Love Wrote This Story

We've been looking at a series called Alive in the lead up to Easter. So we've been looking at the significant moments in Jesus life, His death and the resurrection. And so I've looked already at a number of those key moments in Jesus life. I've looked at the purpose and the meaning of his death as well. Today that's what we're going to go through.

And then next Sunday, which is Easter, we'll be looking at the significance of the resurrection. So in our first week, we saw how Jesus arrives in Jerusalem and he's riding on a donkey. It's a symbol of peace. And that gives us our first indication that Jesus is a different kind of king. And when he arrives, he's welcomed as a king.

Lots of people seem to recognize that he is this long awaited Messiah, this Savior that's going to bring about this lasting peace and justice. And so it happens in a way that people aren't expecting, though he does that in a very peaceful and non violent way. And not everyone is happy about his claim to be king. So the religious leaders, they're looking at Jesus and thinking that he's this threat to their power and they plot to have him killed. And so in our second week then Pastor Simon showed us that Jesus takes his disciples to a garden to pray.

And he struggles with that very human desire to save his own life instead of sacrificing it. And as he overcomes that temptation, he shows us what it looks like to surrender, even when it feels impossible. And it's here that we see those religious leaders return. And they come back with the temple guards. They find and arrest Jesus.

And now in Jerusalem at this time, they're being ruled by the Romans. And so they can't just execute Jesus on their own. And so they make up this claim that Jesus is a dangerous revolutionary seeking to overthrow the Roman emperor. And on the back of that claim, Jesus is taken away with two other criminals and he's nailed to a Roman execution device, a crucifix. And so that's the part of the story that we're up to now.

And throughout this, we have seen that Jesus responds very differently, doesn't he? He's a different kind of king. He responds in a way that earthly kings in their human nature wouldn't respond. And so because of that, we see a lot of people actually start rejecting him. Jesus isn't the kind of person they're expecting him to be.

And they reject him because of that. The whole spectrum of humanity, both the people and the leaders, the Jews and The Gentiles, everybody starts rejecting Jesus. They just don't get what he's doing. And especially now as he's being hung up on the cross, it looks like he's been defeated. And people are looking at that and going, how can salvation come through this?

How can this be our Savior? And so in this next section we're about to read, Luke is going to challenge us. As we come to this account of Jesus crucifixion, we're presented with the greatest thing that has ever happened in the history of humanity. This is God bringing salvation through Jesus. And in this account, Luke is saying, I've given you all this information about Jesus, about who he is and what he's done for you.

How are you going to respond to it? You know, I've given you all these facts about Jesus. How will you respond to it? And so he does this by showing us the different ways that people respond to Jesus, and especially in that moment of his death. And amid all this rejection, we do find a few examples of people who respond very differently to Jesus.

And we're going to look at just one of those examples in particular. And so if you want to read along with me this morning, going to be looking at Luke 23:32 to 46, they'll also be on the screen. Let's read this together. It says this Starting in verse 32, two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with Jesus. When they came to a place called the Skull, they nailed him to a cross.

And the criminals were also crucified on his right and one on his left. Jesus said, father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing. And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. And so they reach this place called the Skull, sometimes called Calvary in the Latin, and they give Jesus. They hang these two criminals and Jesus up on the cross.

And so for the people who are witnessing this, this is quite a twist. This is not what people were expecting to happen to the one who is claiming to be their Savior. You know, this person who's claiming to be the infinite creator, God of the universe, who's unfathomable, undefeatable. He's hanging on the cross, and this looks like defeat. He's suffering, he's being mocked.

And it does look like defeat. But in that moment of torment, Jesus says something profound. He says, father, forgive them. And love of enemies was central to Jesus teaching. But he didn't just teach people to strive for this unattainable ideal.

He lived it out. And we see that in this moment here where he's interceding on behalf of the people who are actually causing him the suffering, and that's profound. And Jesus truly loved his enemies to the very end. And his desire was that they would receive forgiveness, that they would come to a place where they would be able to receive forgiveness. God's love is being revealed here in what Jesus is saying.

And so Jesus also says this. He says, they don't know what they're doing. Jesus, it's like he's saying, they're looking right at me. They can see what's happening. And they don't get it.

They just don't understand that actually this is going to turn out to be the greatest moment in history. And so these people who are looking on, they just don't get it. And they miss out on having that life changing encounter with Jesus. As we keep reading from verse 35, it says this. The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed.

He saved others. They said, let him save himself if he really is God's Messiah, the chosen one. The soldiers mocked him too by offering him a drink of sour wine. They called out to him, if you are the King of the Jews, save yourself. A sign was fastened above him with these words, this is the King of the Jews.

One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, so you're the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself and us too while you're at it. And so this pattern of rejection continues. The leaders slowly scoff at Jesus, the soldiers mock him, and then just joining in with the crowd, one of the criminals hanging beside Jesus starts hurling these insults at him. And it's actually quite an unusual scene.

There's a whole bunch of people here who would normally never get along together, who seem to be united by the dislike of Jesus. And so you've got the Jewish leaders and their Roman oppressants who never agreed on anything, but they agree on this. They agree that Jesus can't be the Messiah, salvation can't come like this. And even one of those criminals who was hung there by the Roman soldiers joins the Roman soldiers in insulting Jesus. It's actually quite an unusual scene there that's presented to us.

And so this tells me that everyone just looks like they're going along with the crowd, right? This scene is showing, showing us that everyone who just goes along with the crowd also misses out on what's happening here, right? They're not looking at this for themselves. There's no independent thought about what they're witnessing. They're just going along with what everyone else is doing, and they miss out on what's happening here.

And so the first criminal there says something that I think is telling of his motivation. He says, jesus, if you're the Messiah, then prove it by saving me. All right? That same notion is, I think, fairly common to people to this day. This idea that God, if you're real, then give me what I want in this moment.

And so people ask that of God all the time, God, if you're real, then get me out of this situation, spare me from the suffering, fix this relationship, give me this material possession that I need or I think I need right now so that I can have security. You know, I have this need. And maybe if you don't give it to me, either you're not real or you're bad, Right? That's the logic behind it. And so when you start adding an if, that does tell you where the true God of your life is.

You know, if those things, the good health, the status, the wealth, you know, if I don't get those things. But those things are your God, right? And that's the motivation behind that comment from the criminal who's hanging there. And his approach doesn't get him very far. But there is another criminal hanging on the other side of Jesus who has a very different response to that.

From verse 40. It says this, but the other criminal protested, don't you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn't done anything wrong. Wrong. Then he said, jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.

And Jesus replied, I assure you today you'll be with me in paradise. So firstly, notice that this criminal is honest about his situation. He says, we deserve to die for our crimes. History tells us that people didn't get crucified for some sort of petty crime, so they wouldn't be crucified just for stealing, for example. So this guy must have done something pretty bad in the eyes of the authorities.

And he says, I've failed. I deserve to be punished for the things that I've done. And there's this honesty and this humility in this moment for him. And secondly, I'd say, notice how he talks to Jesus now. He says, jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.

I want to be with you in your kingdom. Notice that there's no prerequisite here. There's no ifs. He doesn't say, if you get me out of trouble, then sure, I'll be with you in your kingdom. He says, I want to be with you, even if I don't get out of this trouble.

There's this recognition here that whatever was at the center of his life needs to be replaced with Jesus. Instead of just laying down these ultimatums, having these demands that Jesus respond to, he says, I want to be with you even if I don't get out of trouble. And the only reason people are content with that is when they come to this understanding that with Jesus, they'll get through it, Right? And that's a. That's a profound realization to have for this person suffering, hanging on a cross next to Jesus, that Jesus is not there just to help us keep living in the same way that we've always been living.

He's not there to help us keep serving those same things we were, those things that were inadequate, that let us down. He's there to replace those things that we've built our lives on. And he replaces those things and gives us really what we need to get through them. And so this criminal contrasts drastically with the first in how honesty is about where he's at, his failings, and his need for Jesus, right? And Jesus responds to that by saying, you get it, you get it.

So today you'll be with me in paradise. You will experience God's presence, you'll experience heaven. And then we come to that moment of Jesus death. So from verse 44, it says, by this time it was about noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until 3 o', clock, the light from the sun was gone. And suddenly the curtain in the sanctuary of the temple was torn down the middle.

Then Jesus shouted, father, I entrust my spirit into your hands. And with those words he breathed his last. So for three hours, there is darkness in the middle of the day, with the sun should have been at its strongest, there's darkness. Darkness fell across the whole land. And this isn't just for dramatic effect.

This isn't Luke adding some drama to the account of Jesus death. There is something significant going on here which is easy to miss, I think, if you're not familiar with what is written about Jesus and this day by the Old Testament prophets. And so there were people who spoke on behalf of God, the prophets, and one of the things that they were known to talk passionately about was God's justice coming down to destroy evil. And they would sometimes refer to this as the day of the Lord, the day of vengeance. And importantly, every time that it's mentioned, it's associated with darkness.

And so, for example, on this day when evil will be defeated, Joel 2:31 says the sun will become dark. Amos 8, 9. The sun will go down at noon and darken the earth while it is still day. Zephaniah 1:15. This will be a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness.

And so with this image in your mind, it becomes clear that Luke is telling us that this day is here. That long awaited moment when God will destroy evil has finally arrived. And the mark of that day is the darkness that comes with it. But there's another twist here. That darkness is coming down on Jesus.

This eternal justice is coming down on Jesus. This justice that completely destroys evil, it's coming down on Jesus. And what Jesus is doing is replacing us. The focal point of that should have been us. It should have been the people.

But Jesus is taking that onto himself. Jesus takes on everything that was coming for us and he lets it kill him. He lets it kill him. And when I think about this, I'm left in awe of the enormous task that must have been. Because this isn't just my sin.

This isn't just your sin. This is the sins of every person from every generation who has ever lived or ever will live. That's all the greed, all the jealousy, all the slander, all the broken relationships, every abandonment, all those material obsessions and the idols, every act of violence, all of it. And he takes all of that onto himself and he lets it kill him. And I can't even begin to imagine what that must have felt like to take that all upon himself.

And it's here that we see the motivation for the cross, right? This is God taking on the evil of the world and everything that's wrong with it, and laying down his own human life out of love for us, on behalf of us and for our good. That's what motivates Jesus to sacrifice himself. And we also learn here about the purpose of the cross, right? When Jesus takes on all that darkness, all that human evil, and he lets it kill him.

It says the curtain in the sanctuary of the temple was torn down the middle. So right when he dies, the temple veil, which is guarding the way into the holy of holies, that separation between God's holy presence and the rest of the people, is torn top to bottom. And it's that area of the temple that only priests could access, it's now open to everyone. And so Luke is making sure that we don't miss the point here. He's saying God's presence is now accessible to everyone.

You know, that broken relationship between God and humanity is now being healed. You know, access to God's presence is restored and Jesus death opens the way for that to happen.

Now of course, Jesus story doesn't end here, but the focus of this message this morning is on Jesus death and the meaning and the purpose behind that. And so there's one simple revelation that I hope you take from this, this morning. That's this. God's love is revealed most fully in Jesus death. And so this account in Luke, it, it shows us some significant moments.

Jesus is God made human who's entered into our world and is experiencing all the things that we do as being humans, including suffering and rejection. But then he takes on something more, takes on something that we never could. And it's the mistakes of every single person from every single generation throughout history. And he lets it kill him. He chooses to die on our behalf for us and for our good.

And in that we see the purpose, right? The purpose is of his sacrifice is to restore that broken relationship with God. He wants to reconcile us to God, allowing us to have access to God's personal presence. Jesus is, he's compelled to die for us out of love. God's love is revealed most fully in the death of Jesus.

But we've also seen that people respond to that moment in vastly different ways. A lot of people just don't get it. They don't see what's happening in front of them. And we see that in the example of the two criminals who are hanging beside Jesus. So one responds just by following the crowd.

They believe what they hear about Jesus rather than looking at it for themselves. There's no independent thought there. And he also asks God to prove himself rather than giving him what he needs. All right. The second criminal responds very differently.

He recognizes Jesus is not just there to give him what he wants, there to give him what he needs. And he comes to this understanding that Jesus will be with him even if the trouble doesn't go away. In the face of his own suffering and death, he chooses to recenter his life on Jesus, knowing that's how he'll get through it. And so those two criminals, they're telling us how we can have that life changing encounter with Jesus. And so for you this morning, this is what Luke is saying to you.

I think God's love is revealed most fully in the death of Jesus. And he's asking, how will you respond to that? How will you respond to that information? Luke has given you all this information about Jesus, about who he is and what he's done for you. He's saying, how will you respond to that?

All these facts about Jesus.

And so I'd say first, don't just go along with the crowd, right? Don't just go along with the crowd. Don't just believe what other people have said about Jesus, actually investigate it for yourself. Read this account of Jesus, life, death and resurrection for yourself and decide for yourself based on that, how you will respond. The second one, I think it's important to recognize that there is a huge difference between how those two criminals respond to Jesus.

And I think we can fall into that trap too. And you might have found yourself praying something like this, God, if you're there, just help me keep these good things in my life, because I don't know what I'll do without them, right? God, if you're there, help me keep that relationship, help me get that job, help me get through this, keep this, or prevent this suffering from happening. There's lots of good things that I don't want to lose, and I don't know what I'll do if I do lose them.

What's happening there is that if we're doing that, we're asking Jesus, asking God to prove himself to us. And so if you found yourself praying like that, then I'd encourage you to consider a different approach. Start by saying, lord, I want you to be the center of my life. I want you to be the center of my life. Because I know that if you're there, then I'll be able to get through all of these things.

I'll be able to get through the broken relationships. I'll be able to deal with the loss of a job. I'll be able to deal with the bad health, whatever it is, there's loss of material possessions, whatever it might be. If Jesus is at the center of your life, he will get you through it. And what will help you to get to that place where you can say that and really believe that Jesus can be at the center of your life is an understanding of his love for you.

Not just thinking about this in general terms. It's very easy just to say generally, God loves people, right? God loves people. You have to believe it about yourself. And that's so important.

And you have to look at this by saying, God loves you so much that he would take on all of your mistakes personally. He would die for you personally. And that's what will allow you to be transformed, is if you see Jesus dying for you, the giving you personally, hanging on the cross and looking down at you, you saying, today you will be with me in paradise, right? Jesus looking at everything that's wrong with your life, the mistakes that you've made and still choosing to take your place. And when that reality hits you, that's where you'll experience transformation.

Let's pray. Jesus, we just come before you this morning, so thankful for your sacrifice for us, Lord, as we approach Easter and we reflect on your life, your death, and your resurrection, Lord, we are in awe of what you've done for us. We thank you, Lord, for your sacrifice, for your death, for taking our place and taking on the mistakes of the entire world. An enormous task, Lord. And we don't know, and probably never will know, exactly what it took to achieve that.

But we know, Lord, that you are the only one capable of doing that. And so we come before you, Lord, and we ask you to take center stage. We ask you to replace whatever is currently in the center of our lives, Lord. Replace it with you. Just like the criminal who's hanging on the cross, we want to be able to say, jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.

No ifs, Lord. No prerequisites. We just want you, Lord, because we know that with you we'll be able to face whatever is coming our way. And, Lord, we just pray this morning we do respond differently to this, that we look at this account in Luke, and we respond differently, that we recognize you for who you are, our Lord and Saviour. Amen.

Sam.