Suffering to Glory

                                                                                            Sunday School Lesson                                           

Lesson: Isaiah 53:5-8; Luke 24:25-27, 44-47
                                                                                                 
Golden Text: “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27).

 INTRODUCTION.  Without doubt, the Old Testament prophets pointed to Jesus.  When the directions and descriptions are given in advance that will enable you to identify a particular person, it’s foolish to miss that person when he arrives.  Even with prophecy, the ancient Jews couldn’t grasp that their Messiah would have to experience suffering.  They expected Him to be a great Conqueror, but couldn’t accept Him hanging on a cross.  Even His most loyal disciples, as this week’s lesson shows had to have their minds changed to understand the full scope of His mission.  In this week’s lesson we will look at Isaiah’s prophecy of the Suffering Servant and at Jesus’ meetings with His disciples during which He explained the Old Testament prophecies of His sufferings, death and resurrection.
A DESCRIPTION OF CHRIST’S SUFFERING (Isaiah 53:5-8).   Isaiah 53 is part of the fourth Servant Song of the Book of Isaiah.  It begins with Isaiah 52:13 and continues through Isaiah 53:12.  The other three Servant Songs are found in Isaiah 42:1-9; 49:1-13, and 50:4-9.  In the fourth Servant Song in Isaiah 53, plural pronouns are used (see Isaiah 53:1-2 for the pronouns “our” and “we”) to either indicate that Isaiah was speaking for the remnant of Jewish believers or they were speaking for themselves.  At any rate, this week’s lesson text is preceded by Isaiah 53:1 which asks the question “Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?”  This question indicated how difficult it would be for Israel to accept the message about a suffering Messiah.  Isaiah’s report or message actually describes the life and death of our Lord as if it had already happened as seen in the use of the past tense.  In verse 2, Isaiah’s message stated that the Servant would grow up before the Lord, but there would be nothing special about His appearance that would attract people to Him.  He would be a normal looking human.  In verse 3, the prophet said that God’s Servant, the Messiah would be despised, rejected and familiar with suffering.  Still speaking in the past tense, verse 4 says that He had borne our sorrows, and the Jews failing to understand the true nature of Jesus’ suffering, concluded that He was “stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.”  In other words, they assumed that Jesus suffered because of His own sin.  This is where our lesson begins.
A. The reason for His suffering (Isaiah 53:5-6).
1. (vs. 5).  This verse says “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”  Verse 4 which is not part of our text, says that the people would think that Jesus was “smitten of God” because of His sins.  However, the word “But” in this verse indicates that such reasoning was incorrect.  Since Jesus would be sinless, the real reason for His suffering was substitutionary, because “he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities.”  Jesus died for our sins and took the punishment that we deserved.  The word “Wounded” in Hebrew means “pierced” referring to Jesus’ wounds on the cross caused by nails and a spear (see Zechariah 12:10; John 19:34; 20:25).  “Transgressions” are any acts of rebellion against God and His Word.  The word “bruised” means “crushed” and here it means to be pulverized by beatings.  The term “iniquities” refers to crooked, perverse behavior.  The phrase “the chastisement of our peace was upon him” means that the punishment that brought us peace with God, fell on Christ instead of us (see Ephesians 2:14-17; Colossians 1:20).  The word “stripes” refers to marks caused by scourging (see Matthew 27:26) and beating (see Matthew 27:30).  The term “healed” refers not to physical healing but to our spiritual healing from sin sickness and the gift of spiritual life that the Servant provided for sinners by dying on the cross (see Romans 6:23; II Corinthians 5:21).
2. (vs. 6).  This verse says “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”  The focus of this Servant song briefly changes from the Servant’s death to the behavior that caused His death.  First, it’s because “All we like sheep have gone astray.”  The words “All we” includes everyone, both Jews and Gentiles (see Romans 3:10-12).  The phrase “like sheep have gone astray” pictures all sinners as straying sheep, helpless and unaware of their need for help.  Because we imitate the first parents (Adam and Eve), it’s not natural for the human race to seek fellowship with the true God.  But instead, sinful man prefers to follow paths of their own choosing (see Romans 5:12).  The second behavior that caused the Servant’s death was that “we have turned every one to his own way.”  This refers to personal responsibility.  We disobey God of our own free will, not because someone or something forces us to sin.  There is no truth to the saying that “the devil made me do it!”  We willingly choose not to enjoy the blessings of God’s green pastures.  The last part of this verse says “and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”  The verb translated “hath laid” means to hit or strike violently.  So the terminology here sees “iniquity” or sin as being capable of causing serious injury as it did to Christ.  Each of us carries a load of iniquity that makes it impossible to have peace with God on our own.  We deserve to be punished if we are going to enjoy peace with God.  But the Lord chose to lay “on him (Christ) the iniquity of us all.”  We must be mindful that this was not just a shifting of our load to Christ.  As noted, the term “hath laid” means to hit or strike violently which perfectly describes the suffering Christ endured as our divine Substitute.
B.  The manner of His suffering (Isaiah 53:7-8).
1. (vs. 7).  This verse says “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.”  The Servant patiently endured being “oppressed” and “afflicted” by His tormentors.  Both high priests, Annas and Caiaphas (see Luke 3:2; John 18:13-14), Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee (see Luke 3:1; 23:11) and Pontius Pilate, all misused their authority in condemning a righteous man to death.  The soldiers abused Him physically (see Matthew 27:27-30), and the crowds mocked Him.  Through all of this, the Servant “opened not his mouth.”  He didn’t defend Himself before Pilate (see Matthew 24:14) and Peter wrote that Jesus “when he was reviled, reviled not again” (see I Peter 2:23).  In His submissiveness, Christ is likened to a lamb being brought out quietly to be slaughtered and a sheep being sheared without any resistance.
2. (vs. 8).  In this verse Isaiah continued to describe the Servant’s suffering.  He said “He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.”  Since Jesus was never imprisoned, the term “prison” can mean “unjust restraint.”  However, Jesus did face “judgment” at the hands of the Jewish religious leaders, as well as Herod and Pilate.  The question “and who shall declare his generation?” is best interpreted as “And who can speak of His descendents?”  The idea is that since Jesus was killed in the prime of life, He left no descendents.  This is supported by the phrase “for he was cut off out of the land of the living.”  In Scripture, the words “cut off” always refers to a violent and premature death (see Exodus 12:19; Numbers 9:13).  The last part of this verse says “for the transgression of my people was he stricken.”  This phrase brings us back to the theme of substitution.  The use of the words “my people” indicate that either Isaiah or God is speaking.  But either way, it refers to Israel.  They had transgressed or violated God’s law and deserved His judgment.  However, the Servant took their place and was “stricken” with God’s punishment (see Isaiah 53:10).
III. AN EXPLANATION OF CHRIST’S SUFFERING (Luke 24:25-27, 44-47).  This portion of our lesson takes place on the day of Jesus’ resurrection.  On that day after He arose, Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, Peter and then His disciples.  However, Thomas was not present at that time (see John 20:18-20).  Later that day, two followers of Jesus were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus which was about seven miles away.  However, the Scriptures give us the name of only one of those disciples, Cleopas.  They were disciples as in followers of Jesus.  They were not part of the Eleven.  As they walked along, these two disciples were discussing the things that had happened during the previous three days.  While they were talking, Jesus came up and began to walk along with them, but they didn’t recognize Him.  Seeing that they were downcast, demoralized and confused, Jesus asked them what they were talking about.  They then questioned if He was aware of the things that had happened in Jerusalem.  Jesus replied, what things?  At that point they went on to tell Him everything that had happened to Jesus in the last three days including finding His tomb empty (see Luke 24:13-24).   This is where the next portion of our lesson begins.
A. A rebuke for unbelief (Luke 24:25-26). 
1. (vs. 25).  This verse says “Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.”  After hearing their sad story, Jesus took over the conversation.  The Greek word for “fools” means “lacking in understanding.”  Their lack of understanding caused these two disciples to be “slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.”  Because of unbelief, these disciples failed to consider and understand the things the prophets, including Jesus had said (see Psalms 16:8-10; Luke 24:9).  It appears that they only focused on the Scriptures that foretold the Messiah’s glorious reign and not His death and resurrection.
2. (vs. 26).  Jesus went on to ask “Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?”  The words “Ought not” means “Wasn’t it necessary.”  For sure, nothing in Jesus’ life happened by accident, not even His death (see Luke 2:49; 4:43; 19:5; 21:9).  In order for Christ to “enter into his glory” it was necessary that He “suffered these things,” referring to all the things that Jesus endured, from His betrayal to His crucifixion.  Jesus had to die before He was glorified (see Philippians 2:5-11), and His disciples, like the prophets, should have believed this even though they didn’t understand.  Note:  Christ’s glory began with His resurrection (see Acts 17:3) but also includes His ascension into heaven where He would take the most exalted position in the universe (see Psalms 110:1; Acts 2:33-36; Hebrews 8:1; 12:2).  He will reach the fullness of glory when He returns to reign on earth (see Daniel 7:13-14; Matthew 26:64; Revelation 1:7; 19:11-16).  However, none of this would have been possible without His death.      
B. An exposition of messianic prophecies (Luke 24:27).  This verse says, “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”  The term “expounded” means to explain the meaning, or to interpret the significance of something.  In order to explain to these two disciples the things “concerning himself,” Jesus started with “Moses and all the prophets.”  This was Luke’s way of referring to the entire Old Testament Scriptures, but the Hebrew Scriptures were actually divided into three sections, the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings.  The phrase “he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself” means that Jesus went through the entire Hebrew Scriptures and covered all the passages that referred to Him.  As previously mentioned, these disciples didn’t recognize Jesus, but we can be assured that  Jesus’ teachings had a tremendous effect on them because later when they thought about what Jesus had taught them they said “Did not our heart burn within us…while he opened to us the scriptures” (see Luke 24:32). 
C. A reminder of Scripture’s fulfillment (Luke 24:44).  As they approached Emmaus, Jesus acted as if He was going farther.  But since evening was near, the two disciples urged Him to stay with them.  Jesus agreed and went in and sat down to eat with them.  However, after Jesus gave thanks for the food, their eyes were opened and they recognized Him and He disappeared from their sight (see Luke 24:24-32).  They immediately got up to return to Jerusalem to share this good news with the Eleven and others who were present with them (see Luke 24:33-35).  But while they talked with the other disciples, Jesus appeared in their midst.  This frightened them because they thought they saw a ghost.  Jesus calmed them and reassured them that it was Him.  As further proof, He showed them the wounds in His hands and feet and ate food in their presence (see Luke 24:36-43).  The second portion of our lesson begins here.  Verse 44 then says “And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.”  Jesus reminded the group that when He was with them He told them that everything that happened to Him “must be fulfilled” meaning it was the necessary fulfillment of God’s plan.  The things concerning Him were “written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms.”  The Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms (or Writings) were the three major divisions of the Old Testament.  Therefore, all parts of Scripture bore witness of Christ.
D.  An enlightenment of understanding (Luke 24:45-47).
1. (vs. 45).  This verse says “Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures.”  Jesus opened the understanding of the disciples making clear the spiritual truths of Scripture about Him.  Jesus did for this group of believers what He had done for the two disciples who had been travelling to Emmaus.  He illuminated their minds so that they could see Him throughout all of the Old Testament Scriptures.  Jesus had the power to enlighten the minds of believers and would later assign that same power to the Holy Spirit (see John 14:25-26; 15:26).
2. (vs. 46).  This verse says “And (Jesus) said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day.”  With the words “Thus it is written” Jesus summed up the things written about Him in the Old Testament that “it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day.”  The word “behooved” means necessary and reminds us of verse 44, that “all things must be fulfilled.”  Jesus pointed out two things that were necessary for Him to fulfill.  First, it was necessary for “Christ to suffer.”  His suffering and death were prophesied with great detail in the Old Testament (see Psalms 22:14-18; Isaiah 43:7-9).  It was also necessary for Christ to “rise from the dead the third day.”  Christ’s resurrection was also prophesied in the Old Testament (see Psalms 16:10-11; Isaiah 53:11-12).  This is the essence of the gospel message.  The Apostle Paul described the gospel as the good news that Christ died, was buried, and rose on the third day” (see I Corinthians 15:3-4).
3. (vs. 47).   Jesus stated here in our final verse that the Scriptures also taught “that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”  This is a reference to the gospel message.  The term “repentance” means “to change one’s mind.”  In repentance we change our minds from a desire to live in sin to a willingness to live for Christ.  Simply put, when one repents, he or she turns away from sin, disobedience, or rebellion and turns toward God.  The Greek word translated “remission” in the New Testament is often rendered as “forgiveness.”  In the Greek, “remission” means “to send away” or “to cast away.”  Throughout Scripture, this is the fundamental meaning of forgiveness---to cast away sin from the sinner.  As we preach the gospel, people who believe it repent of their sins, and also receive forgiveness for their sins.   Jesus also stated that this gospel “should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”  The gospel was not for Jews only.  It was for people from every nation.  No one is to be excluded from hearing it (see Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8).  Even the Old Testament speaks of salvation being extended to Gentiles or non-Jews (see Isaiah 49:6; 56:6-7).  The spreading of this good news was to be preached in the name of Jesus to all nations “beginning at Jerusalem.”  It was in Jerusalem that all that happened to Christ took place so it was fitting that the gospel of salvation would begin there.  Note:  Verses 48 and 49 are not part of our printed text but we should note that in those verses, Jesus concluded talking with His disciples by reminding them that they were witnesses to everything that had happened.  They were also ordained, or chosen to spread this good news (see Luke 24:48; Acts 1:8; 2:32).  But Jesus also encouraged them that God would give them the power to perform this task (see Luke 24:49).
 
                        
IV. Conclusion.  In order to understand and grasp Christ’s glory, we must have a deep appreciation for His suffering.  In a very real sense, before He took on the form of man and came into this sin-cursed world, He understood that suffering would dominate His ministry.  However, He willingly endured affliction and humiliation at the hands of His despisers to rescue man from the clutches of the enemy.  Because of His love for us, we can share in His glory---that great reward awaiting the faithful.

 







 

 

 

v

The Resurrection of the King

                                                                  Sunday School Lesson                                          

Lesson: Hosea 6:1-3; Luke 24:1-12
                                                                                                 
Golden Text: “He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again” (Luke 24:6-7).
INTRODUCTION.  It’s very clear to every believer that removing Jesus’ resurrection from the gospel would cut the heart out of Christianity.  The Apostle Paul stated that without the resurrection, our faith would be vain (see I Corinthians 15:14).  It’s the ultimate proof of Jesus’ messiahship (see Acts 2:36) and the Father’s acceptance of His atoning work (see Hebrew 1:3).  It guarantees our own resurrection (see I Corinthians 15:20-23).  In addition, our risen Lord as our Advocate pleads our case before the Father (see I John 2:1).  This week’s lesson combines two passages. The first one calls for the renewal of God’s people, Israel, and the second records the resurrection of Jesus Christ on which all renewal is based.
II. THE RENEWAL OF GOD’S PEOPLE (Hosea 6:1-3).  This portion of our lesson is Hosea’s plea to the Northern Kingdom to return to the Lord.  The background for this portion of our lesson is the final days of the Northern Kingdom, or Israel before the invasion by the Assyrians.  Hosea referred to the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Israel as Ephraim some 37 times (see Hosea 6:4; 7:1; 11:8).  It means fruitful.  The nation would soon be invaded by the Assyrians in 722 B.C.  However, prior to this time instead of looking for help from the Lord they tried to buy off the king of Assyria to help against other nations (see Hosea 4:3-5:13; II Kings 15:19-20).  After listing Israel’s sins, the Lord declared His judgment on the nation while advising them of the futility of seeking help from the king of Assyria.  Earthly help would be in vain because the Lord, like a lion, would fight against Israel, carrying them away in His anger (see Hosea 5:14).   God made it clear that He would not come to their rescue until while in their suffering they turned to God again (see Hosea 5:15).  This is where this portion of our lesson begins.
A. Israel will return to God (Hosea 6:1-2). 
1. (vs. 1).  This verse says “Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.”  Up to this point Hosea was the speaker, but now in this verse there is an abrupt change in both the speaker and in time.  These are not the words of Hosea’s own generation for they had not gone through the sufferings implied in this verse.  The words of this verse are part of Hosea’s prophecy, but they are not his words: they are the words spoken by future Israel after their sufferings have served their purpose in turning them back to God (see Zechariah 12:10; Romans 11:26-27).  The phrase “Come, and let us return unto the Lord” is a call for the people to repent, because a “return” to Him is meaningless unless it is in a spiritual sense.  In the future, those Jews who desire to return to God realize that the Lord was the One who “hath torn and…hath smitten” them as the lion illustrated in Hosea 5:14.  Since the Lord had done this, the people will also say to one another that “he will heal us… and he will bind us up.”  They will come to realize that only the Lord can meet their need.  The fulfillment of these words spoken by Jews to other Jews will happen at the return of Christ when the nation is restored to Him (see Hosea chapter 14; Zechariah 12:9-13:2).
2. (vs. 2).  Hosea further prophesied future Israel as saying “After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.”  The numbers in the phrases “After two days” and “the third day” should not be taken literally.  They are a Hebrew idiom or expression in which the second or largest number is the most that the statement calls for.  These expressions do not refer to Jesus’ resurrection.  Such numerical sayings occur at several places in the Old Testament (see Job 5:19; Proverbs 6:16; 30:15; Amos 1:3).  Since two or three days is a short time, the meaning here is that Israel’s restoration back to God will be certain and will happen in a short time.  The words “will…revive us” and “will raise us up and we shall live in his sight” speak of spiritual resurrection (see Ephesians 2:1, 5-6).  This should not be taken in an individual and physical sense.  The primary reference is to the corporate restoration of the entire Israelite nation.  Ezekiel used the same figure of speech in the well known passage concerning the dry bones in the valley (see Ezekiel 37:1-14) which represents Israel coming to life and returning to their homeland through the Spirit of God.  Since this restoration will occur at the return of Christ, even though bodily resurrection will accompany it, our text refers mainly to the national restoration of Israel during the millennium.
B. Israel will seek to know God (see Hosea 6:3).  This verse says “Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.”  The phrase “Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord” might be more clearly stated as “Therefore, let us know, let us press on to know the Lord.”  This is an expression of a real desire in the hearts of repentant Israel to know God and His will.  This lack of experiential knowledge of God was destroying them because there was no knowledge of God in the land (see Hosea 4:1, 6).   Two new figures of speech are now introduced to express God’s presence among revived Israel.  The first figure of speech, “his going forth is prepared as the morning” indicates that the Lord’s restoration of His people will be the beginning of a new day after a long night of suffering, and it will be as certain as the dawn follows the night.  The second figure of speech “and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth” means that God’s presence among His people will also be as refreshing “as the latter and former rain unto the earth.”
III. THE RESURRECTION OF GOD’S SON (Luke 24:1-12).  After Jesus was crucified, a soldier pierced Him in His side confirming that Jesus was dead (see John 19:34).  At that point, Joseph of Arimathaea, a disciple of Jesus and also a member of the Sanhedrin council, obtained Jesus’ body with Pilate’s consent, wrapped it in linen, and placed it in his own tomb (see Matthew 27:57-60; Luke 23:50-53).  Joseph received help from Nicodemus, who brought spices to preserve Jesus’ body (see John 19:39-40).  A large stone was also rolled in front of the tomb (see Matthew 27:60).   All of this had to be done quickly because” that day was the preparation and the Sabbath drew on” (see Luke 23:54).  Once the Sabbath began at sundown, no more preparation of the body or the tomb was allowed.  This was not the regular weekly Saturday Sabbath, but a special Sabbath that John referred to as a “high day” (see John 19:31) since it was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  It had special rules including complete rest, no work could be done, and no leaven could be used in the food or found in their homes (see Exodus 12:15-20).  A number of Galilean women who had benefited from Jesus’ ministry and had ministered to Him watched from a distance when Jesus was crucified (see Luke 23:40).  After seeing where Jesus’ body was laid, the women returned to their homes to prepare spices and ointments and then rested the next day which was the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, also called a Sabbath Day (see Luke 23:55-56).  The spices and ointments were used to preserve the body temporarily and to offset the odor of decomposition.  The Jews had no embalming techniques like those of the Egyptians.  This is where the second portion of our lesson begins.
A. A morning errand (Luke 24:1).  This verse says “Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulcher, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.”  Since the women couldn’t anoint Jesus’ body the day after He died because it was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and also recognized as a Sabbath Day (see the tab on the I Love Sunday School Website that says “The Last Week Of Jesus’ Life” for details surrounding His burial, anointing with spices and His resurrection) they waited for the earliest light on the first day of the week, or Sunday since the Saturday Sabbath also prevented them from going to Jesus’ tomb.  The term “sepulcher” refers to Jesus’ tomb.  The women who had watched at a distance where Jesus was buried came to the tomb “and certain others with them.”  We are not told how many women set out for Jesus’ tomb, but three of them are named later (see Luke 24:10).  Some of them had seen the stone rolled in front of the tomb and as they walked they discussed how it could be removed (see Mark 16:3). 
B. A disappointing discovery (Luke 24:2-3).  
1. (vs. 2).  This verse says “ And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.”  As already mentioned, as the women walked to the tomb they discussed how to remove it. When they reached the place “they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.”  They didn’t know that an angel had earlier rolled the stone away and stricken the guards with fear (see Matthew 28:2-4).  By the time the women arrived, the soldiers had recovered and left, with some of them reporting these happenings to the chief priests (see Matthew 28:11).
2. (vs. 3).  In this verse Luke continues to write “And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.”  Finding the stone rolled away from the entrance to the tomb, “they entered in” intending to finish the work of anointing Jesus’ body that Joseph and Nicodemus had begun.  But another surprise awaited them in the tomb. They “found not the body of the Lord Jesus.”  Mary Magdalene concluded that someone had taken Jesus’ body away (see John 20:1-2).   Having come to that conclusion, before she had a chance to hear the angels’ explanation, she ran to tell Peter and John.  She persisted in believing someone had taken the body until Jesus Himself spoke to her (see John 20:1-16). 
C. An encouraging message (Luke 24:4-7).
1. (vs. 4).  This verse says “And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.”  Seeing the tomb empty, the remaining women “were much perplexed thereabout” meaning that they were confused by what they saw, or didn’t see.  But while they pondered the meaning of it all “behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.”  The word “behold” means Look!  It’s often used in Scripture to introduce an extraordinary sight that causes awe or surprise.  In this case “two men” suddenly stood by them dressed in “shining garments.” 

2. (vs. 5).  In this verse Luke goes on to say “And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?”  The sudden extraordinary appearance of the angels frightened the women and they “bowed down their faces to the earth.”  This was a normal reaction humans had to heavenly beings (see Luke 1:12; Acts 10:3-4).  According to Matthew and Mark, an angel told them not to be afraid (see Matthew 28:5; Mark 16:6); then the angels asked them the crucial question “Why seek ye the living among the dead?”  It should be noted that the angels referred to Jesus as “living” for He was life (John 11:25; 14:6) and death has no control over Him (Acts 2:22-24).  Therefore, it was illogical that He would have been in the grave at all.

3. (vs. 6).  In this verse, the angel continued to say “He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee.”  The angel did two things.  First he told the women that the reason Jesus was not there was because He “is risen.”  Second, he reminded them that Jesus had spoken to them and foretold His resurrection “when he was yet in Galilee.”  These women were from Galilee (see Luke 23:49) and they began to follow Jesus during His Galilean ministry (see Luke 8:1-3).
4. (vs. 7).  In this verse the angel reminds the women that Jesus had spoke to them “Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.”  We have no record of Jesus sharing this information with these women, but there are several accounts in the Gospels where Jesus shared these facts with the Twelve Disciples in some form or another.  No doubt they probably told the women what Jesus had said to them that after He was delivered into the hands of the Romans, He would be “crucified, and the third day rise again.”  Note:  The first time that Jesus spoke of His coming death and resurrection was right after Peter confessed Him as the Christ (see Matthew 16:21; Luke 9:20-22).  The second time was just after Jesus healed a demon-possessed boy (Mark 9:17-32).  The third time that Jesus gave this prophecy was when He and His disciples were on their way to Jerusalem for the last time (see Mark 10:32-34; Luke 18:31-33).  Although Jesus foretold His crucifixion, death and resurrection to His disciples on multiple occasions, for some reason His words never made a lasting impression on them.  On one occasion they discussed among themselves what the rising from the dead meant (see Mark 9:9-10).  On another occasion they didn’t understand His prediction and were afraid to ask Him what He meant (see Mark 9:31-32). 
D.  A prompt report (Luke 24:8-10). 
1. (vs. 8).  This verse simply says “And they remembered his words.”  After the angels reminded the women of Jesus’ prediction of His death and resurrection, “they remembered his words.”  They remembered both the words He had spoken as well as the ways those words were fulfilled.  Jesus had been delivered into the hands of sinful men and crucified, and they were eyewitnesses to that fact.  Now, after three days later (see Matthew 27:63), they had seen and heard the evidence that Jesus had risen from the dead.  Note:  We can profit from the experience of these early believers.  The predicted truth of the death and resurrection of Christ came to them by revelation, not by reason because they didn’t consider it reasonable.  Therefore they didn’t take it seriously.  Now, by revelation once again, God reminded them of that truth and their faith was strengthened.  God’s truth always comes to us by revelation---biblical revelation.  Since parts of the Bible don’t seem reasonable to our minds, we tend to ignore some of it or interpret it figuratively.  As a result, we miss the blessing that God’s Word brings because of unbelief.  Only when we take all of God’s Word seriously can He strengthen us.
2. (vs. 9).  After remembering Jesus’ words, this verse says of the women “And (they) returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.”  With their own faith strengthened, the women “returned from the sepulcher” meaning that they left the tomb.  They returned to Jerusalem and “told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.”  The words “the eleven” refers to the remaining eleven disciples, for Judas had committed suicide (see Matthew 27:1-5).
3. (vs. 10).  Now we are introduced to the prominent members of this group of women.  This verse says “It was Mary Magdalene and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.”  One of these was “Mary Magdalene” identified by her home city of Magdala near the Sea of Galilee.  After Jesus cast seven demons out of her, she became a consistent, devoted follower thereafter (see Luke 8:2).  She was the first person to have an encounter with Jesus after His resurrection (see John 20:1-18).  She has often been wrongly portrayed as a prostitute, but there is no evidence of this in any of the Gospels.  A second woman in this group was “Joanna.”  She was socially prominent since she was the wife of Chuza, the steward or servant of Herod Antipas (see Luke 8:3).  A third woman was “Mary the mother of James.”  In Mark 15:40, she is identified as the mother of James the less and Joses and the wife of Cleophas (see John 19:25).  This Mary appears in Scripture only in connection with Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, so we know nothing more about her.  This verse does not give the names of “other women that were with them,” but Mark’s account includes Salome (see Mark 15:40; 16:1) who was probably the wife of Zebedee and the mother of James and John (see Matthew 27:56).  All of these women had a part in telling the apostles about the resurrection.
E. An unbelieving response (see Luke 24:11).  When the women reached the apostles to give them the good news, this verse says “And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.”  One would think that the apostles would be overcome with joy at hearing the news of Jesus’ resurrection, but due to a probable combination of male pride and outright unbelief, “their words seemed to them as idle tales.”  As mentioned previously, in both Hebrew and the Greco-Roman society of that day, women were thought to be inferior to men, thus making their witness untrustworthy so “they (the desciples) believed them not.”  Normally, two or three witnesses was enough to establish the truth of a statement (see Deuteronomy 19:15; Matthew 18:16; John 8:17), but no amount of testimony would satisfy these men.  Only personal experience could convince them.  The truth of the matter is their faith was no stronger than that of doubting Thomas (see John 20:24-25).  Note:  Of all those who followed Jesus, the Eleven should have had the strongest faith.  They walked with Him for three years and heard Him speak of His resurrection several times, yet they refused to believe.  After His resurrection, when Jesus appeared before the Eleven, He rebuked them for their “unbelief and hardness of heart” (see Mark 16:14).  It’s interesting that their failure to believe is actually proof of Jesus’ resurrection.  Since they were not expecting Him to rise, they surely wouldn’t have imagined to have seen Him.  Neither would they have stolen His body to make others believe that Jesus had risen.  This group of men were dejected and defeated, hiding out because they feared what might happen to them (see John 20:19). Therefore, we can be sure that when they began to preach a risen Christ, they did it on the basis of undeniable proof.  Our faith rests on fact, not imagination.
F. A confirming proof (see Luke 24:12).  Our final verse says “Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.”  John’s Gospel tells us that Mary Magdalene told Peter and John (see John 20:2) that someone had stolen Jesus’ body.  Remember, she left the tomb before the angels explained that Jesus had risen.  After hearing Mary’s words, both Peter and John ran to the tomb and John outran Peter getting to the tomb first, but he only stooped and looked in (see John 20:3-5).  When Peter arrived, He went into the tomb.  In our final verse here, Luke only mentions Peter’s arrival at the tomb and not John’s.  However, they both “beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves” because after Peter went into the tomb, John went in also (see John 20:6-8).   The fact that the “linen clothes laid by themselves” is evidence that Jesus’ body had slipped through them.  It appears that this sight didn’t convince Peter because the last part of this verse says that he “departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.”  In other words, he left the tomb wondering what really happened.  Note:  At some point that day, Jesus personally appeared to Peter (see Luke 24:34: I Corinthians 15:5).  Eventually, all the skeptical and unbelieving apostles saw the risen Christ (see John 20:19-20, 24-29; 21:1-2; Acts 1:1-8; I Corinthians 15:3-8), and their lives changed forever.

                                     

IV. Conclusion.  Jesus told His disciples many times that He would be crucified and rise again.  They seem to have been oblivious to the message, even doubtful that it was true.  But when they saw Him in His resurrected state, they remembered the words that He had spoken to them.  Jesus has also said that He will come again to meet us in the air.  Let us be watchful and believing, remembering His words to us.

 







 

 

The Suffering of the King

                                                                         Sunday School Lesson                                        

Lesson: Jeremiah 23:5-6; Zechariah 6:9-15; John 19:1-5
                                                                                                 
Golden Text: “And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands” (John 19:2-3).

INTRODUCTION.  Suffering is a word that some Christians dread and allow to hinder their faith.  But suffering connects us with the Saviour, and is a necessary part of exalting Him.  I Peter 4:13 says, “But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.”  Suffering is not pleasant but it is rewarding.  In this week’s lesson we will discuss how the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah point to Jesus’ future role as the King and Priest of Israel.  We will also examine the suffering He experienced at the hands of the Romans.
THE RIGHTEOUS BRANCH (Jeremiah 23:5-6).  During the days just prior to Judah’s captivity by Babylon, corruption was a common among prophets, priests and kings of the Southern Kingdom of Judah.  Jeremiah pronounced woe upon the “pastors” or shepherds who had scattered God’s flock (see Jeremiah 23:1-2).  These corrupt kings who God called “pastors” and who led the people astray were from David’s royal line.  Even though God condemned these leaders, He also spoke through Jeremiah promising that He would re-gather the scattered flock and place good shepherds over them (see Jeremiah 23:3-4).  This is where the first section of our lesson begins.
A. The reign of the Righteous Branch (Jeremiah 23:5).  In this verse Jeremiah’s Messianic prophecy began with “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.”  The phrase “Behold, the days come” as used by Jeremiah, calls attention to special future events, many concerning the Messiah.  The nation of Judah is called on to focus on God’s promise “that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch.”  The term “Branch” means “sprout” and in this verse refers to a descendent of David who will fulfill the Davidic covenant (see II Samuel 7:12-16).  Unlike the kings in Jeremiah’s day, this future king will be “righteous” meaning that He would have no flaws whatsoever, and His rule will be right and good.  This is a clear reference to the Messiah as the Branch of David in Isaiah 11:1-9.  In that prophecy, Christ is also seen as “a rod out of the stem of Jesse.”  Jeremiah also prophesied that Messiah would be a King who “shall reign and prosper.”  Unlike many kings of Israel who were merely puppet kings of foreign empires, Messiah will be a true king whose reign will prosper forever.  The phrase “and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth” makes it clear that His reign will be on earth, which is a reference to the millennium.  Of course, as a righteous King, He will “execute judgment and justice” meaning that all of His judgments will be just and right (see Revelation 19:11).
B. The divine credentials of the Righteous Branch (Jeremiah 23:6).  Jeremiah continues to say “In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, The Lord Our Righteousness.”  The phrase “In his days” refers again to Christ’s millennial reign here on earth.  During that time, first “Judah shall be saved.”  The name “Judah,” like “Israel” is often used in Scripture to refer to the entire nation.  Note: When Jeremiah prophesied, the Northern Kingdom of Israel had been in captivity by Assyria for some time and only the Southern Kingdom of Judah remained in the land.  However, when Messiah returns, He will restore and reunify the nation and rule over it (see Jeremiah 33:14-16; Ezekiel 37:15-19).  The fact that “Judah shall be saved” means that the reunited kingdom of Israel will be converted and will finally serve the Lord with pure hearts (see Isaiah 59:20-21; Jeremiah 31:31-34: Romans 11:26-27).  It should be noted however, that the nation of Israel has been temporarily set aside (see Romans chapters 9-11).  Israel’s salvation is still a future event.  Not only will the nation be saved, but “Israel shall dwell safely.”  Israel will not dwell in safety until Christ reigns during the millennium.  At that time under Christ’s rule the united kingdom of Israel will live in security.  Like everyone during the millennium, Israel will enjoy safety from all their former enemies as well as the beasts of nature (see Isaiah 11:6-9; Ezekiel 34:25-26).  This verse goes on to say “and this is his name whereby he shall be called, The Lord.”  During His reign, Israel’s King will be known by the name “The Lord Our Righteousness.”   In Scripture, one’s “name” was an indication of that person’s character.  Christ’s character is seen here as both divine, because He is “The Lord,” and “Our Righteousness” because His rule is right and good (see Isaiah 11:4-5) and He will give righteousness to those He has redeemed (see Isaiah 45:24-25).   Note: The name given here to the Messiah is “The Lord.” In the Old Testament, when the term Lord is in all capitals as it is here, it’s a reference to God Himself.  It means “Yahweh” or Jehovah, God’s covenant name for Israel’s God.  Therefore, Christ is recognized as God, and He is (see I John 5:7).
III. THE KING-PRIEST FORESHADOWED (Zechariah  6:9-15).  The second section of our lesson is taken from the Book of Zechariah.  Zechariah wrote after the exiles returned to Jerusalem from Babylon, and were in the process of rebuilding the temple.  Zerubbabel was the governor of Judah (see Haggai 1:1) and Joshua (not the Joshua who took over for Moses) was the high priest.  The Book of Zechariah begins with eight visions that Zechariah had during one night.  The visions were intended to encourage the returning Jewish exiles as they rebuilt the temple.  Included in the visions was a symbolic act that reveals the Messiah’s role in bringing about Israel’s future glory.
A. A symbolic act (Zechariah 6:9-11). 
1. (vs. 9).  This portion of our lesson begins with Zechariah saying “And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying.”  This was the prophet's way of authenticating that the message he was about to give was from God (see Zechariah 4:8; 7:4; 8:1, 18).  These words didn’t introduce another vision, but instead they introduced a real event that required Zechariah’s participation.
2. (vs. 10).  The Lord told Zechariah to “Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, which are come from Babylon, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah.”  The phrase “Take of them of the captivity” refers to the three men “Heldai,” “Tobijah,” and “Jedaiah” who were among those Jews who had returned to Jerusalem from Babylonian Captivity bringing with them treasures to be used in rebuilding the temple (see Ezra 7:12-22).  The fact that God directed Zechariah to “come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah,” would indicate that “Heldai,” “Tobijah,” and “Jedaiah” were staying at the home of “Josiah the son of Zephaniah.”  Zechariah was commanded by God to go to Josiah’s house and take offerings from these three returnees that they brought back from Babylon.  This “Josiah” wasn’t the Josiah who was king of Judah between 640 and 608 B.C. (see II Kings 22:1).  He was the “son of Zephaniah” the prophet who wrote the Book of Zephaniah.
3. (vs. 11).  Once he found these three men, Zechariah was told to “Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest.”  God said that some of the “silver and gold” brought back from Babylon to be used in rebuilding the temple was now to be used to “make crowns.”  Since “crowns” is plural there is some disagreement as to whether Zechariah was to make two or more crowns, or make one crown having multiple parts.  Since Zechariah was supposed to “set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest” it is unlikely that he would have more than one crown placed on his head.  It seems more reasonable that it was one crown with more than one part.  Whether Zechariah was to make two or more crowns or one with many parts was not as important as the act of placing the crown (or crowns) on “the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest.”  As the son of Josedech, Joshua also held the office of high priest (see Zechariah 3:1). 
B. A prophecy (Zechariah 6:12-13).  
1. (vs. 12).  After Zachariah crowned Joshua, he was then to “speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The Branch; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord.”  The phrase “Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts” declares that the Almighty Lord or the Lord of armies will fulfill all that this symbol of crowning the priest stood for.  When Zechariah said “Behold the man” one has to recall these same words uttered by Pontius Pilate about Jesus (see John 19:5) as we shall see in the next section of our lesson.  Here, God called attention to “the man whose name is The Branch.”   This is a description of the Messiah as seen in an earlier verse from Jeremiah 23:5, where this messianic title identifies Christ as sprouting forth from the house of David (see Isaiah 4:2; 11:1; Jeremiah 33:15; Zechariah 3:8).  This verse also says that “The Branch” or the Messiah “shall grow up out of his place.”  This phrase may have a two-fold fulfillment. First, it could refer to Christ’s first coming and to Bethlehem (see Micah 5:2) as well as Nazareth where He would grow up (see John 1:45-46).  Second, it could refer to Christ’s Second Coming (see Isaiah 11:1; 53:2).  The coming “Branch” will also “build the temple of the Lord.”  This most likely does not refer to the temple that would be completed under the leadership of Zerubbabel, but to the millennial temple that Isaiah prophesied (see Isaiah 2:2-3) that the Messiah will complete (see Ezekiel chapters 40-43).
2. (vs. 13).  This verse continues to say “Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”  The words “Even he shall build the temple of the Lord” were repeated from the previous verse to emphasize this work of the Messiah.  The Christ will also “bear the glory” meaning that He will be clothed in kingly splendor.  Part of His glory will be to “sit and rule upon his throne.”  Since Jesus Christ suffered for our redemption and will have defeated the forces of evil at the end of the Great Tribulation, He will claim the throne that is His as the Son of David (see Luke 1:32-33).  Christ will also “be a priest upon his throne.”  This was the symbolic meaning of the crowning of Joshua in verse 11.  Jesus Christ will finally unite the two offices of priest and king as prefigured by Melchizedek, the priest-king of Salem (see Genesis 14:18; Hebrews 5:6; 6:20).  The phrase “and the counsel of peace shall be between them both” refers to both offices of Priest and King that Christ will hold.  Since both offices will be unified under one person, there will never be any conflict between them, only the “counsel (or wisdom) of peace (harmony).”  Messiah’s rule can be peaceful because His political function as King will always be in harmony with His spiritual function as Priest.
C. A memorial (Zechariah 6:14).  This verse goes on to say “And the crowns shall be to Helm, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of the Lord.”  If there was more than one crown as discussed earlier, then the Lord declared that “the crowns shall be…for a memorial in the temple of the Lord.”  It appears that placing the crowns in the temple would remind the people of at least two things.  First, it would remind them of the generosity of these three men (see verse 10) who returned from exile with gifts for the temple as well as their host, Josiah.  Second, the crowns would be a reminder of God’s faithfulness in restoring the kingdom and the priesthood to Israel through the Messiah.  This would be encouraging to the returning exiles, for as long as the crowns remained in the temple, they would be reminded that the nation had a glorious future ahead. 
D.  An encouragement (Zechariah 6:15).  The last verse of our second section says “And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the Lord, and ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.”  Zechariah continued his prophecy saying “And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the Lord.”  This is a reference to the many Gentiles who will come from foreign lands during the millennium and contribute their treasures and offer worship (see Zechariah 2:11; 8:22-23).  The phrase “and ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you” probably refers to the Angel of the Lord who was giving this message to Zechariah (see Zechariah 2:3, 9-11; 4:9).  The last phrase “And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God” does not mean that the prophecy will not come to pass if Israel was disobedient.  For the prophecy will come to pass regardless.  But it means that only those who are obedient will share in the blessings of the prophecy.
IV. THE PROMISED KING HUMILIATED (John 19:1-5).  This section of our lesson takes place early on the Passover (see John 18:28).  After being taken into custody, Jesus had to endure a number of unjust trials before Pilate, Herod and the Jewish authorities.  According to Roman law, the Jews couldn’t put Jesus to death so they brought Him to Pilate, the Roman appointed governor.  The Sanhedrin Council charged Jesus with blasphemy (see Matthew 26:65), but when they came before Pilate they accused Jesus of being a political threat to Rome (see Luke 23:2).  After questioning Jesus, Pilate came to the conclusion that He was innocent (see John 8:33-38).  In addition, Pilate’s wife had a dream about Jesus and sent her husband word not to have anything to do with Jesus whom she called a just man (see Matthew 27:19).  However, instead of releasing Jesus, Pilate sent Him to Herod Antipas (see Luke 23:6-12), who also found Jesus innocent of any crimes (see Luke 23:13-15) and sent Him back to Pilate (see Luke 23:11).  It was Pilate’s custom to release a prisoner during the Passover (see Matthew 27:15), so in an attempt to satisfy Jesus’ accusers, Pilate was willing to release Jesus and crucify Barabbas, who was guilty of murder during an uprising (see Mark 15:7).  But the crowd wanted no one but Jesus (see John 18:39-40).  This brings us to the second section of our lesson. 
A. The mockery (John 19:1-3). 
1. (vs. 1).  After the crowd refused to have Barabbas killed in place of Jesus, this verse says “Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.”  Pilate was still looking for a way to release Jesus before the Jews brought a complaint against him to Caesar (see John 19:12).  Pilate therefore, turned Jesus over to his soldiers who then “scourged him.”  Often the worst criminals were “scourged” before they were crucified.  Note: Scourging involved a whip made of rawhide strips with pieces of metal or bone attached to it.  Then the subject would be beaten with it.  Sometimes the subject died from the scourging, but Jesus survived only to be subjected to further abuse by the soldiers as we will see in the next verses.        
2. (vs. 2).  After scourging Jesus this verse says “And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe.”  Making fun of Jesus for His claim to be a king (see Luke 23:1-3), the “soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head.”  As if this was not humiliating enough, the soldiers also “put on him a purple robe” which was a mark of royalty, and put a reed in His hand as a royal scepter (see Matthew 27:29).  They also spit on Him and took the reed from His hand and beat Him over His head with it (see Matthew 27:30).
B. The mockery (John 19:3).  After putting the purple robe and crown of thorns on Jesus, the soldiers said “Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands.  In Matthew’s Gospel we are told that the soldiers also mocked Jesus as they shouted “Hail, King of the Jews” (see Matthew 27:29).  Here we are told that they also “smote” or beat Jesus “with their hands.”
C. The confession (John 19:4).  This verse says “Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him.”  After Jesus was abused by the soldiers “Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them.”  This means that Pilate went before the crowd again and spoke to them.  He said “Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him.”  Pilate still hoped he could get out of giving the mob what they wanted by bringing the beaten Jesus out to them, but first he declared “I find no fault in him.”  Pilate had a chance to stop the worst miscarriage of justice in the history of the world, but he gave in to the will of the Jewish mob.  Pilate was just as guilty of killing Jesus, as anyone else.
D. The presentation (John 19:5).  In the previous verse, Pilate told the mob that He was bringing Jesus out to them.  Now our final verse says “Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!”  Jesus was brought out to the mob “wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe,” the things that the soldiers put on Him as they mocked Him as a King.  It’s also quite possible that because of the beating Jesus took, His face may have been unrecognizable in fulfillment of Isaiah 52:13-14.  Pilate then presented Jesus to the crowd saying “Behold the man!”  Presenting Jesus in this way, Pilate may have hoped that the mob would feel sorry for Jesus and go along with Pilate’s desire to release Him.  Little did Pilate know that he was repeating the words uttered by Zechariah in verse 12 of the first section of our lesson, “Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH?”  For sure, Pilate was very reluctant to execute a man that he knew was innocent of any crime and who had made some unusual claims (see John 18:33-37).  Although the claims Jesus made may have seemed unusual to Pilate and maybe even insane, they were however true.  One day “The BRANCH” will return to rule as King of kings and Lord of lords (see I Timothy 6:15).       

                           

V. Conclusion.  As Christians, our faith demands that we have integrity, commitment, and a willingness to stand, and yes, suffer for righteousness and truth.  Wavering Christians dishonor Christ and mock Him all over again.  The Bible says that Christ freely surrendered to the Cross (see John 10:17-18) which was an extremely high price for the redemption of everyone who would be saved.  Suffering is often viewed as an unwelcomed intruder in the lives of God’s people.  However, the Bible teaches that suffering is not only inevitable, but it’s also incomparable (see II Timothy 2:12; 3:12).  As a result, suffering can lead to incomparable ministry and future glory.  May we gladly identify with the suffering of our King, Jesus Christ.