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I had to fill an online form in a while ago, and it asked for my occupation. Red asterisk. Mandatory field. Now, I know this will shock you to your very core…but, I looked and looked and looked and “Student Co-ordinator” was not on the dropdown menu! Unbelievable! I know this is a truly gripping story. So, let me continue. I could have selected “Charity”, but that’s not what church is. I could have gone for the “Clerical/Church minister” option, but that kind of felt like I was giving myself some sort of, well, promotion. So, in the end, I went to the letter “O” and chose the option “Other”. If Jesus had to fill in his occupation in an online form, my guess is he might be looking under “C” for “Christ” because that’s who he is – the Christ. And, if you like, it’s also his job title – it’s why he came to our earth, it’s what he came to do, it’s his role and title now.

In this section in Luke’s gospel the key question is “who is Jesus?” And tonight we reach a turning point in the entire story. In block capitals Luke is telling us Jesus is the Christ of God. And we’re going to see what Jesus himself tells us being the Christ actually means. This is God’s work, and God’s word so before we go any further let’s pray:

Heavenly Father, through your word and by the power of your Spirit, please show us more of who your son Jesus is. And help us be changed by what we see of him. For his name’s sake we ask it. Amen.

So Luke 9.18-22. Do have that open in your Bibles (page 867 of the Bibles here in church). Luke 9.18-19:

Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.”

So Jesus asks the disciples who the people think he is, and the results of the YouGov poll are inconclusive! Though pretty much everyone seems to agree that Jesus has to be more than a normal teacher. So, just like we saw with Herod last week, some thought Jesus was John the Baptist, but others Elijah or another of the prophets come back to life. All of these figures were prophets – messengers from God who spoke on behalf of God. And their job was to speak God’s promises about the future. So, as is often said, they functioned a bit like signposts. They pointed beyond themselves. And they pointed people to the Christ – the promised person God would send to rescue a world that had rebelled against him. But, again, Jesus’ main interest is working through this close inner circle of disciples, so Luke 9.20:

Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”

So Peter is saying “No I (we) think everyone else’s view of you is inadequate. You’re something more than a prophet. You’re the one all the prophets have been pointing to. You’re the Christ”. Because Peter and the disciples had heard Jesus’ teaching, and they’d seen his miracles – amazing healings, the calming of the storm, and the feeding of 5,000 people – and they’d come to the conclusion that Jesus isn’t the messenger. He’s the message. He’s not another signpost. He’s the saviour all the other signposts had been pointing towards. The disciples were right – there is something unique about Jesus. He can’t just be an impressive teacher. He can’t just be a holy man. He can’t just be a prophet – that’s what Islam says about Jesus. But either he’s more, or he’s not worth considering at all. Because Jesus doesn’t leave the “good teacher”, or the “moral example” or the “man of God” categories open to us. That’s one of the main points of these verses. So there’s something utterly unique about Jesus. And the disciples knew it; they knew he had to be the Christ.

So we said Christ means the promised person God would send to rescue a world that has rebelled against him. And to unpack that a bit further, that involved three things: The Christ was to be the judge – who would overthrow the rebellion. The saviour – who would rescue the people out of rebellion. And the King – who would rule his rescued people. The disciples would have had no problem with any of that, and yet, along with everyone else at the time, they had an understanding of what the Christ would do that was way wide of the mark: Which explains what Jesus says in Luke 9.21:

And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one…

That’s because at the time everyone thought the Christ was a figure who would appear and send the Romans packing and restore Israel to its former glory. Christ at the time = a victorious, triumphant, military hero. For the disciples to go and tell people that Jesus was the Christ would have been to start a political movement, spread completely wrong view of him. The disciples are closer than anyone else to Jesus’ real identity, and yet they’re still a million miles away from understanding who he really is. But Jesus sets about trying to get into their heads what kind of Christ he was going to be. And, actually, what kind of the Christ the Old Testament (properly understood) had pointed to all along. So, Luke 9.21-22:

And Jesus strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one saying, “The Son of Man [that’s Jesus’ name for himself] must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

It’s difficult to emphasise the extent to which Jesus saying this would have felt outrageous to the disciples. They knew Jesus was the Christ. They thought Christ = a hero who would bring, more or less, immediate victory. But Jesus basically says, he’s going to become a loser – rejected by the religious leaders he was meant to rule over. And this talk of rising from the dead, what on earth does that even mean? But Jesus says, Luke 9.22, this must happen. He must suffer many things…be rejected…be killed. And, the disciples didn’t know it yet, but this is Jesus saying that he must go to the cross to die on it, and then rise again. And the key to really understanding this passage and all that it means for us, is unlocking that word ‘must’. Why did Jesus say he must to go to the cross? Why is that central to fully understanding who Jesus Christ is? And if we answer those questions, we’ll see how the disciples got it wrong back then. And we’ll see all that the cross means for us today. So:

1. Jesus went to the cross because our sin meant he needed to.

So, most people I know today admit there’s something wrong with the world. And most people, I think, admit there’s something wrong with some human beings. Otherwise, how to you explain the BBC News homepage most days? But do any of like admitting that sin is a real problem for us personally? Because that’s the Bible’s picture – that we’re all affected by the disease of sin, and that’s it’s unrealistic, naive and wrong to think it’s just a problem that affects other people. So imagine with me that this memory stick contains a supernatural, real-life video record of everything you’ve ever said, and thought, and done – past, present and future. It’s not on the cloud. It’s on this drive, right now.

Now imagine that I go down to the back of church, and I fight off the tech team, and I plug it in and press play on the video of your life…Just imagine that; everything you’ve said, thought and done on display and live streamed on YouTube. Everyone sees it. I’m sure there’d be plenty of good stuff in there for you. But, ask yourself honestly, wouldn’t there be some pretty bad stuff too? Some really bad stuff?

Maybe you’re still thinking through what you believe, you’re not a Christian, and you’re not even sure you agree that some of what the Bible says is wrong IS wrong. But surely for all of us, there’d be plenty in that video of our lives that we’d be ashamed of? Plenty of times we were shocking in how we treated other people. Times where we were horrible – maybe even to the people we’d say we love the most. Can you honestly say you’d be able to stick watching it for long? Would you be able to keep justifying how you’ve behaved? Would you be able to keep excusing it? Or, sooner or later, would you feel the need to run out in horror? That’s sin according to the Bible. But God says it runs even deeper than that, because all the muck we’ve said, and done and thought, and all the good we’ve failed to do – all that stuff on the memory stick…It’s all just symptoms. The disease is that we’ve loved other, lesser, things more than God. So much so, that we’ve rejected God, we’ve pushed him out of our lives. We’ve said “no thanks God, I’ll do my life on my terms – stay out of it”. And that leaves God with a problem because on one level God is uncompromisingly holy, pure and good. Nothing about him is evil or bad, and it’s good news that God is a holy God! And, because he is good, he cannot have sin near him. But, on the other hand, God loves each and every one of us deeply and profoundly. He longs to have relationship with us. He longs to forgive us. And yet he can’t just sweep sin under the carpet as if it doesn’t matter. Justice needs to be done. And that’s also good news – because it’s acknowledging that how you treat me, how I treat you, and how we all treat God actually matters. It can’t just be ignored or forgotten about. Sin is severe. The punishment it deserves is severe. And the Bible says that punishment is death and separation from God.

But Christianity isn’t about sin. Christianity is about forgiveness of sin. And that’s why a sacrifice for sin was needed. We needed it, if it was ever going to be possible for sinful humans to relate to a perfect and holy God. Which brings us to that Isaiah passage we read earlier. Isaiah 53.3-6:

He was despised and rejected by men;a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;and as one from whom men hide their faceshe was despised, and we esteemed him not.Surely he has borne our griefsand carried our sorrows;yet we esteemed him stricken,smitten by God, and afflicted.But he was pierced for our transgressions;he was crushed for our iniquities;upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,and with his wounds we are healed.All we like sheep have gone astray;we have turned—every one—to his own way;

Isaiah is describing a suffering servant who would face rejection, sorrow and grief. Who would be crushed and die for the people’s sins, so that they could be forgiven. Does this remind you of anything? Luke 9.22 again:

The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.

So back then, nobody had put the picture of the suffering servant and the Christ together as the same person. And Jesus is in effect saying, in Luke 9.22, that they are the same person – the Christ is to be the suffering servant (and that that’s how the Old Testament was always meant to be understood). And he’s saying that that person is HIM. So, earlier we said that the Christ was to be; the judge – overthrowing the rebellion against God. The saviour – rescuing a people out of rebellion. And the King – ruling over his rescued people. Perhaps, Jesus could have judged and ruled without dying. But there’d be no people for him to rule because nobody would have been forgiven. Nobody could have changed sides and started to follow Jesus. To save people (to be a saviour) Jesus had to die in our place, for our sins, under the judgment meant for us. So, again, imagine this memory stick standing for all the ways we’ve turned against God and, fundamentally, told him to “keep out” of our lives. That creates a barrier between us and God. How can a loving but holy God forgive people their sins? How can he deal with sin justly? Well the Bible says that the innocent Son of God took that on himself. He took the punishment and penalty of death and separation from God that it deserved when he died on the cross. And there the punishment and condemnation our sin deserved died. Forever. And now we’re free to know and love God without sin being a barrier between us and him.

So, becoming a Christian is turning to Jesus and trusting that he did that for you. He faced the suffering and rejection your sin deserved. That is humbling. Humiliating even. But it’s also astonishing good news; Jesus died on the cross for you to be forgiven anything and everything forever. He’s seen the video of your life, and he chose to die for it, that you might find forgiveness, relationship, love, and life in him. Is it time you trusted him with the sin that lies heavy on your heart? Is tonight the night to do that? And for those of us who are Christians, that means trusting that what Jesus did for us on the cross makes us acceptable to God today and every day. We’re always forgiven when we trust in him.

I sat with a Christian friend once, with tears in his eyes he explained the battle he was fighting against sin. We’d had the same conversation several times before, and he was convinced he was never going to change. But the real him wasn’t the person who kept struggling and failing. The real him was the person who trusted in Jesus and wanted, with tears in his eyes, to live for Jesus. And, if you’re a Christian, that part of you is the real you - the part of you who knows they’re forgiven and longs to live for God. That’s the part of you that is increasing and growing. That’s the part of you that will last. Because, as well as forgiving you, Jesus is living in you – and he’s changing you. I saw that friend again not so long ago for the first time in years. And he’s wholeheartedly living for Christ. He’s a changed man. Jesus hasn’t forgiven us, just to leave us as we are. So, Jesus went to the cross because our sin meant he needed to. And the next two reasons why are much briefer. So, panic not!

2. Jesus went to the cross because he was prepared to.

We love a hero story, don’t we? Someone who sacrifices themselves for others. The firefighter who rushes into a building when its engulfed in flames, fighting through the heat, flames and smoke, when all appears lost, to save someone trapped inside. It’s incredible that people do that! The risk is life-threatening. But, the outcome is still unsure. There’s a chance…Will they rescue the person? Will they make it out? Will they be injured? How injured?

In these verses Jesus is looking forward. He’s telling the disciples what is going to happen. He must, he will, suffer, be rejected and be killed. It isn’t an ‘if’ or a ‘maybe’. He isn’t going to wait and see what happens. Jesus knows that he’s going to suffer a cruel agonising death on the cross. He knows that the judgement, the righteous anger that God has against sin, will be poured out on him. He knows he will endure the pain and agony of separation from his Father God – because that’s what our sin deserved. Jesus went to the cross with his eyes wide open. He chose to suffer.

I went to a church a while ago, and the minister said “The shocking thing about the cross is that Jesus had no choice but to face it, and endure it…”
But that’s wrong, isn’t it? Look at these verses tonight. The opposite is true! The shocking thing about the cross is that Jesus knew what he was doing, he knew what he was going to face…He had the power to crush it all within an instant…But he went voluntarily because he looked at my sin and your sin, and said “if this is what it takes…Yes I will”. So, if you ever doubt God’s commitment to you (his incomprehensible love for you) just imagine him choosing the cross for you. And re-making that decision again, and again, and again for you… every step of the way, until he had to endure it. That’s how much Jesus loves you!

3. Jesus went to the cross because it was God’s plan.

Which is simply to underline that the cross was not a plan b. It was not a mistake. It had to happen – that’s what Jesus means when he says it “must” happen. It was a divine necessity. If there had been any other way, surely God would have chosen it – rather than giving up his one and only Son? There is no other way to God. No other way into relationship with him. If you want to have a relationship with God, you must trust in Jesus’ work on the cross for you. There is no other way of being acceptable to him – like trying to be good enough, or being sorry enough for long enough about sin. We contribute nothing. Jesus contributes everything. Jesus went to the cross because it was God’s plan to deal with sin, and bring us to know him. So we need to centre our lives on the cross of Jesus Christ. Luke 9.22 again:

The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.

So the Bible tells us that Jesus died because that’s the punishment that sin deserved – death. And apart from Jesus, when we die, we face that judgement and separation from God. But Jesus knew that he would defeat death and rise from the dead. And when he did on the third day, it showed without doubt that he’d dealt with the judgement sin deserved – because he’d paid for it. And that means, that if we’re trusting in him we too can pass through death (with no fear of judgement) and into his eternal kingdom. And that was God’s plan all along; that through the work of Jesus on the cross people would be united in relationship with him now and forever, stretching on, and on, and on into eternity where there is perfect happiness and joy. That’s the guaranteed future for any believer. So, we began with the question Jesus asked his disciples there in Luke 9.20:

But who do you say that I am?

That is the single biggest question in life and Jesus is asking it to you too, this evening. What will your answer be? Let’s pray:

Heavenly Father, we ask that you would show us all who Jesus really is: the Christ – the promised saviour from sin. Help us all to place our trust in him, help us to know with certainty that he died to forgive us our every sin, now and forever. Help us to know that he died to bring us, sheep who had gone astray, into relationship with you – a relationship that through the power of the resurrection will bring us through death into eternity where you will be our saviour and King for the eternity. We sit in your presence now, and we ask that through the power of your Spirit you would strengthen our faith, our trust, our joy and our hope in the wonder of the cross. And in Jesus’ precious and glorious name we ask it, Amen.

We’re going to continue in worship as we sing of Jesus’ work on the cross for us.