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You may turn in your Bibles to 
Matthew chapter 20. Matthew chapter 20. Our focus this morning will be verses 
17 to 19. This is the third formal announcement 
by Jesus concerning his death in Jerusalem. The others are 
found in chapter 16, verse 21, chapter 17, verses 22 and 23. 
There's an informal one. in 1712, but the first two formal, 
as I mentioned or as I define formal, a specific reference 
to what is coming to Christ in Jerusalem. The first two took 
place in Galilee and here in Judea as they are traveling to 
Jerusalem for these things to unfold. Essentially, what we 
have in verses 17 to 19 is a table of contents for all that follows 
in Matthew's gospel after this point. We find in 21, the entrance 
into Jerusalem. Chapter 26, the betrayal and 
arrest of Jesus. In chapters 26 and 7, the trial 
before the Jews and then the Gentiles. Chapter 27, the mocking, 
the scourging, and the crucifixion. And then of course in chapter 
28, we find the resurrection. So essentially, in verses 17 
to 19, Jesus makes this third announcement concerning his coming 
death, and it does serve as a table of contents for the remainder 
of Matthew's gospel. Well, I'll just read the verses, 
and then we'll pray. Now, Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, 
took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, 
Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem. and the son of man will be betrayed 
to the chief priests and to the scribes and they will condemn 
him to death and deliver him to the Gentiles to mock and to 
scourge and to crucify and the third day he will rise again 
let us pray father we thank you for this announcement we thank 
you for Matthew's gospel that records the fulfillment of these 
things and we thank you that you by grace have included us 
We thank you for the grace of faith and repentance. We thank 
you for bringing us out of darkness into marvelous light. We thank 
you, Lord God, for so great a salvation and for so great a Savior. We 
ask now that you would again forgive us for our sins and our 
unrighteousness. We pray that you would fill each 
and every one of us with your Holy Spirit, that you would guide 
us and lead us and direct us, that the Spirit would illumine 
our minds and our hearts and help us to receive with thanksgiving 
the Word of God as it reveals to us the Christ who has saved 
His people from their sins. And we pray these things in Jesus' 
name. Amen. Well, this third announcement 
doesn't just sort of hang there on its own, but it is connected 
to what has preceded and to what follows. Specifically, in chapter 
20 verses 1 to 16, Jesus condemns that sort of pride wherein persons 
think they deserve something from God. Remember in that parable 
of the gracious landowner. the persons who were hired in 
the early morning. They got to the payment time 
and they thought they should have been compensated more handsomely 
than those who are hired in the eleventh hour. Jesus says, our 
God is just, the gracious landowner is just He made this agreement. There's nothing to whine about 
or grumble about. As well, he is sovereign. It 
is right for him to do with his what he determines. And he is 
good. His goodness is such that he 
gives to these 11th hour workers the same sort of thing as he 
gives to those first-hour workers. So what Jesus does here in verses 
17 to 19 is says that essentially he will become the last. He will be poured out unto death. He will go through excruciating 
trials and difficulties, and in light of that reality, the 
disciples ought not to open their mouths and start to say, but 
we deserve more. You owe us more. We ought to 
have more. Now, unfortunately, they don't 
hear what Jesus says in verses 17 to 19, because in chapter 
20, verses 20 to 28, they come running to Him, jockeying for 
position. Just after he declares his crucifixion, 
just after he declares the fact that he will be mocked, and he 
will be scourged, and he will be crucified, the disciples come 
and say, grant to us that when you come into your kingdom, one 
of us will be on the right and one of us on the left. It's almost 
as if they hadn't heard a word that he had just said. And when 
we look at that section, God willing, next week, we'll see 
that all the disciples were displeased when they heard the question 
posed by James and John's mom. Probably not because they were 
concerned about the piety of their friends, but because they 
wanted to be in those positions. It is a mark of our manhood. 
It is the mark of our creaturehood. It is the mark of our sinfulness 
that we always want more. We always want something that 
we don't deserve. If we got strictly what we deserve, 
we would be in hell, because God is just and righteous, and 
He has promised that the wages of sin is death, but it's grace, 
grace alone that brings us to that place where we gain any 
good thing from God. So verses 17 to 19 look back, 
they look forward. They serve as the foundation 
upon which Christ will condemn the sort of pride that is arising 
up in the hearts of these men. But in terms of the exposition, 
we'll look at two things. First, the determination of Christ 
in verses 17 to 18a, and then secondly, the prophetic explanation 
given by Christ in verses 18b to 19. So the determination of 
Christ, the explanation given by Christ. In the first place, 
note the announcement. Verse 17, now Jesus, going up 
to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and 
said to them, Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem. As we 
have seen, the Galilean ministry up in the northern part of Israel 
has concluded. Chapters 4, 17 to 16, 20 include 
that northern part of Israel ministry, specifically in the 
region of Galilee. Starting in 1621 and especially 
in 1901, they are now in Judea and they are getting closer to 
Jerusalem, the destiny of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now notice, 
He took the 12 disciples aside on the road and said to them, 
there were more following. There were more with our Lord 
Jesus. When you drop down to chapter 
20, verse 29, notice as they went out of Jericho, a great 
multitude followed Him. And in 19, we see the same thing. 
They're heading to Jerusalem for the feast day. And specifically, 
Jesus wants to encourage His disciples. Jesus wants to speak 
to his twelve. Jesus takes them aside on the 
road and he says these things to them. In Mark 10.32, which 
is a parallel passage, it says the disciples were greatly afraid. 
They were afraid at this time. We don't know why, we don't have 
specified by Mark, but we can probably imagine if Jesus is 
closing in on Jerusalem, he's already told us he's going there 
to be killed, this would cause fear in his partners, it would 
cause fear in his 12 close associates. Nevertheless, Jesus describes 
what the plan is at this particular time. He goes to Jerusalem specifically 
because the temple is there. What's associated with the temple? 
The sacrifice. What is Jesus going to do when 
he gets to Jerusalem? He is the Lamb of God who takes 
away the sin of the world. Jerusalem was the central place 
in Israel. It was the focal point for the 
worship of Israel. it is good, it is right, it is 
just, it is legit, it is prophesied that Jesus go to this particular 
place for this particular purpose. The feasts were observed, the 
sacrifices are offered there, the predetermined plan for Jesus' 
death already in place in the parallel in Luke's Gospel. In 
Luke 13.33, after, I'm sorry, in Luke Later on in the parallel, Luke 
18, it says specifically that it was prophesied that this would 
take place in Jerusalem. And another place in Luke, 13.33, 
when Jesus is coming into the city, or getting close to the 
city, he makes this statement. He says, it cannot be that a 
prophet should die outside of Jerusalem. Now, it isn't the 
case that every single prophet was killed in Jerusalem. The 
idea is that Jerusalem is known for killing the prophets. And 
if Jesus is a prophet, it is right and fitting that he goes 
to this particular place. But there's something else. Why 
Jerusalem? Because it has been determined. 
Because it had been decreed. We'll see that in a few more 
minutes. But it's the place of judicial 
process. What would happen to Jesus was 
a judicial verdict. John Gill says concerning going 
to Jerusalem. commenting on Luke 13.33, for 
it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem. 
Gil says, because the great Sanhedrin, that was the largest or most 
eminent or most prestigious council of the Jews in the ancient world. It was called the Sanhedrin. 
It was made up of several members and they were the highest religious 
court and council in the land. Gil says, because the great Sanhedrin 
only sat at Jerusalem, to whom it belonged to try and judge 
a prophet, and if found false, to condemn him and put him to 
death. The rule is this, not but that prophets sometimes perished 
elsewhere as John the Baptist in Galilee, but not according 
to a judicial process in which way Christ the prophet was to 
be cut off. So it was necessary. And that 
causes us, or should call us, to reflect upon this necessity. 
Jesus doesn't say, you know, I think it might be a good idea. 
I think there's something about going to Jerusalem. He wasn't 
a mystic. He didn't go sit up on a mountaintop 
and just tune out and let the winds take him where he would 
go. Jesus is driven by principle. Jesus is driven by commitment. 
Jesus is a man of necessity. And here we see, he says, behold, 
we are going up to Jerusalem. In 1621, he says, the Son of 
Man must go to Jerusalem. There's necessity laid upon the 
Lord Jesus Christ. And if we ask the question, why? Why is this necessity present? I think we can make three suggestions. In the first place, what is called 
the Covenant of Redemption. The Covenant of Redemption, it's 
a theological construct describing what Paul highlights for us in 
Ephesians chapter 1. In Ephesians 1, we find that 
God the Father chose God the Father predestined. We find that 
the Lord Jesus sheds His blood so that those chosen will have 
redemption. And we see that the Holy Spirit 
applies that work and becomes the seal and the guarantee. It's 
the covenant of redemption. This happened before the world 
began. The Father compacted with the 
Son. The Son willingly undertook on 
behalf of the Father. The Spirit guiding, aiding, and 
enabling the Lord Jesus in His public ministry. It is the covenant 
of redemption that drives the Son of Man. He is going to be 
the surety. He is going to be the mediator. 
He is going to rescue His people in honor and glory of His Father 
and for the good of their miserable, hell-deserving souls. If you 
want to see a good quote, consider Flavel's in his works. He speaks 
concerning the father, and he personifies the father, and he 
says, son, look at this miserable lot of sinners. I'm paraphrasing 
greatly. If you want the reference, email 
me and I'll send it to you. It's excellent. Look at this 
miserable company of sinners. They are completely undone. They 
are deserving of death, they are deserving of hell, they are 
deserving of the judgment to come. And then Christ speaks 
up, or Flavel personifies Christ. And Christ says, Father, lay 
their debt upon me. Whatever they owe, I will pay. 
I will pay every last farthing. I will execute. I will carry 
it. And even though this plan be 
a sort of undoing to me, I will pay it to the full." It's beautiful. 
It's a covenant of redemption. It's a glorious construct. It's 
a glorious thing that theology has seen, or theological inquiry 
has seen, that the Bible sets forth. In the second place, it 
was necessary for Jesus to fulfill the Scriptures. He must go to 
Jerusalem. In Luke 18.31, in the parallel 
passage, he says, Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and 
all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son 
of Man will be accomplished. You see, Christ saw Scripture 
as absolutely crucial. Christ saw His place in the fulfillment 
of the Scriptures. Christ as a young boy would read 
the scriptures and he saw that they were about him. Christ was 
a man devoted to the word of the living God. He must go to 
Jerusalem because Psalm 22 indicates that there would be a righteous 
one who would suffer in the place of many. He must go to Jerusalem 
because the prophet Isaiah wrote that servant song that we read 
at the outset of worship concerning the man of sorrows, concerning 
the one who was acquainted with grief, concerning the one The 
chastisement for our peace was laid upon Him. Christ must go 
to Jerusalem to fulfill all that the Law and Prophets had stated. 
Daniel 9 speaks of the Messiah being cut off. Several other 
places in the Old Testament. We are not coming to this in 
a new way. We are coming to this in a fulfillment 
way. Christ does all that the Father 
had ordained in the covenant of redemption and that he had 
spoken through the pages of Holy Writ. Royal says that he saw 
Calvary in the distance all his life through. He saw Calvary 
in the distance all his life through. Do you ever wonder about 
the prophet's description? Man of sorrows and acquainted 
with grief. He's a man of sorrows. When you 
look at Jesus, he didn't have a big fake smile planted on his 
face. He was one of these guys that 
are happy, happy, happy. Peppy, peppy, peppy. He wasn't 
the sort of guy who was having his best life now, if I can use 
the common parlance. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted 
with grief. Why? Because he, the holy, harmless, 
and undefiled one, lived and dwelt where sinners are. How 
do we see Christ in his pre-incarnate glory in Isaiah 6? Where the 
angels praise him, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The 
whole earth is filled with his glory. We read something of that 
in Revelation 4. Holy, holy, holy. There's a variant reading that 
has it nine times. It means another manuscript, 
a group of manuscripts out there, have in that Revelation passage, 
holy, holy, holy. Holy, holy, holy. Holy, holy, 
holy. You say, well, I don't know that 
I'd want to commit that one to memory. That's a lot of holies. 
Do you realize that the angels standing before the throne, that's 
all they do is say holy? That's their job. What do you 
do? I stand at the throne and I say, 
holy, holy, holy. Why is that? Because he's holy, 
holy, holy. Because the whole earth is filled 
with his glory. He leaves heaven above and he 
comes into this world and he sees the sinfulness of it. He 
sees the curse associated with it. It isn't the time for jokes. It isn't the time for everyone's 
best life now. It isn't the time for health, 
wealth, and prosperity. It is the time for Christ to 
go to Jerusalem, to fulfill the obligations of the covenant of 
redemption, to do it according to the scriptures as prophesied, 
and to do it for the glory of God Almighty. Ryle continues, 
he saw Calvary in the distance all his life through and yet 
walked calmly up to it without turning to the right hand or 
to the left. Surely there was never sorrow 
like his sorrow or love like his love. Luke 9.51 it tells 
us that he set his face steadfastly to go to Jerusalem. I actually 
prefer the King James Version. He set his face like a flint 
to go to Jerusalem. He's resolved. He is resolute. It is necessary. He's determined. 
Calvin says, why does he, without any constraint, march forward 
to suffer a shocking murder? But because the invincible power 
of the Spirit enabled him to subdue fear and raised him above 
all human feelings. So it's necessary because of 
the Covenant of Redemption. It's necessary because it was 
written in the Scriptures. And you know what? Thirdly, it's 
necessary for the salvation of His people. How does Matthew's 
Gospel start? It starts with the genealogy. 
And then it moves into a block of data concerning the one the 
genealogy focuses upon, the Lord Jesus Christ. focuses upon the 
birth narrative, and specifically in view is the angel telling 
what he ought to be called. You shall call his name Jesus, 
for it is he who will save his people from their sins. Never 
forget that in Matthew's Gospel. When you see Jesus marching to 
Jerusalem and you know the inevitable end, you know the betrayal by 
Judas, you know the mocking by the Roman soldiers and even the 
Jewish leaders, you know the sufferings associated with the 
crucifixion, and you know the suffering of crucifixion itself, 
why does Jesus do this? You ever met with people that 
say, I don't know why Jesus came into this world. I don't know 
why. Matthew is as conspicuous as he could possibly be. He came 
into this world, sinners to save. If anybody ever asks you, why 
did Jesus come into this world? That's the answer. It wasn't 
to just establish a new political monarchy. It wasn't just to revolt 
against Roman society. It wasn't just to start a new 
religion. It was to live and die and rise again. The glory 
of God and the salvation of His people. Matthew 1.21, He shall 
save His people from their sins. Matthew 20.28. For the Son of 
Man did not come to be served, but to serve." And to do what? To give his life a ransom for 
many. You see, that's the theological 
interpretation of the facts associated with the death of Jesus Christ. 
A lot of people die, don't they? There's a lot of martyrs in this 
world. You probably saw the news this past week concerning that 
shooting in Oregon. What several have reported is 
that when this gunman came to the people, I don't like them 
referring to shooter. It almost makes it sound like 
it's a video game. The guy's a murderer. He's a 
wretch. He came to these people and he 
asked them if they were Christians. And if they said yes, they got 
shot in the head. And if they said no, they got 
shot in the leg. So a lot of people die as martyrs, 
don't they? It's the theological interpretation 
that Christ puts on the event that the apostles draw out in 
their New Testament letters to tell us it was for the glory 
of God. It was for the salvation of sinners. When we read 17 to 19 and we 
come face to face with what Jesus endured, there is a real live 
sense where it was For us, for us men and for our 
salvation, He came down from heaven. For us men and for our 
salvation, those of us who have been degraded by original sin 
and by our own actual sins. For us men and our salvation, 
He came down from heaven. It is for us that verses 17 and 
19 are here. It's truly an amazing reality. 
Now let's move to this prophetic explanation given by Christ. 
There are four things he highlights. In the first place, the betrayal 
of the Son of Man. Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem 
and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the 
scribes. Betrayed or handed over, the 
same idea is consistent. The theological passive, which 
means this. We as judicious readers and as 
those who have some appreciation of the Old Testament will know 
that Judas was an agent in the betrayal. We already know that 
from chapter 10, verse 4. When the 12 are selected, it 
is underscored that Judas Iscariot is the betrayer. We know that 
he is an agent We know that the chief priests and the scribes, 
they're agents. We know that the Gentiles, they're 
agents. But when we ask the grand question, 
who ultimately was in charge of the handing over of our Lord 
Jesus? We read it in Isaiah the prophet 
5311, it pleased Yahweh to bruise him. It pleased God the Father 
to bruise Christ the Son, not in some wicked concept of cosmic 
child abuse, but in the maintenance of the dignity, the glory, and 
the justice and the righteousness of God and the salvation of His 
people. Paul tells us that in the cross, 
through the work of the Redeemer King, God is both just and the 
justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus Christ. So he is betrayed. He is handed 
over. But as Peter says in Acts 2.23, 
it is according to the predetermined plan of God. See, what ought 
we to take from that? The triune God is involved in 
the salvation of us men and women. I'm speaking inclusively. Don't 
be gender offended. It was not a microaggression. For us men and for our salvation, 
the Lord God Almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit has covenanted 
together in blessed unity to save us from our sins. He was 
betrayed. The Lord betrayed or the Lord 
would be betrayed by Judas Iscariot. That is indicated in 10.4. It 
is drawn out in chapter 26, verses 14 to 16. and chapter 26, verses 
47 to 56. Notice, he would be delivered 
to the Sanhedrin. The Son of Man will be betrayed 
to the chief priests and to the scribes. Now in the first announcement, 
it doesn't say specifically he would be delivered to these men. 
He would suffer under the hands of these men. The second, he 
would be delivered to men. Here it's specific. It's the 
Sanhedrin. This religious council, the supreme 
council of the Jewish leaders, they are the ones that ultimately 
deliver Jesus up to the Roman government. Because remember, 
1831 in John's gospel, the Jews did not have the right or the 
authority to execute criminals. They didn't have the authority. 
Pilate says, why are you bringing him to me? Well, it's not lawful 
for us to execute. They were subjugated to the Roman 
authority, and so they needed the Roman authority to take matters 
into his hands so that they could get the death penalty they sought 
for a holy, harmless, and righteous man. He would be betrayed. Notice what these men would do. 
They would condemn him to death. Think about who we're talking 
about here. This is a man who never did anything wrong. This 
is a man who went about doing good. This is a man who healed 
people, gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, the ability 
to speak to the mute. He gave life to that little girl 
in Matthew chapter 9. He's full of pity, full of compassion, 
full of mercy, and he says so matter-of-factly that he's going 
to be condemned to death by these particular men. They plot his 
death in chapter 9 at verse 34, chapter 12 at verse 14, in chapter 
26 verses 3 to 5. They're plotting against him 
so that they may kill him. This is actually carried out. 
The guilty verdict concerning Christ is rendered in chapter 
26 at verses 57 to 68. The trial and verdict are handed 
down. So what happens after he is found 
guilty by this Sanhedrin? He's not really guilty, is he? 
He hasn't done anything wrong. These men are the Saul's of their 
age, persecuting the David of their age. What did David do 
to deserve Saul's rage and enmity and hatred? Nothing. What did 
Jesus do to deserve these religious leaders and scribes and Pharisees 
and Sadducees? What did he do to deserve their 
rage and their ultimate murder? It's a wicked, lawless man that 
delivered him up to the Gentiles. Now notice, in the third place, 
the deliverance to the Gentiles of the Son of Man. They'll deliver 
him to the Gentiles to mock and discourage and to crucify. The 
Jews, as I said, did not have authority to carry out capital 
punishment. The Jews delivered Jesus to Pilate 
in 27, 1 and 2, 27, 11 to 25. The Lord ultimately, or this 
is another aspect of his humiliation. France says the specific mention 
this time of the involvement of Gentiles adds a new note of 
rejection and humiliation with the Jewish Messiah subjected 
to the shame of Gentile mockery. Now note the specifics. The Sanhedrin 
tries him, pronounce him guilty on drummed up charges. They deliver 
him over to Pilate. You know how they argue in John's 
gospel when Pilate says, what has he done wrong? They beg the 
question. They commit a logical fallacy. 
They said, if you hadn't done anything wrong, we wouldn't have 
brought him to you. It's not an answer, is it? It's not a response. It was a 
kangaroo court designed to murder the Lord. So he is delivered 
up to Pilate. Pilate actually has some angst 
about this whole thing, but because he's a wimp, he ultimately kowtows 
to the mob. Pilate knew there was no guilt 
in Jesus. Very intriguing to me. With the 
thought of holy, holy, holy of Isaiah 6, think about Pilate, 
Luke's record. Three times he says, I find no 
guilt in him. Whether it's the cherubim and 
seraphim before the throne of Christ or a godless third-rate 
governor in Judea named Pilate, they still confess the same reality. There is no guilt in this man. 
So what happens when Pilate finds him guilty? Specifics. He is mocked. Notice, deliver 
him to the Gentiles to mock. The Lord of glory was mocked 
by the sons of men. This is a tough passage, brethren, 
if you start to actually consider who it is that's undergoing this. In chapter 27, verses 27 to 31, 
in terms of the soldiers, the soldiers mocked him by stripping 
him and placing a scarlet robe on him. It's mockery. They're making fun of him. put 
it in the modern term, they are bullying him, but with a vengeance. They strip him down, they put 
this scarlet robe upon him, and they continue by putting a crown 
of thorns on his head. Kids, have you ever considered 
this? It hurts to bump your head, doesn't it? You stand up and 
you hit the corner of something, that really hurts. Pretty miserable. You know, we make a big scene 
and, I hit my head. They weaved a crown of thorns 
together. And I'm not talking, you know, 
these little tiny thorns that, you know, they have in Mountain 
Home, Idaho. You walk and collect them in 
your shoes. I think they call them goat heads, probably because 
they look like goat heads. These were big thorns. They weaved 
them together and they'd drive it into his head. They put a reed in his hand, 
because after all, the king needs a reed. He's a ruler. He needs 
a scepter. They end up taking the reed back 
out of his hand and smacking him with it. They say to him, hail, king of 
the Jews. Again, it's mockery. It's fun 
for these guys. It's ridicule. But it doesn't 
stop there. When Christ is upon the cross, 
even the Sanhedrin mocks the Lord Jesus. What do they say? These are supposed to be the 
dignified leaders in the Supreme Council of Israel. These are 
supposed to be the men of respect and noteworthy in society. They 
mock the Lord of glory. He saved others, but he can't 
save himself. It's an amazing thing and an 
ironic thing that while he, they say, he saved others, he was 
in the very business of saving others through his cross burial. The chief priest, the scribes, 
the elders, they mock him. Notice what else they do. They scourge him to scourge. Now, this is indicated in Matthew 
27, 26. It is most likely that Jesus 
was scourged. That means whipped twice. It's most likely that Jesus was 
whipped twice. You say, well, why is that the 
case? You remember in the first instance, 
Pilate gave the order because he thought it would appease them. 
He thought, we'll deliver a whipping to him. Everybody will be happy 
and we can let him go. Pilate recognized he was not 
guilty. Pilate recognized the Jews delivered 
him up for spite and envy. So he figures, we'll go ahead 
and whip him. They'll be satisfied and then 
we can let him go. That happened, didn't it? Well, 
when he is condemned and he's sentenced to crucifixion, something 
that always accompanied crucifixion was a more severe form of whipping, 
a more severe scourging. So the first one was simply to 
appease the bloodthirsty mob. But when they say, away with 
him, away with him, crucify him, their bloodthirst won't be satisfied 
with that basic form of whipping. When they cry out and demand 
crucifixion, when Pilate gives the order that he will be crucified, 
part of the process was that he would be scourged, whether 
or not he had been scourged once already. Now in this second form 
of scourging, D.A. Carson describes it in this way. In this last form, there are 
actually several forms that scourging took in the Roman Empire. He 
says, the victim was stripped and tied to a post and then beaten 
by several torturers, soldiers in the Roman provinces, until 
they were exhausted or their commanding officer called them 
off. For victims who, like Jesus, were neither Roman citizens nor 
soldiers, the favorite instrument was a whip whose leather thongs 
were fitted with pieces of bone or lead or other metal. The beatings 
were so savage that the victims sometimes died. Eyewitness records 
report that such brutal scourgings could leave victims with their 
bones and their entrails exposed." Now, we appreciate what Ryle 
says, never such love like this. Was there? Never such sorrow 
like this and never such love like this that drove the Son 
of God to Jerusalem when he knew that this was in his future. 
One of the things not indicated here, but in the parallel, in 
Mark's gospel, it says to spit on him. To spit on him. Now, I was raised a papist, as 
most of you know. I went to a papist school, went 
through the whole spiel. But somewhere, right along the 
line, early on in my formative years, must have been a nun, 
they impressed upon us the necessity of not spitting on other people. That was just one of those rules 
that I had. I thank God for. I've never had 
the desire to spit on anyone. I've never actually, as far as 
I can recall, spit on anyone. They instilled in us a thing 
not to litter either. Another good rule. Don't just 
throw things out. And I think the nun's argument 
was, because they spit upon our Lord, what a form of degradation, 
right? What a form of belittlement. What a horrific practice. The 
Christ who made them are now using the mouths He made to spit 
on Him. This is actually recorded in 
Matthew's Gospel. In Matthew 27, 30. It's just 
not included in the announcement here as it is in Mark's Gospel. 
He's betrayed. He's mocked. He's scourged. He spat upon, now notice, and 
to crucify. To crucify. In the previous announcements, 
in Numbers 1 and 2, Jesus indicates that he will be killed in both 
of those when he gets to Jerusalem. Now he specifies the manner of 
killing. It is crucifixion. You know what 
crucifixion is. It is when they take a man and 
they put him on a cross in order to put him to death. This was 
practiced in the Roman Empire. Guess who it was not practiced 
upon? Roman citizens. It was too degrading 
and too horrific to inflict upon a Roman citizen, unless there 
was special authorization from the emperor. It was something 
the Romans practiced, but not on their own. It was reserved 
for the most notorious criminals. the most horrific violators of 
the law. When we get to Jesus on the cross 
and there are two men crucified on the side of him, and it says 
that they are thieves, that's probably just one small element 
of their rap sheet. They were compadres with Barabbas, 
who was a notorious sinner. who was a bad man, who incited 
insurrection, who was guilty of murder. You see, they didn't 
just put somebody on the cross for any little offense. They 
put the worst on the cross. And this is what happened to 
Jesus. France says that previous predictions 
have spoken in more general terms of Jesus being killed. But now 
that the Romans have been explicitly brought into the scene, the means 
of execution can be specified as crucifixion. The careful reader 
will not be surprised since Jesus has already called his disciples 
to carry their cross after him in 1038 and 1624. Now could you imagine if we're 
walking with Jesus We're amongst a whole multitude. We are fearful, 
as the Twelve, as Luke tells us. They were afraid. Jesus comes, and to alleviate 
their fears, says, we're going to go to Jerusalem. I'm going 
to be betrayed. I'm going to be mocked. I'm going 
to be scourged, and I'm going to be crucified. What do you 
think that would have done for their fears? They would have 
said, horror of horrors, we want nothing to do with that. As we 
know, by the end we get to the gospel records, where do the 
disciples go? Are they standing at the foot 
of the cross, cheering on their master? No. Scatter the shepherd 
and the sheep will be spread, or divided. Or rather, strike 
the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered. That's precisely 
what took place. Now notice what Christ speaks 
fourthly, the triumph of the Son of Man. And the third day 
he will rise again. Isn't that glorious? Isn't that 
amazing? On the one hand, we agonize and 
we sympathize and we hang our heads in shame at the thought 
and the reality that our sin necessitated this act on the 
part of the Son of God. That he would be betrayed, that 
he would be mocked, that he would be scourged, that he would die 
a horrific death on the cross. But he says himself, and the 
third day he will rise again. That's not the end for Jesus. 
It's not over for Jesus when he goes into the tomb. It's not 
the case that we have a crucifixion with the Savior still on the 
cross. He was on the cross, he entered 
the tomb, and on the third day, He rose again. It's the glory 
of the Christian message. It is the triumph of the Son 
of Man. It is the triumph of the Lord Jesus Christ. Spurgeon 
says, this poured a flood of light on what else had been a 
sevenfold midnight. To hear that your Master was 
going to suffer these things at the hands of godless men, 
it would have weighed in on you. And then he says, the third day 
He will rise again. The third day he will come out 
of the tomb. The third day he will show his 
victory over the grave. The third day he will show his 
defeat of the devil, his defeat of sin, and his dominion over 
death itself. Praise God Almighty. It's a beautiful passage. It's 
a wonderful statement. It's clear. It's concise. It's 
brief. It's right to the point. Doesn't 
leave us guessing, doesn't leave us wondering, doesn't leave us 
scratching our heads. When we ask the question, why 
did Jesus come? It's specified here, to be betrayed, 
to be mocked, to be scourged, to be crucified. When we ask 
the larger question, what is the significance of this particular 
series of events? Why did Jesus come? Why did Jesus 
go through these things? Why did he suffer at the hands 
of godless men? Well, to satisfy the demands 
of the covenant of redemption. To fulfill all that was written 
concerning him. To save his people from their 
sins. See, we need that theological interpretation to make sense 
of these particular facts. We have them. As I've said, Matthew 
1, 21. We have them in Matthew 20, 28. We have it in Matthew 
26, 6. This is my blood of the new covenant 
shed for the remission of sins. We have interpretation by Paul 
in Romans 4, 25. Jesus Christ was delivered up. 
Why? Because of our offenses. Because 
of our sins. Because of our transgressions. 
Because we can't control ourselves sexually. Because we can't control 
our tongues. Because we can't control our 
desires. We don't submit to lawful authority. We don't worship the Lord God 
alone. We don't engage in things that the Lord calls us to. So 
why was Jesus delivered up? It was because of our offenses. 
Not first and foremost for our example. Not just so we could 
see a model of Christian love. He was delivered up because of 
our offenses. What is involved at the cross 
is penal substitution. The holy, spotless Lamb of God 
took the place of unholy, spotted, wretched men and women. He stood 
in our place and He received the wrath of God on our behalf. 
He was delivered up because of our offenses. But Paul doesn't 
stop there. Romans 4.25b, and he was raised 
up. Why? For our justification. The bottom line is, is that we 
are dead in our trespasses and sins. We have sinned against 
a holy God. We deserve His wrath and His 
curse and His punishment and every bad thing, but in the gospel. In our Lord Jesus, God provides 
justification. What does justification involve? 
Forgiveness of sins. It helps the saint to be able 
to sing, My sin, O this glorious thought. My sin, not in part, 
but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord. Brethren, when you sing that, 
are you more focused upon what part the men sing, or what part 
the women sing, or the reality that our sins are gone? That's what we have in Jesus, 
forgiveness. It's not only the forgiveness 
of sins, we need a righteousness. We need to be clothed in order 
to stand before God. Christ provides that through 
His perfect life of obedience to the Father. God takes that 
and He gives it to us. Paul in another place with theological 
interpretation. concerning the crosswork of our 
Lord. He says that God, the Father, 
made Him, God, the Son, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that 
we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Why these tragic 
events? Why did Jesus go through this? Why did Jesus feel the crown 
of thorns in his head? Why did Jesus receive the spit 
from a Roman soldier on his face? Why did Jesus undergo the mocking? Why did Jesus undergo the scourging? Imagine being whipped once, but 
then being whipped again only to be let off to be crucified. 
Why would he go through that? for us, for us men and our salvation, 
for sinners, undone, violators of the law of God, covetous men 
and women, thieving men and women, lying men and women, sexually 
promiscuous men and women, insubordinate men and women, Sabbath-breaking 
men and women, blaspheming men and women, idolatrous men and 
women, completely undone men and women. Jesus came and he 
did this for us. Brethren, I gotta say, if you're 
a believer in Christ, there ought not to ever be a day when you 
doubt the love of God in Christ Jesus for you. I remember when 
I was a kid, I don't know where I saw it, but somebody holds 
a flower and they say, he loves me, he loves me not, he loves 
me, he loves me not. They pick the petals off. I think 
Christians do that sometimes. They got up and they had a successful 
morning and they read four chapters of their Bible and they had what 
they believed to be some earnest prayer. They can face today because 
God loves them. They wake up the next day three 
hours late and they stumble out of bed and they can't run a comb 
through their hair and they're on their way, they haven't had 
their coffee, they're bitter, they're upset, they're unhappy, 
they think, God must not love me. You can't do that in light 
of Matthew 20, 17 to 19. What's Paul saying in Romans 
5a? God demonstrates His own love toward us. How does God 
demonstrate His own love toward us? In that while we were yet 
sinners, Christ died for us. Brethren, He went to these lengths 
on behalf of His people. We ought to rejoice. We see in 
this brief section, as I've mentioned, the determination of the Savior. 
The importance of this particular announcement, may I suggest two 
responses. In the first place, by the Church. The Church should receive, embrace, 
and delight in the Gospel. Because isn't that what 17 to 
19 is? When somebody says to you, what 
is the Gospel? I hope you don't answer, the 
Gospel is my life. The gospel is the way I conduct 
myself. The gospel is how I feel when 
I come to church. That's not the gospel. I hate 
to pop your bubble. That's not the gospel. The gospel 
is a revealed message that is rooted in history, that is focused 
upon the Savior. 1 Corinthians 15, 1-4, you would 
be hard-pressed to find any better definition of the gospel than 
what we find there. Jesus died. Jesus was buried. Jesus was raised the third day. 
All according to the scriptures. This is the gospel. It is the 
life and the death and the resurrection of Jesus. That's what gospel 
is. That's what good news. Is your 
life good news? Probably not. That's why we need 
the good news to save us. You know what's intriguing? After 
this declaration, after this statement, after this, going 
to use a big word here, elucidation of gospel truth that is to come, 
you know what Luke tells us the response of the disciples was? But they understood none of these 
things. But they understood none of these 
things. Now, Matthew doesn't tell us 
that, but he doesn't have to. Because 20 to 28 indicate that 
they understood none of these things. Imagine you telling your 
children or telling your friends, you know, I'm about to undergo 
the worst and most severe trial of my entire life. And they say, 
can I have a cookie? How would you respond to that? I have to confess, I don't think 
I would respond in the most holy and godly way. That's what's going on here. 
Do you hear what Christ has just explained? And the mother of 
the sons of Zebedee comes to Jesus. And they say, or she says, 
grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on your right 
hand and the other on the left, in your kingdom. I'd be like, 
didn't you just hear what I said? Didn't you understand the implications 
involved in this announcement? Do you understand what scourging 
is and spitting is and mocking is and crucifixion is? But Jesus 
doesn't do that. He continues down this path and 
in a roundabout way points back to this. He says, you don't know 
anything about the cup that I'm about to drink. They should have 
because he just specified it. He does promise them that they 
will undergo a degree of suffering prior to their reception of kingdom 
benefit. But all this to ask the question, 
brethren, are we like them? Do we keep missing the point? What is the mission? What is 
the purpose? What is the reason for which 
the church exists? To propagate the gospel. To proclaim the truth as it is 
in Jesus. to tell sinners the good news 
that Christ died, that he rose again, and that he sits enthroned 
at the right hand of the majesty on high, and that any and all 
who look to him in faith will have everlasting life. The church's 
primary task isn't political in nature. Doesn't mean the church 
as church or the scriptures don't speak to politics. We just did 
in the previous hour. It doesn't mean that the church 
doesn't speak the whole counsel of God concerning every facet 
and area of life, but it means the primary orientation and the 
primary focus of the Christian church must be the cross. And it is not politics, it's 
certainly not entertainment. Come to our church because we 
have the bestest band. Come to our church because we 
got a guy who can shred on the guitar. Come to our church because 
we've got the biggest drum kit in an evangelical setting. Come 
to our church to hear of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. The church must receive, embrace, 
and delight in the gospel. the church should respond with 
worship, praise, and adoration. What do you do in light of verses 
17 to 19? Yes, there is a degree of sober 
reflection upon these events. When we call to mind the thought 
of our blessed, beloved, beautiful Savior being spat on by a filthy 
mouth, or by having a crown of thorns embedded in his holy head, 
or when we see him hanging on the cross, our hearts are heavy 
and it's sad. Then we hear the declaration, He will rise again 
the third day. How do we respond to that? Praise. Worship. Adoration. Worship the 
Son of God. Do you ever notice how often 
times in the Christian church and in the books we read, we're 
always looking for practical tidbits on how to live our life. 
I'm not against practical tidbits on how to live our life. But somehow we don't see the 
worship of the living God as practical. I need to go out and 
learn how to be a better guy or a better girl. You need to 
respond in the worship of this great God. That's practical. That's what it's about. Peter 
tells us that God calls us out of darkness into his marvelous 
light. Why? So we can be better guys 
and gals? That's in Peter. But it's to 
proclaim the praises of him who did this. In other words, God 
saves us to make worshipers. And we respond to the message 
of the gospel with worship and praise and adoration. And in 
the third place, as far as the church is concerned, We should 
imitate Jesus and focus upon the gospel. I know I've already 
alluded to this, but in terms of our own personal life, by 
imitating Jesus, I'm not suggesting that what would Jesus do? He'd 
have the Wheaties because it's healthier for you. in the morning. 
Imitate Jesus' focus and concern. Certainly do what Jesus did. 
Be holy, be righteous, and all those sorts of things. But a 
quote I'm going to read in just a moment evidences something 
that does subtly shift the focus of believers at times. Spurgeon 
says, did our Lord Jesus dwell on his passion? Those are the 
events associated with the suffering and the death of Christ. Passion 
means suffering. Impassibility means unable to 
suffer. That's the word. It's passion. 
It comes from that particular word group. Did our Lord Jesus 
dwell on his passion, and should not we? Yes, it should be our 
lifelong theme. They say in this hour of defection, 
think of his life rather than of his death. But we are not 
to be duped by them. Let me explain what Spurgeon 
is getting at. Spurgeon understood, as did Machen, 
as does the Church throughout all her ages of not defecting, 
that there is a subtle distinction here. Moralism says, do what 
Jesus did. Christian gospel is, preach what 
Jesus accomplished. The good news is about what has 
been done. The focus is upon the death, 
the resurrection to be sure, the life that went before that. Moralism says, just go be better, 
be like Jesus and everything will be wonderful. The gospel 
teaches us that it's because of our sin, because of our depravity, 
that Christ accomplished what he did. The believer in Christ 
focuses upon the redemptive aspect of the gospel. In fact, Spurgeon 
goes on. We are not to be duped by them. We preach Christ crucified. God 
forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. You see this in 1 Corinthians 1. Paul says Jews seek what? They seek signs. They want to 
be amazed, they want to be dazzled. What did the Greeks seek after? 
Wisdom. Greeks must have all had long 
beards because they wanted wisdom so they could stroke their beards 
and talk about Socrates and Plato and Aristotle and the great movements 
and the ebbs and the flows of the philosophical tradition. 
Paul says, Jews want signs, Greeks want wisdom, we preach Christ 
crucified. To the Jews, a stumbling block, 
and to the Greeks, foolishness. But to those who are being saved, 
Christ, the power and wisdom of God. You see, we might say 
that today. There's a moralistic tendency. to look at the bracelet and it 
says WWJD. Oh, now I know what I'm supposed 
to do. Again, do what Jesus did by all 
means. But you're not going to be saved 
because you do what Jesus did. You'll never do it the way Jesus 
did it, which is personal, exact, entire, and perpetual. Death. It's the redemptive focus. It 
is the bloodshed. It is the cross that believers 
and that Christians and that believers and churches ought 
to focus on. And in the final place, I would 
say to the unbeliever something I've already said. All of this 
is encapsulated under the word gospel. The good news is not 
that I have a happier life now. The good news is not that we 
are now somewhat well-adjusted individuals. At least for the 
hour and a half we're here, we're not out robbing banks, we're 
not out smoking crack, we're not out chasing after prostitutes. 
That's not the gospel. The gospel is the life and the 
death and the resurrection of Jesus. The response to the gospel 
by you, if you are an unbeliever, is to believe. You see, those 
are the two basic categories set before us in the Bible. There 
are those who believe and those who do not believe. The believers 
are said to have eternal life. The unbelievers are said to be 
under the wrath of God. The only way to flee from the 
wrath of God is to the Lord Jesus. It is to believe the gospel. It is to lay down your opposition 
to it and your resistance to it. It is to see, to understand, 
to hear what's been said, and to cast your lot in. Isn't it intriguing that Jesus 
is delivered to the Gentiles What happens when Jesus is delivered 
to the Gentiles? He delivers Gentiles. This deliverance, ultimately 
by God, into the hands of godless men, was the means by which the 
Son of God would deliver godless men. It truly is an amazing thing. And if you are here this morning, 
and you hear this on a weekly basis, and you still have not 
believed, may I say once again, believe. You are old if you've 
been a notoriously bad sinner or what we might call a garden 
variety sinner. All sin, every sin deserves God's 
wrath and curse both in this life and that which is to come. 
Every single sin deserves that. What a horrific place to be, 
isn't it? Imagine if we could see something like a gas over 
the heads of those who are outside of Christ. John 3, 36. He that believeth the Son hath 
everlasting life. He that believeth not the Son 
shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. It's a terrifying thought. Isn't it? If you're here this 
morning, ask yourself. I'm not a believer. The wrath 
of God abides on me. Does that scare you? Does it 
make you concerned? Does it make you worried? Does it make you think? As soon as I'm done here, I'm 
going to close in prayer and we're all going to walk out of 
that door. Are you gonna once again exclude 
these thoughts from your mind? Are you gonna once again start 
talking about everything and anything else than what you heard 
in the sermon this morning? Not because you heard it from 
me, but because I think that this is, or not I think, but 
I know that this is the Word of God, and I think I've accurately 
expounded it. Think through these things! The 
time is short! You kids don't have a promise 
of 80 and 90 years. You adults don't have a promise 
of 80 and 90 years. You've heard the gospel. You've 
heard it presented. You've heard it detailed. It's 
about Jesus. It's about his life. It's about 
his death. It's about his resurrection. How do I gain a saving interest 
in that? Believe it! You've heard that. You resist 
it. You reject it. This is going 
to be another nail of condemnation in your final coffin. Do not 
tarry, do not wait, as the hymn writer says, venture on him, 
venture holy. Christ is altogether lovely and 
chief among 10,000. Everyone in this room, who by 
the grace of God has come to Him, will tell you and will testify 
you. It's amazing. It's glorious. 
It's wondrous. What more excellent thing can 
make a pillow soft at night than to know that one's sins are forgiven? 
That if I die before I wake, the Lord really will my soul 
take. I will be in the presence of 
the Lord God Most High, Creator of things seen and unseen. I'll be in the presence of Him 
who called this creation into being. I'll be in the presence 
of Him who overrules and governs over all of His creatures. I'll 
be in the presence of the One who went through this on my behalf. That's glorious. That's excellent. 
That's blessing. So come to the Lord Jesus Christ. and you shall be saved. That is a promise from the Word 
of the Living God and you can bang on it. Well, let us pray. 
Father, we thank you for the Gospel. We thank you for our 
Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you for what is recorded 
here and applied later in the Gospel of Matthew. We thank you 
that you've made us partakers of these things and we acknowledge 
it is by amazing grace. We praise you, and we love you, 
and we thank you for your goodness to us. And we pray that you would 
go with us now. I pray for any and all here that 
have not come to Christ, that they would think through these 
things, even now. They would think through these 
things this afternoon and the days coming, that they would 
want to know the joy of being found in Christ Jesus. And we 
ask these things in his most blessed name. Amen.