Steadfast Hope Is When We See and Hear Christ on the Cross. (Matthew 27:47-50).
length: 58:01 - taught on Apr, 22 2026
Class Outline:
Wednesday April 22, 2026
Intro:
What is really going on at the cross? Not everyone knows the right answer. There are many false theories.
The people around the cross did not see or hear what was really going on.
Today we will see what it means to hear and not hear the truth and then to determine the way in which we can hear and understand.
Then we will see how false understanding leads to false hope, again determining how to really understand and have right hope.
Finally, we will ask ourselves the right questions about the cross and answer them by seeing and hearing.
Text:
And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, "This man is calling for Elijah." 48 Immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink. 49 But the rest of them said, "Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him." 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
Main idea: When you hear the actual truth from the cross, you will develop the right hope for life. What happens at the cross can only be understood by those who rightly hear the word of truth.
1. The people hear but they do not hear.
He said Eli and they hear Elijah.
We hear what we want to hear. God has made it this way in which faith has to play a part in everyone’s life.
Neuroscientists say that only about 40% of what we think we see comes in through our eyes. The rest is made up from memory or patterns that we recognize from past experience.
That means that somewhere around half of your day-to-day “seeing” is based on what you think and not actually on what you see. What if you’re wrong about Christ?
Their lack of understanding in who He is has made them “fill in” that He is a pretender calling for Elijah to rescue Him.
Elijah was held in Jewish folklore to be a patron saint for lost causes.
Elijah had not died, but had gone off sailing into heaven in a chariot.
And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven.
They also knew the prophecy that Elijah would return to prepare the way of the Lord.
“Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.”
Their thinking therefore is probably along the lines that Jesus has such a messiah complex, that he’s so caught up in his own delirious narcissism that He’s calling for Elijah to come at the last minute to prove himself right and perhaps even to save him.
Everyone hears and sees a portion of all the available data. Having ears does not mean that you can hear. It means you have the opportunity to hear.
This is a valuable lesson. We hear what we want to hear.
'Now hear this, O foolish and senseless people,
Who have eyes but do not see;
Who have ears but do not hear.
"Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 "In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,
'YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND;
YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE;
15 FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL,
WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR,
AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES,
OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES,
HEAR WITH THEIR EARS,
AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN,
AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.'
As it so happens, you have to fill in your understanding into a parable.
Don’t let ear and eye dullness happen to you.
Perhaps more encouraging than depressing is that we all come into Christianity with a healthy amount of wrong in our minds.
Let God be found true, though every man be found a liar.
Because they have not heard, really heard, they fear for their own security.
Rather than loving Christ they hate His threatening of the status quo.
No understanding of Christ leads to fear. Don’t let this happen to you.
But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, 15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; 16 and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.
It is because you know Him - you have heard and seen Him that you do not fear.
2. False understanding leads to false hope.
Immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink. 49 But the rest of them said, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him.”
We cannot tell whether the man with the sponge is doing a good deed or is mocking Christ. In Matthew it is best not to come to any conclusion about him. It seems that the whole reason he is mentioned is that the people told him to hold off.
Depending on how we translate one of the verbs Matthew uses, we may see that the people strongly told the guy with the sponge to get out of the way.
Matt 27:49
The rest said, "Now leave him alone. [NIV]
Matt 27:49
But the others said, “Wait,” [ESV]
Matt 27:49
And the rest said, Hold off. [Wuest]
Their hope therefore becomes - Jesus will get more pathetic.
The proper hope - Jesus will die and bring resurrection to the world.
The false hope of those who do not see. This has happened and is still happening all over the world.
The proper hope comes to those who see: joy through the fruit of the Spirit, life though resurrection both now (PHI 3:11) and in eternity, the life of Christ, the love of life through Him, wisdom and strength from Christ through more maturity, trials that give more endurance.
He was saved, but not be Elijah, but by going home.
And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
3. Closing application: We must hear and understand in order to have the right hope.
The right hope is a future you can smile at and that is directly tied to the love of God known in you through what you have seen on the cross.
You say, “I wasn’t there to see it.”
You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.
They didn’t see it either, but through the gospel, they did see it according to the apostle. Hope that does not waiver with events or circumstances is only found when we see and hear Christ on the cross.
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
We must not fill in the blanks will wrong pre-understanding.
Who is Christ?
Why did He die?
Why did the Father forsake Him?
Why did He shout ‘My God?’
When you get these questions right, you have the preunderstanding that comes from time learning Scripture and life applying Scripture.
Connect
Subscribe to our mailing list |
Grace and Truth Bible Church of Salem 1900 Hines S.E. Salem, Oregon 97302 |
 |
letters@cgtruth.org |
|
© Grace and Truth Bible Church of Salem All Rights Reserved. |