Sermon Central
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Oblivious To Jesus' Death Series
Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Oct 6, 2014 (message contributor)
Summary: Millions of people understand that Jesus died on the cross and rose again, but do they really understand? Do we?
Oblivious to Jesus' Death
1. Some people just don’t get it. This is a true story, and it happened in a produce department. The customer walked up to the assistant:
Assistant: “Hello, can I help you with anything?”
Customer: “Yes, do you have any scallions?”
Assistant: “Oh yes, we do. They’re right here.”
Customer: “No, not spring onions, scallions!”
Assistant: “The two are the same thing. They just have different names.”
Customer: “But do you have any scallions?”
Assistant: “They’re right here!”
Customer: “Those aren’t scallions, those are spring onions!”
Assistant: “Give me a moment, let me check outside for you.”
(Assistant goes out to the prep room, picks up a crate of spring onions, turns over the ticket and writes ‘SCALLIONS’ on the front.)
Assistant: “Here we are, the last box.”
Customer: “Fantastic! Thank you so much!” [hubpages.com]
2. You can explain things to some people until you are blue in the face, but they either will not believe you or will not understand. Sometimes they cannot understand.
3. This is especially true when it comes to the Word of God.
Main Idea: Millions of people understand that Jesus died on the cross and rose again, but do they really understand? Do we?
I. The Disciples Were OBLIVIOUS to Jesus' Death (30-32)
A. Jesus wanted time ALONE with his disciples
1. This was a time of preparation to prepare his disciples for the trauma of his death
2. Why Galilee? When was this?
3. We often forget that Jesus has two natures, one divine, one human
4. Why did he not want anyone to know?
R. Alan Cole writes, “This is an example of how He could neglect one opportunity to take another, without feeling spiritually burdened. He had a quiet purposeful selectiveness, so often lacking in the fevered rush of much of our Christian work today, which produces nervous breakdowns as part of its bitter fruit.” (Mark, p. 149).
B. He PROPHESIED what the prophets prophesied
We believe this is the third time he predicted his death.
1. Isaiah 53 clearly spells out God's servant would die, be buried and resurrected
2. But paradigm blindness made this impossible for the Jewish people to see
3. Many things are clear in retrospect; before we entered WWII, for example, the Japanese had been attacking China and the signs were clear that they were moving toward war, yet we trusted them until Pearl Harbor.
C. The disciples were AFRAID to ask. Why?
1. Because Jesus had intimidated them?
2. Because they thought Jesus was depressed?
3. Or was it because they knew something bad was going to happen;
From the Talmud, Sanhedrin 43a, “…it was taught: On the eve of the Passover Yeshu was hanged. For forty days before the execution took place, a herald went forth and cried, 'He is going forth to be stoned because he has practiced sorcery and enticed Israel to apostasy. Any one who can say anything in his favor, let him come forward and plead on his behalf.' But since nothing was brought forward in his favor he was hanged on the eve of the Passover! — Ulla retorted: 'Do you suppose that he was one for whom a defense could be made? Was he not a Mesith [enticer], concerning whom Scripture says, Neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him? With Yeshu however it was different, for he was connected with the government [or royalty, i.e., influential].’”
John 7:1, “After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him.”
John 11:16, “So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with him.’”
4. Or was this part of God's sovereign plan; they needed to understand in retrospect?
D. This whole thing seemed INCREDIBLE
1. That Jesus would be “delivered” implied that one of the twelve would do so
• Yet Jesus knew that Judas would betray him from the beginning…. What thou doest
2. That mere mortals would be able to overcome the miracle-working Jesus
• When arrested, he ask “Whom do you seek…” Then Jesus said, “I am” (John 18)
3. That God the Father would let this happen
• He prayed, “Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me…”
Millions of people understand that Jesus died on the cross and rose again, but do they really understand? Do we?
II. Many Church-goers Do Not UNDERSTAND the Importance of Jesus' Death and Resurrection
A. In retrospect, we can easily UNDERSTAND that Christ died, was buried, and rose.
B. The Gospels record the HISTORY, the Epistles explain the MEANING of the history
• Christ died is history; Christ died for our sins is theology.
Speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC, Jeremiah writes in Lamentations, ““Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow, which was brought upon me, which the Lord inflicted on the day of his fierce anger.” (LAMENTATIONS 1:12)
