He gave His life for us, and He died. Verse 51 says, âAnd behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top
Excerpts from Life-study of Matthew, Message 70 JUDGED, CRUCIFIED, AND BURIED Bible Verses: Matthew 27:22 Pilate said to them, What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ? They all said, Let Him be crucified! 27:23 But he said, Why, what evil has He done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let Him be crucified! 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? 27:50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up His spirit. 27:51 And behold, the veil of the temple was split in two from top to bottom, and the earth was shaken and the rocks were split, 27:52 And the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. JUDGED BY PILATE In chapter twenty-seven we have a contrast between righteousness and unrighteousness. The significance of chapter twenty-seven is that it shows the contrast between the kingdom of the world and the kingdom of the heavens. On the side of the kingdom of the world, there is unrighteousness, but on the side of the kingdom of the heavens, there is righteousness. On the one hand, Jesus was sentenced and condemned to die on the cross in unrighteousness; on the other hand, He was sentenced to die in righteousness. The Roman Empire was famous for its law. But although the law was strong, the enforcement of the law was weak. Pilate was not even as righteous as Judas. If the betrayer of the Lord Jesus was able to say that he had sold innocent blood, the governor of the kingdom should have been even more righteous. Nevertheless, Pilate “washed his hands before the crowd, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man” (v. 24). This was a timid and irresponsible withdrawal. Verse 26 says, “Then he released to them Barabbas; but Jesus he scourged and delivered Him up that He might be crucified.” When Jesus was appearing before Pilate, Pilate’s wife “sent to him, saying, Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much today in a dream because of him” (v. 19). This dream was sovereign of God. Pilate’s wife did not want him to get involved with this unrighteous matter. According to his conscience, Pilate also knew that Jesus was righteous and that the Jews were unrighteous in arresting Him. He also knew that he should have released this righteous man, but he was afraid to do this. Accustomed at the time of the feast to release to the crowd one prisoner whom they wanted, Pilate asked, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you? And they said, Barabbas” (v. 21). Barabbas was a most sinful criminal. No doubt, Pilate intended to release Jesus and to keep Barabbas. But the people wanted him to release Barabbas and to crucify Jesus. Pilate seemed to be saying, “You ask me to release the most sinful criminal and to crucify the innocent one.” Verse 23 says, “But he said, Why, what evil has he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified!” Pilate was subdued by the voices of the crowd. In order to appease his conscience, he “took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man; you see to it” (v. 24). Then the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children!” (v. 25). Thus, Pilate released Barabbas, but scourged Jesus and delivered Him up that He might be crucified. What a portrait this is of unrighteousness! JUDGED BY GOD According to the four Gospels, the Lord Jesus was on the cross exactly six hours. During the first three hours, men did many unrighteous things to Him. They persecuted and mocked Him. Thus, in the first three
hours the Lord suffered man’s unrighteous treatment. But at the sixth hour, twelve noon, God came in, and there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour, until three o’clock in the afternoon. This darkness was God’s doing. In the midst of this darkness, the Lord cried out the words quoted in verse 46. When the Lord was suffering the persecution of man, God was with Him, and He enjoyed the presence of God. But at the end of the first three hours, God forsook Him, and darkness came. Unable to tolerate this, the Lord shouted loudly, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” As we have pointed out, God forsook Him because He was our substitute bearing our sins. Isaiah 53 reveals that this was the time God put our sins on Him. In the three hours from twelve noon to three o’clock in the afternoon the righteous God put all our sins upon this substitute and judged Him righteously for our sins. God forsook Him because during these hours He was a sinner there on the cross; He was even made sin. On the one hand, the Lord bore our sins; on the other hand, He was made sin for us. Therefore, God judged Him. This was altogether a matter of righteousness. THE EFFECT OF HIS DEATH Verse 50 says, “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and dismissed the spirit.” This was to give up His spirit (John 19:30), indicating that the Lord voluntarily yielded up His life (Mark 15:37; Luke 23:46). The Lord Jesus was not killed, but willingly yielded up His life. He gave His life for us, and He died. Verse 51 says, “And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom.” This signifies that the separation between God and man was abolished, because the flesh (signified by the veil) of sin taken by Christ (Rom. 8:3) had been crucified (Heb. 10:20). The words “from the top to the bottom” indicate that the rending of the veil was God’s doing from above. Because sin had been judged and the flesh of sin had been crucified, the separation between God and man was taken away. Now the way to enter into the presence of God is open for us. What a wonderful effect of the Lord’s death! His death was not martyrdom; it was an act of redemption. Verse 51 also says that “the earth was shaken and the rocks were split.” The shaking of the earth signifies that the base of Satan’s rebellion has been shaken, and the splitting of the rocks signifies that the strongholds of Satan’s earthly kingdom have been broken. Hallelujah, the Lord’s death tore the veil, shook the base of Satan’s rebellion, and broke the strongholds of Satan’s kingdom! What a death! Praise the Lord for His death! Because God’s righteousness was fully satisfied, Christ’s death could be so effective. Read the verses and footnotes online: http://online.recoveryversion.bible/ Read the complete message online: http://www.ministrybooks.org/life-studies.cfm
Excerpts from Life-study of Matthew, Message 71 MAN’S UNRIGHTEOUSNESS AND GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS Bible Verses: Matthew 27:18 For he knew that it was because of envy that they had delivered Him up. 27:19 And while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, saying, Have nothing to do with that righteous man… 27:24 And Pilate, seeing that nothing was gained but rather that an uproar was taking place, took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, I am innocent of this man’s blood. You see to it yourselves. MAN’S UNRIGHTEOUSNESS TURNING INTO GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS In the crucifixion of Christ, man’s unrighteousness was fully exposed; yet it brought in God’s righteousness. Thus, the killing of Christ was the first way through which man’s unrighteousness brought in God’s righteousness….In turning man’s unrighteousness into God’s righteousness, Christ first exposed man’s unrighteousness to the uttermost. In all of human history there has not been a case in which man’s unrighteousness has been as totally exposed as in the crucifixion of Christ….Nearly everyone involved with His case was unrighteous. In every way and in every aspect, it was unrighteous. The very presence of Christ in this unrighteous situation was a full exposure of man’s unrighteousness. Secondly, the Christ who exposed man’s unrighteousness to the uttermost also bore all the unrighteousness He had exposed. He firstly exposed man’s unrighteousness and then He bore it on the cross. This is like housecleaning. If you do not clean, you may not see the dust hidden under the furniture. In cleaning a room the dust is firstly exposed. Then it is swept into the dustpan. Likewise, on the day of the Passover, the Lord Jesus firstly exposed all the “dust,” all of man’s unrighteousness. Then He cleaned up the “dust” He had exposed. Oh, the very presence of the Lord Jesus exposed every particle of hidden “dust” in the whole universe. Eventually, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself became the “dustpan,” and all the “dust” was collected upon Him. During the first three hours He was on the cross, the time of man’s dealing with Him, all the sins, all the unrighteousness, all the universal “dust,” were put on Him. As He hung there on the cross, He was the universal “dustpan” into which all the “dust” in the universe had been gathered. Thus, after all man’s unrighteousness had been exposed, it was borne by Christ on the cross. This made everything ready for the righteous God to come in to judge the unrighteous ones and all their unrighteousness. Without the black, the white could not be clearly manifest. Because all the “dust,” all man’s unrighteousness, was put on the cross, the stage was prepared for God’s righteousness to be revealed. If there had not been so much unrighteousness, it would not have been possible for so much righteousness to be manifested. The complete unrighteousness of mankind was heaped upon the Lord on the cross so that God’s righteousness could be manifested. The righteous God came in to exercise His righteousness by judging all this unrighteousness. This is the reason that through Christ man’s unrighteousness eventually turned into God’s righteousness. By this we have been saved. GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS IN THE GOSPEL Christ was the turning point. Man’s unrighteousness turned into God’s righteousness through Christ. Firstly, Christ exposed man’s unrighteousness, and then for judgment by God’s righteousness He bore upon Himself all of man’s unrighteousness that He had exposed. This matter of righteousness is a crucial aspect of the truth of the gospel. This is very basic, for it is our ground and basis for being saved. Our salvation rests upon the solid rock of God’s righteousness. Romans 1:16 and 17 say, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one who believes, both to Jew first and to Greek. For the righteousness of God is revealed in it out of faith
to faith.” Because of God’s righteousness, the gospel is powerful to save everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus. The gospel of Christ is so powerful not because of God’s love nor because of God’s grace, but because of God’s righteousness. Legally speaking, both love and grace can fluctuate, but righteousness, especially God’s righteousness, cannot. Madame Guyon once said that even if God wanted to change His mind regarding her salvation, He could not do it because He had already judged her on the cross. Through Christ our substitute, we have already been judged according to righteousness on the cross. Therefore, God must save us. God is a just God. Because He has already righteously dealt with us judicially, He is now obligated to save us….Nothing binds God as much as His righteousness. Psalm 89:14 says, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of thy throne” (A.S.V.). If God’s righteousness could be taken away, His throne would be cast down. We can say, “Praise the Lord! Even if God wants to change His mind, He cannot do it because He is a just God!” How meaningful this is! Righteousness, or justice, is a judicial matter. Love, on the contrary, is a matter of the emotion. If I love you, I may choose to pay attention to you. But if I do not love you, I may simply forget about you. Many Christians like to quote John 3:16, the verse that says that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Yes, God has so loved the world, but His love is not as firm as His righteousness. God, of course, will not change in His love. But suppose His love did change. God has the right to change in His love, but He does not have the right to change in His righteousness….God has saved us judicially. Of course, God’s salvation is initiated by His love and accomplished through His grace. Eventually, however, it issues in His righteousness. Therefore, the salvation we have received today is not merely a matter of love or of grace, but also a judicial matter of God’s righteousness. THE KINGDOM OF GOD BUILT UPON RIGHTEOUSNESS Our salvation has been sealed and confirmed by God’s righteousness….It is upon this righteousness that the kingdom of God is built. Have you seen the contrast between man’s unrighteousness and God’s righteousness, between man’s kingdom and God’s kingdom? Man’s kingdom is not built upon righteousness. This fact was fully exposed in the way Pilate, the Roman governor, dealt with the Lord Jesus. In chapter twenty-six Matthew fully exposed the weakness of Peter’s natural life, and in chapter twentyseven he exposed man’s unrighteousness. Man’s unrighteousness is even seen after the burial of Christ. The chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together to Pilate and said to him, “Sir, we remembered that that deceiver said, while he was still living, After three days I will arise. Command therefore that the grave be secured until the third day, lest the disciples come and steal him away and say to the people, He was raised from the dead; and the last deception will be worse than the first” (27:63-64). Pilate replied, “You have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how” (v. 65). Pilate’s answer to the chief priests and Pharisees was unrighteous. Later, in 28:11-15, the chief priests and the elders bribed the soldiers, paying them to lie about the resurrection of Christ. This shows that the Roman soldiers also were unrighteous. Thus, regarding man’s government, the record is filled with unrighteousness. This exposes the fact that man’s government is built upon unrighteousness. But God’s government is built upon righteousness. Righteousness is the solid foundation of God’s kingdom. We are saved under God’s righteousness. Therefore, the foundation of our salvation is solid….We used to be in man’s unrighteousness, but now we are under God’s righteousness and in God’s kingdom. God’s kingdom is the kingdom of righteousness, and we are the righteous people in His kingdom. Read the verses and footnotes online: http://online.recoveryversion.bible/ Read the complete message online: http://www.ministrybooks.org/life-studies.cfm
