Today’s sermon is entitled simply, “The Cross!” Before Jesus the cross was despised, a symbol of the worse kind of cruelty and horrific barbarity imaginable. Its sole purpose was to execute offenders in the most hideous and protracted means, producing the greatest amount of pain and agony over an extended time. Many a criminal hung for days or even a week before the ordeal, to which now was added thirst and starvation and delirium finally prevailed in death. Victims were executed publicly and often left upon the cross until their bodies literally rotted away as a ghastly sign to warn all who passed by. Most sensitive people would not even look upon a cross or mention it in conversation, such was the terror and shame it evoked. Cicero, the Roman lawyer and Senator referred to it as “most extreme form of punishment,” He called it “atrociously cruel,” not only in the physical pain it inflicts, but equally in the humiliation it brings to the man crucified. He said;
“The very word ‘cross’ should be far removed, not only from the person of a Roman citizen, but from his thoughts, his eyes and his ears. For it is not merely the actual occurrence of these things but the very mention of them that is unworthy of a Roman citizen or a free man.”
But, after Jesus, the cross became the symbol of unconditional love, such sacrifice and forgiveness that it came to represent the whole Christian faith. It went from an article of shame and reproach to pride and praise among the faithful. Where once people might not speak of it, Christ’s followers, like Paul would proclaim in Galatians 6:14;
“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ…”
And hymn writers like Issac Watts would pen;
“When I survey the wondrous cross on which the prince of glory died…”
Jesus brought change to the cross, from being despised to boasting, from shameful to wonderful. Far more was happening here than just a crucifixion. It was at once a battle scene, a judgement seat, a sacrificial altar, a vehicle of love, all in one.
Once again, Luke’s account tends to be short. We have other details provided in the other gospels. Matthew and Mark record the abuse by the Roman soldiers, the flogging and crown of thorns. It is after that scourging, which often was severe enough to cause death in itself, that Jesus is taken out to be crucified. Verse 26 begins;
“As the soldiers led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.”
Executions were held outside the holy city of Jerusalem. It was custom for the criminal to carry their own means of death to the chosen spot, the last indignant act. It was either the entire cross or just the crossbeam carried across the shoulders. The scourging Jesus endured nearly killed him, as was the intent of such a beating. The damage to his flesh and the profuse bleeding weakened him. As Isa.52:14 predicted;
“Just as there were many who were appalled at him-his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and His form marred beyond human likeness-“
Nearing collapse, the soldiers press into service, “seized” indicates grabbed hold of, one, Simon of Cyrene. We have only a little tantalizing information about this Simon. Because of this, many opinions circulate about who he is and what happened to him. He came from Cyrene which is on the northern coast of Africa in modern day Libya. For this reason some conjecture that he was black. The fact that it was an indignity to carry a cross might explain why Simon was seized out of the crowd if he was black perhaps thinking he was a slave. That is a possibility, but history shows not all blacks were slaves and that there was a very large Jewish community settled in that area for a long period of time. His children are mentioned elsewhere as in Mk.15:21;
“A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus,…and they forced him to carry the cross.”
His sons names are Greek names, so he could have been a Jew making pilgrimage to Jerusalem for Passover. It is unusual to identify a man by mentioning his sons, unless his sons are better known than he. This is a possibility as well since Paul writing in Romans 16:13 states;
“Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.”
So Rufus may have been prominent in the church at Rome and his mother, which would have been Simon’s wife, extended some motherly care to Paul. Some contend that Simon took pity on Jesus and willfully accepted the cross, but the text states he was forced to carry it. Some claim he became a Christian through the incident of carrying the cross and went to Rome to join the church there. But as I said, these are interesting possibilities, we must leave them as possibilities only. The text continues;
“A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. For the time will come when you say, “Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed! Then, “They will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” For if the people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
Luke is the only gospel writer to record this incident and we are not surprised because of how he has highlighted women throughout his gospel. The women are not identified but appear supportive of Jesus. “Daughters of Jerusalem” is a neutral designation and they could represent the general population of the city, or at least the women of the city. Yet, Jesus, even with his life ebbing away, pauses and turns towards them. He gives them a concerned warning. It is a warning of the coming destruction and their fate. It is another reference to the 70AD destruction. That would be first such a horror of being surrounded and facing the disease and starvation that would drive some women to cannibalize their own infants, followed by the slaughter of women and children by the Roman soldiers who ravaged the city, that they would be better of not to have had children.
Only three times in Scripture is the saying, about mountains and hills, to cover us. The first was in Hosea 10:8 which spoke of the appalling divine judgment upon Samaria. In that ghastly conquest the people would yearn, but in vain, for the mountains to crush them swiftly. The second mention is right here in Luke and points to the coming 70AD destruction. The third occurrence is found in Rev.6:16-17 which reads;
“They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”
The historian Josephus wrote of that 70AD destruction when General titus crucified so many fugitives from the city that neither…
“space for the crosses, nor crosses for the bodies could be found.”
Jesus continues and mentions the proverbial saying;
“If people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
In other words, if people, who have before them the living Son of God, and reject him, what will happen to them when He is gone and they are dried by disbelief? The dry wood will be ripe for burning.
Remember, back at Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, in Ch.19, he wept for he foresaw the coming destruction because the people;
“Did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”
The account continues introducing two other characters;
“Two men, both criminals, were also led out to be executed. When they came to the place called the skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals-one on his right, the other on his left…
Moving down to v.39;
“One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” The he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truth I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
The first thief illustrates how hard and blind the human heart can be. This thief spoke to Jesus with the same insulting sarcasm and biting words as those who stood about. This thief demanded Jesus to perform a miracle. His outlook was much like Herod’s who wanted Jesus to perform. He shows no fear of God, lacks all remorse for his sins, does not plead for forgiveness and mentions no word of faith. This unrepentant, unbelieving thief would die in his sins and end up in hell.
But there was a second thief also. According to Mt.27:44, he too reviled Jesus at first, so they both started at the same point. But at some point this thief was touched by God’s quickening grace, his heart softened and repentance and faith were birthed. At that moment of quiet conversion he rebuked the first thief. He showed a degree of reverence for God the first thief lacked, “Do you not fear God?” He admitted he and the other thief were dying as punishment for their crimes. But, perhaps in hearing the seven last words of Jesus from the cross, he realized Jesus was innocent and trusted in the claim that Jesus was the Messiah. So, on the brink of death, this thief humbly asked for mercy.
“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
Jesus heard that request of faith expressed in a believing anticipation of life hereafter, as He hears every and all prayers from a genuine repentant heart and assures the thief;
“Today you will be with me in paradise.”
Talk about a “death bed” conversion! But notice how gracious God was towards this thief. I like what Dr. Philip Ryken wrote here about this thief. He said;
“It might be better, therefore, to call him the convert on the cross.” Or maybe we should call him the ‘luckiest man alive,’ because at the time he was crucified, he was well on his way to hell. But of all the criminals on all the crosses outside all the cities in the entire Roman Empire, the man happened to get crucified next to Jesus…How “lucky” can a man get? So “lucky” that he is still alive today in paradise!”
Of course Dr. Ryken doesn’t believe in luck, but providence and that God works, as Paul writes in Eph.1:11;
“having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his own will.”
This example shows that, in His Almighty yet invisible hand, when it comes to the salvation of God’s elect, He will orchestrate heaven and earth, empires and governments, schedules and agendas, friends as well as enemies, both the means and the end, to assure his chosen are saved!
Prov.21:1 affirms this;
“The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.”
Jesus said in Jn.6:39;
“And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.”
God’s purpose cannot be thwarted.
Moving back up to V. 34. The soldiers cast lots, played dice for Jesus clothes. The truth is that criminals were stripped naked, the final humiliating indignation, before they were crucified. We always see pictures and statues of Jesus on the cross with a loincloth for modesty purposes, but the reality was he was naked. When they crucified Jesus we know he spoke from the cross. Those phrases have become known as the “seven last words of Christ.” The first phrase is recorded here;
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Unimaginable grace! To ask for mercy upon those who had crucified him is nearly beyond our comprehension. With your minds eye “look” and listen to them standing before the cross.
“The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, 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.”
Matthew adds;
“Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
How remarkable are Jesus’ words here. Spurgeon writes;
“See ye not what a great heart is here revealed! What a soul of compassion was in the Crucified! How Godlike, how divine! Was there ever such a one before him, who, even in the very pangs of death, offers as his first prayer an intercession for others?…and as Christ has set before you this paragon of unselfishness, seek to follow him, treading in his steps.
There is, however, a crowning jewel in this diadem of glorious love. The Son of Righteousness sets upon Calvary in a wondrous splendour; but amongst the bright colours which glorify his departure, there is this one—the prayer was not alone for others, but it was for his cruellest enemies. His enemies, did I say, there is more than that to be considered. It was not a prayer for enemies who had done him an ill deed years before, but for those who were there and then murdering him. Not in cold blood did the Saviour pray, after he had forgotten the injury, and could the more easily forgive it, but while the first red drops of blood were spurting on the hands which drove the nails; while yet the hammer was bestained with crimson gore, his blessed mouth poured out the fresh warm prayer, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
And how ignorant they were. Everything they said about Jesus was true, but they pronounced it in sarcasm and mockery. The railed at him that if he was the “Messiah” the “Chosen one” “King of the Jews” “King of Israel” “Son of God” and they challenged him to “save.” In the greatest irony, what they were convinced was impossible that Jesus could save himself and others on that cross, in fact, that was exactly what he was accomplishing!” But spiritually dead and blind people think they know better than God how things should be done. They who were so concerned about being ceremonially clean for the Passover, never realized they were killing THE Passover Lamb of God!
At about the sixth hour to the ninth hour, that’s from noon to 3pm, darkness settled upon the land. At some point, as death approached Jesus, the curtain in the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom as Matthew records. This had tremendous significance. The veil separated the holy place from the inner, most holy of holies inside the Temple. It hid a holy God, who dwelt above the mercy seat on the ark of the covenant, from sinful people on the outside. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest parted this veil and entered the holy of holies in the presence of God. Sin is such a serious matter that if all preparations were not carried out to the letter, the high priest would die. When Jesus died on the cross, God tore the veil in the Jerusalem temple from top to bottom. No one but God could have done such a thing because that veil was 60 feet tall and as thick as a man’s handbreadth or about 4 inches. The direction of the tear meant God alone destroyed the barrier between himself and humanity, an act only God had the authority to do.
The tearing of the temple veil meant God pointed to the royal priesthood of believers (1 Peter 2:9). Every believer in Christ could now approach God directly, without any mediator except Christ. Christ, the great High Priest, intercedes for us before God. Through the cross, all barriers have been destroyed. Through the Holy Spirit, God dwells once more with and in his people. The writer of Hebrews states the wonderful consequences this way;
“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings,…”
Every Believer in Christ now has direct access to God! No rituals, no priests, not the Virgin Mary, no intermediary is needed now but Christ alone!
At this moment, Jesus speaks the last of his seven sayings;
“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”
The blood lust of the crowd was satisfied. Satan and his demons celebrated. Together they felt they had triumphed-“We will not have this man as king!” Satan might be saying, “I offered him the kingdoms of this world if he would worship me, but now he is dead without a kingdom.”
The words “Into your hands I commit my spirit,”come from Ps.31:5 and were the common words of prayer that every Jewish mother would teach their children when they went to bed at night, “Into your hands I commit my spirit.” Much like our little prayer, “Now I lay me down to sleep.” But Jesus makes it personal and intimate by adding the word, “Father.” Jesus had finished the work His Father had given Him to do and now would taste death, fully trusting in His Father’s loving purpose for Him. In Acts 2:23 clearly states;
“This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.”
They meant it for evil, but God designed it for good! All the forces of evil, both worldly and spiritually, failed to see the victory in the cross!
The other gospels record that together with the unnatural darkness, there was an earthquake. These phenomena awakened the Roman Centurion to acknowledge Jesus as a righteous man. Matthew records the Centurion adding, ‘Surely he was the Son of God!” The crowd, now terrified by these events, beat their breasts a sign of anguish or grief, fled.
Only John and Mary remained at the cross. Some women followers were observers from afar.
After Jesus died, Joseph of Aramathea went to ask Pilate for the body. This was a bold and potentially dangerous move. He could have been seen as a partner with Jesus in some sort of uprising. He certainly would incur the wrath of the Sanhedrin. He was not present when the Sanhedrin “voted” and was probably not informed of the night time meeting.
There was haste involved in the burial as the Sabbath was about to begin. They placed Jesus in a newly cut tomb, with some preliminary anointing. Then they went home for the Sabbath to prepare.
Jesus was not the only man to be crucified. It was an ancient form of punishment dating back to the Egyptians, but commonly used by Rome. No Roman citizen could be crucified. The punishment was reserved for slaves who rebelled, insurrectionist and prisoners of war. When the famous Spartacus lead his slave revolt, after brief success, he and 6,000 of men were crucified along the Appian Way by Rome as an example.
But Jesus alone could change the meaning of the cross from a despised vehicle of a ghastly death to the precious symbol of glorious life. The cross remains foolishness and holds the fragrance of death to those who are perishing. As Paul laments in Phil.3:18;
“many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction,…”
But to those who are being saved it is the power of God and the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ and of life. Jesus died as a substitute, in the place of sinners who deserved that death, and offers forgiveness and new life in Him.
The cross is central to the Christian life. Like Simon of Cyrene we are to “deny ourselves and pickup our cross’ and follow Jesus. That means everyday we are to put to death anything that would rise up to break off communion with Christ, or our ability to love one another.
Like the thief on the cross, no matter what one’s past sins, no matter how close death might be, turning to Christ in repentance and faith secures salvation. Whenever we may feel or if we hear someone say, “It’s too late for me,” point them to the cross upon which their Savior hung and they can find forgiveness and salvation even at the midnight hour!
Through the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross forgiveness could be found between God and humanity. In Eph.2:15-16 we read of God’s intent;
“His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.”
But God expects that offer of forgiveness to be extended between people who are at odds, as were the Jews and Gentiles. The cross was meant to put to death that hostility. Col.3:13 encourages believers;
“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
Forgive as the Lord forgave you! If Jesus can ask His Father to forgive those who were crucifying him at that moment, how can we, as His followers not extend forgiveness to others over some hurt, some offensive word or insensitive deed? Let us not be like the unmerciful servant Jesus spoke of in Mt.18. That servant owed an impossibly enormous debt, one he could never repay, was forgiven by his master. But he in turn turned on one of his servants and for a very small debt, threw him into prison. When news returned to the master he called that servant to account. Jesus ended that parable;
“You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Rather, as the family of God, let us follow our Master, picking up our cross, crucifying our anger and unforgiving spirits, and let us live a life of sacrificial love and forgiveness seeking to live in peace with one another.
