Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• "And He was numbered with the transgressors"
• Fulfilling what Isaiah said 700 years ago
• Isa 53:7-12
• Jesus is the final and ultimate sacrifice
• He was silent before men
• He went voluntarily
• Jesus died a real death - there was no swoon or resucitation
• There was a real resurrection
• Jesus died for His Church, for His people
• He was crucified with two robbers
• Joseph of Arimethea gave Him a tomb
• He spoke truth
• It wasn't just wicked hands crucify the Lord Jesus, but it was part of God's plan
• Jesus will be resurrected and there will be a seed: spiritual offspring
• Following the travail of His soul and the Garden of Gethsemane, He will be blessed
• Many will be saved
• "Father forgive them for they know not what they do"
• A wonderful detailed prophecy that was given 700 years before it
  came to pass
• Another prophecy that says not one bone would be broken

Why was He numbered with the transgressors?

Religious Opposition

• The chief priests had handed Jesus over because of envy (v10)
• They were jealous as the crowds followed Him, listened to Him
• They were jealous as Jesus had authority
• Jealousy and envy can be terrible things
• Jesus had done nothing wrong
• He had served with meekness and was gentle
• The religious leaders couldn't accept Jesus' teaching - it was an offence to them
• They couldn't accept Jesus forgiving sins - they thought only God can forgive sins
• They couldn't accept that Jesus was the Son of God - He was claiming to be intimate with the Almighty Deity
• Jesus exposed their religious hypocrisy
• He accused the religious elite of breaking the commandments of God
• E.g. Not honouring your father and mother, by giving money to the temple instead
• There was hypocrisy in the trial
• They would not go into the roman building for fear of defiling themselves yet they were will to murder and lie
• They were blinded by their own sin and satan
• They felt they were doing the will of God
• For many religion is just a smoke screen
• Religion, good works, going to church - does not save
• Only Jesus saves

Political Weakness

• He was brought before Pilate
• He was taken from pillar to post
• John 18 - He was before Annas and then Caiaphas (two religious leaders) during the night
• Luke 22:66-71 - They make a mock trial in daylight
• Then they take Him off to Pilate
• The Jews had no authority to execute capital punishment
• The Accusation - Luke 23:2
• He perverts the nation - couldn't be further from the truth
• He taught that the Jews ought not to pay taxes to Rome - this was an outright lie
• He claimed to be a King - but not a violent King of the world who would seek to overthrow Herod or Caesar
• Pilate's actions:
• Pilate listens to the Lord Jesus
• Jesus does not answer - He is silent
• Does God need to answer to man's accusation?
• It is really the Jewish people that are on trial here
• Pilate takes Jesus off to Herod
• They both conclude that He has done no wrong
• Pilate seeks an opportunity to release Jesus:
• Pilate has Jesus beaten - perhaps hoping that the crowd would take pity on a bloody Jesus
• Pilate offers to release a prisoner - as was His custom every year at Passover
• The crowds cry for a notorious murderer to be released instead of Jesus
• Pilate's wife has a dream about Jesus and urges him to have nothing to do with this situation
• Pilate is a weak man who gives in to the crowd
• Pilate was passive in his opposition (the religious people were active in their opposition)
• He didn't let justice prevail
• There are those who are active opposers of the gospel
• There are those who are weaker and passively oppose the gospel - they go along with other

The Crowds

• On Palm Sunday the crowds were singing 'Hosanna to the Son of David'
• A day of joy
• They have palm branches
• The children sang
• The chief priests couldn't stand it
• On Good Friday the people had changed so much
• They were fickle
• They were stirred up
• They had no loyalty in their heart to Jesus
• Are we like this?
• Singing a hymn of praise on Sunday but then against Jesus on Tuesday
• If we were there we have to say that we would have acted in the same way
• We crucified the Lord Jesus
• It was humanity's sin
• We must take full responsibility for this

The Divine Reason

• "It please the Lord to bruise Him" - Isa 53:10
• It was the plan of God - it was no accident He was scarified on Passover day
• God in Divine immeasurable love sent His Son into a fallen world
• The just would die for the unjust
• The guilty one would go free and the innocent one would become a curse
• Christ died for our sins
• We trust in this sacrifice - embrace Him today