(Bible Study - March 2000) We have seen that the Lord Jesus revealed his foreknowledge of his death upon the cross in the interview with Nicodemus, and this took place at an early stage in his ministry. We have also said that the other gospels, in a different way, confirm the conviction that our Lord was aware from the beginning of his ministry of the need to die upon the cross. Let us then look at the other gospels, but more especially the gospel of Matthew. The reason for this will become progressively apparent.
Jesus knew of his death
The social habits of our Lord were subject to scrutiny by the Pharisees as soon as the
Lord became a public figure. They observed that he ate "with publicans and
sinners." This criticism led to one of our Lord’s great sayings: "But
go ye and learn what this meaneth, I desire mercy, and not sacrifice" (Mt. 9:13RV
as all quotes). But this was not the only criticism to which the Lord was subjected. The
disciples of the Baptist appear to have watched his disciples with a disapproving eye: "Why
do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?" (v. 14). This
moved the Lord to make a remark, the full meaning of which became apparent only at the
time of his death: "Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the
bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from
them" (v. 15).
We can be sure that at this stage the disciples made little sense of the declaration. It unquestionably provided evidence, however, that the Lord was aware of what awaited him finally at Jerusalem. The notion of the apostles mourning reappears in words Jesus spoke to his apostles in his final hours with them. He tells them that they are to lose him for a little while, and that they will weep and lament (John 16:16,20). It is obvious that this refers to the grief the apostles would experience when the Lord is taken from them and crucified. But we know that their grief was short-lived, for the Lord they thought they had lost, they found again in a more glorious form after his resurrection.
Bearing the burden
We need to reflect that, in the light of the early intimations of his death, we can
conclude our Lord carried the heavy burden of the cross throughout his ministry. This
helps us to understand why, well before Calvary, Jesus said to the twelve: "And he
that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me" (Mt.
10:38). Do not these words clearly imply the Lord was already mentally carrying his cross?
No ambiguity with a year to go
However enigmatic were the early declarations of our Lord, we know that toward the end
of his ministry, probably in the final months, our Lord was totally unambiguous in what he
said in the Caesarea Philippi incident. So much has been written about this all-important
episode that it appears almost impossible to say anything new. It must suffice to say now
that the Lord, after eliciting from Peter the unhesitating acknowledgement that he was the
Messiah, went on to announce that "he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many
things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be
raised up" (Mt. 16:21).
The whole idea expressed in this declaration was repugnant to Peter: "Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall never be unto thee" (v. 22). His reaction was wholly human, and so much was indicated by the Lord’s rebuke: "Get thee behind me, Satan: thou are a stumblingblock unto me: for thou mindest not the things of God, but the things of men." No words could more effectively demonstrate how totally repugnant to our human nature is the idea of the cross. Yet it is one we must embrace and put into practice: "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" (v. 24).
At the beginning of Matthew 17, we have the record of the transfiguration, which has its parallels in Mark and Luke (Mt. 17:1-8; Mk. 9:1-8; Lk. 9:28-36). This glorification of the Lord, which must have produced a deep and lasting effect upon the witnesses (Peter, James and John) was followed by some words of our Lord in which, again, he spoke of his forthcoming death (Mt. 17:12).
In this same chapter of Matthew, the Lord while yet in Galilee, makes a further declaration concerning his death: "The Son of man shall be delivered up into the hands of men; and they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised up" (vv. 22-23). What we must not miss is that at this juncture the Lord is multiplying references to his sacrifice. Normally we lay the emphasis upon the fact that he is thus preparing the twelve for what is to happen to him, and that unquestionably is true. But we must not forget that embodied in these announcements there is the reassuring message that he will rise from the dead.
He set his face as a flint
While the preparation of the twelve for events to come must be regarded as an
important aspect of the various declarations by our Lord, there is another aspect which
all too easily can be overlooked. The prospect of the cross is now beginning to weigh upon
the Lord’s spirit, and it must give him some relief to speak about it. This is
another indication of his real humanity. Is this not true of our own human experience?
Indeed, we may find it impossible not to speak about matters which preoccupy us.
The cross was a tremendous challenge to our Lord. While Gethsemane provides the warrant for this fact, there is a well-known passage which testifies to the determination required of our Lord to embark on the climatic final six months of his ministry: "And it came to pass, when the days were well-nigh come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem" (Lk. 9:51). These eloquent words are commonly linked with Isaiah 50 which in a truly remarkable passage speaks of the indignities to which our Lord would be subjected (Isa. 50:5-7). But it also mentions that despite his knowledge of what awaits him, God’s faithful servant had set his face "like a flint" (v. 7).
References to crucifixion
Let us humbly recognize the courage displayed by our Lord, his determination to submit
to his Father’s will, whatever the cost to himself. This was to be the price of our
redemption and we must never forget it. Luke especially is concerned with these final
months, the terminus of which was to be Calvary (Lk. 13:22; 17:11; 19:11).
We do not have to read far in Matthew before we discover further references to our Lord’s death. The first of two such references possesses a special significance. In Matthew 20:18-19 we read, "Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests and scribes; and they shall condemn him to death. And shall deliver him unto the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify: and the third day he shall be raised up." While our Lord had already spoken clearly about the fact of his forthcoming rejection and death, now, for the first time, the word "crucify" appears. When we come to a moment nearer to the experience of the cross, our Lord uses the term yet again: "Ye know that after two days the passover cometh, and the Son of man is delivered up to be crucified" (Mt. 26:2).
Now the surprising thing is that neither Mark nor Luke use the terms "cross" or "crucify" in the declarations relating to his death made by Jesus before Calvary. Were they then unaware their Lord had so spoken? In the case of Luke, at least, it is apparent that he was fully acquainted with the fact for, after the resurrection, he records that the angel said to the women visiting the empty sepulchre: "He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, saying that the Son of man must be delivered up into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again" (Lk. 24:6-7).
When we look back upon the various passages which have come to our notice, one conclusion is inevitable: the Lord with great humility bore the cross throughout his ministry knowing that at Calvary he was to be the lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world, which includes our sins. Should we, therefore, not love him and revere him, striving to show his humility by our own submission to the Father’s will?
Tom Barling