Luke & Acts: From Bethleham to the World

Good morning friends, it’s hard to believe it is already July! We are moving through the summer very quickly. We are in the 5th week of our series on Luke and Acts. This is the last week we will be in Luke. Starting next week we will begin to dig into the book of Acts, starting in Acts chapter 2. Before we get into what we are covering this week, I want to do a very quick recap on what we’ve covered so far, over the past few weeks

Week 1: Introductions to Luke and Acts. Written The Most Honorable Theophilus.

Week 2: Luke Ch. 1 & 2; Acts 13. Angel delivers the good news about John the Baptist and the birth of Christ. Paul delivers the good news in the Synagogue. We bear the Good News

Week 3: Luke 6:43-49. We are called to have obedient hearts. The difference between obedience and performance.

Week 4: Luke 22:14-24. Communion. Look towards the past, present, and future.

This week, as I mentioned, we are closing out the book of Luke by looking at the interaction between Jesus and the 2 criminals hung besides Him. Luke is the only one who writes about this interaction, rather than just mentioning it.

PRAY!

I suppose you could say that we’ve been having Christmas and Easter in June, given the nature of this series so far. Most of these topics are discussed around those times of the year, but I don’t think we are breaking any rules by covering them during the summer months. So, if you are in the mood to celebrate Christmas, I’m always open to receiving gifts…just so you know. Today we are going to look at an interaction that we only find in the book of Luke. Namely, the interaction between Jesus and the 2 criminals that were to either side of Him. While other gospel accounts mention the 2 thieves, only Luke writes about Jesus’ interaction with them. While I do not pretend to have the answer to tis question, one wonders why Luke wrote about it, while the others didn’t. Regardless, it is there, so we are going to explore it a bit today. Let’s go ahead and start off by reading the passages.

Luke 23:32–43 (CSB) Two others—criminals—were also led away to be executed with him. When they arrived at the place called The Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided his clothes and cast lots. The people stood watching, and even the leaders were scoffing: “He saved others; let him save himself if this is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One!” The soldiers also mocked him. They came offering him sour wine and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself!” An inscription was above him: This Is the King of the Jews. Then one of the criminals hanging there began to yell insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other answered, rebuking him: “Don’t you even fear God, since you are undergoing the same punishment? We are punished justly, because we’re getting back what we deserve for the things we did, but this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

So, after Luke introduces these 2 criminals, he changes his focus to some other things going on at that time.

Father Forgive Them!

Soldiers gambling for Jesus’ clothes.

Jesus was mocked.

Sign above Jesus’ head: This is the King of the Jews!

Each of these 4 things deserve a full sermon to fully flesh them out. That said, today, our focus is going to be mainly on the two criminals, even though the other topics Luke mentions in our passages do fit into the overall narrative; that is why I chose to read more than just the passages that talk about the criminals. Also, I will be referring back to some of these things from time to time.

Let’s begin with some brief context

Context:

Shortly after the passover meal with Jesus and the disciples, Jesus was arrested and taken before the Roman and Jewish leaders. Jesus was found guilty and sentenced to be whipped and crucified…

Crucifixion was a method of execution originally practised in the East but adopted by the Romans to punish serious crimes. It was not inflicted on Roman citizens, but was reserved for slaves, pirates, and religious and political rebels.

The cross was generally a pole placed in the ground, and topped by a portable crossbar. Prior to being crucified, the victim was beaten with a leather whip containing pieces of metal or bone that tore the flesh. He was then forced to carry the crossbar to the place of execution. The crossbar was fixed to the top of the pole, and the victim was either tied or nailed with his arms stretched along it. Death was a slow process and could take up to several days. Sometimes, in order to hasten death, the Romans increased the strain on the body by breaking the leg bones of the victim; without the ability to support their body the victim’s lungs collapsed causing suffocation.

Our set of passages starts after Jesus had endured the flogging and was being led to the site where he would die. Starting in verse 32:

Luke 23:32 “Two others—criminals—were also led away to be executed with him.”

It is interesting to compare the gospel accounts of the moments leading up to Christ being nailed to the cross. All of the gospel writers mention the location…Golgotha, or The Skull, all of them also mention the criminals, but only Luke details their interaction with Jesus. For example,

Matthew 27:38 “Then two criminals were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left.”

Mark 15:27 “They crucified two criminals with him, one on his right and one on his left.”

John 19:18 “There they crucified him and two others with him, one on either side, with Jesus in the middle.”

These are the only mentions of the 2 criminals in Matthew, Mark, and John. Luke says that these 2 criminals were “led away with Jesus” to a place called “The Skull;” This is the literal translation of the name, Golgotha, which is what it would have been called by the people back then.

Picture of Golgotha

It was named “The Skull” because of it’s appearance. It was like the top of a bald guy’s head. As if bald guys don’t get enough grief already! Then as Jesus hangs on the cross, with 1 criminal to his left and the other one to his right, the soldiers mock Jesus and gamble for his belongings. Without a doubt, this is the absolute lowest point in the earthly ministry of Christ, but it is also the lowest point in the lives of the 2 criminals. All 3 men were about to die. Yet, the first thing that Jesus did after getting nailed to the cross is to advocate for those who were killing Him (we will talk more about this later).

While Luke first introduces these men in verse 32, it isn’t until verse 39 that he shares the short, but important interaction between Christ and the 2 men. There is a big difference between these two criminals, despite the fact that they were both being executed for breaking the law. I want to really draw our attention to these differences. So, we are going to take each of these me separately, rather than going back and forth. First let’s look at the:

Unrepentant Criminal

Luke 23:39 “Then one of the criminals hanging there began to yell insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!””

I think it goes without saying that we do not have a ton of information on their of these men. In fact, for the unrepentant criminal, all we have is 1 sentence…that’s it! It is entirely possible that this man said more, but that is pure speculation on my part. Despite only having this one sentence, we can extrapolate a number of inferences…in other words, from this one sentence, we can get a pretty good idea of what this guy was all about. What are some things we know for sure:

He was a convicted criminal

He was a man.

He was not a Roman citizen

He knew enough about Jesus to mock His authority.

Although we know little about who the man was, his statement reveals quite a bit about what type of person he was. Let me list 3 of the things I could come up with:

(READ MAIN ONES FIRST, THEN GIVE DETAILS) Those are some pretty bad character qualities. How can we label him all of these things from one statement? That’s a fair question, so let’s quickly go through each one.

Unrepentant

This first one is not difficult to understand. This criminal has gone down in history, known only as the “Unrepentant Criminal.” We know the man was unrepentant because of the way that Luke compares and contrast how the men reacted to Jesus. One of them (which we will get into more about him in a moment) was forthcoming about his crimes. Luke says that, as the man hung there, he began to mock Jesus. This is clearly not the tone of a man who is repentant.

Arrogant

Hateful

I’ll explain both of these together. Not only was this man hanging there, dying for his crimes…unwilling to admit his culpability (like the other criminal), but this man went out of his was to spend what little energy he had on mocking Jesus. Why couldn’t the man simply accept his fate and die? I consider this criminal arrogant because most of our sin flows from pride and arrogance. This man began to mock Jesus and yell insults at Him. More often than not, when we mock someone or make fun of them it’s because we think we are better than they are, in some way shape or form. Perhaps this criminal was thinking: yeah Jesus, you talked a big game before, why don’t you prove yourself now? Lastly, I included hateful, as a person can exhibit arrogance, but not be outwardly hateful or spiteful. I consider the unrepentant criminal hateful because, even though Jesus was already at His lowest point, the man decided to kick him while He was down. The man was not yelling just any old insults at Jesus, He was joining in with the very Roman Soldiers that nailed him to the cross. This man was filled with so much hate and anger that rather than being able to make peace before he died, he chose to go out the same way he probably lived…with an unrepentant heart, full of hate and pride.

What about the other criminal though? He is most often referred to as the:

Repentant Criminal

Luke 23:40–43 (CSB) But the other answered, rebuking him: “Don’t you even fear God, since you are undergoing the same punishment? We are punished justly, because we’re getting back what we deserve for the things we did, but this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Upon hearing the other man mock Jesus, the 2nd criminal immediately responds, defending Jesus. Similar to the other criminal, we know very little about who this man was.

He was a man.

He was a convicted criminal.

He was not a Roman citizen.

He knew enough about Jesus to place his faith in Him.

The first 3 things are exactly the same. The 4th…well, to be honest, it is also the same, but what was different was what he choose to do with the information he had. Instead of mocking Jesus, the repentant criminal quickly defended Jesus and placed his faith in Jesus.

Repentant

Humble

Loving

If we look at Matthew’s account of the 2 criminals, he says, at first, both of the men were mocking Jesus.

Matthew 27:41–44 “In the same way the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him and said, “He saved others, but he cannot save himself! He is the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God rescue him now—if he takes pleasure in him! For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” In the same way even the criminals who were crucified with him taunted him.”

Interestingly, Matthew never notes that the 2nd criminal had a change of heart. This is a good example of how the different authors were focused on different things. In fact, adding what Matthew says only makes the story better…and although Luke describes it a bit different, it’s clear that at one point, the 2nd criminal had a change of heart. Instead of being unrepentant, arrogant, and hateful, the 2nd criminal began to display the polar opposite character qualities as he hung on the cross, next to Jesus. The man is refereed to as the repentant criminal because he rightly admitted to what he had done. The man was humble because it takes true humility to look at oneself in the mirror and recognize your own mess. Lastly, he was loving because He was able to recognize Jesus for who He was....and ask for forgiveness. This is born out of love, not hate. You see, the first criminal was only concerned with escaping his ultimate fate, while the second was only concerned with making things right.

Our passage ends with Jesus telling the man:

Luke 23:43 “And he said to him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.””

Jesus tells the man that he will be with him in “paradise.” The word paradise is interesting and is talked about in several of my resources.

Paradise: (παραδείσῳ): Originally an enclosed park, or pleasure-ground

Apparently, the word (which is translated as) paradise is the same word used to describe a garden or a park. In fact, it is the same word used for the garden of eden. The book of Genesis tells us that man was kicked out of the garden of Eden due to sin. Could it be that Jesus was making reference to the fact that the penalty of sin was now paid for, and thus, He now opened the way for us to return to the perfect garden? We do not know for sure, but it is clear that Jesus did not use the normal word for heaven. For the repentant criminal, in very short order, he will be in a much better place…a perfect place, a paradise.

Application

If we step back for a moment and look at the situation that day, Jesus was hanging between 2 convicted criminals.

PICTURE OF Jesus’ crucifixion with criminals.

One man’s reaction to Jesus was rife with cynicism and hate, while the other man reacted with humility and repentance. Neither men knew Jesus very well, but one was open to the possibility that Jesus was, in fact, who he claims to be, while the other was more concerned with himself and whose heart was closed to Christ. The scenario that played out that day is a microcosm of what goes on every day in each of our hearts and lives. Of course, the most significant difference is that Christ is no longer on a cross. The curse of sin no longer has to keep us separated from God.

The apostle Paul understood this concept very well

1 Corinthians 15:20–22 “But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.”

Conclusion:

I want to take the last 10 or so minutes and ask a questions that came to my mind while writing this sermon. This question is directly related to what this story means for all of humanity and for us, as individuals.

1. What made the 2nd criminal respond to Christ in a positive manner?

Scripture points out a few things that lead to a person responding positively to Christ…or, as we would say today: to the gospel.

A. God’s Kindness

Romans 2:4 “Or do you despise the riches of his kindness, restraint, and patience, not recognizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?”

In the book of Romans Paul is addressing those in the Roman church that do the same thing they judge others for. For example, if I’m riding in the car with my wife and she begins to speed. I say to her…hey there Mario Andretti, lighten up on the led foot…how dare you break the law by speeding…God is not pleased…in fact, I’ll drive. So, I get behind the wheel and floor it…breaking the speed limit myself.

Paul says that we shouldn’t do that…as that is not what brings people to recognize their own faults. Paul says that it is the kindness of God. In our story today, we certainly see that Christ’s kindness was on display. Unfortunately, only 1 of the criminals responded to the kindness. I think it is easy to forget that it is God’s kindness that leads to repentance, rather than something we do. Jesus did not respond to either criminal by reminding them of all of their sins or telling them that they are going to hell. As Christians, it is still God’s kindness that leads us to living a victorious life for Him. It is also His kindness that leads to the 2nd thing.

B. Godly Grief

2 Corinthians 7:8–10 (CSB) For even if I grieved you with my letter, I don’t regret it. And if I regretted it—since I saw that the letter grieved you, yet only for a while—I now rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because your grief led to repentance. For you were grieved as God willed, so that you didn’t experience any loss from us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly grief produces death.

in 2nd Corinthians, Paul is responding to some reports he heard about how the church was grieved over some of his correction.Paul had confronted the Corinthians, telling them that they were in error and needed to correct their behavior. Like most of us, when we are confronted with our wrongdoing, we get upset. Paul says that he is glad it upset them, as it led to them making things right with the Lord. Naturally, we must be cautious when doing this, as our human nature will often get in the way and we end up causing harm to people. On the cross that day, the 2nd criminal was clearly grieved over his sin, he openly admitted to breaking the law and that he deserved the punishment.

It is important to note that Paul makes a distinction between godly grief and unhealthy guilt. One leads us to the foot of the cross, where we lay it down, the other leads to a life of agony, where we constantly carry it around with us. We even fool ourselves into thinking it’s godly grief…because we aren’t ignoring it, but Godly grief gives us the ability to lay it down at the foot of the cross.

I do not intend to oversimplify the process of repentance. My purpose is for us to do some self-examination, as to where our heart is and to make sure that our hearts are in a continual state of repentance. That we recognise that we are loved dearly by our father.

C. Faith

Ephesians 2:4–9 (CSB) But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast.

It would be impossible to talk about why the 2nd Criminal was able to respond to Christ in a positive manner without talking about faith. There is a reason that Christians are referred to as “Believers.” Maybe you’ve never thought about that, but it is our belief that separates us from “non-believers.” As the 2 criminals hung beside Jesus that day, only one of them put their faith in Christ. The 2nd criminal recognised Jesus for who He was…the One who came to take away the sin of the world. The 2nd criminal did not have time to rationalize it in his head, all he had time for was to extend the little bit of faith He had....and Jesus honored it.

Faith and love are the main components to our relationship with Christ. If you are a believer in Christ, you know these things well. Yet, the longer we serve Christ, the easier it is for us to loose sight of the simplicity. Our walk Christ becomes the opposite of what God intends. In our daily interactions with others and even ourselves, we end up resembling the unrepentant criminal in our attitude. Faith is so important, it is what God relied on to judge a person’s righteousness before Christ died on the cross. In the O.T., having faith....

The Lexham Bible Dictionary (The Concept of “Faith” in the Old Testament)

“often refers to those who have the capacity to remain stable (i.e., faithful) amid the unsettling circumstances of life, realizing God’s truth has established them”

The N.T. concept of faith is built off of the O.T. concept of Faith. The author of Hebrews and the apostle Paul talk about this quite a bit.

Romans 4:3–5 (CSB) For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness. Now to the one who works, pay is not credited as a gift, but as something owed. But to the one who does not work, but believes on him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited for righteousness.

This verse can be somewhat confusing if we do not understand what Paul is trying to convey. When Paul uses the word “work” he is actually referring to the Mosaic law, not to physical labor. In other words, if you believe that you can follow enough rules to become righteous, then it is not God who does it…rather, you earned it…you deserve it. However, if you believe that no amount of keeping the rules can make you righteous, then it must be God. If we think we deserve something, then that is not a gift from God. I think we understand this in our brains, but we end up often living it out differently. Just as it took faith for the criminal to place his destiny in Jesus’ hands, it takes faith to realize and trust that sin no longer binds us…that we are no longer under the curse of sin.

To finish up today I want to read you an article I came across about the 2 criminals. I did not write this myself, but it is really good.

“One man died with guilt in him and on him. A second man died with guilt in him but not on him. The third died with guilt on him but not in him.”

Crucifixion was torture. Leather straps or spikes were used to hang a condemned man on a pole. Like a helpless animal tangled in a barbed wire fence, the victim could survive for days with excruciating pain. Death usually came by suffocation when, hanging by his hands, the victim lost the strength to draw another breath. Three men on three trees In the Spring of 33 AD, the crucifixion of three men, outside the city walls of Jerusalem, changed the course of world history. Roman executioners hammered nails through the wrists and ankles of three men and left them to die. The event itself was common in the ancient Mideast. And yet, 2,000 years later, the world still talks about those three deaths.

You see, “One man died with guilt in him and on him. A second man died with guilt in him but not on him. The third died with guilt on him but not in him.” Since finding that quote, I’ve held on to it as a profoundly simple description of some differences we all need to understand. One died with sin in him and on him He was the first of two thieves executed that day. By the law of the land he was given the punishment he deserved. By a judge wearing the authority of the Roman Caesar, he was sentenced and condemned, like a house that is no longer fit to live in.

The first thief seems to have died an angry man. He was probably angry with himself for getting caught. He was probably angry with the judge who sentenced him. He was probably angry with all those who had let him down along the way. He seems to have been especially angry with the man named Jesus who hung innocently at his side. The first thief wasn’t alone in his contempt for Jesus. Others shared his feelings. It was easy to be furious with someone who claimed to be the light and hope of the world—then hung like a common criminal, not even saving Himself from death. Angry with Jesus for being unable to help Himself or anyone else (Luke 23:39), the first thief died with his own sin in him and on him.

One died with sin in him but not on him There was a second thief executed that day. Turning to the first thief, he said, “Don’t you fear God 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 Your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:39-43).

That may be one of the 10 most important conversations ever recorded. These few words show what the rest of the New Testament declares. Forgiveness of sins and eternal life is given to anyone who believes in Jesus. Nothing more. Nothing less. Faith alone in Christ alone determines our eternal destiny . The second thief had no time to clean up his life. He had no time to do anything but to believe in Jesus. In the process, he gave all of us a picture of what it takes to come into the eternal family of God. In response to the simplest expression of faith, Jesus assured him of forgiveness. The second thief died with sin in him but not on him.

The Judge of the heavens lifted the guilt from the second thief’s shoulders, placing it instead on Jesus, our sin-bearer. One died with sin on him but not in him; Jesus shouldered the guilt of the world that day. He died with the weight of the world’s sin on Him but not the slightest wrong in Him. Three days later He rose from the dead to show that His death, tragic as it was, was not a mistake. With a nail-scarred, resurrected body Jesus gave hundreds all the evidence they needed to believe that He had taken their place in death. The judgment of God had fallen on Him instead of on us. What I also find amazing is that this is our story. We were there. We were there because God was there in our place, bearing our sins. We were also there because all of us will respond either as the first thief or as the second. The words don’t make the difference; the faith does.