Thursday, February 28, 2013

February 27, 2013, Third Wednesday Lent Service
Sermon by Pastor Paul G. Eckert
Sermon text - John 19:1-8

    This week’s sermon theme is THE LAMB SHAMEFULLY
SURROUNDED.  Picture a lamb peacefully feeding in a pasture.
Then picture that lamb surrounded by a pack of wolves.  What a
shame when you think of what is going to happen to an undeserving
little lamb, so helpless, so weak.
    Jesus is the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the
world.  Was He like the lamb you pictured?  Was He undeserving of
what was coming?  Was He helpless, weak?
    Let’s go back to Jesus in the temple at age 12, about like our 7th or
8th grade children.  Luke 2:46-47 tells us, “After three days [Mary
and Joseph] found him in the temple courts, sitting among the
teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.  Everyone
who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his
answers.”  That doesn’t sound weak and helpless, does it.  It sounds
more like a child prodigy.
    Eighteen years later, as Jesus carried out His ministry He didn’t
seem weak or defenseless either.  One time his enemies tried to push
Him over a cliff.  He walked right through their midst and left them.
    But now we come to the time at the end of His three year public
ministry and what do we see?  We see Jesus who appeared to show
weakness, we see all of His disciples shamefully deserting Him.  But
not only the disciples’ actions were shameful.   
THE LAMB SHAMEFULLY SURROUNDED
I    BY A CROWD  (Mark 14:43-44)
    1. There had been many crowds.
        a) Think of Jesus feeding 4000, 5000.
        b) Or a man lowered through a roof because of crowds.
    2. Then think of Gethsemane.  (Mark 14 43-44)
        a) From our reading at the lectern before: Just as he was
speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared. With him was a
crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests,
the teachers of the law, and the elders.  Now the betrayer had
arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest
him and lead him away under guard.” 
        a) Judas sticks out shamefully here.
        b) With him was a crowd, an armed crowd.
    3. Think also of a smaller group that disappeared.
        a) Yes, John and Peter showed up at the courtyard late.
        b) But Peter denied, the others all had deserted Jesus.
    4. Will we shamefully forsake Him?
        a) Deny Him by being ashamed to stand up as a Christian?
        b) Forsake Him by not hearing His Word, using His Supper?
II     BY GOVERNMENT PEOPLE  (1-2a)
    1. Jesus not opposed to government.
        a) He disobeyed no laws, called for no uprising.
        b) He clearly said should pay taxes to Caesar, the government.
    2. But look at the government people here. (1-2a)
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged.  The soldiers ---
         a) Shameful - a top official having an innocent man flogged.
        b) Shameful - soldiers obviously having shameful enjoyment
    3. Earthly kingdoms can often be very shameful.
        a) Are you happy with what’s happening in  mideast?
        b) Are things in good shape in our United States?
        c) Instead we can say that the Christian religion is more and
more open to being surrounded by shameful ridicule.
    4. Jesus teaches us to pray “Your kingdom come.”
        a) He was talking about God’s kingdom or government.
         b) Only God’s kingdom promises true peace.
III    BY A CROWN  (2ab)
    1. A crown surrounded Jesus’ head. (2ab)
The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his
head.
        a) What a shame - physical circling pain for an innocent person.
        b) What shameful mockery of Jesus, crowned as a king.
    2. They shamefully mocked what was a fact.
        a) On Palm Sunday the crowds correctly shouted, “Blessed is
the king who comes in the name of the Lord!  Peace in heaven and
glory in the highest!”  (Luke 19:38)
        b) But here Jesus was surrounded by a crown and surrounded by
soldiers who shamefully mocked Him as a king..
    3. He willingly endured that mocking crown.
    4. We know why - it was that we might have the crown of life,
as Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4:8, “Now there is in store for me the
crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will
award to me on that day - and not only to me, but also to all who
have longed for his appearing?”     
IV    BY A ROBE  (2c-3)
    1. Jesus was surrounded by a cloth robe. (2c-3)
They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and
again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they struck him in
the face.
        a) This surrounding robe was like the circling crown.
        b) Both shamefully surrounded Him with kingly mockery.
    2. Yet it was sin that really surrounded Him.
        a) Your and my many many sins were the robe He wore.
        b) They surrounded the Lamb who came to take them away.
    3. Now He has given us a robe.
    4. Let’s sing about what that means for us  in 376:1-3.   
V    BY CHURCH OFFICIALS  (4-6a) -  (also Mark 14:61b-65)
    1. Pilate was being “used.”  (4-6a)
Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, “Look, I am
bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a
charge against him.”  When Jesus came out wearing the crown of
thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the
man!”
    2. Church officials were really behind this. (6a)
As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they
shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”
    3. They should have proclaimed who He was. ((Mark 14:61b)
“--- the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the
Blessed One?”
    4. Do many churches today see only a model, an example?
VI BY REJECTION  (6b-8)
    1. Jesus’ innocence was established. (6b)
Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I
find no basis for a charge against him.”
    2. What was rejected was clear. (7)
The Jews insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he
must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.”
    3. Did Pilate have reason for fear? (8)
When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid,
    4. Let there be thanks and not fear. - sing 105:5-7.

 
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