You Can Learn a lot from a thief

Objective: My aim is to explore Luke 23: 26-49, and find how this piece of Scripture can be applied to the everyday life and thinking of the Christian.

Diagnosis: We live and a world that has not grasped the implications of Christ death on the cross. Our society doesn’t understand that our sin should have separated us from the kingdom. When we look at Christ what do we see, and how should we respond to his glory. I believe that Luke 23:26-49, does a great Job showing the severing servant, and our response to him.

Luke 23:26–29 NASB95

When they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus. And following Him was a large crowd of the people, and of women who were mourning and lamenting Him. But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. “For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’

Luke 23:30–49 ESV

Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?” Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” 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.” 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. 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. Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!” And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things.

This story is also found in Matthew 27:28, and Mark 15:27. However, Luke’s version is the one with more detail, and it women be assumed that Luke’s version although some elements are poured from Mark. Luke also interviewed other people especially women in particular the mother of Christ.

1. When we look at our savior at this moment he was already at the brink of death, unlike the other prisoners, he had be beaten, flogged and heavily scourged. It is likely that Christ would have died from his wounds anyway.

2. Next we see an amazing illustration of Luke 9:23 and Luke 14:27, in which Jesus says that anyone who doesn’t pick up his cross and follow me, is not worthy to be my disciple. It could be the reason that Christ didn’t carry the cross although to the skull which is Latin for Calvaria is because although Christ died for all of our sins, he was not responsible for them

3. We also are seeing Isaiah 53:12 coming into fulfilment. Isaiah 53 in totality speaks to this event in history, but it speaks of Jesus being numbered with transgressors. The two thieves on the cross were not just a coincident.

4. The thieves on the Cross also represent the internal struggle between flesh and Spirit. We see Christ at his weakest, but we see how Satan tries to take advantage of it. However, we see the father reveal to the thief on the left that this man is innocent and not only that, he revealed to him that he was the savior.

5. When we reflect on Christ what do we see, do we understand the implications of the sacrifice of Christ. Understand that Christ did not have to die for us. That he choose to lay his life down.