People At The Cross

(Matt. 27:36-44, Luke 23:39-43, John 19:25-27)

Matthew 27:36–44 NKJV

Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left. And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.

Intro:

AG: A father and daughter we walking through a spacious prairie. In the distance, they could see fire all around them. They knew they could not escape it. The father knew there was only one way to escape: set fire to the ground near them and burn a large patch of grass. When the huge fire drew near, they could stand on this burned section and they would be safe because the grass had already burned there. The little girl was scared, but her dad reassured her: “The flames cannot get to us here. We are standing where the fire has already been.”

May I suggest to you that this is an exact parallel to those of us in Christ.

We need not fear the wrath of God, because we are standing in Christ. And God’s wrath has already been directed toward Christ; we are safe in Him.

And the Cross is first and foremost about a loving Savior experiencing God’s wrath on our behalf so we can be forgiven.

TS: Last week we spoke of Christ’s Battle in the Garden.

After His arrest and quick trials, Jesus was turned over to Roman Authorities, Pilate in particular. He let the crowd choose who to set free and they choose Barabbas. Then Jesus was led to Golgotha and nailed to the cross at His wrists and feet; He was weak and fainting from abuse before they crucified Him, with criminals at either side of Him on their own crosses.

RS: There were all kinds of people at the Cross.

What distinguished these groups of people? The condition of their souls, their spiritual heart attitudes.

MAIN IDEA: Around the Cross of Jesus, we can see people who demonstrated some contrasting heart conditions some of whom we can identify with today.

I. The Hard Hearted (Matt. 27:36-44)

Matthew 27:36–44 NKJV

Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left. And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.

1. Some of these people chose to intentionally misunderstand Him

shaking heads- their hard hearts led to scoffing

“You were going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days…save yourself---come down off the cross

They painted a story of who they thought Jesus was and now they continued to refuse to see Him for who He really was

2. Others Understood Him Clearly---More Clearly Than Some Skeptics Do Today

Teachers: He saved others, let Him save Himself

Let Him come down from the cross--then we’ll believe

They set a test for Him, yet they probably wouldn’t have believed even if He did come down from the Cross.

A few days earlier, these men were afraid to arrest Jesus…they feigned teachability and tried to trap Him…now their hatred is no longer hidden…

They understood clearly that He claimed to be the Messiah, the Son of God and thus equal with God

Ultimately, we all have to face that choice: Is Jesus Lord, Liar, or Lunatic. They thought He was a liar and referred to Him as “that deceiver.”

It is totally absurd to think of Jesus as a good man but not God:

He clearly claimed to be God and the Messiah; those who heard Him understood this because it was clear….if He is not God, He had to either be a horrible liar or insane….because His claims were clear (even more clear in the Jewish culture that in ours)

Although many modern unbelievers would not approve of the crucifixion, they identify with the crowd:

He saved others….many believe that we are our own saviors…

He will build the Temple in three days (John 2:19-21)…others do not believe He resurrected Himself….

John 2:19–21 NKJV

Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple of His body.

Millions agree with the mockers….s

Why this hard-heartedness? Jeremiah 17:9, 2 Cor. 4:3-4

Jeremiah 17:9 NKJV

“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?

2 Corinthians 4:3–4 NKJV

But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

Application: Is your heart hard? Many of us were there, but God softened our hearts and prepared us. Is the Holy Spirit bringing you under conviction? Only He can soften.

Have you honestly considered the claims of Jesus?

Not what the world says about Him, but what He really said and did?

Scoffers refuse to consider and argue against the reality

II. The Changed Heart (Luke 23:39-43)

Luke 23:39–43 NKJV

Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

As long as there is life, there is hope….I’ve seen people make a commitment to Jesus Christ in their 80’s---and their lives changed….

Here we see two hardened criminals….robbers who probably committed worse crimes during robbery, perhaps murder as well….

initially they both joined in with the mockers…

but something happened to one of them…all of a sudden, the truth hit Him:

Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah

He rebukes his companion….

“Jesus, remember me when You come in Your Kingdom…”

By referring to the coming Kingdom and confessing that Jesus had power as to who entered it, this criminal acknowledged Jesus as Savior….

Jesus response is awesome:

I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.

Note the following wonderful, exciting truths:

Jesus never wavered as to who He was…

He was not a liar, for a liar would not have maintained His party line….

we are down to two choices: Lord or Lunatic

Salvation/forgiveness can be instantaneous…..repentance and faith can occur in a moment of time

Salvation is not of works

Salvation is not by rituals

believers immediately go to be present with the Lord at death

Application: Hearts can be changed!

That is the story of the gospel

Changed lives fill the pages of Scriptures

Take Paul for example

He was working with the Sanhedrin. Assisted in the stoning of Stephen, was seeking Christians to arrest. Decided to take it on the road and was on the way to Damascus when His moment came.

HE went from persecutor to prisoner.

President Eisenhower was the only president to accept Christ and then be baptized while in office. When Khrushehev came to the U.S. in 1959, Eisenhower invited him to church. The Russian declined, so Eisenhower went alone. Later, Khrushehev became a believer in God, after he had been removed from office. When Eisenhower died, Khrushev sent Mrs. Eisenhower this telegram, “He was the only man in America who inquired about my soul.”

III. The Welcoming Hearts (John 19:25-27)

John 19:25–27 NKJV

Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.

Faithful women behind Jesus’ ministry remained true: Luke 8:2

Luke 8:2 NKJV

and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons,

His mother, Mary…

she who had been greeted by an angel….

only one possible instance when her faith wavered (Mark 3:21; 3:31 )

Mark 3:21 NKJV

But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, “He is out of His mind.”

Mark 3:31 NKJV

Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.

His aunt (Salome)….possibly

she was also the mother of James and John, and therefore they may have been cousins to Jesus

Mary, the wife of Clopas

--if this is the sister of Mary, it would explain the difference in the Greek between Miriam and Maria…

--this was the mother of James the lesser, so then he would have been Jesus’ cousin

Mary Magdalene---Jesus had cast out 7 demons

John the Apostle: Look after Mary (Jesus brothers unbelievers at this time)

---the only apostle at the cross….had less to fear since he was related to the high priest…

----the youngest apostle, probably an older teen…Jesus like a father figure to him…

Application:

They welcomed Christ and the opportunity to serve Him

We should follow their example

It is easy to follow Jesus on Palm Sunday and Easter

It is difficult when at the foot of the cross:

attacks and suffering can make it easy to fall away

Conclusion:

Does Jesus consider YOU a friendly face? Has He so penetrated your heart that He can count on you to serve Him? Are you a real trooper for the Kingdom of God?

Whatever your status, God want you to open your life to Him…and keep opening it. What is the condition of your heart? Let the Holy Spirit massage it and soften it so that Christ can permeate it!