The end of Jesus’ life

 

1.    About 25 years ago (1982) a man was put to death by lethal injection in the Unites States.

2.    This was the first time the process was tried here, and it was considered a success.

3.    What if someone had predicated 10 years earlier (1972) that made predictions related to this event?

4.    What if someone said a decade in advance “lethal injection would first be done in 1982?”

5.    If that prediction were right, it would be amazing.

6.    What if the prediction were even more specific?

7.    What if was aid the first person to suffer this fate would be a 40-year African male?

8.    What if the prediction went further and said this man would be charged and convicted of murder?

9.    These were the circumstances surrounding a man’s death 25 years ago.

 

10.  All would agree that the predictions I described could not be made ten years in advance.

 

11.  In the Bible we have several specific prophecies about the end of Jesus’ life.

12.  These statements were not made ten years in advance; they were made hundreds of years earlier.

13.  Tonight we want to look at three areas.

14.  We want to begin with predictions about the Lord’s death.

15.  Then we will study predictions about His being accused and finally details about His death.

 

WE BEGIN WITH STATEMENTS RELATED TO THE END OF Jesus’ LIFE.

 

a)      Zech. 13:7 speaks of the “shepherd” being “smitten” and the sheep scattering.

b)      Jesus is the “good shepherd” (Jn. 10:11), and His sheep (the disciples) did run (Mt. 26:56).

c)      Mt. 26:56 also says the fleeing disciples fulfilled prophecy.

d)     When Jesus was in the garden, the disciples also fled from there.

e)      How could this prophecy been one of mere guesswork?  Zechariah was right on the money.

 

2)      Isaiah (53:12) said had information about someone who would be “numbered with transgressors.”

3)      Did this actually happen, or did the prophet get it wrong?

a)      Lk. 22:37 says this prophecy was fulfilled.

b)      Jesus was treated as a criminal and He was condemned with criminals.

c)      Imagine making predictions about someone years in advance.

d)     One of the predictions is that the a person will die in the electric chair.

e)      Or, we predict this individual will die by lethal injection.

f)       We do not dare make those types of predictions years in advance.

g)      We also provide other predictions about the man’s death.

h)      We predict the types of circumstances that will exist, how he will be treated.

i)        Predictions such as this are too specific to make.  The chance of them being wrong is very high.

j)        Yet, this is precisely what we find in the life of Jesus 700 years before He came to earth.

 

4)      Most are familiar with the words in Mt. 27:46.

5)      Jesus uttered some famous “sayings” before dying on the cross.

6)      These words have their origin back in the Old Testament.

7)      They may be found in Ps. 22:1.

8)      The writer speaks of someone and speaks of him saying he was “forsaken” by God.

9)      Jesus used this very wording in Mt. 27—my God, my God, why has thou forsaken me?

a)      Why these words, and why these words at this particular time?

b)      Jesus was in agony.

c)      Dying on a cross is not the time to mentally flip through the scriptures to think about verses.

d)     Jesus was not in a position to look for passages He could use to somehow trick people.

e)      God knew what would be said, predicted what would be said, and this is what happened.

f)       Someone might reply, “Jesus knew this verse and it just came to His mind.”

g)      If this were the only prediction/fulfillment, that might be right—there is more—much more.

 

10)  Some of the prophecies about Jesus death are well-known to us.

11)  There are also those we might be tempted to overlook.

12)  Mt. 27:39-40 says people passed by Jesus and “wagged” (shook) their heads.

a)      We might be tempted to read this little detail and keep right on going.

b)      God put things in His word for a reason.

c)      Matthew does not record the shaking of heads as an idle detail; this is the fulfillment of prophecy.

 

13)  Moments ago we cited Ps. 22:1; you may want to look at more of this psalm.

14)  In verse 7 it speaks of people “shaking their heads” and mocking someone.

15)  Psalm 109:25 makes this same point and also predicts somehow would be mocked in this way.

16)  At least twice God spoke of people ridiculing someone.

17)  What was foretold came to pass exactly as it Old Testament writers described it.

18)  How could this type of prediction occur if the Bible is not a divine book?

 

19)  When the first reference to Ps. 22 is presented, someone might think it is just chance.

20)  When we look at a second example from Ps. 22, the case gets a lot stronger.

21)  There is a whole lot more in this psalm.

22)  We also need to consider Ps. 22:18 (the writer predicted lots would be cast for Jesus’ clothing).

23)  Well guess what?  That is also what we find at the end of Jesus’ life (Lk. 23:34).

 

24)  What happened at Jesus’ death is spelled out in the Old Testament in graphic detail.

25)  Consider also this point.

26)  Ps. 22:16—this same Psalm—refers to hands and feet being “pierced.”

27)  That sure sounds familiar; that was the way people were crucified.

28)  Jesus said in Jn. 20:27, “look at my hands.”

29)  Specific predictions were made about the Lord’s body in His death.

30)  Here is another one:  Not a single bone in the Lord’s body would be broken.

a)      Ps. 34:20 uses this very wording.

b)      John 19:32-33, 36 says not a single bone was broken in the Lord’s body.

c)      John also says the lack of broken bones fulfills Old Testament prophecy.

 

31)  This specific Old Testament prophecy has relevance when we deal with the Lord's Supper.

a)      There are members of the church who speak of Jesus “broken body” on the cross.

b)      A “broken body” can mean at least two things.

c)      It could mean some part of Jesus’ body was literally broken.

d)     If this is what a person means, they are contradicting the scriptures.

e)      God says not a single broken bone in the Lord’s body.

f)       The expression “broken body” might also be figurative.

g)      A person may say their spirit is “broken.”

h)      We cannot literally break a person’s spirit; the expression is figurative (symbolic).

 

32)  If we ever do a public presentation of the Lord's Supper, here is a point to remember.

33)  Not one of Jesus’ bones was broken.

34)  If we use the “broken body” expression, it is wise to take a few moments to explain it.

35)  Say that this was not literal; we mean “broken” in a figurative sense.

36)  “Broken body” may also be an expression we avoid entirely.

37)  Each time we have the Lord's Supper, we have a reminder of predictive prophecy.

38)  Let’s move to another prediction and fulfillment.

 

39)  Jesus was given “gall” to drink (Mt. 27:34).

40)  Jesus did not need it for broken bones, but it could have been a pain killer for His suffering.

41)  A reference to this is also found in the Old Testament (Ps. 69:21).

42)  We can read all the details about what happened to Jesus and not think much about them.

43)  In more cases than not, they are there to show the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies.

 

BEFORE Jesus WENT TO THE CROSS, HE HAD A TRIAL.  THERE WERE ACCUSERS WHO MADE VARIOUS CHARGES AGAINST HIM.

    

a)      We can read this information but never stop to realize why it is in the sacred text.

b)      In the psalms (35:11) we have some information about “false witnesses” rising up.

c)      The ASV uses the word “unrighteous” witnesses

d)     What happened before Jesus went to the cross?

e)      Mark (14:57-60) says false (unrighteous) witnesses rose up and gave lying testimony.

 

2)      How amazing that information such as this could be made years in advance and then come true.

3)      Jesus was on trial for His life.

4)      Most in His position would talk; they would make their very best defense.

5)      What does Mark say in 15:4-5?  Jesus stayed silent.  Pilate was amazed at this.

a)      Compare this to Isa. 53:7—a verse we have read or heard many, many times.

b)      Jesus “opened not his mouth.”

i)        “As a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.”

c)      If the writing were merely guessing, this was a terrible guess to make.

d)     Most of us would guess that a person accused would make a defense.

e)      More than 500 years in advance an unusual prediction was made and it was right.

 

ALL OF THE EVIDENCE DOES NOT END HERE.

 

a)      Lk. 23:49 is a verse we read from time to time.

b)      Jesus was on the cross and people were watching Him from a distance.

c)      His friends were afar off; women were afar off.

d)     We may see this verse and we think, “It is just one more interesting detail.”

e)      No, it is another fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.

f)       Ps. 38:11 is the Old Testament reference.

g)      “My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my plague; and my kinsmen stand afar off.”

2)      God knew what people would choose, He said it would happen, and it did.    

3)      Here is another Old Testament scripture that may surprise us.

4)      Remember Lk. 23:46?  “Into thy hands, I commit my spirit.”

5)      Guess what Ps. 31:5 says?  It has the same phraseology.

6)      Finally we come to Isa. 53:9.

a)      Jesus would have a grave with the “rich.”  This was the prophet’s prediction.;

b)      This prophecy also came true (Mt. 27:57-60).

 

7)      As impressive as all the predictions and fulfillments are, these are not the end of the list.

8)      There is overwhelming evidence to believe and know the Bible is from God.

9)      If we believe that, do we not also believe in the need to obey it and do that now?