Golgotha Part 1

Don’t Miss It

Large Group Teaching Summary | At the Cross are Roman soldiers and two criminals. Both groups have different responses to Jesus on the Cross. The soldiers are tasked with the violent treatment of Jesus, and as they sit below Jesus, gambling for His clothes, they are missing the truth of who He is. When we look to the cross, let us not miss the reality of what is happening: Jesus is being lifted up as King.

Key Takeaway | The crucifixion shows us that Jesus is King.

Scripture Focus | John 19:16-24; Luke 23:39-43

What You May Need | Optional Illustration: Misjudged Moments (Personal Story), Optional Illustration: Famous Athlete Jersey.

I. Introduction

A. Tonight, we start a new series called, Golgotha. Why do you think the series is called that? What is Golgotha? It is the name of the hill where Jesus died on the Cross.

1. Over the course of this series, we will be looking at different characters’ perspectives of the crucifixion. Around the time of Jesus, we read about several different people who were closely involved with the death of Jesus.

2. These people came from all walks of life and all different backgrounds, and we see that different people respond differently to the Cross.

3. Every week, we will see different responses to the crucifixion of Jesus and discover how they encourage our response to Jesus today.

B. For our first session, we’re going to look at how the soldiers respond to the crucifixion vs. how the criminals beside Jesus responded to the crucifixion.

1. Optional Illustration: Misjudged Moment (Personal Story)

a) Note: Tell a story about a time that you misjudged how dangerous or how powerful something would be, and it cost you in great ways.

b) Ex: When I was a teenager, our favorite place to eat was a Mexican restaurant in Fort Payne called Don Chicos. I think everyone can agree that your hometown Mexican restaurant is gonna be your favorite one and you’ll argue to the end about that. Don Chicos was our place to go. One day I went to eat with my brother… Summer told me that the weather was supposed to get bad but I figured that just meant bad rain. Sure enough, we’re looking outside and it is raining sideways. She calls me and says “take shelter right now, there’s a tornado passing over.” At that point, what was I supposed to do? I was already in the middle of the restaurant away from the windows in the safest place I could be. So, I was content with the fact that if it were my time to go, I’d do it with a steak taco in my hand...

2. What does that have to do with the crucifixion? In life, some moments happen where we don’t respond the right way. We almost pay the price.

C. What’s interesting about the crucifixion story is that over 2,000 years later, some of us have become numb to the reality of what happened at Golgotha. In the Christian faith, we celebrate every day and live in the reality of the work Jesus did on the Cross. Some of us have missed the gravity of what Jesus has done for us.

1. For many of us, when it comes to Jesus and the Cross, there are moments where we’ve become numb to it and not responded well. It’s become another part of our lives and not the very thing that our lives are built around.

2. But we’re not alone in that. There are plenty of people in the crucifixion account who make light of the crucifixion and make light of what's going around them. There are many who even miss out on the significance of it.

3. As we begin this Golgotha series, my hope is that you will reflect on the reality of the Cross and how it has impacted you today and all of eternity. I hope that you don’t miss the seriousness of the Cross and who Jesus is.

II. Tension

A. There are two characters that we’re going to look at today that are present at the Cross where Jesus died. We are going to look at the soldiers who were working when Jesus was crucified, and we’re going to look at the criminals who were crucified next to Jesus.

B. We’ll see that these two groups of people have different reactions to Jesus on the Cross. One group will see Jesus for who He truly is, and the other will miss out on who is right in front of them.

C. For many of us, we tend to hope we are like the group who sees Jesus for who He is but oftentimes, many of us are actually missing out on Jesus. We’ve become numb to who He is and what He’s done and turn Jesus into a practice or monotonous routine.

D. As we look at these two groups of characters, we’ll see that our key takeaway is the crucifixion shows us that Jesus is King.

III. Truth

A. So, in the moment we’re stepping into, Jesus is on the Cross, hung between two criminals and about to face His death.

B. Below Him are Roman soldiers, who have probably been present for the whole process leading up to this. The soldiers were there to keep order at the crucifixion and to make sure the person on the cross actually died.

C. Read John 19:16-24

John 19:16–24 ESV

So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’ ” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says, “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” So the soldiers did these things,

D. First, let’s talk about the words above Jesus’s head. The inscription that Pilate wrote says, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”

1. Pilate was a Roman governor. He was the one who ultimately sentenced Jesus to death by crucifixion. Although he found no fault in Jesus and was willing to set Him free, he gave in to what the large crowd wanted when they shouted, “Crucify.”

2. Before the crucifixion, we read about Jesus’ grand entry. In church, we celebrate this on Palm Sunday. It’s the day when Jesus rides into the city on a donkey and is praised for the King He is.

3. As Jesus continues in His ministry teaching, something changes. The religious people began to fear Him. They twisted His words. They felt threatened. And their response to Jesus was a knee-jerk reaction. They thought, “We need to get rid of Him. He is lying. He’s claiming to be God. This isn’t true. He deserves to die.”

4. Things change drastically. Just remember, at one point, He was being ushered in as King, and then He continued to teach people the truth, which ended up being things the religious leaders of His day didn’t like. Because of that, they plotted against Him to kill Him.

E. At the cross, Pilate puts this inscription above Jesus that calls Him King. Many Jews who wanted to see Jesus crucified were watching this sign go up, and when they read it, they told Pilate to take it down and rewrite it. They didn’t want to call Jesus their King and wanted the sign to say, “This man said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’”

1. That way, the Jews weren’t acknowledging Jesus as their King. Again, a subtle way to mock Him.

F. Now, let’s look at how the guards responded to Jesus.

1. This can be a hard part for us to understand because we're not really a “casting lots” kind of people. That's not the language that you use. You don't hang around the lunch table casting lots for things.

2. Casting lots was a made-up way by mankind to try and determine what God would want. Essentially, it was a game similar to a coin toss.

3. In this passage, Jesus is dying. He's on the Cross. He's got these words above His head about Him being a King. And then below Him are these soldiers and they're dividing up His clothes. They are gambling and playing games to see who will win them.

4. Can you imagine making more light of a situation than playing games at the foot of a public execution? Someone who is about to die in one of the most painful, humiliating, and public ways, and they’re below Him, downplaying the entire moment.

5. All they cared about was doing their job and getting something from Jesus to brag about. They wanted something from Him and not Him.

6. This is the first response we see. This response is not the one we’re striving for.

G. Next, we have the criminals who are next to Jesus. Read Luke 23:39-43

Luke 23:39–43 ESV

One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

2. The Bible tell us that Jesus was crucified with two other criminals. One on each side. Each of these criminals responded differently to Jesus.

3. One criminal mocked Jesus and said, “If you’re truly the Messiah, save yourself and while you’re at it, save us, too!”

4. The other criminal’s response is the one we are going to focus on today. He is the one who called out to Jesus and said, “Remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” Jesus responds, “Today, you will be with me in paradise.”

5. This is the second response we see. It’s a response that sees Jesus as a Savior. It’s what we want reflected in our own lives.

H. When we recognize Jesus for who He truly is – the crucified Savior, we then see Him the way we’re meant to. He is the King, and that’s not something we should ever mock or grow numb to.

1. We have to be very careful not to become like the guards, people who want the things associated with Jesus but not Jesus. Rather, we are to be like the criminal and cry out to Jesus and see Him for who He truly is.

I. Optional Illustration: Famous Athlete Jersey

This right here is a signed Shaquille Oneal Jersey. Now I’ve never met Shaq but lets take some creative liberties and say that I did. Say he is still playing in the NBA and I went to a Lakers game and he signed this jersey for me at the end of the game. So I go home and I hang it up in my house and every time my friends come over I get to say, oh man, this is Shaquille Oneal’s jersey! It’s memorabilia. It tells the story of where you were when something historical happened to show off...

2. And I can only imagine what it would be like to be the guard who goes home with Jesus’ clothes, having just won them from playing a game as He died right above them. And when everybody comes over, they're like, yeah, we've done a lot of executions in the past, but do you remember the one that everybody got worked up over politically and that there was a lot of emotion over? Do you remember that crazy one who said that He was a King? These are His. It’s almost like it’s a trophy case.

3. He treasured the wrong thing!

J. Don’t settle for things close to Jesus. Recognize Him for who He really is.

1. We often believe that we would never reduce Jesus to a small “part” of our lives or make anything connected to Him into a “trophy.” But, in small, subtle ways, we can fall into the trap of settling for things close to Jesus instead of fully embracing Him as the King He is.

2. Sometimes, we confuse the practices of our faith with the person of Jesus. These things that are inherently good do not replace who Jesus is and what He’s done. Our ultimate goal isn’t to become perfect masters of reading our Bible or attending church. Our goal is to know Jesus and delight in living for Him.

a) These things are meant to lead us to Christ, not replace Him.

b) And if we never make those things personal and life-changing, we’ll miss out on seeing Jesus as our King and only see Him as a subject to learn about.

3. When we settle for things close to Jesus, we end up only wanting the benefits of Jesus without submitting to His authority. We want comfort, security, and blessings, but do we truly desire Christ? Is He our treasure, or are we content with going through the motions of Christian practices?

a) These soldiers were going about this death as if it were any other death.

b) The prize for them was in getting the clothes from this man that caused such controversy.

c) Their focus was on His things and not Him. They missed Jesus entirely.

IV. Application

A. So how will you live?

1. Have you grown numb to what Jesus has done?

a) If Jesus is the true King of your life, it means He has authority over everything. Your decisions, relationships, priorities, and time.

b) It means submitting to Him daily, not just as a religious habit but as an act of trust and love. Recognizing who Jesus is and what He’s done is a delight to your soul.

c) Practically, it’s aligning your life with His Word. It’s like the GPS so many of us follow in our car. We hook up our phones, type in a destination, and follow the prompts from our phones. We follow Him because of what He has done for us. We follow Him because we can never get tired of what He’s done.

d) Following Jesus is a lot like that. Knowing and loving Jesus is our ultimate destination, so we follow His Word and commands to follow Him.

e) It means never getting over what Jesus has done for you. It’s never growing numb to that. And how do we do that? It starts by making your relationship with Jesus personal and real and not just a head knowledge.

f) The criminal looked at Jesus and knew that He had done nothing wrong and was going back to His Kingdom. He wanted Jesus to remember him there.

2. Have you decided to settle for things close to Jesus but not experience Jesus Himself?

a) When we want things that are close to Jesus but not Jesus himself, we miss out on the reality of how Jesus can change our lives.

b) When we want things that are close to Jesus but not Jesus himself, we miss out on the reality of how Jesus can change the world.

c) Are you settling for checking off your “spiritual boxes,” or are you truly seeking Jesus every day?

d) Imagine going to your favorite restaurant and only looking at the menu but never actually ordering food. Looking at the menu will help you know what it is, what’s available, and what it will cost you, but it’s not the same as enjoying and loving the actual meal. In the same way, turning Jesus into a learning assignment but never enjoying or knowing Him personally is a way to miss out on experiencing Jesus.

V. Gospel

A. Earlier, I shared a story about a time when I truly missed the seriousness of a moment. I failed to recognize the gravity of that moment. In John 19, the soldiers miss the gravity of what is happening. I don’t want that to be the same for you. I don’t want you to miss out on who Jesus is and what He’s done for you.

B. In our story today, we see the response of the soldiers and the response of the criminal. These are very different responses. One response, totally missed on who Jesus is as the King. The other response turns to Jesus and in faith, asks Him to remember him.

C. What’s crazy is if the soldiers were to read that sign that called Him King, they would have seen Him differently.

1. They would have gotten the fullness of who they were dealing with.

2. If they had just looked up from the things that were associated with Christ and actually looked at Christ, they would have seen the King.

3. Someone who has Lordship all over your life. This Jesus died for your sins and to demonstrate His love for you. He did what you could never do for yourself.

4. When you see Jesus as King, your life changes. With all your sins, with all your shortcomings, there is peace, grace, and forgiveness offered by Jesus.

5. And things are going to look different. So, we might as well really be sold out for Jesus.

6. The crucifixion shows us that Jesus is King. Is He the King of your life, or is something else?

VI. Conclusion

A. As we wrap up today, I hope you begin to see the crucifixion through a different lens. Maybe, as much as we’d like to be like the criminal who cries out to Jesus, we might be more like those soldiers who are going through the motions, living life, and missing out on who Jesus truly is.

B. When we look at the crucifixion, we see that Jesus is the One true King. He is worth all of our praise and devoting our lives to.

C. When Jesus is King, it changes everything. But we have to see Him that way. Like the soldiers, it doesn’t change the reality of who Jesus is, but He invites us to see Him this way. It’s hard to live in that reality of Jesus as King until we choose to see Him that way.

D. As you go through the rest of the week, ask yourself two questions:

1. What does it look like for Jesus to be my King?

2. Am I chasing things that are close to Jesus but not actually Jesus

E. Let’s pray.