Matthew 26:57-68 * March 7, 2007 * Midweek Lent 3 * Prof. Forrest Bivens

Behold the Hidden Glory of the Cross

 

57 Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled. 58 But Peter followed him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. He entered and sat down with the guards to see the outcome. 59 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. 60 But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward 61 and declared, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’” 62 Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” 63 But Jesus remained silent.The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” 64 “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. 66 What do you think?” “He is worthy of death,” they answered.67 Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him 68 and said, “Prophesy to us, Christ. Who hit you?”

 

Introduction:

(Gen 4:3-5) “Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry.” Did you catch that? Much is known and easily recalled. The prelude to murder. But behold: Cain brought an offering to the Lord. Cain went through the motions, appeared on the outside just as religious, as godly, as obedient, and as God-pleasing as Abel did. We soon learn his heart was as empty, but he still gave every indication of being religious! Something was hidden here. He was the first of many, many people who were different on the inside from the way they looked on the outside.  So was Abel. Looked like the first loser. The victim. Here today & gone tomorrow. But the way he is recalled in Scripture, called “righteous Abel” by Jesus himself (Mt 23:35), we know something glorious was hidden in him. Hidden guilt & hidden glory.

 

Today, continuing the theme of the hidden glory of our Savior we focus on two hidden things: Hidden Guilt among those who looked good and hidden glory in the One who looked bad.

 

Part 1: Hidden Guilt among those who looked so good.

1.      Between Cain and the event of our text, a long line of impressive people who had hidden sin and guilt had been observed. Even with a general grasp on the OT one knows that the primary opponents of faithful prophets and godly servants of God were prophets and priests. False ones, but quite religious and able and willing to talk a lot about serving God and offering sacrifices and praying and speaking God’s Word. But they were far from God in heart and behavior. Rebels who were religious. Godless pretenders.

 

2.      In our text, we’re pointed to the impressive assembly known as the Sanhedrin (people “sitting together” or “assembly”). 70 elders of the people plus the high priest. Some were Pharisees, some Sadducees, some scribes (professionals who copied scrolls of the OT and interpreters of the OT message). What did they have in common? They were religious people, quite well educated in “Bible” subjects, kind of like PhD’s in Bible. Respected, influential, and carrying much authority among the Jewish people in particular. And dare I say it again? Religious. Very religious. Active in worship assemblies and looked up to as leaders of the worshiping and believing community. But look at them in action here! “The chief priests and whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death.” That’s the first information about them in this text. Dishonest, intent on murder, and certainly anti-Jesus. And the last we see of them in the text? They are shouting “Jesus is worthy of death”. Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped Jesus. All in the name of religion and with the claim that they were defending truth and God’s good name. Their badness was hidden under the cover of religious goodness.

 

3.      Since the time of Jesus the same kind of people have continued strong. Religious leaders quite familiar with the concepts of prayer, sacrificing, religious ritual, and worship customs, but who have no high regard for the Jesus of the Bible. I Googled “respected divinity schools” and got Yale, Berkeley, Duke, Harvard. Top shelf – and totally lacking a clear confession of faith in Jesus Christ. None embrace a high view of the Bible though all are devoted to studying Bible subjects. Here are most of the experts quoted by the History or Discovery Channel (“The Lost Tomb of Jesus”). NY Times: “Almost all the scholars interviewed support the filmmakers’ case”. Religious. Respected. Educated. But hidden beneath these external features: an unbelieving, anti-Jesus, and anti-Bible bias.

 

4.      What do all these have in common aside from being quite religious? From Cain to contemporary respected religious scholars -- none trust Jesus Christ as their Savior from sin. No confession of sin and guilt and thus the need for a Savior. No repentance, no humbling of selves before God and their neighbor as “poor miserable sinners” or “lost and condemned sinners.” And no high regard for the Bible as word of God, nor of Jesus Christ as holy Son of God and Substitute for mankind. But their guilt and godless unbelief is hidden beneath impressive academic degrees and respected positions in the religious community. Here is hidden guilt among those who on the outside looked so good.

 

Transition: This is something that should be of great interest to us. Why? We are religious people. We also claim to be Bible students, familiar with worship practices, church organizations. If religious people so often turned out so bad, we should be alert to the horrible possibility in our own circles – and in our own lives. And thankfully, there is a remedy for this horrible kind of thing. It is also found in this text and it is “hidden” in certain ways as well.

 

Part 2: Here is hidden glory in the One who looked bad.

  1. The initial look at Jesus is not impressive, not pretty. The members of the Sanhedrin are frankly more impressive. He was a prisoner, a captive. And he was on trial, outnumbered 70 to 1. When false witnesses came forward, Jesus made no attempt to refute them. Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” But Jesus remained silent. Admission of guilt?

 

  1. But a closer look shows Jesus is more impressive than first thought. Why false witnesses? Because there was no real guilt, no legitimate charges of sin or illegal or criminal activity. None. And the silence? Well, actually the OT itself had said that when the promised Savior came, he would behave that way. Isaiah had put it this way, “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” And one more thing. A key question and clear answer: The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”  Here is the calm yet clear claim to being a man of glory, a man of God – in fact, here is the claim he is God as well as man. Here is the solemn declaration that, no matter how the trial turned out, the high priest and the whole Sanhedrin would see Jesus again. Sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming in the clouds to heaven. Hidden beneath the indignity and rejection is majesty, glory.

 

  1. My advice to you – God’s clear and repeated counsel to us all – is to keep our focus on this Jesus and the glory revealed beneath the ridicule and mistreatment at the hands of the Sanhedrin. They looked good while he looked bad. But they were godless and he was God. Now ask yourself: “Why? Why was God there as a humble and abused man? Why was the God-man of glory being treated as though he were guilty? Why is his glory largely hidden? Here is the right and true answer: It is because of you and me. The God of Glory became the Man of Sorrows out of love for us. We are the ones who deserve to be abused and declared guilty of blasphemy and rebellion against God. We deserve to be sentenced to eternal death for crimes against God and our neighbor. This Jesus was taking on himself what we have, guilt, and giving to us what he had, glory. The glorious one is treated as guilty and the guilty ones are glorified and honored.

 

  1. Once that is understood nothing will be the same for us. Now we know why the Glory of our Lord is largely hidden in this event – and will remain largely hidden in the courtroom of Pontius Pilate and on the hill called Golgotha. Only for a time will the bad look good and the good look bad. Only for a time will the guilty and unbelievers be honored and respected while the godly are despised. For Christ himself, this reversal of rightful roles ended when the salvation of sinners was accomplished. And that is done, finished, accomplished! Our guilt has been dealt with and glory won for us.

 

  1. And for us? What started with Cain and Abel is not finished yet. That which is honored in the eyes of the world is despised by God and so much that is despised by the world is honorable and good in the eyes of God. So much of what passes as religious in this world is blasphemous to God and much of what is truly godly and glorious is considered trash in this world. Let our goal be and remain this: to seek what is good and godly in the eyes of God. Hebrews 10 speaks to this: Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34 You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. 35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. And the best way to do that is to remain at the side of Jesus Christ, taking comfort in what he did for us and looking forward to his return in glory. “I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then what is now hidden to many will be revealed to all. We are more than conquorers through him who loved us!  Amen.