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The Conspiracy of the Cross

And Pilate questioned Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And answering He said to him, “It is as you say.”  And the chief priests began to accuse Him harshly.  And Pilate was questioning Him again, saying, “Do You make no answer? See how many charges they bring against You!” But Jesus made no further answer; so that Pilate was amazed.  (Mark 15:2-5 NASB)

We see another cost of the conspiracy of the Jewish leaders…involving someone else in the web of sin being spun. This someone else was Pilate. Conspiracies have a vortex of deception sucking others into itself.  The problem of once getting into the center is the deceptive calm that is just as bad as the storm spinning violently around its axis.

Pilate was needed by the Jewish leaders to bring fruition to their conspiracy to rid themselves of Jesus. They needed this man they despised in order to restore peace to their religious enterprise. The only one they despised more than Pilate was Jesus.  They grudgingly tolerated Pilate and the Roman Empire he represented, but Jesus was more than they could bear. Because Roman law deprived them the authority to put Jesus to death, they feigned an accord with Pilate, if for but a few hours, to take advantage of his authority to do what they could not.

Pilate had nothing to gain. He would soon find out, by even getting close to the turmoil, he would become involved in the greatest crime of injustice ever upon the face of the earth. He would be known as the man who sentenced Jesus to be crucified.

Pilate seemed to have reciprocal distain for his Jewish subjects. He rubbed salt into the wounded relationship he held with them by asking Jesus, ‘Are You the King of the Jews?’ He would use this teaser again later to antagonize the Jewish leaders even more. Jesus’ answer angered the Jews and raised issues in Pilate’s mind.  Would this supposed king demand authority alongside of his own? Pilate had nothing to be concerned, for the King before him and the kingdom of which He ruled was of another kind that Pilate could not understand. Jesus would rule in the hearts of people won over by His grace.  Pilate could only dream of such a governorship.

Pilate was amazed at the silence of Jesus to the accusations piling up against Him by the chief priests.  There was no need for Jesus to answer for He knew His part in the conspiracy against Himself.  All these people surrounding Him and all these things being said were as Luther wrote tools used of God to polish the “Stone” to be laid as the foundation for the new temple to be built.

Pilate while ignorant to the reality of what was going on about him and the gravity of his involvement was by no means then innocent in the crimes to be committed against Jesus. Even though all of this was, as we know, used of God in His plan to bring payment for man’s sin, none of the conspirators or those they involved could claim innocence. We need to remember this when our old nature tries to justify something we have said or done, or perhaps even planning to do by reasoning God used it anyway for His glory. As true as that may be, it is still sin.  To claim it for God’s glory is to cheapen His grace and reflects a lack of repentance.  Without repentance there is no forgiveness of sin. We should never been wanting to make God’s grace in Christ cheap. In doing so, we too are part a conspiracy.

Lord, may I not excuse or justify sin as a means for You to be glorified and forgive us when I have. Again we pray today, ‘Deliver us from all evil.’

The Conspiracy of the Cross

 and binding Jesus, they led Him away, and delivered Him up to Pilate.

(Mark 15:1 NASB)

At last the religious establishment had caught their prize. They are about to have the satisfaction of ridding themselves and the world of this persistent pest named Jesus. How they have waited and wanted this day and now it came. Without being rude, it reminds me about the farm dog that chased cars and the hypothetical question the farmer asked, “I wonder what he would do if he caught one?”

Every conspiracy entangles its participants in two detriments to their own well-being: the deception of having control to direct fate, and the commission of offenses, some of which are crimes.  This conspiracy and the intentional actions by the conspirators toward its fulfillment are laughable if we were to forget Acts 2:23.  What would the Jewish leaders do when they caught the Savior of the world? 

…binding Jesus.  They tied up God.  They tied up the One they saw turn water into wine, restore sight to the blind, cast out demons, make the mute speak, heal the sick, and even bring the dead back to life.

…they led Him away. This scene redefines ridiculous and borders on repulsive. God in the flesh bound up by man with a man made material being led away by men. In this conspiracy the offense against Divinity is man the sinner leading Holy and Perfect God around by a string. One of the crimes is the one committed against human reason: they believed themselves to now be in control!

…delivered Him up to Pilate.  Here again, the Pharisees et al, take the Source behind all earthly governing authorities (Romans 13:1) to Pilate for his assistance.  There is a conflict of interest here on Pilate’s part. He allows himself involvement in a conspiracy against the One who has established his office and its authority. But Pilate is ignorant in unbelief.  He too is deceived.

This all reminds me of something. How ridiculous it is to believe we are in control of our lives under our pitiful power, when trying to steer it in the direction we would like it to go, even if it’s against God’s wishes for us.  And when it does go in our desired direction, we boast of our success and gain confidence in ourselves.  We too are deceived.

We forget that God is all knowing and nothing in our lives occurs without His awareness and His permitting it to occur, even if it is rebellion.  God in His great power allows it to happen.  This is why it is wise to pray, “deliver us from evil”, the very evil in our old flesh.

Just as the case with the over confident captors of Jesus, God who is all knowing and all loving has a plan to match His power.  What was their conspiracy, God in His predetermined plan included its use for the salvation of man.  He is that powerful, wise and loving.  He can and does use even our sin for the furtherance of His desire to save souls. Yes dear one, even your rebellions against Himself, He uses for the sake of saving another soul, maybe even yours perhaps.

Over the next seven days we’ll be looking through Mark 15:1-15 as we consider the Conspiracy of the Cross.

And early in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes, and the whole Council, immediately held a consultation; and binding Jesus, they led Him away, and delivered Him up to Pilate.  Mark 15:1

The last two days of Jesus’ life were filled not only with a mocking of Him but they were a travesty upon any representation of justice. But it began long before then. While we might chafe under the injustices occurring at the trial(s) Jesus had to endure before the cross, we learn in the gospels of repeated plans to seize Him. These plans and attempts were thwarted by either fear of the people or the power of Jesus to escape. The trials the day before His crucifixion were but the closing events of a conspiracy against Christ that had begun a long time earlier.

We know from the divine perspective that it was God’s predetermined plan (Acts 2:23) all these crimes would be perpetrated upon Jesus, but from the human angle, why were the religious people so bent on their opposition to Him.  Jesus explains what it was about Himself that earned the ire of the religious establishment of His day, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ (Matthew 11:16-19 NASB).

He just wouldn’t play their game. He not only turned over the money changers tables in the temple (Matthew 21:13, Mark 11:17, Luke 19:46), He flipped the entire religious establishment on its ear.  The same is true today when a church entrenched in the life choking agenda of a self righteous few is exposed to a ministry of the life giving Gospel of Jesus. The religious power mongers back then represent even what we see today; man’s desire to make God into an image he creates in order to worship according to rules allowing him to live as he wants.  This is idol worship – a god dressed up as Holy God.

They consulted together. When the paradigms of a religious entity are challenged, unless there is repentance, the natural response of the sinful human heart is to conspire to rid itself of the threat. What was to happen to Jesus in the hands of man wasn’t by chance; it was planned in the war room of evil deep inside the human heart. Yet even in this God works.  He enrolled the wicked in His predetermined plan for the salvation of man.  He did with Pharaoh to save Israel, and He would do it again with Israel and the Romans soldiers to save us.  It only adds to the wonders of His power and His love.

The conspiracy of the cross seems like such an undignified way to save man’s soul. 

Lord. The undignified manner in which salvation was to be brought forth to save me robs my pride of its over-inflated opinion of self. Thank you.

As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; by His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong; because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors.

(Isaiah 53:11-12 NASB)

It can be said of the Book of Isaiah that it essentially the Bible in one book. It holds before the reader the bad news of our sin, our rebellion and our hard heartedness.  It offers Good News of a coming Savior.  The news ending chapter 53 is good.

Our two verses overflow with words of rich balm for the aching soul. My heart hears that God is satisfied.  They speak of a work done and completed on the sinner’s behalf by another with whom God was satisfied – justify the many, bear their iniquities, bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors.

What relief this is to the sinner crushed under the load of sin when hearing that the extracting, demanding toll for sin is met.  This is called the Gospel – the Good News.  This is why it is called Good News for the sinner: Jesus Christ has justified the many.  Justified is that judicial proclamation of the Lord upon a sinner the instant he comes to believe in the merits of Christ – not guilty. This is the sinner’s benefit from Jesus horrific work on the Cross – the justification of his position before God.  It does not mean that we are not guilty of committing sin – the Law proves that we are most certainly that.  What it means is that God “sees it”, the offering of Jesus Himself and is satisfied with Him as payment for guilty man. The demands for holiness have been met in Christ for you and for me.  This becomes mine by faith.

Dear reader, do you believe these words today?  Do you truly rest with a saving faith that believes Jesus bore your iniquities, that the Cross is history?  Jesus poured out Himself to death as the living sacrifice for your sins.  This Good News is not meant to make you feel guilty but to believe and rejoice that Jesus has done all that is needed regarding your sinful nature and every sin you have, are now and ever will commit.  Do you know that you can go before the judgment seat of Holy God with confidence to speak openly of your transgressions against Him because Jesus has interceded already on your behalf?  While we go with the verdict of guilty in our hearts, we know what the Judge will declare for the sake of His Son Jesus, “not guilty”.

Are you resting fully in the Christ of the Cross?  Not just the Jesus of the manger, or the Jesus of the miracles, or the Jesus of good deeds, wise decisions and a good example, but the Christ of the Cross.  Is your life set free from sin and guilt because you know and believe in your heart that the Christ of the Cross is the One Isaiah spoke of to come for you?

If not, would you take the time right now to prayerfully read and re-read this chapter until the Holy Spirit of the living God pours forth the blessedness of its truth.  Ask Him to reveal to you your sin and so help you to see your need for this Jesus.  Praying each time you read that the Spirit would bring you to know and believe in Jesus, who is your Savior to be.  That He would reveal to you everything written is on your behalf and that He awaits you. 

I will be praying too, waiting to hear from you of the good news of the salvation of your soul.

Lord, to You be all the glory.

But the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. (Isaiah 53:10 NASB)

Oh how deep the love of God and how hard to comprehend its breadth for me when pondering what the Lord Himself was to do through sinful men to His Son. 

First there is the matter of the gravity of sin, my sin.  The depths of its can be measured in what it cost to have it paid for…a living sacrifice.  This sacrifice must have specific attributes to be the efficacious payment that would be God pleasing. Only God Himself, the standard of perfect holiness could be the price for utter sinfulness, not just by deed but in very nature.  And so God in the flesh came – Jesus.

Second there is the manner in which sin, my sin was to be paid for…the Savior would be crushed by the Lord exposing Him to horrible grief.  Crushed is the effect or result when a heavy load puts its full weight down upon the bearer.  The load of sin’s penalty would crush God in the flesh – Jesus.  Crushed precipitates expulsion of air.  Jesus would not be able to breath on the cross without excruciating pain.  Crushed snuffs out of life.  And when the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39) – Jesus.

Third, it would all have to be voluntarily done… render Himself as a guilt offering. I realize again how dangerously fragile was the salvation of my soul in the sense that I couldn’t pay the price, only One was qualified to pay; He would have to be willing to do so with the full knowledge that it would be incredibly horrible; He would have to give perfect obedience unto His own death. 

But my confidence rests that God ordained this plan for my salvation. His only and perfect Son Jesus was willing to see it through that I among many might be saved through Him. “Might” reveals the fourth and most fragile element of my salvation.  I would have to believe. Somehow my heart would have to be changed and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, Paul explains in Ephesians 2:8. Praise be to God.

He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. Here is an amazing thing.  I am the Father’s reward to Jesus for seeing it through.  So are you dear brother or sister in Christ.  We who were once sinners and the very reason for His suffering and death have become His reward.  

Lord, what an incredible statement this is of my worth.  In Jesus I am of incredible worth to Him as the prize of Your love.  Jesus, may I live my life today, everyday carrying the joy of Your salvation.  Thank you Jesus for the trade… my load of sin for Your yoke of salvation. (Matthew 11:28-30)

Yet He did not open His mouth…So He did not open His mouth…Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.

(Isa 53:7,9 NASB)

Verses 3-6 says much about the people through their treatment of Jesus.  The next three verses say as much and more of Jesus in His response to that treatment.

Much of this chapter presents itself as the standard of injustice. It would be foolish to think that Jesus was not hurt by all the things said of Him and how most folks felt toward Him, after all, He was truly and fully human.  He did not have a super hard heart or a beyond human thick skin.  No, every mean spirit, every cruel word, every biting criticism, every insensitive mocking all were felt to the core of His being.  It was His own creation, His own people whom He loved that had despised Him causing Him great grief.

To such Jesus was silent.  Silence in suffering and in the unfairness of injustices is prescribed by faithfulness.  What could He have said?  “I’ll get you for this.” “You better stop or I’ll get mad?” “If you don’t knock it off, I’ll destroy the whole lot of you.”  The silence is not only of a human mouth, but also of a godly character. The silence is a part of knowing one’s appointment. For Jesus it was to come as the Savior.  Silence comes from knowing one’s calling.  For Jesus it was to receive the punishment and death for lost man.  Silence comes with knowing the reward.  For Jesus it was that man would be saved through His atoning death.

Oppression, affliction, judgment, assigned with wicked men…yet He suffered it all in silence till giving up His spirit.  I could afford to learn much from Jesus.  If  He remained silent to that which He did not deserve, most certainly I should be as well for what I do deserve.  Before the world I in silence yes but not before the Lord. For me to be silent is not why Christ suffered in silence.  He did so that my voice could be heard – before the Father. I will not remain silent for what I deserve.  I, for whom the stroke was due will cry out to Jesus my Redeemer cut off out of the land of the living. I will cry out the name of Jesus before the accusations of the Law against me.

 Jesus, while I might suffer in silence before this world, may I never fall victim to thinking I need bear affliction in the silence of loneliness, for I have you.  Thank you.

Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken…Isaiah 53:4

I just took my old Jeep to the shop expecting a cheap remedy to the mournful howl coming from I believed to be simply a worn U joint wanting out.  The mechanic dispelled my wishful underestimation of the problem. Similarly, a few of us have sought a doctor’s help for a minor affliction only to be stunned by a diagnosis revealing a far more serious condition than we had assumed or felt.  That’s how Isaiah 53:4-6 strikes me. It’s obvious that just by the response Jesus received our own assessment of our spiritual condition is far, far short of reality. If we truly appreciate our spiritual blight, we would be more like the woman who sought to just touch the hem of His tunic.  If we could grasp our condition, we would pursue Him with everything we had for even just a morsel of His time or a touch of His hand. Give me Jesus would be our soul’s constant pursuit and our heart’s cry if we saw our desperation.  We would have offered Him the dignity, reverence and honor He deserves if He would afford us the grace to receive it from such sinners.

After all, whose griefs did He bear?  Whose sorrows were His load?  Yet we thought there was something about Himself that God took issue with.

Whose transgressions were the cause of His wounds? Whose iniquities were those carried upon His back?  For whose well-being did He endure?  Look again oh my arrogant heart. For whom did the scourging He endured bring remedy and why?

Who was it that abandoned God and who was it that remained faithful and true? Who was it who turned his back toward God in rebellion and who turned to give His back to the whip in obedience?

Surely by now it is obvious that this was not some mistake or because of some wrong He had committed?  This was God’s plan to bridge the divide of sin between myself and Him. Not in spite of my ignorance and pride, but because of my ignorance and pride He came and all this took place.  Yes, this all by God’s predetermined plan willed for Him on my behalf.

Now on this side of His cross, on this side of faith’s shore I can see how desperately marooned in sin I was.  Praise be to God I can see that now and rejoice to know I have been set free, my penalty paid, my account cleared by the Blood of the Lamb.

Thank you Jesus that I can look back now and not be blinded by shame and crumbled in guilt.  Thank you that I too can testify at the altar of grace of my own sinful treatment of You and know that by my own testimony I will not be  condemned for You have already stood in my behalf.  Thank you for such confidence.  Thank you for faith. Thank you for peace of soul. I am a witness granted immunity by Your blood.

He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face, He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.   (Isaiah 53:3 NASB)

The 1985 movie, Back to the Future tells the story of a young man accidently sent back 30 years in time.  He noticed his presence in the past interfering with what was to take place in the future which was already the present from which he had come.  So he had to fix the damages to history while finding a way to get back to his future. Isaiah 53 is a prophetic word of Christ’s reception into this world told as from the future looking back to the past. Note the person(s) through whom the Lord chose to tell this…we.  Much of Isaiah 53 reads like witnesses testifying on the witness stand of a courtroom where all humanity is on trial for a hate crime.  The witnesses’ are in agreement because all are guilty. Their manner of speaking is an ‘after the fact’ realization of the truth of the past.

God’s Word is the truth. I am bothered by the truth of the life my Jesus experienced during His stay on earth.  Our ancestors were a tough crowd, whether Jewish or Gentile. His adult life was one of being treated with contempt and as someone beneath any respect from society.  He was cast aside as useless, never mind not needed. He was not wanted and abandoned like garbage.  Never mind not being revered as God, even by standards afforded man, He was treated as subhuman. We have an idea what that is like when taken for granted of at work, at home, or in the church. To coin a popular phrase, welcome to Jesus’ life.

His life characterized Him as a man of sorrows well experienced in the school of grief.  The Son of Man was not afforded any relief or privilege that even some of us are granted when sick or weighted down under life’s burdens. The witnesses confess, “We blew it.” With good intent we might want to change that if we could.

If able, we would be willing to go back from today to correct this travesty of history.  I thank God we cannot. This is history that must not be changed, even though unbelieving revisionists try otherwise.   To change the people’s reception of Jesus, would do us harm by interfering with God’s plan for our redemption. Jesus has come to give us a future in spite of our past. The nature of His Person, His reception by His fellow humanity and His work were all God’s plan to take us to the cross where our redemption was purchased.  We look upon Jesus’ life and we see two things, our horrible sinful nature and His unwavering faithfulness to a world that did not ask for Him, want Him or believe Him. He has come for everyone of us who has blown our past also. Because of that, by faith in Him I have been given a future, an eternal one, and a hope for today. 

Lord while my heart breaks from hearing of Your past on earth, it makes me all the more want to worship and serve You. Thank You for believing I was worth it all. May I not ever treat You again as I too once did in my unbelieving past.

For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.                                                      (Isaiah 53:2 NASB)

Do you ever struggle to fully comprehend the ways God works?  I know I sure do.  Take our verse for today and what it says about the Savior of the world.  I wonder if I will ever or am even capable of appreciating in full what is known as the humiliation of Christ (His conception to His burial); in understanding that God Himself exposed Himself to it all.

He grew up like a tender shoot…a root out of parched ground. This vulnerability about Jesus makes it difficult to see Him as the Christ.  I must remember this was intentionally predetermined by God who had foreknowledge of what this vulnerability would bring His one and only Son (Acts 2:23). Oh the things that lie ahead for His Son who was intentionally left vulnerable to man the sinner and what he is capable of perpetrating.

If Jesus were to have come into today’s world, someone would suggest He hire a personal manager to groom a proper image of a conqueror/leader before the public.  God however would have none of that. His Savior-King would overcome by grace through faith in the hearts of His subjects, not by force.

The question has already been asked, ‘Who has believed our message?’  While my hindsight would be biased to judge the Pharisees of Jesus’ day for not recognizing Jesus as the Christ, I can appreciate why they missed identifying Him.  God chose that the means by which He would come and the manner by which He would work as Savior, could only be recognized by faith. He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.

I am reminded today, to recognize the simplicity of Jesus and the commonality of His ways.  This is because He was truly man…God in the flesh.  His work in and through the church should be the same. 

Lord, may I and may Your church be of Your same character, vulnerability and commonality that any appeal before men would be upon You the now glorified Savior and not upon us.

Note from Pastor Peter: In the second week of Lent our focus switches from the Challenge of the Cross to the Christ of the Cross.  May you be blessed in the truth.

Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

(Isaiah53:1 NASB)

If you are willing, please take note of the number of occurrences there are of the third person singular pronouns speaking of Jesus in chapter 53 of Isaiah.  How many do you find?

Depending upon the translation, we should note there are over forty. Without question, the Lord is intentional about revealing the Savior to mankind.

But there is a question with which the chapter begins: ‘Who has believed our message?’ There is a sense of wonder, if not bewilderment in the question.   It speaks into the future about the human heart’s response to the One described in the verses that follow. Any mystery to the question would be clarified in years to come when the same question would be quoted twice again in Scripture. First John offers it as a reference to the Jews of his day and their reaction to Jesus’ miraculous works (John 12:38).  Then later the Apostle Paul harkens back to it as he explains Israel’s refusal of God’s repeated attempts to reveal their Messiah to them (Romans 10:16). From our vantage point of today in Scripture, we now know why Isaiah wonders out loud with the question.  The reaction of unbelief was foretold.

The question in light of the revelation that follows it reminds me of the depths of my own unbelief from which the Lord Jesus saved my soul.  It reminds me I could do nothing toward my own salvation, but only Jesus.  I could not even muster a faith to believe in order to receive the Good News offered by God’s mighty right arm to save. No, the Holy Spirit had to do that through the Message.  What a dependent I am upon the grace of God in Christ.  What a debtor I am.

We should also be reminded of another truth. Every worker of the Gospel must come to appreciate this question if he or she is to go on through the cloud of disappointment and the fog of frustration inherent to faithful service.   In spite of the Lord’s clear revelation of the Savior and the incredible Good News offered by His work, many do not believe.  In serving the Gospel of Jesus, we have to ask ourselves another question: If the Lord’s Good News cannot break through the unbelief and heart hardness confronting His work of salvation, then can any servant of His devise a greater means and produce a better plan to bring about greater reception?  No we cannot.  This truth should provide insight into the focus of the church’s work.  Romans 1:16 tells us what is sufficient.

There is one other question asked in verse 1.  The answer is to all, but one…the One and only Son.  As Jesus would suffer man’s brutality and suffer the anguish of Calvary’s cross, God reveals no power…none of His mercy to save.  He must not.

Lord, as I ponder You, may I not only be concerned with Your work on the Cross but overwhelmed by Your love that led You to do so – for helpless me. I pray, conquer every hint of unbelief in my heart with Your grace. May I never refuse any of it, ever.