What Do You See When You Look At The Cross? Christ the King Sunday November 21, 2004
Luke 23:33-43 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 life. Jesus said, "Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 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." The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself." There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren’t you the Christ? 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." Then he said, "Jesus remember me when you come into you kingdom." Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."
Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ;
Why are you here this morning? You woke up early this morning, got dressed, got in your car and drove here. There must have been a reason. Hopefully, it wasn’t just for the post-service donuts. Every Sunday, believers all around the world come together and gather around the cross of Christ. But why do they do it? This morning, we are going to look at a group of people gathered at the foot of the cross—religious leaders, soldiers, and thieves— all gazing at the crucified Christ. But why were they there? What did they see?
Most of the people who viewed the cross that day saw Christ the Failure. A man who was not able to live up to the title that was inscribed above his head—The King of the Jews. The first people we run into at the foot of the cross are the religious rulers. These are the men who held the power in the Jewish church. They were thought of as very religious and they all knew their Bibles very well. But although they knew the words of Scripture, they clearly did not know what they meant. They had read of the Messiah who was coming, but they thought of him as an earthly king—a ruler who would deliver the Jewish people out of the hands of their Roman conquerors. When they saw Jesus hanging on the cross, it was clear that he was not the conqueror they were looking for. So they taunted him: "If you really are the Chosen One, prove it to us once and for all by coming down from the cross." And Jesus did nothing. What a failure.
Next we see the Roman soldiers looking at the cross. They joined in mocking Jesus. They must have felt very superior seeing yet another pretender king brought to his knees by the Roman Empire. They mocked him by giving him wine vinegar to drink. They played the part of butlers offering their king a glass of wine. But their purpose was plain and simple—humiliation. "Oh great king—where is your power? Clearly you are nothing compared to our mighty Caesar! If you really are powerful, come down from the cross." And Jesus did nothing. What a failure.
As if the taunts of the rulers and solders were not enough, Jesus also faced the insults of a common criminal who hung on a cross next to him. The criminal was looking for one thing from Jesus—salvation. He wasn’t seeking salvation in a spiritual sense, but in a physical sense. He wanted Jesus to get him down from his cross and end his suffering. His taunt was even more personal than the others: "Aren’t you really the Christ? Then why don’t you end this suffering for us, huh?" And Jesus did nothing. What a failure.
So which of these mockers are you standing with? Hopefully, none of us are able to identify with those Roman soldiers, who saw Christ as some sort of joke. This is an idea that is prevalent in some areas of our society. They see religion as a weakness—a crutch for the uneducated to lean upon. Look at all the advancements we’ve made in science in technology. This idea of a Supreme Being is really kind of foolish, isn’t it? We probably would never want to admit to letting these kind of thoughts creep into our minds, but I wonder how many of us would trust our computer more than the power of prayer? How many of us would sooner rely on the strength of the U.S. military than the right arm of the almighty God?
And the times we don’t find ourselves in with that group of soldiers, we can often be seen standing shoulder to shoulder with those synagogue rulers and that criminal on the cross. They were looking for Jesus to give them a better life, and all they saw was him dying on the cross. Maybe we aren’t in as horrible a situation as that criminal who was dying next to Jesus, but we all do have our problems. And our first impulse is to want God to fix them for us. Before we know it, we find ourselves questioning Christ just like that thief next to him. "Aren’t you the Christ? Then why don’t you save me from my problems? How could you let me lose my job? How could you let my husband leave me? Why can’t I go a month without ending up in the red? You are the Christ, aren’t you? Then save me!" And what is the response that we get? Nothing. What a failure.
There’s a character in this story we haven’t talked about yet. He’s one of the most unlikely heroes found on the pages of Scripture. This was a man whose life of wickedness and crime earned him a death sentence with the Roman government. He knew that he deserved to be hanging on that cross. He told the other criminal, "We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve." He also knew that Jesus had done nothing wrong. His life was very different from the criminal’s. Throughout Jesus’ entire life on earth, there was not even a hint of one improper action. Yet he was dying the same death as the criminal who hung next to him. This criminal recognized the injustice of the situation. But he did not see it as a failure.
Unlike all the others, the criminal was able to see Jesus for who he really was. His death was not a sign of weakness or failure, his death was a sign of his victory. His death was the very reason he came to this earth. If he would have listened to his mockers and come down from the cross, then he would have been a failure. But he did not. He patiently endured the great suffering and agony because he knew there were many souls, just like that criminal’s, that were desperately in need of salvation. This was Jesus’ greatest concern—the souls of all mankind. And it was the cry of that criminal’s soul that Jesus answered while he was on the cross.
The criminal longed for the rescue that only Jesus could provide—an eternal rescue. He cried out to the Savior, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." And now, at last, Jesus opens his mouth. The taunts and the open mockery of the synagogue rulers and the soldiers had all been met with silence. But when Jesus hears this humble plea of a soul in need, he answers him with great words of comfort. He responds, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in Paradise." The criminal did not have to wait any longer for his salvation. That very day he would be with Jesus in Paradise. One can only imagine the relief and the comfort that came with those words.
These are the same words that Jesus speaks to our souls today. These are the words that our souls need to hear. We know in our hearts that we are no better than that criminal who died next to Jesus. Perhaps his sins were greater in the eyes of society, but not one of us here can see that we have lived a perfect life. That is what Jesus did. And he did it in our place. We are reminded of the prophet Isaiah’s words: "He was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him." This is was the purpose of Christ’s suffering and death—to bring us peace.
Unfortunately, this peace so often eludes us. Just like the synagogue rulers of Jesus’ day, we want Christ to make everything better in our lives here on earth. We want our problems to go away. We want every day to be happy. We want the boss to give us a raise. We want our spouse to be more loving. We want; we want; we want. And you know what? Christ does not always give us what we want. But he does always give us what we need. In Christ, we find everything we need for life—forgiveness, salvation, a peace that lasts.
Do you remember I asked you at the beginning of this sermon why you keep came to church this morning? Maybe you were not able to give a definite answer to that question. Perhaps that is because the reason you come here is something you can’t really put into words. The reason you come here is because you are seeking the peace that passes all understanding. And where are you going to find that peace? You will find it the same place as that criminal did. You will find it the same place that believers have found peace since the beginning of time—in the cross of Christ.
When you come to church on Sunday morning, we hold the cross before your eyes and we say, "Look at the cross and see the suffering Christ. He’s not a failure, he’s your King. He’s not a king that conquered lands and peoples while he was here on earth. But he’s a king that conquered our greatest foes—sin, death and the devil. He’s a king that brings us peace as he rules in our hearts. And he’s a king that will one day turn his face to you and answer your soul’s cry with words of eternal comfort: ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in Paradise.’" Amen.
