See His Cross! It’s No Secret!

John 18:19 Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. ²⁰ "I have spoken openly to the world," Jesus replied. "I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. ²¹ Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said." ²² When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby struck him in the face. "Is this the way you answer the high priest?" he demanded. ²³ "If I said something wrong," Jesus replied, "testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?" ²⁴ Then Annas sent him, still bound, to Caiaphas the high priest.

How many times have you looked for something but couldn’t see it, even though it was right in front of you? Perhaps you’ve looked for your keys because they were not where you usually put them. After a frantic search, you discovered them on the kitchen counter where you set them when you came in from the garage. Perhaps it was your glasses or sunglasses. They were nowhere to be seen in spite of your diligent search. You sat down and thought where you might have left them and then discovered that you had put them up on your head. Husbands seem to be good at looking for things, looking right at them, but not seeing them. Wives may be quick to say, “It’s right in front of you” or “If it were any closer, it would bite you.”

Jesus made a surprising comment as he stood before the Jewish council. He reminded the Jewish leaders that his teachings had always been in plain sight. He directed those leaders to see his cross and reminded them that it was never a secret.

The teaching of Jesus had always been in plain sight. He had spoken often to many large crowds. Hundreds, even thousands, had set aside their daily tasks to come to see him and hear him. We remember that Jesus had fed four thousand on one occasion and five thousand on another. On one occasion he had stepped into Peter’s boat and pushed off a little from shore. He had taught the people from the boat a few feet offshore on the Sea of Galilee because the crowd was so large.

Those were not isolated cases. He was not a stranger to the people of Galilee. Jesus had regularly come to the synagogues in Galilee. On one occasion he was in his hometown of Nazareth, where he had grown up. Jesus took the scroll and read a portion from the prophet Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord in on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners” (Isa 61:1; Lk 4:17-19). At first the townspeople “spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips” (Lk 4:22). But the second reaction was not so complimentary. They rejected Jesus and were so furious at him that they were ready to throw him off a cliff (vv. 28,29).

Jesus had made Capernaum his base in Galilee. The people there “were amazed at his teaching, because his message had authority” (Lk 4:32). But Jesus did not limit his work to Galilee and Capernaum. He had traveled to Jerusalem and taught in the temple. He went to Jerusalem for the Jewish festivals. When he was arrested, he was in Jerusalem because he had come for the Passover. During Holy Week, after he entered the city to the shouts of “Hosanna to the Son of David!” Jesus was in the temple on Monday and Tuesday, teaching the people there. His message was not hidden from the people. He taught openly wherever he was.

The central message of his teaching was not hidden either. From the very beginning, it had been the message of his cross. John the Baptist had spoken about Jesus and had pointed to him, saying, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn 1:29). When Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan River, the dove and the voice from heaven had identified Jesus as God’s Son. These events were not done in secret. Many people had seen and heard them.

Early in his ministry, Jesus had met with Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish council. Jesus was clear about his mission. He told Nicodemus, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life” (Jn 3:14,15). If Nicodemus had any doubts about what Jesus meant, Jesus clarified it for him and for us too. In the next breath, Jesus said, “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (Jn 3:16). You know that verse. It’s not hidden even today.

The purpose of Jesus’ coming has always been in plain sight. It is for us too. You know the importance of his cross. It is the centerpiece of our message as Christians. It is the heart of our faith. For example, the cross has become the center of Christian art. You do not have to look very far to find a cross in this church or in any other. It’s also part of our singing—not only during Lent but at every occasion that we come together to worship.

The reason is simple. We preach Christ crucified because it is the wisdom and power of God. The message of the cross has saved you because the Holy Spirit has used it to enter your heart and to work faith there. You treasure the cross because Jesus suffered there and shed his blood there as a full payment for all your sins. We don’t make the cross a secret. It’s the message of our worship during Lent and every Sunday.

We see the cross and accept no substitute. I am not here to share any message with you except the message of the cross. You did not come here to hear how to lose weight, how you can have a better relationship with others, or how to have a happier family life. Those things may happen because of your faith in Jesus and your willingness to live your life by the message of the gospel, but the primary message of this church is that Jesus suffered and died for us. He was nailed to a cross to pay for our sins. You can get information about losing weight or building better relationships in other places. Here, the most important message is that Jesus died for us; he shed his blood for us while hanging on a cross so that we could be forgiven and have eternal life. The message of the cross is in plain sight here, as it was long ago.

Those Jewish leaders were well aware of what was going on. When John the Baptist urged repentance in preparation for the coming of the Messiah, the Pharisees and Sadducees were there. John spoke the harsh law to them and called them to repentance, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham” (Mt 3:7-9).

While Jesus was carrying out his ministry, the Pharisees and Sadducees were there sometimes on the edges of the crowds, listening and watching. When Jesus came to Jerusalem for the last time, they were there while he taught in the temple on Monday and Tuesday. Again and again they tried to trap him into saying something wrong. It was a pattern for those Jewish leaders. They had accused him of driving demons out by the power of the devil. They accused Jesus and his disciples of abusing the Sabbath laws. They demanded that Jesus show them some sign that he was who he claimed to be, in spite of the many signs and miracles he did. It’s not that they did not understand what Jesus was saying. They just refused to see what was in plain sight.

Jesus also had harsh words for them, seeking to help them see what was there before their eyes: “Woe to you Pharisees, because you . . . neglect justice and the love of God” (Lk 11:42). One Pharisee responded, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also” (v. 45). They would not listen. They would not see. Instead, they plotted not only to discredit Jesus but to destroy him. Judas had come and provided the betrayal that would accomplish their goal. So Jesus stood before the high priest and the Jewish leaders, bound as a criminal facing an interrogation. The outcome of this interrogation was not in doubt. They would convict him, no matter what Jesus said. Their attitude was as Jesus had warned, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” (Lk 13:34).

Now in the presence of those enemies who could not and would not see what Jesus had come to accomplish, Jesus boldly and surprisingly said to the high priest, “I have spoken openly to the world. . . . I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said” (Jn 18:20,21). His answer so incensed one of those officials that he struck Jesus in the face. He would not listen. He would not see.

Some people in this world still are not willing to listen. The message of Jesus is still in plain sight. The Bible is the most often purchased book in the world. It has held that position for centuries. Our pastors are ready to share the message of Jesus with anyone at any time. You, as his disciples, share your witness with your families, friends, and neighbors.

We should not be surprised when some will not see what is so clear to us—Jesus died for the sins of the world. Instead, many look for something different. Authors write to explore the secret message of Jesus’ teaching. Television and Internet presentations want to tell us what Jesus was really all about. But they often move away from the cross of Jesus. They portray a kind, gentle teacher of love. Yet the greatest measure of his love is his bloody sacrifice on the cross for unworthy sinners like you and me. It’s there in plain sight, and our wonderful task is to share the message of his deep love with others.

Yes, some will still oppose it. Christians in this world are still often persecuted. We may not experience persecution as others do, but we sense the rejection of others. When we sense the opposition of those around us, we can grow frustrated, throw up our hands, and keep quiet. But that’s not what Jesus expects us to do. He expects us to continue to share the message of the cross with others. He expects us to keep our doors open for the lost, the lonely, the wounded, and the weary. The only cure for any of them is the cross of Jesus. We have the privilege of sharing the message of his cross with others. Jesus still wants that message to remain in plain sight! Amen.