Will Jesus Really Forgive Me?
Luke 23:29-43
March 20, 2005
Palm Sunday - Morning Message
Introduction
This week as I was preparing for this message I was looking at the hymnal, something we don’t do much of here because we have the technology of the projection system. As I looked at the pages I saw something that we got a taste of this morning, the cross should be the central theme of our worship in the church. Let’s take a moment to look at the words of some of these songs that are so much a part of the church as a whole.
At the Cross
At Calvary
Lead Me to Calvary
The Way of the Cross leads Home
Calvary Covers it All
The Old Rugged Cross
The hymn writers were not afraid of drawing the image of the cross to our minds. Why did they do this? It is vitally important to remember the reality of the cross and the suffering of Jesus!
The fact is this we have a problem with the cross. We want the power of Easter without the pain of Good Friday. We want the salvation without having to think about the sacrifice and the suffering that paid for it. We want deliverance without understanding the death that bought it.
I simply argue that the cross be raised again at the center of the market place as well as on the steeple of the church, I am recovering the claim that Jesus was not crucified in a cathedral between two candles: But on a cross between two thieves; on a town garbage heap; At a crossroad of politics so cosmopolitan that they had to write His title in Hebrew and in Latin and in Greek... And at the kind of place where cynics talk smut, and thieves curse and soldiers gamble. Because that is where He died, and that is what He died about. And that is where Christ’s men ought to be, and what church people ought to be about.
-- George MacLeod
I think we are guilty of making the cross into something it was never meant to be - neat ant tidy. We want a cross that has no mess. We want a cross we don’t have to think about or at least one that doesn’t haunt our thoughts or burn its image on our minds. We want a cross that is safe and politically correct.
The reality is that no such cross exists except in the fantasy of those who want nothing more than a dose of cheap grace. The cross was a bloody nightmare. It was a gruesome gift of God’s divine grace. It was a mixture of love and sacrifice on a divine scale. The cross stands as a testament of victory. I saw a t-shirt that had a huge cross on it and said: Jesus beat the devil with a big ugly stick.
As we look at the cross once again today, let’s not put it on a hill far away but rather let’s draw close to gain a greater understanding of the One who died on it.
32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals--one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One." 36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself." 38 There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don’t you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." 42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. " 43 Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."
Body
Before we launch into the reality of the cross I believe it is important to see where the cross stands for the execution of Jesus. We need to understand that the cross stood on the place of the Skull, Golgotha.
Golgotha served three key functions for the city of Jerusalem. The first was a garbage dump for all of the refuse of the city. The second purpose was that it served as an open grave. Poverty was so great in Jerusalem that beggars literally died on the streets. With no money for a proper burial the Romans used Golgotha as a place to take the bodies. Literally the place would have been filled with skulls. The third purpose was a place for Roman executions.
Golgotha would have been a mixture of sights and smells that day. Literally garbage would have been piled among dead bodies. The sight of skulls and decaying flesh would have been everywhere. The smell would have been worse than the sights. The stench of garbage would have been overwhelming if it were not for the more overpowering smell of death and decay. The sights and smells would have been more than enough to make many want to vomit.
Three crosses stood in the midst of the horrifying sights and sickening smells on Golgotha that first Good Friday. Let’s take a moment to stop at each one in closer detail.
Cross of Rebellion
39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"
The cross of Jesus was surrounded by rebellion. The fact is that Jesus died in the midst of rebellious people for the benefit of rebellious people.
The actors of Rebellion
1.) The criminals: Those who were being crucified with Jesus were guilty of crimes and those crimes carried the price of death
2.) The rulers: The other gospels fill in some of the details on whose the people were. Likely they were chief priests, elders and teachers of the Law.
3.) Soldiers: These were Roman soldiers trained in the art of execution. The goal was to keep the person being executed for as long as possible to prolong the suffering.
4.) Women who followed Jesus - Jesus died because they had sinned
Mary the mother of Jesus
Mary Magdalene
Mary the mother of James the younger
Many other women from Galilee
5.) The first criminal -
You are an actor in the drama of the crucifixion of the Christ. You are part of the reason Jesus suffered and died. You played a role in His death. You are part of the reason He chose Golgotha.
The actions of rebellion
1.) The criminals: The Greek word for criminal means one who does evil. This would seem to fit us all would it not?
2.) Rulers: These men sneered at Jesus which would have been a way of giving taunting insults to the point of ridiculing Jesus.
3.) Soldiers: The soldiers mocked Jesus. The Greek word is a combination of the words from and nose. This sounds funny but would have been incredibly insulting and offensive. The only modern comparison would be someone giving the finger.
4.) Women who followed: Guilt of their past
5.) The first criminal: hurled insults at Jesus
What actions have you committed to bring shame upon the cross?
Cross of Repentance
40 But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don’t you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." 42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. "
As these three men are dying, the first becomes belligerent and the second comes to the defense of Jesus. The second criminal tells the first that he has no fear of God and that they getting what they deserve. As we look at the second cross, it is a cross of repentance.
The word repent means to changes one’s mind or to change one’s life. Repentance requires personal change and it is impossible to say you have repented and still be the same. The implications of repentance means to turn away from sin and self and turn toward Christ. When we look at the actions of the second criminal this is exactly what he did that first Good Friday.
The reality of this fact seems almost mind boggling when you look at the situation. Jewish customs saw two purposes for executions, the first was to purge the land from evil and the second was to extract payment from the individual for their guilt. As the person was being led to the place of execution, Jewish customs would have made provisions for one final confession before the person died but not for the purpose of forgiveness. The purpose was to insure that the person was guilty.
There would have been no hope of forgiveness for this man on the cross. The fact that this comes to his mind reveals that this was an act of God. The second criminal seems to ask for the impossible or at the very least absurd, remember me when you come into your kingdom. This must be one of the boldest statements of faith in the entire New Testament.
This man sees that Jesus is dying just as he is but he believes that Jesus has another kingdom that will be greater than their current circumstances. Even in the midst of what would seem like the defeat of Jesus, there is victory.
Cross of Redemption
43 Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."
Redemption is the reality of forgiveness applied to the lives of those who doi not deserve it.
This morning you might be asking yourself will Jesus really forgive me?
The promise of forgiveness
"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."
Jesus forgave His enemies - Rulers
Those who had heaped insults upon Him and were responsible for His execution.
Jesus forgave His executioners - Soldiers
Those who carried out the gruesome execution. Those who mocked Jesus as He was dying and gambled for His clothes
The promise of forever
Jesus gives the criminal a precious promise and I don’t want you to miss it. He gives this criminal the hope that when his suffering was over and his life came to an end; there would be a new beginning. The cross would not be the end for this man but rather it would be the start of something far greater than he could ever imagine.
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5
My sin - Oh the bliss of this glorious thought, My sin not in part but the whole Is nailed to His cross and I bear it no more.
Conclusion
Officer Peter O’Hanlon was patrolling on night duty in northern England some years ago when he heard a quivering sob. Turning in the direction that it came from, he saw in the shadows a little boy sitting on a doorstep. With tears rolling down his cheeks, the child whimpered, "I’m lost. Take me home." The policeman began naming street after street, trying to help him remember where he lived. When that failed, he repeated the names of the shops and hotels in the area, but all without success. Then he remembered that in the center of the city was a well-known church with a large white cross towering high above the surrounding landscape. He pointed to it and said, "Do you live anywhere near that?" The boy’s face immediately brightened. "Yes, take me to the cross. I can find my way home from there!"
Jesus offers forgiveness to everyone who will accept it. The cross will point you to the way home.
