Sermon Tone Analysis
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In the Gospel for Others it is OUTSIDERS who make a favorable decisions about Christ! (At least in the scenes at the cross)!
Different Scenes Where We Encounter a Decision Being Made About Christ
During Jesus’ life everyone who encountered Him had to make a decision about who they believed he was.
It is no different at the Cross and the events leading up to the cross.
Let’s look at some.
1.
His claims are considered blasphemous (lying about the this of God) by the Sanhedrin.
They also claim Jesus to be leading a political rebellion.
This is so they can have him condemned to death.
This is AFTER he is mocked by the guards and disowned/denied by Peter
2. Pilate tries Jesus and cannot condemn him.
IN fact, he specifically declares Jesus to be NOT GUILTY (or another way of saying this, righteous according to the political laws).
The people still press Pilate, and out of fear he decides to abdicate his responsibilities to Herod.
3. Herod wanted Jesus to perform a sign and questioned Jesus, but Jesus would not answer.
All the while the Chief Priests and teachers of the law were shouting their accusations against Jesus.
Herod and his soldiers mocked Jesus (again) and sent him back to Pilate (thus trying to dodge a decision they must make…)
4. Jesus is sent back to Pilate to make the final decision.
Pilate, again highlights that both he and Herod saw NOTHING wrong with Jesus.
He is INNOCENT.
Pilate decides that he will punish Jesus and release him.
But the crowd of Chief Priests and teachers of the law (and maybe others) still shouted for Jesus to be sentenced to death.
In fact, they begged and convinced Pilate to release Barabbas - a KNOWN INSURRECTIONIST - one who is ACTUALLY GUILTY of the crime they were placing on Jesus.
Barabbas was released and Jesus was sentenced to be crucified.
Pilate AGAIN reminded the crowd that Jesus is INNOCENT!
In a HUGE miscarriage of justice Pilate agreed to release Barabbas and sentence Jesus to death.
Jesus, the innocent man LITERALLY and IN ALL ACTUALITY took the place of the condemned man, Barabbas.
Notice the times Jesus is declared innocent...
5. Jesus is led out to be crucified.
Here he is mocked and treated as a criminal.
Most likely the cross he is carrying is the one intended for Barabbas.
Yet, in this passage Jesus declares HIS verdict towards those who are doing this to him.
The verdict is one that declares we are GUILTY!
Yet, we are not held responsible for that Guilt!
Notice the difference.
Jesus does not declare them/us to be innocent.
Yet, he takes our place on the cross so that, in the midst of our guilty, we are FORGIVEN.
HE took the punishment prepared for us in order to forgive us.
We are NOT innocent, but we are FORGIVEN!
PRAISE GOD!
There are 2 Positive Responses at the Cross
The thief
The Centurion
Please note, again, Luke’s Gospel is the Gospel for everyone.
It is the Gospel that includes outsiders and welcomes them into the Family/Kingdom of God through the work of Jesus Christ.
It should NOT surprise us that OUTSIDERS are included in the work done at the cross and that OUTSIDERS provide a positive response towards Jesus.
Both OUTSIDERS declare Jesus to be innocent.
This recognizes that what he said was true.
This recognizes that what was done to him was a miscarriage of “justice.”
This recognizes that Jesus is who he claimed to be.
While one criminal continued to insult Jesus, the other criminal recognized the innocence of this man.
This criminal, along ith Pilate and Herod, declares Jesus innocent.
He was taking the place of Barabbas, but not because he deserved it.
This criminal also recognizes, that if Jesus is innocent, he is not lying about being the King of the Jews.
You see, if Jesus is innocent, then what he said about himself and his kingdom must be true.
This criminal recognizes that.
Therefore, he asks, boldly to be remembered by Jesus when his Kingdom comes to power.
This is interesting.
Like the prodigal returned, this man does not ask for special treatment - just to be remembered.
But, Jesus offers him the whole kit and kaboodle!
He is promised PARADISE!
This promise is NOT because of anything he did.
It is because he was led to BELIEVE the claims of Jesus and to TRUST THEM!
I find the Centurion to be interesting.
He had to carry out the death sentence - whether he agreed to or not.
That was his occupation.
He had, most likely, witnessed hundreds of crucifixions and carried out many during his career.
Yet, somehow there was something different about Jesus.
Maybe it was his silence when questioned.
Maybe it was his offer of forgiveness towards those who put Him on the cross.
Maybe it was the promise of Paradise for those who normally wouldn’t deserve such a thing.
Maybe it was his lack of struggle with death and simply a prayer that God would receive His Spirit.
Yet, for whatever reason, the Centurion declares a couple of things about Jesus.
He praises God!
This is dependent upon what he says about Jesus.
He praises God because this “criminal” is not who EVERYONE else said he was - this “criminal” is who HE SAID HE IS.
If that is the case GOD IS UP TO SOMETHING GOOD!
He declares Jesus righteous (right according to the law) = INNOCENT.
Like Pilate, Herod, and the thief, the Centurion joins the list of persons, who upon seeing Jesus declare him innocent.
Again, to declare Jesus innocent is to declare him to be who he said he was.
Therefore, if Jesus is innocent, His claims about himself and about God MUST ALSO BE TRUE - if not, he would be guilty of what others were trying to convict him of (blasphemy = lying about/abusing the things of God).
It is the OUTSIDERS who declare Jesus innocent and grasp at some sort of faith in who he is.
What is Our Decision About Jesus?
We are ALL faced with a decision we MUST make about Jesus.
He is either innocent or he is guilty.
He is either the savior of the world, God’s Messiah, the promised King to usher in God’s reign, or he is a liar, a fraud, a criminal.
Those who witnessed Jesus’ death intimately declared Jesus to be who he said he is.
They placed their faith and trust in Jesus because they believed His message to be true and they witnessed the Power of His messaged lived out even as Jesus was dying.
Good for them!
But what about YOU? Who do YOU say this Jesus is.
I asked on Facebook this week why people believe, or disbelieve, the claims of Jesus.
As of yet, no one has answered why they do not believe.
But, those who answered that they do believe highlighted that it began with faith in the the truth of the claims of Jesus and then seeing those truths lived out, and worked out in their lives and the lives of others.
Yet, the fact of the matter is, the choice is YOURS!
The message of the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ, is for YOU too.
But, YOU must declare and make YOUR OWN PERSONAL DECISION with this message.
It is not enough if your parents claimed this message
It is not enough if the person sitting next to you claims this message
Like the Centurion and the thief, we are at the place of the cross and the question is WHAT DO YOU SAY ABOUT THE ONE ON THE MIDDLE CROSS?
And, the message cannot be partly accepted.
We cannot claim part of Jesus as a good guy, but dismiss his claims of divinity and kingly reign.
IF HE IS INNOCENT of the charges against Him, we must accept that he is more than a “good teacher” we must accept it ALL - lock, stock, and barrel!
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