Here’s an outline of my talk from camp… it’s all about Jesus, penal substitution, Passover…
In our time together now we’re going to look at 2 big points that help us to understand Jesus’ death – so please keep your Bibles open as we look at them together. Ultimately we’re going to see that the Cross is the focal point of John’s Gospel and the central point in human history and God’s plan for his world!
CHRISTIAN – keep listening
PRAY
So where are we in John?..
We saw this morning that Jesus physically gave new life to Lazarus – he spoke life into him. We gonna see in this final section of Chapter 11 how Jesus gives us new life.
Come with me into the passage. From verse 47 we see that Caiaphas and he other priests are plotting. He may be the high priest, kindof like the Archbishop of Canterbury, but he’s not a good man, in fact he’s plotting to kill the only, truly good man.
It says (v.51) that Caiaphas ‘prophesied’… that would usually imply that he’s speaking God’s words, but he’s not. He’s speaking his own words, they’re selfish words that expose him, he’s trying to preserve his position and his power (v.48) – he sees Jesus as a threat to this.
John sees the irony of Caiaphas’ words, the fact that unwittingly he does prophecy, he does speak God’s words. Look down with me at v.50, here’s the key verse:
“You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish”
John knows, writing after Jesus’ death that Caiaphas’ words couldn’t have been truer – it was better that Jesus died than the whole nation perish!
1. Jesus will die for others
Caiaphas reveals two true aspects about the nature of Jesus’ death:
1. There is a penalty – death
2. There is a substitution – either Jesus dies or the nation dies
This is a concept that clever theological people call ‘Penal Substitution’ – it sounds long and complicated, but it’s quite simple – there is a punishment to face (death) but there’s someone else (a substitute, Jesus) who takes that punishment.
We’re going to see that this idea of the death penalty and a substitution are repeated throughout the Bible.
Let’s move on to the next section in this passage to see how Penal Substitution is revealed.
Come with me to verses 55-56…
Let’s read…
Why did John include this section? – it seems like a fairly mundane question…
Isn’t He (Jesus) coming to the (Passover) Feast at all? (v.56)
But the question asked by the crowd, and John’s reason for including it here takes on a whole new significance, when we understand what the Passover Feast is, and who Jesus is…
Passover Feast = lamb sacrificed to remember the Exodus (God’s rescue of his people) from Egypt
Celebration for the Jews
“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
So of course Jesus will be there! Why? Because He is the Lamb (Jn 1:29)
Paul – Christ, our Passover lamb – 1 Corinthians 5:7
2. Jesus will die at the Passover (v.55-56)
What else do we see… (v.55) People had come for ‘ceremonial cleansing’
Cleansing from Sin…
What is the job of the lamb? – (Jn 1:29) ‘who takes away the sin of the world’, it is Jesus (the lamb) who will do the cleansing
How does he take away sin? - by dying!
To really understand what’s going on we need to take a closer look at the first Passover… Exodus 12:
(DEATH) PENAL(TY)
Come with me to Egypt, over 1000 years before Jesus. God’s people are in slavery. God sends a judgement of 10 plagues against the whole land, after the Pharaoh refuses to set God’s people free. The final plague is that the first-born son in every household and every first-born animal would be killed by God…
(v.12) I will pass through Egypt and strike down every first born – both men and animals – and I will bring judgement on all the god’s of Egypt. I am the Lord.
…a death penalty
SUBSTITUTE
God promised that if his people sacrificed a lamb for a special meal and then spread its blood on their doors then the angel of God would pass-over, and spare judgement on that household. God provides the substitute.
We know that those who sheltered under the blood of the lamb were passed-over, they were spared God’s judgement. The substitute took the penalty from God, blood was spilt so that those who trusted in it and in God’s promises would be spared – they found shelter and safety from God because of the blood of the lamb.
This great rescue of God is a huge flashing arrow pointing to the cross. That’s why John includes this section, it’s reminding us of God’s great rescue of his people in the past, to point us forward to his great rescue at the cross.
We know the whole of John’s gospel is building up to the cross… my time has not yet come! (John 2, Wedding at Cana)
PENAL
We Sin - Thoughts, words and actions
We do stuff God hates
We fail to do stuff God loves
God judges us, we deserve death
SUBSTITUTE
- Caiaphas was right! Better that one man die (Jesus) than we all perish
- God provides the substitute
- At the cross Jesus takes our death penalty
RESULT
Life… eternal
No Condemnation
This is why the Cross is the biggest event in human history…
…because rightly sinful humans like you and me deserve to face the full force of the right and just anger of a perfect, holy God – that means we should face the death penalty.
But here’s the shock, Jesus – God himself – gave up his life for us, he was our substitute, he stood in our place, he exchanged his goodness for our rebellion, and suffered under God’s punishment, that which we deserved.
CHRISTIAN
Look to the cross. Enjoy the fact that you have eternal life, that you have no punishment to face because Jesus took it for you. Don’t be ashamed by the apparent weakness of the cross – it saved you. Don’t move on from the Cross – it is sufficient to save you and sufficient to keep you.
NON-CHRISTIAN
Where is your substitute! You have none! So as it stands you will face the death penalty. You will face God in judgement for eternity, standing alone, with no defence and no shelter from his just anger. Come to Jesus and find life, shelter under his blood, begin eternal life today.
Only when we understand that we are sinners, rebels against God, and that we deserve to face the death penalty for our rebellion – and only when we look to the Cross, to see Jesus hanging and dying in our place as our substitute can we truly and rightly understand how far God’s love for us goes.
This, the power of the cross:
Christ became sin for us;
Took the blame, bore the wrath—
We stand forgiven at the cross.
This, the power of the cross:
Son of God—slain for us.
What a love! What a cost!
We stand forgiven at the cross.
