1Corinthians 11:24-25
The Broken Body
Last Sunday morning, I preached on Christ our Passover. In doing so, I mentioned
that while Christ is our Passover on many levels, one area in which the sacrifice
of Jesus is NOT like the Passover lamb is in the way that Jesus was abused and
mutilated.
Paul is alluding to that in his record of Jesus giving us His body and His blood.
I. Let me point out that taking the blood of the Passover lamb and applying
it for the atonement of the sinner is exactly what happened to Christ on
the cross.
A. Jesus bleed on the cross.
1. The cross was the means of taking the blood of Jesus from His body.
2. It was cruel and it was slow but it was what happened.
B. While we can’t see the application of Jesus’ blood, the book of Hebrews
tells us that the blood was applied.
Hebrews 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come
12 …by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained
eternal redemption for us.
14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit
offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to
serve the living God?
II. Let us consider what Paul says about Jesus’ body.
A. Paul says that the body of Jesus was broken for us.
1. That is not what the gospel accounts tell us that Jesus said.
a. John doesn’t have the story of the Lord’s Supper at all.
b. Both Matthew and Mark record Jesus as saying just, "Take, eat;
this is my body." \\#Matt 26:26, Mk 14:22\\.
c. Luke records Jesus as saying "This is my body which is given
for you." \\#Luke 22:19\\
2. So why does Paul say "…which is broken for you"?
a. I think he is adding some Holy Spirit inspired commentary.
b. Jesus, as He gave the bread to His disciples, was breaking it.
c. The bread represented Jesus’ body, and it was being broken as
Jesus distributed it.
d. Anyone who knows anything about the cross, knows that Jesus
was broken.
B. But how was Jesus broken? By whom was He broken? What was broken?
III. Let us read, at least a few passages, and see Jesus, our Bread, being
broken.
A. The account of Jesus’ crucifixion can be broken down into seven parts.
1. Christ’s arrest
2. Christ before the priests and rulers
3. Christ before Pilate and Herod
4. Christ before the whip
5. Christ before the soldiers
6. Christ before the people
7. Christ crucified
B. Let’s read a few verses concerning each of these events. I will use
Luke’s gospel as the main record.
1. Christ’s arrest:
Luke 22:47 And while he yet spake, behold a multitude, and he that was called
Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him.
48 But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?
54 Then took they him, and led him, and brought him into the high priest’s
house. And Peter followed afar off.
2. Christ before the priests and rulers:
Luke 22:63 And the men that held Jesus mocked him, and smote him.
64 And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him,
saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee?
65 And many other things blasphemously spake they against him.
66 And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people and the chief priests and
the scribes came together, and led him into their council, saying,
67 Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will
not believe:
68 And if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go.
69 Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.
70 Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye
say that I am.
71 And they said, What need we any further witness? for we ourselves have heard
of his own mouth.
a. Here is Christ being broken by the Jewish leaders.
(1) These are His people but even more, they are the
religious and political leaders.
(2) If anyone should have recognized who Christ was, it should
have been these!
b. What did these Jewish leaders break?
(1) There was some physical abuse, but that was not the major
thing here.
(2) I think these people broke His heart.
3. Christ before Pilate and Herod:
Luke 23:1 And the whole multitude of them arose, and led him unto Pilate.
2 And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the
nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is
Christ a King.
3 And Pilate asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answered
him and said, Thou sayest it.
8 And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see
him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to
have seen some miracle done by him.
9 Then he questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing.
10 And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused him.
11 And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed
him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate.
a. Here is Christ being broken by the Gentiles.
(1) This actually begins a series of judgments with Jesus
before the Gentiles.
(2) Let’s read them all.
(3) We need to turn to John for a more complete detail.
b. (Fourth) We also have Christ before the whip….
John 19:1 Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.
c. (Fifth) Christ before the soldiers.
John 19:2 And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head,
and they put on him a purple robe,
3 And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands.
4 Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him
forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him.
5 Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And
Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!
d. What did the Gentiles break?
(1) They broke Jesus’ body.
(2) It is interesting that the Jewish Passover was not to
abused or mutilated and the Jews did very little of
the abuse to Jesus.
(3) The Gentiles did.
(4) I mention again that they had their part in the
crucifixion of Jesus because this Passover Lamb was
not to be Jewish only. It was for the Gentiles too.
(5) But it was we Gentiles who poured most of the wrath,
the anger, and the cruelty of the crucifixion onto
our Lord
6. Christ before the people.
Mark 15:6 Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they
desired.
7 And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made
insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection.
8 And the multitude crying aloud began to desire him to do as he had ever done
unto them.
9 But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of
the Jews?
10 For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy.
11 But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release
Barabbas unto them.
12 And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall
do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews?
13 And they cried out again, Crucify him.
14 Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out
the more exceedingly, Crucify him.
15 And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them,
and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.
a. Christ is being broken by His own people.
(1) We understand that the LEADERS had already rejected and
moved to break Jesus.
(2) But now, the common man does so.
b. This crowd of people, whom Jesus had loved and helped so much,
now could not find it within their hearts to show one ounce
of mercy, to have one speck of pity, or to be moved one inch
with compassion.
c. These moved to brake the very life of the Son of God itself.
(1) Their cry was, "Crucify Him!"
(2) Another account says, "Destroy Him!"
7. Christ on the cross.
a. We cannot overlook this scene for it has two parts.
(1) This is where the blood was taken from Jesus that it might
be offered.
(2) But the breaking of the body of Jesus continued here as
well.
b. Who broke Jesus on the cross? God DID!
Is 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when
thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall
prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
c. Notice that the subject, the One doing the action, is referred
to by pronouns during most of the verse.
(1) However, the verse starts by telling us who the antecedent
is.
(2) It is the LORD.
d. Six actions are then associated with the Lord.
(1) Three of them are actions done by God to the Son while
He was on the cross.
(a) The LORD bruised Him
(b) The Lord put Him to grief.
(c) The Lord made His soul an offering for sin.
(2) Three of them are actions done by God after the cross to
reward the Son.
(a) He shall see his seed.
(b) He shall prolong his days.
(c) He shall prosper the pleasure of the LORD.
e. God the Father was breaking the very life of Jesus too.
(1) It was the will of the Jews that Jesus life be taken.
(2) It was the will of the Father as well.
(3) In fact, it was the will of the Father to accept Jesus’
life or else it could have never happened.
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