The King Rejected: Loyalty, Betrayal, and the Cross

That's why all of us read those words in the passion narrative, let him be crucified. It's not just Peter that denies Christ. It's not just Judas or the crowds or the chief priests of the Jews or the Romans who reject and dishonor Christ or press a crown of thorns into his head. In our different ways, it is all of us too. It's me. It's you. We turn on him, and he carries a cross for all of our sins. [00:46:01] (31 seconds)  #WeCrucifiedHim

He's gonna lay down his life for the very Romans who are gonna beat him and whip him and mock him and spit on him and drive the spikes through his hands and feet. First Timothy two six tells us Christ gave his life as a ransom for us all. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. That's god's love for us. He died to turn disloyal failures, even enemies into friends. [00:49:51] (37 seconds)  #DiedForUsAll

And if we don't get that, if we don't let that truth sink in, then we're not gonna grasp the glory and the joy of what then happens next. Strange and mysterious as it seems, Paul talks about this in our Philippians reading. And Isaiah two in Isaiah 53, the heavenly father knowing from all eternity that we were gonna put Jesus on a cross chose to use that as the very instrument of our healing and our salvation and the forgiveness of our sins. [00:46:33] (34 seconds)  #CrossAsSalvation

The whole call and challenge of holy living is right there in those verses. And that humility that we see in Christ, that meekness is not, unless we get mixed up about this, it's not passivity, and it certainly isn't cowardice. Rather, it is courage. It is the courage of the soldier who charges against the enemy strong point knowing that it's going to be certain death, but who goes anyway so that the battle may be won. [00:48:17] (32 seconds)  #HumilityIsCourage

And Christ, knowing that he was going to be rejected and despised and tortured and nailed to a cross. Still, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. In Philippians chapter two, it speaks of Christ's humility. He became one of us even though he was God, God the son, and more than that, he suffered for us. Paul says there, he poured himself out for us. He put our needs ahead of his own wants. [00:47:06] (36 seconds)  #ChristPouredOut

He humbled himself even to the point of death on a cross. And this is the pattern. This is the pattern that we who call ourselves Christians are called to follow in our lives. That's what Saint Paul says to all of the believers in Philippians two five, let the same mind be in you. Look at Jesus. Look at how he pours himself out for others. Let the same mind be in you. Sacrifice your own desires and comforts for the true good of other people. [00:47:43] (34 seconds)  #MindOfChrist

To put away the sin that separates us from God. And it's so much. It's so potent. Even the Roman centurion and the other people watching Christ as he died on the cross are just blown away. They know something something has just happened. And he says, truly this was the son of God. The great Anglican priest and revival leader, one of my heroes, Charles Wesley wrote these hymn lyrics to express the just overwhelming astonishment at what Jesus did for him. Charles writes, died he for me who caused his pain. [00:50:29] (45 seconds)  #AstonishedByTheCross

On Palm Sunday, the crowds praising him with words of scripture, but they couldn't see the full sense of those very words were coming out of their own mouth. Christ was going to be despised. He was going to be rejected. He was going to suffer. He is the stone that the builders rejected. It was all right there the whole time for those who had eyes to see. In the very songs that they sang at Passover, where where they they feasted on the sacrificial lamb. [00:42:36] (34 seconds)  #MissedMessiah