WHAT THINK YE OF CHRIST?

Sermon of the Week 200737 – September 23, 2007

In Matthew twenty-two, the Pharisees and Sadducees had asked Jesus a series of trick questions in a vain endeavor to ensnare Him in His talk. Jesus amazed them with His answers, and then He asked some of them a question, “What think ye of Christ? Whose Son is He?”

They answered correctly as they replied, “He is the Son of David.” The Lord finished the quotation from Psalms, “How then doth David call him Lord, saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou on my right hand, till I put thine enemies under thy feet. If David then called him Lord, how is he his son?” When they saw where this was going, the Son of David lived before David; they decided to say no more.

At this point we leave the Pharisees in their dilemma, and ask the question again for our own edification, “What think ye of Christ?” Some of the best testimonies about Jesus are the testimonies that come to us from the kingdom of darkness. So first listen to them as they tell us what they think of Jesus during His sojourn on planet earth.

THE DEVIL

The first identification of Jesus was by the Devil himself. Jesus was preaching in the synagogue at Capernaum on a Sabbath Day. In the synagogue there was a man that had the spirit of an unclean demon; and he cried out with a loud voice, “Ah! What have we to do with thee, Jesus thou Nazarene? Art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.” That is what the Devil thinks of Jesus; He is the Holy One of God.

This is significant when the Devil calls Jesus “The Holy One of God.”  Just before this, the Devil had tried Jesus in the wilderness with the strongest temptations, and failed. No one had ever stood up to him before, and won over the Devil as Jesus. Then add to this the fact that from the age of twelve until He was about thirty, we know nothing about the life of Jesus except for the fact that He was a carpenter. The Devil had been busy all those years tempting the Lord in His teenage years and during His twenties, and Jesus was always victorious over every temptation. The Devil would not have called Jesus “The Holy One of God” otherwise. When the Devil stands face to face with Jesus, he calls him Holy.

Then again in the country of the Gadarenes, Jesus was met by a man who had a legion of demons within him, who cried out with a loud voice, “What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou son of the Most High God? Art thou come to torment us before the time?”

The Devil not only recognized Jesus as the Son of God, but also made a comment about the existence of the place of torment, and the power of Jesus to see that he was tormented. And that is what the Devil thinks of Jesus. According to the Devil, Jesus is the Son of God, He is Holy, and has power over the forces of darkness. So, what think ye of Christ?

THE PHARISEES

Next we consider what the Pharisees thought of Jesus. Luke tells us that all the publicans and sinners were drawing nigh unto Jesus to hear Him. The Pharisees and the scribes made the charge, “This Man receiveth sinners and eateth with them.” I am glad to hear that testimony of the enemies of Jesus. Think of it! The Pharisees said that Jesus will receive sinners, and eat with them. That means Jesus will receive me, and eat with me. What a compliment that is. If Christ had not received sinners, and then ate with them, I would still be on my way to Hell. I eat with the Lord every Sunday at the Lord’s Table, when I eat of the loaf and drink of the fruit of the vine. Then again while the Lord was on the cross, the chief priests made the charge, “He saved others, Himself he cannot save.” According to them the Lord Jesus could not save Himself and save us at the same time. This is the gospel according to the Devil. I am glad He did not save Himself from the agony of the cross. If He had, again I say I would be on my way to Hell. The Devil and the Pharisees understood clearly that I could not go to Heaven without the death of Jesus. Hear their view of Christ again. They said, “He receives sinners, eats with them, and could not save us by saving Himself.” That is the view of the Devil, on the death of Christ on the cross. Listen to that again. It is almost unbelievable. The Devil believes that Jesus died to save my soul! So, what think ye of Christ?

CAIAPHAS

Now listen to Caiaphas the high priest tell us what he thinks about Jesus. When Jesus was tried before Caiaphas, they sought false witnesses against Jesus, and could find none. Caiaphas in desperation put Jesus under oath and said, “I adjure thee by the living God that Thou tell us whether Thou art the Christ.” Jesus saith unto him, “Thou hast said, nevertheless I say unto you, henceforth ye shall see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest rent his garments, saying, “He hath spoken blasphemy: what further need have we of witnesses?” According to Caiaphas the promise Jesus made of His Second Coming on the clouds of Heaven to be seen by everyone, and including the ones who pierced Him, was blasphemy. Caiaphas may not like it, but he understood what Jesus meant. Now, what think ye of Christ?

PILATE

Now consider what Pilate thought about Jesus. Jesus was delivered to Pontius Pilate, and the charge was made that He had perverted the nation forbidding them to give tribute to Caesar. This was a serious charge, but when Pilate examined Jesus, his verdict given to His accusers was, “I find no fault in this man.” Not only did he say he found no fault in this man, but while he was sitting on the judgment seat his wife sent a note to Pilate. The note said, “Have thou nothing to do with this righteous man for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of Him. Mrs. Pilate was having nightmares over the whole situation, and called Jesus a righteous man with no faults. This was the opinion that both Pilate, his wife, and the Devil had of Jesus. I live two thousand years this side of Pilate and his wife, and I stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Mr. and Mrs. Pontius Pilate. I find no fault in this righteous Man. Now, what think ye of Christ?

JUDAS ISCARIOT

Now listen to what Judas had to say about the character of Jesus. Judas was the arch traitor who betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Surely there must be some terrible charge that can be made by a man who had heard Him preach, seen Him raise the dead, and restore sight to a man born blind, and then sold Him out to the enemy for such a small sum. The small amount was in itself an insult. What terrible thing had Jesus done to deserve such contemptuous treatment?

Listen to Judas as he bares his soul when he saw that Jesus was condemned to be crucified, repented himself, and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders saying, “I have sinned in that I have betrayed innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See thou to it.” And he cast down the pieces of silver into the sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself.  Such is the testimony of the arch traitor. I have betrayed innocent blood. Now, what think ye of Christ?

THE CENTURION

Surely the testimony of the Centurion who was in charge of this detail of crucifixion would be most important. He was the man in charge of the soldiers who led Jesus to the cross. He was the man who gave the order to force Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross of Jesus. He was the man who gave the order to drive the nails through the hands and feet of Jesus. He was the man who gave the order to dig the hole where they lifted the cross and dropped it into that hole with a thud that shook the foundations of Hell. He was the man who gave the order to break the legs of the three who were crucified to hasten their deaths, even though one of the soldiers when he saw Jesus was already dead pierced his side. This is the man who, when he saw the earthquake and the things that were done, feared exceedingly as he stood there with bloody hands and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” What think ye of Christ?

THE THIEF ON THE CROSS

How about the thief on the cross? The chief priest mocking him with the scribes and elders saying, “He is the King of Israel. Let Him now come down from the cross and we will believe on him.” And the robbers also that were crucified with Him cast upon Him the same reproach.  Both robbers railed on at the first, but Luke tells us about something that happened to one of the robbers who began to rebuke the other who told him, “Dost thou not even fear God? We received the just recompense of our deeds, but this man hath done nothing amiss.” And then he said, “Jesus remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” The testimony of the thief was, “This man hath done nothing amiss.”

So, what think ye of Christ? Hear again the summation of these enemies of Christ. They said, “He is the Holy One of God.” They said, “I find no fault in Him.” They said, “When He promised to return on the clouds with power and great glory, that was blasphemy.” They said, “He could not save Himself and save us at the same time.” They said that His death was the slaying of one with innocent blood. They said, “He certainly must be the Son of God.” They said he had done nothing amiss. The worst they could say was the best they could say. But the amazing thing about what the Devil also said about Jesus can be said also by millions of people today who say the same things, and are still just as lost and bound for Hell as these enemies of Christ. Listen to James, “Even the demons believe and tremble.” A person may believe all these statements of the enemies of Christ, and yet without repentance and baptism for the remission of sins, and for the gift of the Holy Spirit, be just as lost as the Devil. What think ye of Christ?

CONCLUSION

And now, a final word regarding the greatest council meeting that ever took place on planet earth. There is no doubt that the decision of that meeting was the most important decision of all regarding the person of Jesus of Nazareth. It was a summit meeting; a summit, not only because of where it was held, but regarding the personalities who were there. The place was the place described by Peter in his second epistle as The Holy Mount. There were seven individuals present, and during the meeting nothing was said about the World Series, the Super Bowl, or the basketball playoffs, or any of the other entertainment, or news events that claim our attention. Those present were God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Then there were two very distinguished arrivals on the scene from outer-space by the names of Moses and Elijah who arrived in glory. It was a full-dress occasion, at least for four of them. Then there were three others who seemed to be bewildered as to why they had been invited to this conference that would involve millions of people in all ages and nations. Their names were Peter, James, and John. We do not know the minutes of all that was said in this conference, but we do know the major issue and it seems the only issue that was laid on the table.

It seems that the issue discussed was the decease of Jesus that He would accomplish at Jerusalem. This is a most interesting situation. Since nothing else was brought up about any other subject, it seems that the crucifixion of Jesus, and His resurrection was to them, the most important event that ever happened on this planet. In the fantasy world when space travelers come down from outer-space they always say to whomever they meet, “Take me to your leader.” When Moses and Elijah came down from outer-space, they did not tell Jesus, “Take us to your leader,” because they knew He was the Leader. They knew that He was the only person who could lead the human race to eternal glory. When real people actually come from outer-space, all they will talk about is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The conclusion of this summit meeting puts our lives in perspective. Could it be that this broadcast you are listening to at this moment is the most important news event that will be heard on this radio station all this week? More important than all the wars, murders, and scores of ball games put together. According to these conferees in this great council it could very well be. Could it be that this week all the talk-show programs would revolve around the gospel of Christ? Could it be that all of the people who call in to the various talk-show hosts this week will discuss the importance of the gospel? Will people be calling in and asking, “What must I do to be saved?” After all, what else is there to talk about? Jesus died for our sins, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is death. Christ died for our sins. Repent ye and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. What think ye of Christ?

Because of the results this council, at a later time the Apostle John, who had been on the summit for this meeting, could record the words of Jesus regarding another appearance of Jesus in glory in Revelation, “Fear not; I am the first and the last, and the living one; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of hades.” Because of the gospel, Jesus has the key to every grave and the key to the spirit world. At His return He can unlock every coffin and unite the spirits with their bodies to stand before Him on the Judgment Day.

Although we do not have the minutes of the entire discussion that took place that day on The Holy Mount, we do have information about the final conclusion of the entire conference: and that was when God the Father closed the meeting with this final word, “THIS IS MY BELOVED SON IN WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED, HEAR YE HIM!” WHAT THINK YE OF CHRIST? WHOSE SON IS HE?

I will tell you what we all will think sooner or later. Paul said it for us, “Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name; that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, of things on earth and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.