braves the smoke and flames to save him? Will he say, "Oh, you didn't have to come. The danger isn't that bad. I'll take care of myself."?

C. The courage of Christ

Romans 5:7-8 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

John 10:17-18 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life--only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.

Due to church art, people have grown used to seeing Christ portrayed as a broken and bloodied figure. Men, in particular, tend to view Jesus with disdain, for He appears to represent weakness and the total lack of anything manly and heroic. However, in reality Jesus Christ is the most courageous and heroic man who ever lived.

The Broadway musical Man of La Mancha is a modern portrayal of Cervantes' classic work Don Quixote. The most popular song from that play was entitled "The Impossible Dream". This song, which conveyed all the heroic idealism of Quixote, said, among other things, that a courageous man should "be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause." Now that is just poetry, but Jesus Christ literally marched into hell for a heavenly cause. His words, "My God my God, why have you forsaken Me?", demonstrate that He was suffering the total exile from God that we call hell. Why did Christ march into hell? To rescue you from the evil, pain, and suffering of life. To taste God's wrath for you, to free you from the eternal punishment that you deserve. Christ was separated from his Father so that you and I need never be separated from Him.

What a hero Jesus is! How worthy He is of our respect, our faith, our allegiance, and our love!

BRIDGE TO LESSON FOUR

Every human biography ends with, "And then he (or she) died." But the story of Jesus doesn't end in a cemetery. The greatest chapter was yet to come, a chapter that never ends! We will explore it in Lesson 4: Death Meets Its Match.

© 1989 Philip M. Bickel

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.