HE WAS COUNTED AMONG THIEVES

Against All Odds, Sermon 3

Isaiah 53:12 “Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.”

Matthew 27:24-26 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.”

Matthew 27:37 “And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

Good morning, everyone! I hope you’ve had a great week. Are you ready for God’s Word today?

INTRO

We have a few more weekends before Easter, which is the most im🤩portant day on the Christian calendar. So we are preparing ourselves by looking at t🥳🥳😛😐🙂‍↔️he prophecies Jesus fulfilled in Isaiah 53. The final verse of Isaiah 53 describes the unlikely circumstance that the Anointed of the Lord would finzzZd Himself, identifying with the lowest of the low. – Or perhaps even lower. Isaiah 53:12 tells us that, he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.”

The story of the Messiah finishes with a twist. It’s a surprising one: who would have expected the greatest man to ever live would die like a criminal, alongside criminals, and compared to criminals? But maybe the twist shouldn’t be too surprising. After all, the life of the Messiah started with a twist!

Anyone reading the story of a great hero, would expect that hero to come from noble origins: from a king and queen, or from outer space, or from no-where-no-one-knows-of. But the story of Jesus begins with a humble birth: it’s in a stable, not a home, not an inn, not a hospital. And this birth is attended by shepherds, the working class, not the upper class. So maybe it shouldn’t be surprising that when Jesus died, He died with the lowest class.

If you’ve heard this before, you might say, “No way, God wouldn’t let that happen that way.”

And yet, the story of the greatest life ever lived is that while being sentenced to death He was compared to a criminal, and while being executed, He was hung between two thieves.

HE WAS COUNTED AMONG THEIVES

Against all odds, Jesus was…Jesus was compared to Barabbas. 2.  He was crucified between two criminals.

To prepare you for an Easter like no other, let me read you the historical account from the book of Matthew.

All four of the gospels cover the account, so if you want to read them all on your own, feel free to.

Matthew is the Jewish account. Matthew is Jewish, writing to a predominantly Jewish audience. So he’s going to refer to “the festival,” which he assumes everyone will know is “The Festival of Passover,” because, after all, every Jew knows that the festival of all festivals is Passover.

Matthew 27:15 At the festival the governor’s custom was to release to the crowd a prisoner they wanted. 16 At that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17 So when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Who is it you want me to release for you—Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18 For he knew it was because of envy that they had handed him over. Matthew was there. He was an eyewitness. So, he adds this interesting note that no other gospel mentions. He says…19 While he was sitting on the judge’s bench, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for today I’ve suffered terribly in a dream because of him.” 20 The chief priests and the elders, however, persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to execute Jesus. 21 The governor asked them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” “Barabbas!” they answered. 22 Pilate asked them, “What should I do then with Jesus, who is called Christ?” They all answered, “Crucify him!” 23 Then he said, “Why? What has he done wrong?” But they kept shouting all the more, “Crucify him!”

Barabbas was a murderer. He led a rebellion against the Romans. He and his followers had killed people.

Pilate compared Jesus and Barabbas because Pilate wanted to set Jesus free. And Barabbas was the biggest scoundrel he could find. Pilate thought that if he offered the crowd the choice of letting a murderer like Barabbas go, or Jesus go, they would choose Jesus. But they didn’t. So, Jesus was led to Golgotha. Where He was crucified between two thieves.

All four gospels carry this second story of being counted among criminals as well. I’ll keep reading from the book of Matthew.

Matthew 27:35–38 “And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. And sitting down they watched him there; And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.” In one the greatest endings of all time, one of those criminals has the sense to ask Jesus to save him.

Luke writes in Luke 23:39–43 “And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, if thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” Jesus died at 3 p.m. Before the sun set, that man was in heaven.

Ephesians 4 tells us that Jesus descended into hell and led captives free. All those who died before Jesus but had placed their trust in God for a future Savior were led free from Hades. The thief on the cross beat them all to heaven because Jesus delivered him. Back to our Isaiah 53 prophetic fulfillment.

B. Why would God let His Son be placed among criminals? Why? It was awful. Humiliating. Degrading. Why would God let His Son die with criminals?

1. Because He wasn’t one.

Jesus wasn’t a criminal. I am not a criminal. – I’ve never been convicted of a crime, but I’ve committed sin. Jesus was counted with criminals because He wasn’t one, and…

2. Because were sinners.

When a person comes to face the reality that they are a lawbreaker, they usually do one of two things: they either brush it off, thinking, “Yeah, I’ve broken the law, but not very badly, and everybody breaks the law at some point, it’s impossible not to.” – This way of thinking is a big mistake. Brushing off a violation doesn’t relieve you of the violation. God is always watching. He sits high and He looks low. So, when some people break a moral law, they brush it off. Which could be a costly mistake, because it’s recorded.

While some people brush off their offenses, others beat themselves up over them. “I’m terrible. I’m worthless. I can never be forgiven!”

The third reason God allowed Jesus to be counted among criminals was…

3. Because He wanted us to know that no matter how low we think we are, He went lower.

Jesus came down to our level to bring us up to His. Matthew records His comparison to criminals and His crucifixion with criminals so that every person can know that no matter how far down they’ve gone, Jesus went further. Matthew records His death with criminals. Mark records it. Luke records it. John records it.

Isaiah records it 700 years before it happens. And Paul records it in the book of Philippians. In fact, Philippians 2 is one of the most important pieces of literature ever written, because Philippians 2 records the depths Jesus went to, to demonstrate His love for us. Let me read this to you:

Philippians 2:5–8 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

Paul is describing the depths to which Jesus descended to demonstrate His unfailing love for us. Listen to this. First, he says, “Jesus was God. Fully God. That’s where He started.”

CONCLUSION

C. Jesus’ Descent: (Phil. 2:6-8) 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made of Himself no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:  8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 

1. He was equal with God (6a) Imagine this for a minute: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, all equally divine: omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent and giving humanity a chance to be saved.

He willingly emptied Himself - so step 2…

   2. He emptied Himself of some of His divinity (7a) He laid aside a portion of His deity. And, step 3,

      3. He took on human form (7c) He became a man like us. (That’s called the “Incarnation.”) God the Son took on human flesh. He walked around like us. Talked like us. Felt like us. Hurt like us. Thirsted like us. Needed food and shelter, like us. But had no sin unlike us!

Paul says, “Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant,” Phil. 2:7b

- He came as a man. And then He stepped down again, not by insisting on being treated like a king or a noblemen or someone special. Jesus positioned Himself at the bottom of the social ladder by becoming a servant -

 4. He became a servant(7b) Wherever He went, Jesus served people. In Mark 10, Jesus carefully explained His purpose to His Disciples when He says:…the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.Mark 10:45 Jesus didn’t just become one of us. He became a servant to us. That should be far enough down, shouldn’t it? But Jesus didn’t stop there. Paul says His fifth step downward was to the level we’re talking about today – the level of criminal:  …And when he had come as a man, 8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— Philippians 2:7b-8a

And in the process of becoming obedient to the point of death, He let Himself be associated with criminals.

5. He humbled Himself to criminal status (8a) And then, of course, He actually submitted to death. Crucify Him!

6. He became obedient to the point of death (8b) And that should be enough. But Jesus is God. And God never does things halfway. So, He didn’t let them kill Him by lethal injection, or by an electric chair, or beheading.

7. He became obedient to death on a cross (8c) Which was the most humiliating death possible for an orthodox Jew. Look at this. Hundreds of years earlier, God had decreed in Deuteronomy 21 that……anyone hung on a tree is under God’s curse. Deuteronomy 21:23b

As low as Jesus came down to us, God lifted Him even higher.

Jesus’ Elevation: (Phil. 2:9-11) Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.        

Jesus came down, down, down, down, down. Jesus came down, so we could go up. God lifted Him up because He came down. (There’s a lesson in there for us. – If we want to go up, we must go down. We must become servants.)

The reason Jesus came all the way down to the level of a criminal was so that any of us who feel as low as a criminal will never wonder if He could love us. – Love us? He died among us!

Today is a day to break down all your barriers and let Him in. Let Him into your life. Let Him into your heart.

Let Him pay for your sin.