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We could turn in your Bibles 
to John 19, John's gospel chapter 19, continuing in some sense 
what we looked at this morning concerning the suffering and 
the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. Should be some time before we're 
in the passion proper in Matthew's gospel. Thought it might be helpful 
for us tonight to consider John's record of that situation in chapter 
19 of his gospel. Our focus this evening specifically 
will be chapter 19, verses 16B to 24. We'll consider the setting, 
the crucifixion, the charge, and the division of the spoil. Several elements that indicate 
or highlight for us the degree of suffering that our Lord Jesus 
Christ went through on our behalf. Before we actually read the passage 
though, it is interesting to notice there's not a long developed 
description of those sufferings. In other words, the Catholic 
Church, for instance, Roman Catholicism, makes much of the actual physical 
sufferings of the Lord Jesus. And while we ought not to minimize 
that, we ought not to celebrate it in some ghoulish or gory manner. Herman Ritterboss made the observation, 
the New Testament has no trace of any passion mysticism oriented 
to the physical torture of Jesus. Very often in Catholic countries 
there is sort of these plays or these reenactments. If you've 
been to a Catholic church before, you'll note that there's stations 
of the cross on the wall. And at certain times of the year, 
we, when I was young, we would walk with the priest and he would 
basically shake sort of incense at the bottom of that placard 
and then describe what happened there. Again, it was this passion 
mysticism. It was this celebration almost 
of the gore and torture aspect of the passion. So on the one 
hand, we don't want to minimize the fact that our Lord Jesus 
suffered for sinners, but the description is very concise, 
it's very brief, it's very summary statement in 18a. It just simply 
says where they crucified him, and of course details are drawn 
out for us, but we ought not to have sort of a passion mysticism. If you're familiar with the Mel 
Gibson movie several years ago, The Passion of the Christ, that 
was a Roman Catholic celebration, essentially, of the torture and 
the gore associated with the Lord Jesus. I'm not advocating 
seeing that movie, I'm simply telling you that it was passion 
mysticism put on the big screen. Again, a violation, I suspect, 
or I believe, of the Second Commandment. We are not to depict our Lord 
Jesus. So just those qualifications, 
but we will have cause to note some of the aspects of our Lord's 
suffering this evening. So beginning in chapter 19 at 
verse 1, So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged him, and the 
soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they 
put on him a purple robe. Then they said, Hail, King of 
the Jews! And they struck him with their 
hands. Pilate then went out again and said to them, Behold, I am 
bringing him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault 
in him. Then Jesus came out wearing the 
crown of thorns and the purple robe, and Pilate said to them, 
Behold the man! Therefore, when the chief priests 
and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him! Crucify 
him! Pilate said to them, You take 
him and crucify him, for I find no fault in him. The Jews answered 
him, We have a law, and according to our law he ought to die, because 
he made himself the son of God. Therefore, when Pilate heard 
that saying, he was the more afraid. and went again into the 
praetorium and said to Jesus, Where are you from? But Jesus 
gave him no answer. And Pilate said to him, Are you 
not speaking to me? Do you not know that I have power 
to crucify you and power to release you? Jesus answered, you could 
have no power at all against me unless it had been given you 
from above. Therefore, the one who delivered 
me to you has the greater sin. From then on, Pilate sought to 
release him. But the Jews cried out saying, 
if you let this man go, you are not Caesar's friend. Whoever 
makes himself a king speaks against Caesar. When Pilate therefore 
heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the 
judgment seat in a place that is called the pavement, but in 
Hebrew, Gabbatha. Now it was the preparation day 
of the Passover in about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, 
behold your king. They cried out, away with him, 
away with him, crucify him. Pilate said to them, shall I 
crucify your king? The chief priests answered, we 
have no king but Caesar. Then He delivered Him to them 
to be crucified. Then they took Jesus and led 
Him away. And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called 
the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha, where 
they crucified Him and two others with Him, one on either side 
and Jesus in the center." Pilate wrote a title and put it on the 
cross, and the writing was, Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the 
Jews. And many of the Jews read this title for the place where 
Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written 
in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Therefore, the chief priests 
of the Jews said to Pilate, do not write the King of the Jews, 
but he said, I am the King of the Jews. Pilate answered, what 
I have written, I have written. And the soldiers, when they had 
crucified Jesus, took his garments and made four parts, to each 
soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without 
seam, woven from the top in one piece. They said, therefore, 
among themselves, let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, 
whose it shall be. That the scripture might be fulfilled, 
which says, they divided my garments among them, and for my clothing 
they cast lots. Therefore the soldiers did these 
things. Now there stood by the cross 
of Jesus his mother and his mother's sister, Mary, the wife of Clopas, 
and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his 
mother and the disciple whom he loved standing by, he said 
to his mother, Woman, behold your son. Then he said to the 
disciple, Behold your mother. From that hour that disciple 
took her to his own home. After this, Jesus, knowing that 
all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, 
said, I thirst. Now a vessel full of sour wine 
was sitting there, and they filled the sponge with sour wine, put 
it on Hyssop, and put it to his mouth. So when Jesus had received 
the sour wine, he said, it is finished. And bowing his head, 
he gave up his spirit. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father, 
thank you for your word and for your church and the opportunity 
that we have to fellowship together. corporately to worship you, our 
God. Give us the mind of Christ now, fill us with your Holy Spirit, 
illumine our minds and hearts that we might receive these things. 
And on the one hand, we don't want to go the way of Roman Catholicism 
with a passion mysticism. but as well we don't want to 
miss the obvious in this passage that Christ our Lord suffered 
greatly on behalf of his people. Help us to see these things, 
help us again to appreciate these things, help us to see the wonder 
of the Son of God who loved us and who gave himself for us. 
And we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen. J.C. Ryle commented on this particular 
section. He said, he that can read a passage 
like this without a deep sense of man's debt to Christ must 
have a very cold or a very thoughtless heart. Great must be the love 
of the Lord Jesus to sinners when he could voluntarily endure 
such suffering for their salvation. Great must be the sinfulness 
of sin when such an amount of vicarious suffering was needed 
in order to provide redemption. So may God keep us from a very 
cold or a very thoughtless heart as we consider holy things recorded 
for us in John's Gospel, specifically here concerning the crucifixion 
of our Lord Jesus. As I said, we'll look first at 
the setting, secondly at the crucifixion itself, thirdly the 
charge stated against Jesus and then the division of the spoil 
in verses 23 to 24. Something we ought to observe 
in this particular narrative. John wants us to see a couple 
of things. He wants us to see the absolute 
sovereignty of God in these outworkings. Again, according to his decree, 
according to his plan, according to his purposes, God is in control 
of this situation. And as well, John wants us to 
see that in the life and the ministry and the death of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, what we are witnessing is the fulfillment 
of Scripture. Christ came to do what God had 
told him to do via the Old Testament prophecies. Let's look first 
at the setting. Notice the decision is made by 
a reluctant Pilate. Pilate finds no guilt in Jesus. He says this three times. Three 
times this man says, I find no guilt in Him. He wanted to release 
Jesus. If you look back for just a moment 
at chapter 19 in the first couple of verses, Chapter 19 verse 1 
says, So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged him. This was the 
first scourging. There were actually two that 
took place. The second one is recorded by 
Matthew and Mark, and the second one would be found at this particular 
place in verse 16. When it says that he delivered 
him to them to be crucified, then they took Jesus and led 
him away. They would have administered 
a very severe beating at this particular time. Again, that's 
the one recorded by Matthew and Mark. What we find in verse 1, 
in terms of the scourging, is Pilate's attempt to appease these 
unbelieving Jews. Pilate reckons that if he lays 
a good beating down upon Jesus, not that severe as what will 
happen in the second one, if he does that, it perhaps will 
satisfy their desire for vengeance against the Lord Christ, and 
then he can release him. That's the emphasis in this section 
dealing with Pilate. Pilate does not see him as a 
guilty man deserving death, so he reluctantly folds, he reluctantly 
knuckles under, he reluctantly gives in to these men and that's 
where we pick up in verse 16. Then he delivered him to them 
to be crucified. Then they took Jesus and led 
him away. Verse 17, and he bearing his 
cross went out to a place called the place of a skull. This accord, 
this idea of bearing the cross, accords with the Greek historian 
Plutarch. Plutarch said each criminal, 
as part of his punishment, carries his cross on his back. John doesn't 
mention Simon the Cyrene's help in this particular situation. 
It doesn't mean Simon wasn't present, it just means that John 
is highlighting the fact that Jesus bore his cross. Matthew 
and Mark indicate that at least for a portion of the trip, Simon 
the Cyrenian took that portion of the cross. And I think what 
we ought to appreciate here is what D.A. Carson points out. He says, it is possible to think 
of Jesus' death in terms of His resolution, His obedience to 
the Father, His Father's plan. It is also possible to think 
of Jesus' suffering, struggle, weakness, and anguish. Both perspectives 
are correct. Both are in some measure taught 
in each of the four Gospels. But John, even though he makes 
room for the suffering, greatly emphasizes the sovereign plan 
of the father and the son's obedience. And so he reports rightly that 
Jesus carried his own cross. So Jesus would have bore this 
cross section of the particular implement that he would die on. 
Basically what happens is the cross he bore refers to the cross 
member, the horizontal beam. reading here because I think 
this is absolutely crucial to understand what's going on. The 
condemned criminal bore it on his shoulders to the place of 
execution where the upright beam of the gibbet was already fastened 
in the ground. The victim was then made to lie 
on his back on the ground where his arms were stretched out and 
either tied or nailed to the cross member. The cross member 
was then hoisted up along with the victim and fastened to the 
vertical beam. So that's what Jesus is doing. 
He's carrying the cross section. He goes to that place. They nail 
him to the cross and then they bring it up and put it into position. And then notice the place is 
referred to specifically in 17b. It is the place of a skull, which 
is called in Hebrew Golgotha. It is the Latin term that refers 
to skull, which we call Calvary. Both refer to the same place 
where our Lord Jesus did die on the cross. And note the company 
as we consider the setting. It says he was, verse 18, where 
they crucified him and two others with him, one on either side 
and Jesus in the center. Now we remember from Luke's gospel 
that one of these men on either side actually got converted. 
Remember according to the other gospel writers both men were 
hurling insults upon the Son of God. Both men were blaspheming 
him but at certain point in time one of the men had saving dealings 
with our Lord. The man said to Jesus, Lord remember 
me when you come into your kingdom. That is an absolutely amazing 
statement. I think it was Calvin that says 
that's one of the highest expressions of faith in the entire Bible. You might ask the question why? 
Well if you saw Jesus walking on the water and he came to your 
boat, it would be obvious that there was something unique about 
it. If you saw Jesus raise that little girl, there was something 
obviously unique about it. If you saw Jesus take a handful 
of loaves and a handful of fish and multiply it to feed 5,000 
persons, it would be obvious that there's something unique 
about it. But what did that thief see? What that thief saw was 
a man who was bloody. a man who was broken, a man who 
was bruised, a man who looked exactly opposite of any Lord 
that this world has ever known. And he says, Lord, remember me. This is an acknowledgment of 
Christ's mercy. He sees in Christ not only Lordship, 
but he sees in Christ the potential for him to remember him. And 
then he acknowledges concerning this one hanging bloody on a 
cross, remember me when you come into your kingdom. You see why 
that is a great expression of faith? It's one thing for us 
to gaze upon the crown of Christ and confess Him as Lord. It's 
another thing for us to consider him in all of his blood, in all 
of his suffering, in all of his gore, and to acknowledge him 
Lord. So God in his mercy saved one 
of those thieves hanging on the cross next to our Lord Jesus 
Christ. But ultimately this highlights 
or underscores the prophet Isaiah 53 in verse 12, and he was numbered 
with the transgressors. His central position probably 
indicated that he was the most notorious of the lot. You see, 
I believe there were going to be three crucifixions that day. It was going to be Barabbas that 
would take the center spot, and it would be his two compadres 
on either side of him. But remember the crowd said release 
Barabbas, but with reference to Christ, away with him, crucify 
him, crucify him. So Jesus occupies that place 
of prominence in terms of the center place with reference to 
these crucifixions. Notice secondly the crucifixion. Again, It's not detailed, it's 
not highlighted, all of the particulars in terms of the gore are not 
given to us. I'm going to read a quote in 
just a moment from D.A. Carson's commentary because it 
is important for us to understand what's going on in this particular 
instance. But in 18, it simply says, where 
they crucified him. where they crucified him." As 
I've already quoted, Ritterbaugh says the New Testament has no 
trace of any passion mysticism oriented to the physical torture 
of Jesus. But as it is a good thing for 
us to understand, let me just read this quote again from Carson 
concerning crucifixion. In the ancient world, this most 
terrible of punishments is always associated with shame and horror." 
You know, it's very intriguing, too. Psalm 22 is written a long 
time before the practice of Roman crucifixion. Psalm 22 describes 
pretty vividly, specifically, what occurs in John 19 here. My God, my God, why hast thou 
forsaken me? The fact that they pierced the 
Lord, the fact that they divided the spoiler as garments, all 
these things prophesied concerning the Son of God are fulfilled 
by the Son of God in this particular narrative. Back to this, he says, 
in the ancient world this most terrible of punishments is always 
associated with shame and horror. It was so brutal that no Roman 
citizen could be crucified without the sanction of the emperor. 
Understand that a citizen of Rome could not go to the cross. could not be crucified unless 
he was especially notorious, unless he was especially bad 
and the Emperor had to approve that this barbaric form of torture 
be inflicted upon a citizen of Rome. It was reserved for the 
worst. Political offenders, insurrectionists, 
Barabbas was described as a murderer, robbers, I mean these are vile, 
vicious men that get turned over to the cross. He says, "...stripped 
naked and beaten to pulpy weakness." Again, there were two beatings 
involved. The first, recorded in John 19.1, 
is simply an attempt to appease the unbelieving Jews, so that 
they would not call for Jesus' crucifixion. But with crucifixion, 
a beating necessarily came. And that's the one where they 
tie pieces of bone, or rock, or other things that cut the 
body They tie it into the scourge or into the whip so that when 
they bury it in the flesh, it pulls the flesh right from the 
body. This is why it says in the prophet, by his stripes we 
are healed. What stripes is the prophet talking about? He is 
talking about the stripes that were inflicted upon Christ for 
our sins. Stripped naked and beaten to 
pulpy weakness, the victim could hang in the hot sun for hours, 
even days. To breathe, it was necessary 
to push with the legs and pull with the arms to keep the chest 
cavity open and functioning. The way of death on the cross 
was asphyxiation. They put this little block of 
wood at the feet of the sufferer so that he could push on that 
and it would prolong the suffering. That's why when they were all 
done they'd come and break the sufferer's legs so that his body 
would give way and he would asphyxiate. That was the means whereby this 
person was put to death. They wouldn't be able to breathe 
anymore. So with that little block of wood, it didn't help 
the sufferer, it prolonged the suffering. It made them fight 
and gasp and get their bodies into a position where they could 
try and receive oxygen. To breathe, it was necessary 
to push with the legs and pull with the arms to keep the chest 
cavity open and functioning. Terrible muscle spasms racked 
the entire body, but since collapse meant asphyxiation, the strain 
went on and on. This is also why the sedecula, 
that's the little piece of wood that's under the feet, prolonged 
life and agony. It partially supported the body's 
weight and therefore encouraged the victim to fight on. So it 
was a long, arduous way to torture people for their crimes against 
the state, for their crimes against humanity, for their crimes against 
others. Notice what the Jews specifically 
highlight as their reasoning for wanting Jesus to die. He 
made himself out to be the Son of God. As far as they were concerned, 
that was blasphemy. As far as they were concerned, 
the Levitical law prescribed death to those who blaspheme 
such." Now obviously they were wrong, obviously he was not a 
blasphemer, this was a drummed up charge to deliver him over 
to Pilate so that he would order the execution of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. Notice thirdly the charge laid 
against Christ. Verse 19, now Pilate wrote a 
title and put it on the cross and the writing was, Jesus of 
Nazareth, the King of the Jews. that many of the Jews read this 
title for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city 
and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. This event 
did not occur in isolation. You know, in Romans 3, Paul says, 
God set forth Christ as a propitiation. This was a public display. You see why the Romans would 
have a vested interest in doing this, why they would put it in 
Hebrew, why they would put it in Greek, and why they would 
put it in Latin. They wanted others to realize that their 
fate was likewise if they violated the law. It was a means by which 
they warned the citizenry not to do likewise. This was a publicized, 
open event wherein our Lord Jesus Christ suffered on behalf of 
his people. This was not obscure This was 
not done in a corner. This was not something that was 
fake and reported by the disciples. There were hordes of people, 
scads of people around there that day that saw this public 
spectacle occurring. And it's published in each of 
the languages. It's open for anyone to surmise. It's open for anyone to investigate. Notice what the chief priest 
says. The chief priest is just amazing. You know, John tells 
us, or John shows us, the unbelief of Israel in his gospel. So do 
the other gospel writers as well. Now, this should not promote 
any sort of anti-Semitism, which has happened over the years, 
unfortunately, in the history of the church. John was a Jew. Matthew was a Jew. The difference 
isn't between... It isn't about the Jews. It's 
about unbelief. It's about those who rejected 
Jesus Christ. You never go to the Bible to 
substantiate or validate an anti-semitism. That's just ungodly and unholy 
and unrighteous. There is not anything in the 
Bible that gives anybody any warrant whatsoever to do that. 
All of the early disciples were Jews. The apostles were Jews. They were believers, however. 
The notice, the chief priests certainly do not look well in 
this section. Verse 21, Therefore the chief 
priests of the Jews said to Pilate, Do not write the king of the 
Jews, but he said, I am the king of the Jews. Now Pilate lost 
the war, didn't he? Pilate didn't want Jesus to die. I'm not saying Pilate is a model 
citizen, or a bastion, or a paragon of virtue. I'm not suggesting 
that at all. But he did see no guilt in the 
Lord Jesus, certainly no guilt that warranted crucifixion. Pilate 
reluctantly delivered him up. But Pilate's not going to back 
down on this one. He lost the war, but he's going 
to win this battle. And it's very intriguing, because 
both Pilate and the chief priests make very interesting theological 
assertions concerning our Lord Jesus in this situation. So they 
said, do not write the King of the Jews. But he said, I am the 
King of the Jews. What petty men. What petty men. He's being crucified. Obviously, 
if everybody's going to interpret this scene with the physical 
eye, they are going to conclude that he was indeed a blasphemer. 
But they want to add insult to injury at this particular point. 
Pilate says, what I have written, I have written. I'm not going 
to back down on this one. You got me to deliver him up. 
which I didn't want to do because I find no guilt in him, but I 
am not going to change the sign. Jesus, the King of the Jews. 
Isn't that interesting? Go back for just a moment to 
John 11, 49 to 52. We'll see how even ungodly men, 
unbelieving men, under the providence and sovereignty of our Lord, 
make theologically accurate statements from time to time. Notice in 
John 11 at verse 49. actually go back to 45, then 
many of the Jews who had come to Mary and had seen the things 
Jesus did believed in him. But some of them went away to 
the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did. Then the chief 
priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, What shall 
we do? For this man works many signs. If we let him alone, like 
this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come 
and take away both our place and nation. And one of them, 
Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, You know 
nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that 
one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation 
should perish. You see Caiaphas is preaching 
substitutionary atonement here. Again, I don't think he has one 
wick of the knowledge that he is doing this, but notice what 
goes on to say. Verse 51, now this he did not 
say on his own, but being high priest that year he prophesied 
that Jesus would die for the nation and not for that nation 
only but also that he would gather together in one the children 
of God who were scattered abroad." You couldn't get a better description 
of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. What does Jesus do? He dies for the nation of Israel 
and he dies for Gentiles who are scattered abroad. The Lord 
Jesus truly is the Son of Abraham who has come to be that seed 
of Abraham in whom all the nations of the earth shall be blessed." 
So we have the high priest confessing sound theology. And here in chapter 
19 we have Pilate confessing sound theology. George Beasley 
Murray makes this comment. The two men most responsible 
for Jesus' death became the most unwitting prophets of the death 
of Jesus. So you gotta have the eye of 
God's sovereignty behind these things. You got to see that the 
Lord is superimposing, superintending rather, all of these instances. The one declaring that death 
as the means of redemption for Israel and the nations the other 
proclaiming it as the occasion of Jesus' exaltation to be King 
of Israel and Lord of all. What I have written I have written, 
Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." Now notice fourthly 
and finally verses 23 and 24, the division of the spoil. Verse 
23, then the soldiers when they had crucified Jesus took his 
garments and made four parts to each soldier apart. and also 
the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, 
woven from the top in one piece. They said, therefore, among themselves, 
let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be, 
that the scripture might be fulfilled, which says..." You see, this 
was a common practice. The soldiers employed in executing 
criminals got something for their labor. Certainly they probably 
would have gotten a paycheck from the Roman government, but 
this was another perk, if you will, of the job. We take the 
victim's clothing and we divide it up. Again, it's not like what 
we consider clothing today. A shirt, it gets a little hole 
in it and we throw it away. Linens and clothing was a little 
bit more valuable and a little bit more precious in this particular 
time. So they do not tear it, they cast lots for it. Whose 
it shall be? Notice what John underscores. 
Notice what John highlights. This may be a common custom among 
Roman soldiers when they're killing criminals, but this is according 
to the divine will and mind and plan of God. This was prophesied 
in Psalm 22, 18. This has already been written. John says, that the scripture 
might be fulfilled, which says, they divided my garments among 
them and for my clothing they cast lots. Therefore, the soldiers 
did these things. Now this seamless tunic has been 
understand in some interesting ways. The seamless tunic has 
been seen as a symbol because the high priest wore a seamless 
robe. This tunic is supposed to represent 
Christ's priestly ministry. Or, this seamless tunic indicates 
the unity of the church. Both Jews and Gentiles find their 
one place in the person and the work of the Lord Jesus. I don't 
know that that's necessarily what John wants us to get from 
this reference to the seamless tunic. Jesus wore a seamless 
tunic. Perhaps we are to think about 
what happens in John 13. Another instance that refers 
to Jesus' clothing. When Jesus takes off his outer 
garment, and he stoops to the feet of the disciples and he 
washes their feet." We see Jesus, the lowly servant. We see Jesus, 
the one willingly submissive to the divine will and the divine 
plan. In the foot washing, Jesus laid 
aside his outer garments in an act that anticipated the cleansing 
that would issue from his death. Here, He loses his clothes, all 
of his clothes. The same self-humbling operates, 
but here to the last degree. He lays aside his glory and by 
this act in the divine paradox is glorified. Yet while his last 
earthly possessions are stripped from him, he remains under his 
father's sovereign care even as his tunic is not torn and 
destroyed. That's Carson. And then I alluded 
this morning to a quote by C.H. Spurgeon concerning the fact 
that Jesus hung naked on the cross. Again, we have this romantic 
idea. You know, he was there, and he 
was covered, and everything just looked so idyllic and artful. It was a bloody mess. You know, 
there's an instance of atonement in Gibeah. The Gibeonites come 
and ask for restitution over a situation that had occurred 
to them. And there is atonement that takes place there. And I 
remember Dale Ralph Davis' comments. He says, maybe Gibeah will shock 
us back to the reality that atonement is a bloody, drippy, smelly mess. It's not a picture of art that 
you hang on your wall. That's why the whole idea of 
the cross. And I'm not saying if you have a cross on your neck, 
go get rid of it. But certainly in this context, 
persons wouldn't have wore crosses around their neck. You just wouldn't 
have done that. The cross was like, you wouldn't 
wear an electric chair, a little symbol of an electric chair around 
your neck. I really have not ever met, and 
I've met some whacked out people in my life, no one here of course, 
but no one that I would ever have seen wearing an electric 
chair around their neck. That's what it would have been 
like to wear a cross in the first century. To walk into somebody's 
house and to see a big cross there would have been akin to 
seeing a gas chamber, a picture of a gas chamber that is utilized 
to execute criminal offenders. You just wouldn't hang that in 
your house. I don't care how whacked you are. You just don't 
do those sorts of things. It wasn't this piece of art. 
There wasn't bluebirds singing in the background. was a bloody, 
gory, drippy mess. Spurgeon commenting on Jesus 
naked, the person of Christ was stripped twice. And although 
our painters for obvious reasons cover Christ upon the cross, 
There he hung, the naked savior of a naked race. He who clothed 
the lilies had not wherewith to clothe himself. He who had 
clothed the earth with jewels and made for it robes of emeralds 
had not so much as a rag to conceal his nakedness from a staring, 
gazing, mocking, hard-hearted crowd. He had made coats of skins 
for Adam and Eve when they were naked in the garden. he had taken 
from them those poor fig leaves which they sought to hide their 
nakedness, given them something wherewith they might wrap themselves 
from the gold. Now they part as garments among 
them, and for his vesture do they cast lots. While he himself, 
exposed to the pitiless storm of content, has no cloak with 
which to cover his shame." John Calvin says, let us also learn 
that Christ was stripped of his garments, that he might clothe 
us with the righteousness, that his naked body was exposed to 
the insults of men, that we may appear in glory before the judgment 
seat of God." A.W. Pink, the sinful first Adam was 
clothed by God. The sinless last Adam was unclothed 
by wicked men. That's what's going on in the 
suffering of our Lord Jesus. So in Matthew 16.21, when he 
says, I must go to Jerusalem. I must suffer many things at 
the hands of the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes. 
I must be killed and I must be raised the third day." This is 
what he was going to. This suffering, this ignominy, 
this crucifixion for God's glory and for the good of his people. So hopefully, we've sort of fleshed 
out a little bit concerning the suffering of the Lord Jesus. 
Again, we don't want to engage in a passion mysticism, but on 
the other hand, we do not want to neglect the great lengths 
to which our Savior went to save us from our sins. We ought to 
respond in praise and in worship and in adoration. We ought to 
consider the bread that we eat and the fruit of the vine that 
we drink symbolize, represent those elements or those specifics 
in terms of the body and blood of Jesus. The bread and the wine 
stay bread and wine. There is no change, there is 
no transubstantiation. There is no hocus-pocus that 
is taking place here tonight, but those things do symbolize, 
they do represent for us, they do show forth the suffering of 
our Lord Jesus Christ. We ought not to treat it lightly, 
we ought to consider what it is that we're engaged in, we 
ought to consider the reality that lies behind the symbol, 
namely, Christ was crucified for sinners, that Christ shed 
his blood on behalf of his people. And certainly the purpose for 
all of this is very clearly specified by the Apostle John in his gospel. In 1935 he says, and he who is 
seen has testified, and his testimony is true, and he knows that he 
is telling the truth, so that you may believe. We want believers 
to participate in the supper tonight. If you are a believer 
in the Lord Jesus Christ and you are walking faithfully, you 
are walking consistently, you are not holding on to sin grudgingly 
or willingly or desiring to offend God or men. If you are seeking 
to be a faithful Christian man or woman and you are a believer 
in the Lord Jesus Christ, then by all means eat the bread. and 
drink the cup. It is a commanded activity by 
the Lord. It is a new covenant ordinance 
to be obeyed by the church until He comes again. By all means 
take. If you're not a believer, don't 
take. If you're not a believer, the 
bread and the wine is not for you. But if you're not a believer, 
Christ has been crucified for sinners. And John says very specifically, 
I am telling you the truth so that you may believe. The bread 
may not be for you, the cup may not be for you, but believe on 
the Lord Jesus Christ and then you can take the bread and the 
wine and enjoy the very presence of God Most High by His Spirit 
in the midst of His corporate people. John's Gospel ends on 
that similar note. 21 is actually an epilogue. 20 
is the specific ending and John summarizes this way, but these 
are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the 
Son of God. The same thing Peter confesses 
in Matthew 16. This is why John writes his gospel, 
is so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed 
One, the Messiah of God, the One who has come to save His 
people from their sins, the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and 
that believing you may have life in His name. You see, if you're 
not a Christian, eating this bread and drinking this cup will 
not make you a Christian. The only way, the only means, 
the only hope is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you 
shall be saved. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank You for Your Word, and again we consider the sufferings 
of our Savior, and we do stand amazed at what great lengths 
He went to on our behalf. God, certainly this was the satisfaction 
of divine justice. This was indeed the fulfillment 
of the will and the plan of God, and as well it was the means 
by which He saves us from our sins. We thank You for His precious 
blood. We thank You that You have washed 
us in that precious blood, and even now as we eat this bread 
and we drink this cup, we would do so remembering Him, remembering 
the One to whom these symbols point. Let us never be so caught 
up in the symbol that we miss the Savior that these things 
show forth. God, we praise You and thank 
You for giving us Your grace and Your mercy. We thank You 
and praise You for bringing us together now where we can remember 
our Lord Jesus. And we pray in His name, Amen.