The Easter Story – A Cosmic Irony

Mt. 27:27-56

 

Happy Easter everyone!  This morning we are going to review the well known Easter story that never grows old or dull.  That is because it is told by the infinite eternal God himself with all the genius and creativity of an all-glorious perfect being.  One thing God weaves into the gospel story is the use of irony.  Have you ever heard that word before?  It’s not one we use too much.  But there really is no other single word to describe irony. Irony is that quality in a story where there is a hidden twist that kind'a turns everything upside down.  For instance, it would be ironic if a Fire Extinguisher factory burned to the ground.  It is ironic that there is  a Hannah Duston Healthcare Center in Haverhill. Hannah Duston is known for escaping from her Indian captors by killing and scalping them -kind’a like having a Hannah Duston Hair Replacement Clinic. That is irony – where things turn out just the opposite of what you’d expect.  Well, the Easter story is full of irony.  And this irony is purposely designed by God to dramatically highlight some truths for us.  As we prepare to read the Easter Story let’s pray God gives us the ability to comprehend this dramatic irony and be changed as a result.  Let’s pray.

27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. 28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him. 32 As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. 33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. 36 Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. 37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38 Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” 44 And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way. 45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” 48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. 51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” 55 There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. Matthew 27:27-56 (ESV)

There are three ironies in the Easter story in Matthew and then the ultimate resolution of these ironies in Jesus’ resurrection I want to talk about today.  I am indebted to pastor and theologian D.A. Carson for his wonderful exposition of these ironies.  These ironies are not just the invention of a playwright or an author but they come from The Author of life itself.  And they are designed that we might begin to grasp the infinitely glorious implications of the most amazing story, the most amazing fact in all of history – the life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ.

1.      The first Irony of the Easter Story is the one who is mocked as king is King.

Our text opens up with the scene in the Roman soldiers’ headquarters, the praetorium. Jesus has already undergone the brutal scourging and we find him before the battalion of soldiers stripped of his clothes and mockingly dressed with a scarlet robe and a cruel mock crown of thorns and a pathetic reed for a scepter.  And they make good sport of Jesus.  They kneel before him and proclaim with cutting sarcasm, “Hail, King of the Jews” and then spit on him and strike him with the mock scepter.

The ironic thing about all this is that he is the King of the Jews. He really is the long awaited King – the ultimate King of the Jews.  The very gospel of Matthew opens with the statement, “the book of genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David.” A title only reserved for the heir to the throne of Israel and ultimately for the promised eternal King of Israel, the Messiah or the Christ.  And so what the soldiers say is ironically true. 

And what the soldiers do is ironic as well, for in Philippians 2 there is the promise that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  So while they now mockingly bow and mockingly confess Jesus as Christ they one day will truly bow and truly confess, either to their joy or their sorrow, Jesus Christ is Lord.

For he is the very one who gave each of them life and breath and the very one who gave them the ability to use their mouths to make sounds, and causes their minds to think thoughts and animates their bodies to take actions.  And while they mockingly proclaim him as King he is indeed the King, even the King of Kings.

But his Kingship is unlike anyone in the world.  Only this King has come as the servant of all.  Only this King would endure the scorn of his enemies without a single comment or a single protest.  Only this King would suffer scourging and mockery and death for the sake of his enemies.  Only this King would say on the cross about his mockers, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they are doing!”  Only this King would give his very life as an offering to bring forgiveness and peace with the very people who so mocked him.

Such were we.  Had I been there as a Roman soldier, if not for the gift of new life in Christ, I would be right there mocking with all the rest and enjoying it.  I know for I mocked Christ and his followers before I became one.  I poignantly and sadly remember telling one particularly mocking joke to my friends where I mocked Jesus death on the cross.  It was so shocking that I don’t believe my friends laughed. Yet I enjoyed it.  Jesus, thank you for rescuing this mocker from my sin and ignorance.  You are the King, you are my King, you are our King!

2.      The second Irony of the Easter Story is the one who is utterly powerless is transcendently powerful.

Another irony in the Easter story is the weakness of Jesus. Throughout his entire ministry he has been demonstrating he is God by exercising power over sickness and demons and storms.  He even makes a coin appear in the mouth of a fish so Peter and he could pay the Temple tax.  Whatever he wanted to do he could do.  His demonstration of power caused those around him to be in awe and call upon him to take over as King.  Furthermore, we know from the rest of the bible that through him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things were created by him and for him.  And yet, we find him here forced to subject himself to the most pitiful state of weakness.

He stands before Pilate and his accusers silent and not defending himself.  He is subjected to a brutal scourging.  He is forced to carry his cross yet is so weakened that Simon of Cyrene is pressed into service.  Usually a criminal going to crucifixion would be able to carry his cross to the place of execution, but Jesus is so weakened by the ordeal he can not make it.  The same Jesus who raised Lazarus from the dead and calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee with a few words can not or will not muster the strength to carry his own cross.

And then, once crucified, the mockers begin again.  And they say to him in verse 40, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself!  If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!”  How ironic! Jesus had promised to those who questioned his authority to cleanse the temple of swindlers and commercialism that if they destroyed the temple he would raise it up in three days.  I’m sure this seemed like an audacious and ridiculous claim to those who heard it.  And so they used it now against Jesus.  “Oh big powerful Jesus, gonna rebuild the temple in three days, the “Son of God”, can’t even keep himself from being crucified! Stuck immovably to a cross – what a loser!”  And so they mocked him in his weakness. Yet, it was in this weakness that he was strongest. And it was in this weakness that he was indeed allowing the temple to be destroyed that he may rebuild it in three days.  For the temple he spoke of was his body.  Jesus is the ultimate temple, the place where we meet God and find our reconciliation with him.  And this temple was being destroyed in weakness to be rebuilt eternally in strength!

And he calls us to the same life - to experience weakness, dependency on him, suffering, sickness, persecution and rejection,  to do so in his name and learn of God’s power to overcome in our weakness.  It is in weakness that God’s strength shines through. It is in weakness that we find and experience the reality that Jesus is our strength and in him we overcome the world. And it is through patient endurance in our weakness that we receive our eternal reward that Jesus won for us in His weakness!  This is the testimony of all the saints throughout the ages.  Peter denied Christ, Paul suffered physically, Luther & Spurgeon struggled with depression, Billy Graham struggled with his shyness and sense of limited giftedness, every Christian hero has experienced some significant weakness just like their Lord.  So embrace weakness with the Savior – for when you are weak then you are strong in Him!

3.      The third Irony of the Easter Story is the one who can’t save himself saves others.

The mockers also say something very ironic – “He saved others; he cannot save himself.”  How ironic that is. Now surely they meant it as an insult.  The one who was so good at saving others, who went around rescuing people from sickness and the effects of sin, the one who raised the dead – who saved others from all these things is so pitiful that he can’t even save himself.

And you know what?  They were exactly right!  For in order for him to save others he mustn’t save himself!  It is exactly through not saving himself from the cross that he is able to save others.  But the saving he is accomplishing on the cross is much more profound than rescuing people from sickness of hunger, as good as that may be.  The saving Jesus was accomplishing on the cross was much more significant.  For if you save someone from sickness or death they will eventually get sick again and die.  Jesus was bringing a salvation much more significant than this.

For since the time of the first man and woman mankind has been subject to the curse of sin.  Each of us are born with this terrible disease called sin and because of this disease we carry with us we each willingly and knowingly sin against God and against others.  We actively suppress the truth and deny God to build our own little world with self at the center and think that we will escape the gaze of God.  Yet he is the just judge and will hold all men accountable for every thought and action.  And the bible says clearly that the wages of sin is death.  The penalty of our willful rebellion is eternal miserable separation from all that is good and right and worthy, that is God himself. And so, thought we might be temporarily saved from a sickness or some other adverse circumstance a more serious problem awaits all of us at death – the righteous judgment for our sins and the holy wrath of a just God. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God to answer for our sins.  Jesus said, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28 (ESV)  And this same Jesus went to the cross to save us from such a fate.   “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, ESV)

He couldn’t save himself in order to save you from your sin.  He couldn’t refuse to stay on the cross because he was determined to drink every drop of the cup of God’s holy fierce wrath for your sins until it was finished and all your salvation was purchased with the blood of the spotless lamb. His very name, Jesus, means “God saves.” And he couldn’t save himself because the same God who is fiercely angry about sin also fiercely loves his people, enough to kill his own Son in their place. And the Father and the Son agreed together on this, and so he saved others by not saving himself.  Thank you Jesus!

4.      The Ironies of Easter Are Vindicated in the Resurrection

These three ironies are all vindicated by what happens on the third day.  Let’s read in chapter 28:1-10.

1 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” Matthew 28:1-10 (ESV)

This same Jesus, he who was mocked as King is the King, has risen victorious over sin and death and now leads all his subjects who follow him into the same victory. This same Jesus who was so weak as to fall under the cruelty and suffering of the cross has risen to new life and now stands as the sure and permanent promise of new life for all those in him.  This same Jesus, who could not save himself now has risen from the dead by the power of God to guarantee full salvation from all the effects of sin – he is the first fruits of those who die in Christ – the proof of our faith and the fruit of our faith in Him.  He has risen and he has been vindicated as King, All Powerful Lord and the Perfect Savior!  Let’s worship.