The Crucifixion

What’s interesting, is when you read the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, when you read the Gospels and how they describe the Cross, it’s not quite the same.

The Cross is there.

The agony is there.

But not all the detail that we are familiar with.

In Luke, we don’t read of:

The nails going into Jesus’s hands.

They actually would have gone into His wrists.

But we don’t hear about it.

There’s no mention of anyone holding Jesus down.

No description of a Roman soldier with a mallet, piercing his divine flesh.

We don’t read of any nail in His feet.

It would have been a single nail, going through his feet.

His knees would be bent, and his legs at a slight angle to the side.

We don’t read of Jesus slowly suffocating on the cross.

There’s no mention of Him hanging on the wooden Cross, and pushing up on those poor legs, that are braced to the wood with a single nail.

Then pushing up on those poor legs, that are braced to the wood with a single nail.

No mention of him pushing himself up, so that He can get a single breath, and then collapse back down.

With that nail in his feet catching the weight of his body, slamming upon it, tearing skin, ligaments and bone.

No mention of that.

We don’t read of Jesus crying in pain.

And did it hurt?

You bet it did.

Probably the best word to describe the worst pain, would be the word excruciating.

You ever had excruciating pain.

On a scale of 1 to 10, excruciating is an 11.

Things in my life that I would describe as excruciating pain:

Would be after my appendix was removed, and the hole in my side was infected.

Excruciating.

When I’d fall and twist my ankle, one time even breaking it.

Watching my foot grow two times it size.

My ankle extend past the sides of my shoes.

And my feet turn shades of black and blue that it shouldn’t.

Excruciating.

As painful as those events were, probably not up to the true meaning of the word excruciating.

The word has a Latin origin meaning out of the Cross.

Our best words to describe great pain, have the Cross in mind.

And yet, the Gospel writers don’t mention these things.

People are mentioned.

Criminals are mentioned.

Romans are mentioned.

But none of the details that we have grown so familiar with.

None of that is mentioned.

Maybe it’s because the original audience was so familiar with crucifixion.

The Romans made crucifixion a public event.

People were crucified on hillsides and along roads.

I read one source, not sure how accurate it was, but it said that they could have executed as many as 30,000 people a year.

So maybe the reason why the Gospel writers didn’t include the details of the crucifixion is because it was so well known.

Have you ever wondered how something so terrible could then become a part of our culture?

The Cross was an execution device.

What’s an execution device to us?

The electric chair.

A hangman’s noose.

A firing squad.

Lethal injection.

And yet we don’t wear necklaces with 14 karat gold electric chairs on them.

And we don’t hang lethal injection needles on our walls at home or churches as decorations.

How did the Cross become so special?

How did it become something we sing about?

How did something that was so terrible become known as:

The Wonderful Cross.

Something that we remember fondly, like The Old Rugged Cross.

Because the writers of the Gospels, knew the cross was a place of victory.

The victory of the Cross begins with a declaration.

Our main text is going to be verses 32-49.

And the victory declaration is found in verse 34, which I also believe is one of the most offensive sentences in the Bible.

Jesus is on the cross and he prays.

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

On first reading, that just seems wrong.

It seems as if contradicts the rest of the Bible.

It’s not the forgiveness part that hits me wrong.

It’s that He would forgive people who don’t recognize Him, who don’t know who He is.

The Gospel call is that people are to repent and have faith.

The great Christian message is that we have a great king, who conquered death.

And He is who we proclaim.

He is who we believe in.

He is who we trust in.

says you must believe in your heart, and confess with your mouth and you will be saved.

That’s the message.

And yet here, Jesus is forgiving people who don’t know Him as Lord.

Who have no sorrow or remorse for their sin.

They are not repenting, they’re in the middle of their sin.

And Jesus says forgive them.

Doesn’t that seem to go against the Christian message?

In some ways it even sounds like universalism.

People can go to heaven not knowing Jesus.

And by the way, Jesus isn’t making a request.

He’s not saying, “Father, please forgive them.”

This is not a prayer request.

This is Jesus, speaking on His own authority.

Fully man.

Fully God.

Making a declaration.

Forgive them.

Not - “Maybe forgive them.”

Not - “If things work out, I’ll forgive them.”

But, “Forgive them ...”

That declaration makes this a place of victory.

Jesus is showing His cards.

These people who are enemies of Him.

Participants of evil.

Jesus says this prayer, and then in a few hours you will see why He can make such a bold statement.

Because in a few hours nothing will be contradictory, because they will confess Him.

Though on the Cross and a victim, He is following a plan.

As we look to the Cross, we shouldn’t come out of it saying, “Bummer”.

Rather, our attitude should be what the authors are communicating.

The victory of God on display.

The first demonstration of the victory of God is that there is a Fulfillment of Prophecy.

Luke draws heavily on .

is a Messianic Psalm.

Go ahead and look back at it now.

Some of the words there should be familiar to you.

Read , , .

That Psalm says some pretty noteworthy things, and all concerning the crucifixion of Jesus.

But just comparing it to Luke’s Gospel we learn from this Psalm:

Do you notice how each of them are written in the present tense?

Gentiles will be around him.

He will be mocked.

“a company of evildoers encircles me;”

He will be surrounded by evildoers, or criminals.

His hands and feet will be pierced.

It doesn’t say they will encircle him.

People will stare at him like he’s a curiosity on display.

They presently encircle him.

Like something strange in a Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum.

Yet that time hasn’t come yet.

They they will divide his clothes and cast lots for them.

And what do we see at the cross?

We see that Jesus is taken to a place called The Skull.

In Aramaic the word is Golgotha.

In Latin, it’s the familiar word Calvary.

He’s taken there with a ton of people following them.

The Romans lead him there.

The Romans are the Gentiles.

Just like the prophecy stated.

Then we learn that He is surrounded by evildoers.

He has evildoers on his right and on his left, two criminals, both sentenced with death.

Luke describes Jesus being mocked.

What’s interesting, is the people mocking Jesus, match the Psalm perfectly.

What they say is what the Psalm says.

says, ““He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”

In , it says the rulers, that is the Jewish priests and members of the Sanhedrin, they said, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!”

The soldiers said something similar.

“If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!”

Even the criminals mocked him.

Matthew and Mark’s accounts say that both of the criminals made fun of him.

, has one of the criminals saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!”

He was joining in the same mockery as the rest of the crowd.

He’s on a cross, where every breath is precious, and he wastes his breath making fun of Jesus!

The Psalm account describes the crucifixion.

Saying, “… they have pierced my hands and feet -”

That’s a crucifixion.

That’s what Luke is describing.

describes in detail the events of the crucifixion, in fact even more info than Luke does.

The Psalm says, “I can count all my bones - they stare and gloat over me;”

Luke doesn’t talk about Jesus’ bones, but none of them were broken during this whole event.

Luke does mention people staring at Him though.

Verse 35 … “the people stood by watching ...”

They were a mixed and confused group.

Just 5 days earlier, on the Sunday that history calls Palm Sunday, they were singing, “Hosanna” and wanting to crown Him king.

By now they are confused.

One moment saying, “Crucify Him,” the next watching out of curiosity.

Again, something described in the Psalm.

The Psalmist describes Jesus’ clothes.

“they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.”

they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.

Luke mentions the same thing.

The Romans were drawing straws, playing a game of chance, to see who win Jesus’ clothing.

So the question here is why does Luke include these details.

Why doesn’t he talk more about the blood?

Luke is a doctor, he should know what’s happening.

Why doesn’t he mention the nails, or the raising of the Cross?

Because he’s talking about the victory of the Cross.

All of this is happening according to God’s plan.

We can never lose sight of that.

The moment, we think that Jesus was random victim, that is the moment we lose sight of the victory of it all.

says, “this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.”

The Judgment of God

The death of Christ, was God’s predestined plan to defeat the power of sin and death.

In order for that to happen, Christ would die, so He could break down the wall of death.”

And all who believe in Jesus and put their trust in Him, are doing a good thing.

Because He died … so you would have life.

The next victory is The Judgment of God is on display.

Look at verses 44-45.

It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.

“It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.”

The 6th hour means that it is about noon.

And for the next 3 hours, from 12 to 3pm, it’s dark.

This darkness is the fearful presence of God.

I know that there are internet rumors, facebook stories, forwarded emails, that like to talk about an eclipse that happened in 33 ad.

This was no eclipse.

This was passover, which meant there was a full moon.

An eclipse can’t happen when there is a full moon.

Also, eclipses don’t happen for 3 hours.

Others have tried to say that the darkness was Satan.

The darkness was the evil presence of Satan killing Jesus.

That’s not true.

Satan doesn’t have this kind of authority.

This was a supernatural darkness.

But it was God doing the work.

Here are some examples of the presence of God and darkness.

, Abraham has this encounter with God.

The presence of God is there, and a great darkness came.

the 9th plague in Egypt. What was it? Darkness.

When Moses went up onto Sinai to receive the law, God came in a thick dark cloud.

This darkness was a message to say that God was present, and He was there to judge.

And during this time, Jesus was receiving judgment for sin.

But not His sin.

Our sin.

says, “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

Why would God be present here?

Because Jesus had the sins of all His people placed on Him.

Just my sin, equals an eternity in Hell.

But here Jesus is receiving:

All of my sins.

All of your sins

All of those who believed before He came.

All those who believed after He came.

God is present, because Jesus is receiving God’s hatred for all of our sin.

The presence of sin separated man from God’s presence.

In the Garden, Adam and Eve had fellowship with God.

After the sin, they hid.

The presence of sin means that we cannot stand before God.

Within the Tabernacle, and later the Temple, there was a courtyard, where priests did their work.

Then inside that courtyard was the Holy of Holies.

It was where the presence of God was.

Only the high priest could enter it.

But only after he had purified himself.

He couldn’t just rush in there.

If he went in there prematurely, he’d be struck dead.

Nadab and Abihu, Aaron’s sons learned that lesson.

They went in, offering a strange fire, not in the method God prescribed, and they were struck dead.

Within the Holy of Holies was a curtain, and it’s purpose was to keep people away from God.

Remember, it’s the sin of man that has made us unholy.

This dividing curtain keeps man safe from God.

But as Jesus is suffering, and being judged for sin.

He is actually making peace between us and God.

He is removing that wall of separation.

And as the darkness was in the land, Luke records that the curtain within the Temple:

The same one that separates man and God, was torn in two.

The separation was removed.

And now there is fellowship between God and man.

We can approach God without fear of being struck dead.

We can experience His goodness, without fear.

We can pray and not feel unworthy.

There are some Christians who grieve over their sin and think that this wall of separation still exists.

To think that way forgets what happened on that dark day in history.

Jesus tore the veil, so you can approach God.

Paul told us to pray always.

When you pray, it is a way to show you understand the peace we have with God.

And nothing can ever bring separation again, nothing can separate us from the love of God.

This is what Paul was getting at in his great conclusion to , “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

What does this mean for us?

It means if you are in Christ, you have nothing to fear.

He died for you.

He will hold you to the very end.

Do you fear your sin?

Remember the darkness.

Remember the judgment of God on Christ.

Remember the curtain tearing in two.

Remember the victory of Christ on the Cross.

It’s pretty amazing. Every element of that terrible day was a victory. Even the Death of Jesus.

In verse 46, Luke records Jesus’s death in this way, “Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.”

This is amazing.

Physically, it’s amazing.

As people are crucified, they are slowly suffocating.

Their body is filling up with CO2, carbon dioxide.

They would usually pass out, before dying.

How does Jesus end though?

With a loud voice.

No passing out.

No half breathed whisper.

But a statement, “into your hands I commit my spirit!”

Jesus’s life was not taken from Him.

says, “For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

Jesus laid down His life.

He chose to die, and He chose when He would die.

If Satan or any opponent of Jesus thinks that Jesus’ death was their victory, they’re wrong.

This was the victory of Christ.

His death happened on His terms.

Something none of us can do.

We know that God makes life.

But death only happens when God desires it to happen.

says, “See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.”

Which is a comfort when you are grieving the death of a loved one.

They didn’t die before their time.

They died when God desired it to happen.

For His purpose.

And the same thing applies to the death of Jesus.

He laid down His life.

His death, with a loud voice, shows His victory over life and death.

He had a plan.

It happened.

There’s one final victory, and it’s not in your notes, but it’s a victory over sin.

This goes back to the very beginning of the sermon, with Jesus’ prayer that struck me as so wrong, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

And I told you that wasn’t a request, it was a statement.

But I still had all sorts of questions about that.

Are people forgiven even if they don’t know who Jesus is?

Are people forgiven who don’t recognize Jesus as Lord?

Look at what happens though.

One of the criminals starts speaking truth.

He recognizes his sin.

He recognizes that he deserves what he is receiving.

But then he goes a step further.

He asks to be remembered in Christ’s kingdom.

He’s no longer playing games with Jesus.

He is making a statement of faith, “remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

How does Jesus respond to it?

“Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

No talk of purgatory.

No soul sleep.

Paradise is coming.

Paradise is today.

This man has his sins forgiven, just as Jesus prayed.

Later on after Jesus’ death, the centurion says, “Certainly this man was innocent.”

Luke says that he praised God in saying He was innocent.

In Matthew’s account, it’s not just the centurion, but those with him as well.

They all were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

Again, these are professions of faith.

They are recognizing Who Jesus is.

The Romans that were there saw Jesus as the Son of God, and praised him.

Forgiveness of sins.

Just as Jesus prayed.

When Jesus made that prayer for them to be forgiven, he wasn’t changing the rules on us.

He was making a statement, they are going to have their sins forgiven.

There were people present, that He had predestined to have faith in Him, and all those He calls will come to Him.

And all those who come to Him … He forgives, He saves.

Why is this is a victory over Satan?

Because Jesus is ransacking Satan’s kingdom.

say, “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

This then becomes a picture of your story as well.

You were an enemy of God.

Yet before the foundation of the world, Christ knew you, predestined you, and knew He would be slain for you.

This also becomes a model of our own approach to people.

Jesus forgave us before we responded.

He died before you were alive.

He forgave us before we went to Him.

says, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

I think of our own approach to people.

When do you forgive people?

Do you wait for them to come to you?

Or do you forgive them while yet sinners.

The Cross was a victory.

It was a terrible event.

Great violence was done.

Most of the stories and movies highlight the violence.

But don’t forget the victory.

Prophecy was fulfilled.

God’s judgment was displayed.

Jesus laid down His life.

Sin was defeated.

And now, you can:

Wear your cross necklace because it was where Jesus was victorious.

Sing of the Old Rugged Cross, even sing of it being a Wonderful Cross.

And you can be confident that it is where your sins were paid for.

Pray

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