See also Matthew 27:1-9. One week the crowd were hailing him as king, the next week they were crying out “Crucify Him!” The crowd are fickle. Jesus came on an ass as foretold in Zechariah 9:9. He came in peace. If he came to make war he would have come upon a horse. Jesus will come upon a horse in the future. See Revelation 19:11-16. What can we say about the death of Christ?

1 – His death is historical

A brutal injustice was done. An innocent man was put to death. Yet it reveals more than this:-

• It reveals a God who understands – God is not detached from the world. He has personally experienced the sufferings of this world. He is a God who loves mankind.
• It reveals a God who loves us. No one else has showed God’s power and love for mankind. He gave his life for our sins.
• It reveals hope for the future – Some saw him as a political leader or army general. God raised Jesus from the dead and He is coming back again – this time as King of Kings.

2 – His death is central

To the Gentiles reading this, it was a miracle. They were used to walls of exclusion. In the temple they were not allowed into the inner courts. They were treated like dogs. They had limited rights and privileges.

• Human voices – Throughout the past 2,000 years many have had Christ’s death as central to their lives. For example – Saint Patrick, William Carey, Abraham Lincoln, David Livingstone, Fanny Crosby, Charles Haddon Spurgeon and George Muller.
• God’s voice – See Genesis 22:8. Christ is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. See also Revelation 5:11-12; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 6:14 and Revelation 19:6-8.

3 – His death is eternal

Notice two things:-

• Costly sacrifice of the human father. The testing of Abraham was a rehearsal for the real thing.
• Costly sacrifice of our divine Father. God the Father sent his Son to die for our sins. Jesus was a willing sacrifice to do this. Without his sacrifice we would still be in our sins. When we believe we are saved from the punishment for sin – eternal death. God loves us so much. This is why Christ died.

Categories: Matthew