Palm Sunday 2018 - What did the disciples know? Luke 18:28-34

One of the things we see in here is that the disciples, as they're speaking here in Luke 18, 28-34, they seem to know some things, but boy, there is a lot that they don't seem to know, as we'll soon discover as we delve into this passage in more detail.

This passage, just to look at the context, Jesus had been walking towards Jerusalem, It is a matter of days ahead of Christ being in Jerusalem during the week before he was crucified. They are headed towards Jericho at this point in time. Jesus had just spoken to the rich young ruler. Jesus' words and Peter's words that we read here are all in the context of the people of Israel and the land of Israel. And so Jesus' instructions to the rich young ruler and Peter's words to Jesus were all in the context of the traditions of rabbis and disciples and all being under the law of Moses. So we have to see it from that context. Peter reminds Jesus, he's saying, boy, we did what you asked, right? And the way he puts it, the disciples had not sold everything off in order to follow Jesus. As we just heard Jesus require the rich young ruler, that is, in terms of selling everything off, no, not quite.

But they were indeed fully devoted followers of Christ as he went about from place to place under these Jewish traditions. They spent about 80% of their time in Galilee and that area. The other 20% of the time was spent elsewhere, mostly in and around Jerusalem, but sometimes other areas as well. As we ask the question, what did the disciples know? They knew some things, certainly, but there was a great deal for them yet to come to understand.

The traditions were for the disciples to follow a rabbi in the land of Israel focused upon the law of Moses. What is often overlooked is that that word disciples is used in one way in the Gospels and the book of Acts quite differently all the way as we'll see up to Acts chapter 21. Here's Luke 18, 29, and 30, and He said to them, Truly I say to you, there was no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal life.

One of the things to point out, and you have on your handout as well as the top of this slide a list of all the passages where this term, you know, age to come and the present age and that kind of terminology, in a number of passages all the way from what we see here in Luke on into the book of Hebrews 6.5. So in New Testament times, between Jesus and the apostles, as they wrote, they would speak and write principally of two ages. This is helpful because as you read through the New Testament, you run into this, as you see here in the scripture listing, you run into this again and again.

If we come to understand it, we'll say, oh, I recognize it and understand what they mean. So here's the point. There was this present evil age, sometimes called just simply this age, from the time of Adam's fall into sin until the time that the Messiah comes. So that was considered among the Jews, and Jesus used the terminology. The apostles used the same terminology rather consistently.

So it's this present evil age from the time that Adam fell into sin there in the garden, okay? until the time when the Messiah comes. So are we right now still in the present evil age? Yes, we are. Messiah has not come, right? So, we're still in this age, this present evil age.

Once the Messiah came, the earthly kingdom of God, that Peter has referred to and Jesus referred to there, would begin, which would begin the age to come. As we mentioned before, that could be as soon as seven years from now. That time could begin when the kingdom of God begins, and then Christ reigns on the earth from Jerusalem for a thousand years, and we will reign with Him at that time. That could be happening as soon as seven years from now. The year 2025 could be that soon.

So you have on the bottom of page 1 this diagram, as I'll call it, and it shows, if the color came across properly there, this present evil age in red that shows from the time of the fall, shortly following the creation of this present heavens and earth, the time of the fall of Adam into sin, continuing on into the time of Christ's first coming, continuing on into this present evil age up to the time when Christ comes again. That's this present evil age. The age to come is The time that begins with Christ's second coming, when we will come returning here to earth with Him, and we will reign with Him, that is sometimes called the millennium or the millennial kingdom, sometimes shortened as simply the kingdom.

And so you have those two terms here. We give examples. And as I remind you, the prior slide at the top gives you all the different passages where this applies. We give you a few examples just to make it clear. Matthew 12, 32, in this age or in the age to come, this is Jesus' own words in Matthew 12. Ephesians 1, 21, in this age but also in the one to come.

Galatians 1.4, this present evil age. As we remind you, that's the time from Adam's fall until Messiah comes.

And then Hebrews 6.5, the last use of that set of terms, the age to come.

So you have those, and then as was shown on the previous slide, all the other examples starting from the Gospel of Luke on into Hebrews 6.5.

No. So we have the question, should we? So should we all leave our homes and families and our stuff and follow Jesus? Have you done that? I hope you haven't. Anyway, should we hate our mothers and fathers and families and pick up our cross daily and follow Jesus? Have you done that?

No. And I'm glad the answer is no. That was for the Jews during the time of Christ's first coming, the time of Christ's ministry. For us, all of this was said to Jewish disciples in the land of Israel with Jesus as a rabbi before Christ was crucified, buried, and raised. We talked about that very subject for the disciples next, or he would. because everything was about to change. This was the part that they didn't understand.

Luke 18.31. Put yourself in the disciples' place.

Okay, I've got a rabbi. There's traditions about rabbis, and you know how it is about the Jews and traditions, right? This isn't just a tradition and everybody just sort of It gives you a funny look if you don't follow the tradition. This is tradition that's all capital letters. Tradition. You follow the traditions of rabbis and disciples. And it's in that context. So here are these guys. They have never seen a rabbi that would die for them. Not like this. Not like Jesus is about to describe. So imagine their circuits are about to be blown. as they hear these words.

He took the twelve aside and said to them, Behold, by the way, that means stop and take a mental picture. That's our vernacular. Click. Take a mental picture. We are going up to Jerusalem, which they had done before. They'd go down the Jordan River Valley. They'd go through Jericho. See Zacchaeus. Then they'd go up this steep and winding road up to Jerusalem. They go from below sea level up to Jerusalem about a half mile up in elevation. And this short, relatively speaking, winding, steep road.

They go up to Jerusalem and all the things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. All the things. Isaiah 53, he will be like a sheep led to slaughter, right? As the lamb was dumb before its shears. All the things written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. Okay, so the disciples, what are they thinking about this?

Are they jumping up and down with glee? Yippee! Right? Excited about this? Are they going, wow, this is great news! Right? After all, we're having, in just a matter of days, a Good Friday service. Celebrating that Jesus died voluntarily for you and me.

So Jesus specifically took the 12 closest disciples. By the way, did he have other disciples? Yes, he took this inner circle of twelve to tell them what was about to happen. These include all of the twelve, including Judas Iscariot, who would betray Christ to the Jews.

Jesus delivered the same message to his disciples numerous times. in numerous ways. He told them about the many Old Testament prophecies about Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. A great many Old Testament prophecies were given about Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. He would recount them to a pair of disciples on the road to Emmaus. Remember that? he would go through those prophecies. After Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, he explained these to these disciples on the road to Emmaus, and he didn't give it to them briefly. He walked along and recounted as they traveled to Emmaus.

But at this time, he simply said, all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. It's going to happen. Here is the Son of Man, if you're wondering where that term came from. Here is Son of Man in Daniel 7, 13 and 14. I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven, one like a Son of Man was coming.

And He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and men of every language," is that Jews or Gentiles? peoples, nations, men of every language, nations, Greek Old Testament, ethnos, Gentiles, might serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away, and his kingdom is one which will not be destroyed. Here's Luke 18, 32 and 33, for he will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon, and after they have scourged him, they will kill him, and the third day he will rise again.

So the disciples heard this, and when it finally happened, they went, oh yeah, of course, yeah, we knew this was going to happen, he told us, right? Not so much. Jesus told all the disciples, all 12 of them, in advance that it would be handed over to the Gentiles. It wouldn't be the Jews who would do this. He would be handed over to the Gentiles. Is that what happened? Exactly.

The Gentiles would abuse Jesus in all the ways that Jesus described to them. They would scourge him. That's the severe beating, by the way, before you get killed. Some people died from the beating. It was that bad. They would scourge him and kill him, and he would rise on the third day. Wow. So the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day.

That's from Luke 9.22.

Luke 9.43 and 45, it says something similar.

He told them in advance multiple times. It will be handed over to the Gentiles to pull it off. Here are Jesus' announcements of his crucifixion as recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. All three Gospels have three, a series of three instances of Jesus telling the disciples in advance what was going to happen. We're reading about the third gospel, Luke, and the third time that he had told them in advance what's going to happen.

And it is only days ahead of this holy week. A short period of time. Luke 18.34, but the disciples understood everything that he was saying. Right? No. The disciples understood fifty percent of what he was saying. No. The disciples understood none of these things. And the meaning of the statement was hidden from them. They did not comprehend the things that were said.

Can you imagine the blank looks? Huh? What? Can you imagine just the look of total incomprehension? What? You can't do that? This is terrible! What are you telling us this for? Besides that, why are you telling us this again and again? This can't possibly be. Where is that in the traditions?

Here's Luke 9, 43 and 45, which he had told them previously. But while everyone was marveling at all that Jesus was doing, he said to his disciples, let these words sink into your ears. And by the way, I don't think it's a, you know, sink into the ears thing. The idea is let them settle, as you hear it, into your mind and into your thinking and into your understanding. And by the way, did that work? No, not yet.

For the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. But they did not understand the statement. It was concealed from them so that they would not perceive it, and they were afraid to ask Him. What's He talking about? I don't know. Well, you ask Him. No, you ask Him. You can imagine the conversations going back and forth.

So why would Jesus tell them something, as far as we can tell, at least three times, and if you compare everything, maybe more than that, when you put it all together from Matthew, Mark, and Luke, right? At least three times He told them, and likely more times, why would He tell them something they most certainly didn't understand and they weren't going to? John 14, 25 and 26. These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you, but the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you most things. A few things? All things. And bring to your remembrance most of what I said to you. all that I said to you. The Holy Spirit is going to do a complete and total job.

While they hadn't a clue what Jesus was talking about here, later on they would have both recollection and insight. See that? Later on they would have recollection and insight. That's why He would tell them repeatedly something that they most assuredly did not understand. They had not a clue about it.

Once the Holy Spirit had been given, the disciples would have things revealed to them about what had already happened in the past and what was happening right then, and they even learned more and more about the future as time passed. Disciples did not have shifting definitions of the truth, but rather further insights into the faith, a term that starts in Acts chapter 6. the teachings of the Apostles as it accumulated throughout the New Testament era.

Here is April 22nd, 33 AD. Christ tells the disciples about the Holy Spirit who will come upon them. This is John 14, 15, and 16. The eleven disciples, that's the twelve less Judas, having a clue about the crucifixion, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, or about what will happen to Judas in just a few hours. This is the time we call the Last Supper? And do you know that here it was hours before Christ would be crucified, even sooner before they would all be there in the garden and Jesus would be arrested?

And do you know what they were arguing about? Which one of us is the greatest? Can you imagine that? Which one of us is the greatest? And I bet Peter was among them. And moments later he would say, I don't even know that guy! Right? Here also is, that same evening, Christ's first recorded mention of the rapture. John 14, 1-3. Do not let your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in Me. In my father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you, for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also."

This is, in terms of the chronology of the Bible, this is the first rapture statement in the New Testament. He told them that on the night before he was betrayed. About 45 AD, the Jesus' half-brother, James, is the first New Testament author to write about the rapture, Christ's coming for us.

James 5, 7-9, Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient, strengthening your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. Here's what's really interesting.

This is his half-brother. Do you see James going, yeah, that's my brother. That's my bro. Right? You see that? You don't see that. What does he call him? The Lord. He may be on earth my half-brother, but he's the Lord. Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged. Behold, the judge, Christ, is standing right at the door. He could come at any time for us. I hope it's today.

Here's May 24, 33 AD, the Holy Spirit is given on the day of Pentecost after Peter speaks to one who denied that he even knew Christ just a month before. Three thousand are saved the day that the church began. Some of the things that are revealed here is the book of Galatians, written fall of 49 AD. It says that Christ was crucified, which we see the evidence increasingly stacking up as that was April 3rd, 33 AD. He was buried and in the tomb. Continuing on that Saturday, as we would call it, when the Romans had a guard posted there, they sealed the tomb at the request of the Jews, and then early on April 5th, 33 AD, he was raised. We are in Christ, as Paul wrote to the church at Galatia, in those three things. Those three things that occurred there just outside of Jerusalem.

Later on, the Apostle Paul would write And this was about September, October, 56 AD, that we were sealed with the Holy Spirit. This is one of three passages. Those who are in the Ephesians elective get to study the other two. This is 2 Corinthians 1, 21 through 22. Now, He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.

On May 14, 33 A.D., Christ ascended from the Mount of Olives. And then 60 A.D., the Apostle Paul writes for the first time in the New Testament that all church-age believers were identified with Christ in His ascension and His seating in the heavenlies. This is in the book of Ephesians, made very clear, especially in Ephesians 2, 4 through 7. So we have from there, written about 60 AD, this is on May 14, 33 AD, Christ ascended and then was seated at the right hand of the Father. We were identified with Christ in those things.

What happened that day on the cross that the disciples knew nothing of? What happened that day on the cross? Well, at a minimum we have these six things. There are at least six things that happened on the cross as Christ was crucified and died that day. In addition to the things said to other people on that day.

We have Christ died for our sins in our place. This is every person on the planet for all time. Did Jesus die for the sins of Adam? Yes. Did Jesus die for the sins of the person who will be born yet in the coming millennial kingdom? Yes. Did Jesus die for you and for me? Yes. Every person on the planet for all time, and we don't need the AMD installer right now, so we'll dismiss that. Every person who believes, Christ's death made the devil powerless.

This is out of the book of Hebrews. Every person who believes and then Christ's death confirmed Israel's new covenant. So that's when Jesus says this is the new covenant in my blood. That's what it's referring to is the confirmation of Israel's new covenant.

We have then three things that were done For the church, Christ paid the bride price for us, and then Christ paid the price of a slave or flock for the church, and then finally we were identified with His crucifixion and with His death on that day, and then the burial.

So here was Christ on the cross. People saw Christ on the cross, and a great many just viewed it as, well, that's just Him up there. It doesn't seem like there were that many who understood that day that He was dying for us, all of us. Imagine the view looking down from the cross. Jesus was not crucified and then died immediately during the morning hours for so approximately three hours.

There were conversations going back and forth. Father, forgive them. John, behold your mother. Mother, behold your son. telling the thief on the cross, today you'll be with me in paradise. Those conversations took place in the morning. In the afternoon is when it's apparent that the father forsook him because he took his sins upon himself. So we have Christ died for our sins in our place, every person on the planet for all time. Christ's death made the devil powerless, every person who believes, every one who believes. Starting from the time of Adam on to the last person in the millennial kingdom yet to come.

So here's the view from the cross. You imagine Jesus as He looked down. He saw this. He also envisioned in that Christ's death confirmed Israel's new covenant. He was doing that that day. Can you imagine that one of the ways we put it is here is Christ's to-do list. It's the purpose for which He was dying that day for us.

Christ paid the bride price for us. This is Ephesians chapter 5. He paid the bride price for you and for me, as He viewed from the cross. Those people out there who will yet become a part of the church that I see, including John, including my earthly mother, I'm paying the bride price for them, too.

Christ paid the price of a slave or of a flock. Acts chapter 20, as we're soon going to see, Paul is talking to the elders from Ephesus. And he talked about Christ having paid the purchase price for the flock. He says that those sheep that you're tending, they're not your sheep. Christ's sheep. He paid the price, not you. Remember that.

As we studied in our elective here this morning, Christ paid to buy us completely out of the market, and Christ paid to buy us completely out of the position of slavery. He bought us away from that entirely. Finally, we're identified with Christ and His crucifixion and with His death as the beginning of the five points of identification.

One of the things we see is the disciples learned a lot over time, didn't they? But it took time. Here is Paul writing the book of Ephesians two and a half decades after he'd come to believe that Christ was the Messiah and his Lord and Savior. It took him, even Paul, time to learn all the things that he wrote. He didn't write, you've been seated with Christ and the heavenlies, you have a heavenly citizenship, until two and a half decades after he'd been a believer. That apparently was not revealed to him immediately. Even the Apostle Paul had to learn these things that were revealed to him over time.

What is amazing though, for you and for me, God has already accomplished an amazing, astounding set of things in our hearts and in our lives. He did it, implemented it, the moment we believed. Though He set those things up before He said, let there be light. God chose us in Him before when? Before the foundation of the world. He didn't do it after He said, let there be light. and beginning the creation, He did it before. You were in His mind and in His heart. He chose you in Him before the world was created, before everything that we see in front of us was brought into being.

All these things are true of us from the moment we believe. We spend the rest of our lives catching up to what God has already done. Isn't that amazing? We spend the rest of our lives catching up to what God has already done. A person who believes, who starts off with just believing Christ died for my sins, was buried, was rose again. They believe that, then they're saved. God says, that's it. I'll take it from there. He makes everything true. of the believer from that moment. And we spend the rest of our lives, we go to church, we read the Bible, we go to Bible studies, and we learn about all those things that he already did from the moment we believe. Because he did it, and we have to know it by faith. Do you remember being crucified with Christ? I mean, that was really painful. Remember that? Do you remember being seated with Christ in the heavenlies? I hope you're not afraid of heights. You don't remember it, do you?

It's because it's understood from God's Word and we believe it by faith. We put our faith in those spiritual facts. We spend the rest of our lives learning what God has already put in place. Here's Ephesians 2, 4 through 7. but God being rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us.

By the way, did he love us just a little tiny bit? Just a kind of wimpy, skimpy little, you know, just barely enough? No. His great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ, by grace you've been saved, perfect tense, completed, past action, ongoing results, on in the future, implying permanence. and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ, so that in the ages to come, you'll be just waiting for the heavenly coffee breaks.

No. You'll be twiddling your thumbs. No. In the ages to come... Now, remember if we talked about the age to come? First page? Bottom of the page? In the ages to come, Thousand years after thousand years after thousand years he might show the surpassing overblown way over the top Riches by the way, it's multiple.

Okay mercy you see that rich Grace riches. Okay multiple magnitudes of wealth of grace mind-blowing wealth of grace, okay with stinginess toward us in Christ Jesus. Is that what it says? No. In kindness toward us. Why? In Christ Jesus, the one in whom we were chosen. Kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. What's God's thought towards you?

Is He saying, man, I cannot wait to get my hands on that Vern guy. I'm going to just fry him. No. What's going to happen for all eternity in the ages to come? He's going to show. That means to visibly demonstrate. He used that in the Bible all the way into the Greek Old Testament with Pharaoh. That word. I'm going to show you visibly. The way over the top, overblown, way out of the ballpark, riches of His grace and kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. That.

Ephesians 3, to me, the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ at depth that cannot be found out. How long is it going to take for you to begin to get a grasp of God's grace? The riches of it? The multiple magnitudes of wealth of it? Why are the riches unfathomable? Same word, by the way, as before, riches of grace. Why are they unfathomable? How long is it going to take?

We sing the song when we've been there 10,000 years. That's just scratching the surface. You've barely just begun. I'm not even going to have a clue of the magnitude of grace as long as I'm here on this planet. It's going to take ages and ages and ages for me to go, Wow! the riches of His grace. Let's pray. Lord, we thank You for those riches. As we read about them, we can kind of stand on tiptoes and anticipate these things and know the disciples really hadn't a clue. And in truth, we're just barely learning the riches of Your grace, the multiple magnitudes of wealth of Your grace, the unfathomable riches of Christ. Thank you, Lord, for these marvelous and amazing things, for your amazing grace. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.