Jesus' Death Crossroads
Last week, we examined some of the crossroads Jesus experienced during His human life. Even though going God’s way would cost Him notoriety, pleasure, and ultimately, His life, at the crossroad, He chose the path that led straight to the cross. In fact, we’ll see this week that the road to the cross was actually paved with many more crossroads— moments where Jesus could have done it all differently by going His way instead of the way of His Father. As we look at crossroads surrounding Jesus’ death, they are all difficult - emotionally or physically painful. So why would Jesus choose to endure God’s way at each and every fork in His path?
Because He was making the most of the opportunity—
Ephesians 5:16 | Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.
As we look at some of the crossroads around Jesus’ death today, we’ll begin in the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus is emotional. He is struggling because of His knowledge of what is to come. He goes to the garden to pray, bringing James and John with Him.
Matthew 26:38 | He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
In fact, we see physical evidence of Jesus’ immense stress-
Luke 22:44b | He was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.
And right here, we see Jesus at the crossroad—
Matthew 26:39a | He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me.”
Like us, Jesus had His own will and could have chosen at any point to walk away from the plan God had for Him— a plan that would provide a way of rescue for sinners in need of a Savior. The crossroad in this moment was His way— walking away from the suffering, or God’s way— the path that led to the cross.
We get to witness Jesus’ choice at the crossroad when He says—
Matthew 26:39b | “Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
Jesus stays put, allowing Himself to be arrested just a little while later in this very garden, putting in motion His death sentence. He is put on trial for made up charges, but Pilate declares—
John 18:39b | “He is not guilty of any crime.”
Pilate offers Jesus’ release, but the Jewish people demand His death.
When we read the remaining account of Jesus’ death, He is beaten and mocked. After being tortured and humiliated, He is nailed to a cross to die a very painful and public death. But this whole thing was a crossroad!
As He hung on the cross, the very people who wanted to make Him a king for their own pleasure in John 6 have changed their tunes—
Mark 15:29-32 | The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. “Ha! Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, save yourself and come down from the cross!” The leading priests and teachers of religious law also mocked Jesus. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this King of Israel, come down from the cross so we can see it and believe him!” Even the men who were crucified with Jesus ridiculed him.
The truth is, Jesus could have come down! Remember? When Peter tried to defend Jesus with a sword in the garden, Jesus said—
Matthew 26:53 | Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly?
At any point, Jesus could have walked away. He could have silenced His enemies with a demonstration of His power at any moment. He could have commanded angels to remove Him from the cross. Even before that, He could have done a public miracle during His trial or on the road to the cross so that He would have never even reached this point. In fact, based on accounts of Ezekiel and Philip, Jesus could have even teleported Himself somewhere else. But this was a crossroad.
In case there’s any doubt about Jesus’ ability to walk away from the cross, He had already told His followers-
John 10:18 | “No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.”
At the crossroad, Jesus chose the path that led to mockery, abuse, and ultimately, His death. He willingly laid down His life because in that situation, that is what ‘making the most of the opportunity’ looked like. It was only through choosing God’s way at this crossroad that salvation could be made possible for mankind. Jesus endured it all, sacrificing His life that we might have eternal life that is possible only through Him.
The crossroads that surround Jesus’ death challenge us to go God’s way even when it means heartbreak, struggle, or pain. At the crossroads, look to His example, taking the road that points others to the cross.
What crossroads did Jesus face during the events leading up to His death?
How was taking the road that leads to the cross, or going God’s way, difficult in Jesus’ situations?
Why did Jesus endure so many awful situations instead of using His power to escape them?
What can you learn from Jesus’ example in the situations surrounding His death? How will you put what you learned into action?