THE DEATH OF CHRIST - HUMAN ENVY AND DIVINE PROVIDENCE- Howard Taylor.

Remember these are only notes so do not expect full sentences, perfect grammar or even perfect spelling! (Remember too that British spelling is not the same as American spelling!)

THE DEATH OF CHRIST - HUMAN ENVY AND DIVINE PROVIDENCE.
Sufferings and death of Jesus - killed on Cross.
First another killing - the first recorded in the Bible.
Gen 4:8    Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field." And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. (NIV)

Now death of Jesus:
Matt 27:17, 18, 25.
17    So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, "Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?"
18    For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him. ....25 All the people answered, "Let his blood be on us and on our children!" (NIV)

In both these killings there was:
1. Deliberate deceipt.
    (False charge against Jesus after many attempts to trick Him
2. Crime against a good man.
    (Need I say more about the crucifixion of Jesus?)
3..Crime against a brother.
    (It was those of His religion and race who handed Him over to be crucified - we come back to that.)
4. Statement of indifference. Am I my brother's keeper?
    (`Is it nothing to you all you who pass by ...')

`I am in charge of me and make up my own mind as to right and wrong', is the philosophy of post modern Britain.

Come back to this.

•    There have been many murders of innocent people in history.
Question:
•    Was the crucifixion the great murder of history?
•    the great martyrdom?
•    I don't like to think of the death of Christ as the death of a martyr.
•    Why not?

•    God's plan - atonement.

•    Yet of course it was a murder.
•    But not just a bad murder or the worst murder.
•    It sums up and gathers together all the others.

•    It was an attack against the Lord of history and God himself.

•    It concentrates all man's rejection of God in one place and one time.
-------------
•    Adam and Eve - rejection of God.
•    Next generation - murder - Cain and Abel.
Think of our country:
•    One or two generations ago ...
    •    Began the turn away from God.
•    This generation is seeing the increase in violence.

•    Adam and Eve story.
•    Tree of knowledge of good and evil.
•        We decide what is the difference between good and evil ourselves - God not needed.
    •    knowledge of right and wrong becomes distorted
•    man is increasingly ruled only by his flesh - body.
•    If your body wants it, it must be right.

•    Nothing wrong with our flesh (body)
    •    - but cut off from God it is deformed.
•    turns in on itself - selfish.

We use our bodies - actions, thoughts and words in - wrong ways.
•    The natural world is affected (Genesis 3:17).
    •    the curse on earth is given in terms of `thorns'.
    • ground will yield thorns.
•    And so the thorns of life have pierced us all.
--------------------
•    At the middle of history
•    a crown of thorns was given to the one who would take the curse of sin and make it his own.
------------------
•    So lets think of the killing of Christ.
1    Human side.
•    Why did the chief priests etc. want him killed?
Matt 27:18: For pilate knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him.
•    Envy!

•    Why did the same men later persecute the disciples?
Acts 5:17 then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy.

•    Why did Cain - the first murderer - kill Abel?
Gen 4:4-7 but Abel brought fat portions from some of the first-born of his flock. the lord looked with favour on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favour. so Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. then the lord said to Cain, "why are you angry? why is your face downcast?if you do what is right, will you not be accepted? but if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."
•    Envy and jealousy.
•    the natural result of turning in on ourselves.

•    How much place has envy played in our attitudes to others?

•    Everyone of us knows of someone-else,
•        of whom we could think:
•        `I wish I had what he or she has.'

•    but it is not envy unless it results in bad attitudes towards that person.
-----------------------
•    What was Cain's response when challenged by God?
•    `how should I know where Abel is .. ?
•    - am I my brother's keeper?

•    In other words:
•    `it is none of my business'.

•    Pilate: washed his hands.
•    he said it was not his business.

•    We cannot keep ourselves to ourselves
•    pretending that the world's problems have nothing to do with us.

•    We all have had our part to play.
--------------------
•    The envy came from the leaders,
•    but their feelings were quickly passed on to the general public.

•    The actual cause of Pilate's decision to hand Jesus over to crucifixion was:
•    the cry of the crowd: `crucify him'.

•    And so we see the same thing:
•    sin of envy;

•    This affects the crowd and indeed the whole human race.

•    So whom do to people often blame for the troubles of the world?
•    God!
•    It is His fault - He made us like we are.

•    Or we seek scape-goats.

•    Who is the great scape goat?
•    the Jews!

•    If our religion is devotion to a martyr then we will ask: `Who did it?'
•    And blame the Jews.
•    Middle ages - Good Friday - Jewish homes burned.

•    But if we remember that God purposed that Jesus should die for all peoples then we won't blame the Jews.

•    In fact when we think of the Cross we will confess our sins, not blame others.

•    So if we remember the words of the Jews:
    •    `His blood be upon us...
•    We must also remember the prayer of Jesus:
    •    `Father forgive...'

-------------------
So now let us think of the hand of God in the death of Jesus.

Darkness came over the whole land and there was a great earthquake.

•    Many times the Bible tells us that:
    •    the Last Judgement will be preceded by a great darkness over the whole earth which will shake the earth and the skies.

•    As sin gathers in momentum it brings darkness to our lives and to the whole world
        - shaking the very foundations of civilisation.
----------------
God was momentarily torn apart from his son Jesus.
•    `My God my God.....'
•    Sin separates.
•    Jesus took our place that we might take his place of glory.
------------------
•    Yet this separation was only momentary.
•    `Gave up his Spirit'.
•    `Into thy hands I commit my Spirit.'

•    Reunion of body soul, and Spirit of God.

•    That great healing.

•    The source of life has now been re-united with our flesh.

•    What would inevitably follow?

•    Resurrection!

•    We must kneel before the Cross and confess:
•    what it is in us that brought his death?
•    Was it envy?

Forgiveness.
That is what is meant by text from Heb 12:24
`The blood of Christ speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

It speaks a word of forgiveness to us all.

Will we receive it at the Cross?

•    As we come before his Cross we are given his love.

•    What is a chief characteristic of love?

•    What is the first thing that 1Cor 13 tells us that love does not do?
1 Cor 13:4: love is patient, love is kind. it does not envy.

Matthew 27:18.

THE DEATH OF CHRIST - HUMAN ENVY AND DIVINE PROVIDENCE.