Matthew 26:36-46: The Plan of God for the Cross

Can you remember a time, when you didn’t associate the word Jesus or Jesus Christ with a cross? Even before you understood the gospel, you probably knew that Jesus had something to do with a cross. We live in a society that has been built on the Christian worldview, and the largest, professed anyway, religion in New Zealand is some form of Christianity. There are crosses in some schools, on war memorials, on emblems and coat of arms. Perhaps you may have seen an image of a Jesus crucified upon it on a church window or on a necklace around someones neck. Although may not be the case for many young people in our rapidly secularising age, I could probably confident say that most people listening to this probably connect the person of Jesus Christ with a cross.

Now this is not the case with the 12 disciples. A couple of weeks ago, Pastor Nick introduced us to all of the disciples, and we are much more knowledgeable for it. But when the 12 disciples first began to minister with him, they saw him do wonders and miracles, healing the sick, raise the dead, and even control nature itself. And from the beginning, they certainly didn’t associate  Jesus with a cross. It was probably the furthest thing from their mind. No, they were probably thinking of a crown, not a cross.