Title: Victory on the Way of the Cross
Content Do you have the grace to overcome your own cross?
Text Commentary/ There are three truths that must be established in order to live a meaningful and correct life without wandering for too long in our religious life. First, you must find yourself on the cross. We must discover that we are sinners on the cross that Jesus carried (Romans 3:23). Second, we must discover God's love at the cross. Third, we must discover the mission to repay the grace that Jesus has given us.
Question 1: Explain how Jesus suffered from Pilate? (Verses 1-6)
Answer: (1) Pilate took Jesus and whipped him (verse 1). Then they put a crown of thorns on Jesus' head and put a purple robe on him (verse 2). Then he struck Jesus with his hand (verse 3). Pilate shows the disastrous appearance of Jesus to the Jews and shows it as evidence that no crime could be found during the interrogation process (v. 5). But the crowd is calling for a crucifixion. When Pilate did not go as intended, he told Jesus to take him and crucify him (verse 6), since he found no sin in Jesus.
(2) Jesus was completely without sin according to Pilate's judgment. Because Jesus was sinless, He could forgive human sins. Even though he was the ruler of an enemy country, if Pilate had accepted Jesus' acknowledgment of his innocence by the Jews at the time, what would the Jewish history of today have flowed? As the Jews asked for the price of Jesus' blood to be returned to them, the Jews were rejected and suffered in every country (Matthew 27:25).
Question 2: Who is Jesus? (Verses 7-16)
Answer: (1) Jesus is the Son of God. It was confessed in the mouth of the Jews (v. 7). But it was not a confession of faith, but a confession of condemnation. Jesus was the Son of God who acknowledged and obeyed God's sovereignty (verse 10). But the Lord denies himself and obeys according to the will of God. Because the kingdom of Jesus is not of this world (verse 11).
(2) The kingdoms of the world are driven by power and rise and fall by guns and swords, but in the kingdom of God, such principles do not work at all. If we Christians live with this concept of worldly blessings, we cannot avoid conflict. If we don't put all of those goals in the glory of God, only selfish purposes remain, so we Christians pray for Jesus to bless the world, and they argue that they don't answer them.
⑶ Realizing Martin Luther's freedom from guilt and the Reformation!
Question 3: What is the way of the cross? (verses 17-30)
Answer: (1) The way of the cross is the way of mission. Jesus Himself died on the cross to bear the curse of mankind. Why did Jesus have to be cursed? To redeem us from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13).
(2) The soldiers divided Jesus' clothes and cast lots (verses 23-24). But this is also the way to fulfill the Bible (Psalm 22:18). Life at the cross is not accidental. Because we are on the way to fulfill God's redemption, we are fulfilling God's will. We must believe that it is not an accident in the way we carry our crosses today. I hope that you can interpret your sufferings with the belief that God's will is done through the cross you carry.
⑶ There were women and disciples beside the cross on which Jesus was crucified (verses 25-27). Those who stood by the cross of Jesus saw Jesus' longing for the salvation of mankind. I see God's love. We saw how God's will was done. Jesus also thought about how the words of the Bible were fulfilled in his suffering (verse 28).
Question 4: What was Jesus' final declaration on the cross (verse 30)?
Answer: “It is finished” is the confession of victory. This means, first, that all the prophecies of the Old Testament were fulfilled in Jesus (Luke 24:25ff.). Second, it means that God's eternal and grand plan to save the fallen world has been completed. As a result, we have the confidence to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus. Third, it means that Jesus succeeded in making known God's love by dying on the cross (Romans 5:8).
Decision message:
I hope that you will hold on to your cross firmly so that, like Pilate, there is no cowardice in selling Jesus even though he knows the truth, blinded by his own interests. At that time, please believe that you will become a disciple who will be used until the end of the world like John.