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Pictures of salvation (Luke 23:26-49 April 17, 2011)

In five days time we will gather to celebrate the death of Jesus on Good Friday. The focus of this day is usually His death on the cross. But when we read the gospel accounts – that is only one part of the story. What we find is that the gospel writers paint for us a number of pictures of salvation leading to the death of Jesus. The cross itself is just one of these pictures. These pictures paint for us the way of salvation. The first picture we find is:

The picture of Simon bearing the cross Turn with me to Luke 23:26:

And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus.

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The Mosaic law required that executions be performed outside the city. The Romans saw this as an opportunity to remind the people of what happened if one opposed Caesar. The made the condemned man carry his cross to the place of execution – usually near a well-travelled road and if possible on a hill where all could see what happened to those who opposed Rome. The gospels, tell us that Jesus was severely weakened by His beating and that He only managed to carry His cross to the city gates before pain and exhaustion meant He could go no further. The guards exercised their right to requisition a passer-by to step in and carry the condemned man’s cross. They chose, Simon of Cyrene. They probably chose Him because he looked young and strong enough to carry the cross. Cyrene is on the northern coast of Africa – in what is today called Libya. There was a large Jewish population there. The fact that his name was Simon suggests that he was Jewish and he was probably in Jerusalem for the Passover. What do we learn from this picture of Simon bearing the cross? We learn that:

We must join in His death If we want to be a disciple of Christ we have to take up our cross and join Him in His sufferings. We know that Son of Man’s suffering paid for our sin. Isaiah 53:5:

He was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.

But we must never forget that to be a disciple means we willingly join Him in suffering. Simon of Cyrene was just standing there – one of the crowd watching the condemned men carry their crosses to the place of execution. Had he heard of Jesus? We don’t know – most likely he had. What did he think of Jesus – we don’t know. But – almost certainly over the next hours, his perspective changed. Luke 23:47–48:

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

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this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts.

It seems that Simon came to understand that Jesus was an innocent man. And later he came to faith and understood that Jesus was the Son of God who died for our transgressions. He saw the toll the beating took on Jesus. He watched this innocent man die. And realised this was the Son of God dying for him. But Simon also had the unique privilege to bear the cross of Jesus. He would have understood better than anyone the pictures of discipleship Jesus gave throughout His ministry. Luke 9:23–24:

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.

Luke 14:27:

Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. The world hated Jesus – they will hate us. They persecuted Jesus – they will persecute us. He would have understood when Paul said in 2 Corinthians 1:5 – We share in Christ’s sufferings. Or Philippians 1:29:

For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake.

Or 2 Timothy 1:8:

Share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God. While Simon literally bore Jesus’ cross – the point for us is that we have to count the cost of discipleship. To willingly identify ourselves with the crucified Messiah. The cost might be your family, your health, your life – but you gain eternal life. If you want to be a disciple – you have to follow the lead of Simon and bear the cross of Jesus. It might be persecution – it might be sacrifice – it might mean a sword comes into your family. There will be a cost.

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A few weeks ago I was talking to a wonderful young lady who said she wanted to come to Christ. But as we talked I realised there were areas of her life that she could not keep if she came to Christ. She was on the edge – Christ or the world. Take up her cross or lay it down. I am praying she comes to Christ. It happens in many different ways. For many the cost is family. We want our parents and relatives and friends to follow Jesus – but we don’t want to alienate them. Our parents and friends worry about us. Are we in a cult? Will we throw away our career? Will we take the grandkids to Africa? Will we waste our lives? Everyone feels the tension. And the pressure comes to compromise. You live your religion – don’t get radical. Don’t share with me. When we get together we will not talk religion or worldview. We won’t discuss abortion, Islam, Jesus – just Broncos, Fukishima and the Defence Academy. And Jesus says – no! I come first – take up your cross. That means letting your family know that I come first. If that brings a sword – so be it. If you love them you will share the gospel and live the gospel. If they hated Me – they will hate you. It is part of the cost of discipleship. The question is this. Is Jesus your prime relationship? One that makes every other relationship and cost very secondary? The picture here of a disciple carrying the cross is one of the most striking in the Bible. Choosing to join in the fellowship of His sufferings. Commentator William Hendriksen said this, “If anyone wishes to be counted as [Jesus’] adherent, he must once and for all say farewell to self, decisively accept pain, shame and persecution for [His] sake and in [His] cause – day in, day out – and must then keep on following [Him] as [His] disciple.” What happened to Simon of Cyrene? In his gospel, Mark adds another little detail. He tells us that Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus. Obviously these men were well known to Mark’s readers. While we cannot be certain as to who these men were, it is possible that Rufus is mentioned in Romans 16:13 where Paul says:

Greet Rufus, a choice man in the Lord, also his mother and mine.

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Since Mark wrote from Rome and Paul was writing to Rome, this makes the identification more probable. But regardless – the fact Mark’s readers knew these men indicate that Simon came to faith and led his sons to faith. If the Rufus in Romans 16 is the same Rufus, then Simon’s wife became like a mother to the Apostle Paul. Simon chose to identify with Christ, suffer with Christ and join Him as His disciple. So this is the first picture of salvation – we must join in His death. There is a second picture.

The picture of:

The daughters of Jerusalem Look at verses 27-31:

And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep 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!’ 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?”

Most likely these women are distraught because they sensed there was a horrific injustice going on here. Jesus is about to die – even though He is innocent. Jesus pauses and tells them – weep not for me – weep for yourselves. A day of judgment is coming. Probably this judgment refers both to the Fall of Jerusalem and to the ultimate Day of Judgment.

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On that day – things will be so bad those without children will consider themselves blessed – because their children will not have to go through the judgment. People will long for the mountains and hills to cover them from the wrath of God. For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry? Jesus was not a natural target of judgment – He was an innocent man – but He was crucified. The wrath of God fell on Him through the hand of men. He was like green wood – it is not a natural fit to be burned. But we are a natural target of judgment – we are sinners. The wrath of God will fall on us. We are like dry brittle wood – ready to be consumed. Here is the point. If the wrath of God fell on Jesus – how much more will it fall on us? Jesus is warning these women and indeed anyone with ears to hear – if the wrath of God fell on Jesus – who is innocent – then we are in a world of trouble. What is the point?

We must prepare because of His death. All of us feel injustice. This week my mum bought one of those TV deals where you buy a mop. Once they have your details – they rip you off. They sent things she did not order. What upset me was not the money but the injustice. We see children abused and we bristle. We see injustice and we weep. We long for the day the wrongs will be put right. But, we don’t weep at our sin. An injustice against a holy God. We should weep – for the cross only delays the day of wrath. Romans 1:18:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.

Jesus’ death is a clarion call that God does not take sin lightly. He will be no means just overlook our transgressions. The Father treats sin so seriously – He sent Jesus to the cross. And it is not just dodgy companies and paedophiles who will feel this wrath – all of us have fallen short of the glory of God. How do we prepare for the death of Jesus?

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We need to realise the day of judgment for us is coming. One day we will all stand in judgment before the throne of God. If we stand in our own righteousness – our own list of failures, sins, lies, lusts, transgressions – the wrath of God will fall with a power we can scarcely believe. We will be burned forever in hell by the glory of His righteousness. But, there is a way of escape. The gospel – the good news is that there is a way to escape. Jesus – the innocent spotless Lamb of God – died. The wrath of God was poured out on Him. Those women watched Jesus – the innocent One die. The gospel says if they have faith – He bore their sins and their punishment. They escaped the wrath to come. It was a sad day when the Prince of glory died. But it was also the most joyous day in history. Sad because our sin nailed Him to the cross. Joyous because our sin was nailed to the cross – if we have faith. There is another way we prepare because of His death – we tell others – judgment is coming – repent and live – trust Christ and live. If the holiness of God demands that His own son suffer and die – then no one will escape without Christ. We need to sound the alarm and point to the One way of salvation. What happened to these women? We don’t know for sure but I suspect some were those who repented, trusted Christ, founded the church and escaped the wrath to come. There is a third picture.

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The picture of:

The thief on the cross This is one of the great pictures in Scripture. Luke 23:32–34:

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.

To add to His humiliation, they crucified the Lord between two men who were criminals and who indeed deserved their death. While these men are usually called thieves – their crime is actually far worse. Mark tells us that these men were guilty of insurrection. Like Barabbas these were men with blood on their hands. They were revolutionaries who had committed murder in the insurrection. It seems the plan had been for three men to die for their crimes in the insurrection. Barabbas and two unnamed revolutionaries. Three crosses had been prepared. Undoubtedly, Jesus took Barabbas’ place in the execution. He was crucified on the cross made for Barabbas. This fulfils the prophecy of Isaiah 53:12:

And [He] was numbered with the transgressors. Notice this request of Jesus, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” There is a lot of debate about this.

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It seems to me that Jesus is saying that those who crucified Him – Jews and Romans did not fully grasp the horrific magnitude of their sin. Is there a greater sin than murdering the innocent Son of God? The point of Jesus’ prayer is that even this sin can be forgiven. The blood of Christ can forgive even this. And the love of Christ can reach those who nailed Him to that tree. Luke then tells us that in fulfillment of the Psalms – the soldiers cast lots for His clothing. Verse 35:

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!”

They attack the two truths that aroused so much interest in Christ among the masses. He saved others. A reference to the miracles of Christ. He healed the sick. He raised the dead. The chief priests and scribes could not deny the reality of Christ’s miracles. But, what they could do is undermine their validity. If Jesus were from God, would God desert Him in His hour of need? If He came as the Son of God, why can He not save Himself? Obviously His power is not from God. Obviously He is not a true man from God. In their words they fulfil the prophecy of Psalm 22:7-8:

All who see me sneer at me; They separate with the lip, they wag the head, saying, Commit yourself to the Lord; let Him deliver him; Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.”

They also attacked His Messianic credentials. If He were the Christ, why can He not come down from the cross? Surely the Messiah who will rule the nations with an iron rod would not be nailed to a tree in disgrace? If He was the Messiah, He would come down from the cross and then we would believe. Really? Honest philosophers throughout the ages have admitted that no miracle no matter how grand would convince them of the truth of Scripture. Listen to these words of Voltaire:

Even if a miracle should be wrought in the open marketplace before a thousand sober witnesses, I would rather mistrust my senses than admit a miracle.

If Christ had stepped from that cross, no doubt it would have thrown the cat among the pigeons, but it would never have caused the priests and scribes to believe.

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They found ways to explain away or rationalise every one of His other miracles. They would find a way to rationalise away that miracle. Christ could not come down from the cross. He had a debt to pay. The irony is thick. Christ could have saved Himself at any time. Twelve legions of angels stood ready to assist Him. But, if He saved Himself and came down from the cross, then He could not save those who were hurling abuse at Him. There would be no basis to forgive those before Him. The only way to save the world and provide forgiveness was to remain on that cross and die. William Barclay shares the story of a missionary who went to an Indian village to tell the story of Jesus. Following his talk, he showed a slide presentation of Jesus, using a whitewashed wall for the screen. When the picture of Christ on the cross appeared, a man sprang to his feet exclaiming, “Come down from that cross, Son of God. I, not you, should be hanging there!” True! But, if Christ did not hang there, heaven would never have a redeemed man inside her gates. He chose not to save Himself that we might be saved. Verses 36-38:

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.”

The Roman soldiers joined in the mocking. They offered him sour wine. This is in fulfilment of Psalm 69:21:

They also gave me gall for my food And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

It was clear to all that Christ was nearing death. But the cruelty of the soldiers was not sated. They wanted to prolong the fun they were having. So someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink. The sour wine was a cheap wine diluted with vinegar and drunk by the foot soldiers. It was placed on a hyssop reed and pushed to Christ’s lips. Its intention was entirely to prolong His suffering. They wanted to continue the mocking. Then they took up the chant – You are the King of the Jews? Well then save yourself. And to further mock they put up a sign – This is the King of the Jews. They did not know the reality of their words – but their words were in fact true – He was the King of the Jews and the Son of God. Verse 39:

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One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!”

The mock of the priests was echoed by the soldiers and finally even one of the criminals. It gets pretty bad when the murderers being executed insults you. But, Jesus did not respond to any of this criticism – from the passers-by, the chief priests and scribes or from the men crucified next to Him. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges righteously. His conduct. His demeanour. His words. God used them. God tore down the heart of perhaps the least likely man there. Amid this scene of rebuke, scorn and derision, from the most unlikely of sources comes a voice of faith. Verses 40-42:

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.”

You are about to die and face God for your sins – have you no fear of judgment? We are sinners – we deserve death. But this man is innocent. And then comes a statement of faith from the unlikeliest of places. “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Verse 43:

And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” What is the point of this picture?

We must have faith in His death. This is a great picture of every one of us. We are the thief. We are guilty – fully deserving of death – unable to do anything. But grace causes us to realise there is one way out. Christ – the innocent One. Like the thief – we can cry to Jesus – remember me when You come in Your kingdom. And He will answer that prayer.

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Consider the picture here. Three crosses. One cross portrays a criminal dying IN sin, and the other a criminal dying TO sin. But the centre cross speaks of the Redeemer dying FOR sin. It divides all humanity into one of two categories: those who reject Christ and die in sin, and those who receive Christ and die to sin. If we have faith in the death of Christ – we die to sin and live. All men either reject Christ and die in sin or trust Christ and die to sin. Here is this man – an insurrectionist, a murderer – a man who even by his own admission deserves death. But in the sovereign design of God, he was crucified next to Christ and escaped hell. This is a picture of the extent of grace. Don’t be mistaken and think we are one iota different to this insurrectionist and murderer. Your sin is rebellion and insurrection against God. You have rebelled against the Holy One and deserve nothing but the pit. But, the same grace that plucked a dying murderer from the cross to draw him to Paradise is the same grace that can save you. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. The salvation of this dying criminal is a wonderful picture of the salvation of all believers. We are dead in our transgressions and deserving of the pit. Our sin nailed Christ to the cross. But, when we call out to God, the innocent One we caused to suffer deigns to rescue the villain who caused His pain. And the ground of that rescue is faith. Faith PLUS nothing! Not works, not baptism, not indulgences, not sacraments – nothing! This criminal professed his faith and died – yet he is in glory. He had no time or opportunity for any works or actions or anything else. He stands as a testimony for all time of the truth that salvation is by grace through faith alone. We are that criminal on the cross. His salvation mirrors our own. We were dead in sin. Deserving of every violence heaven can muster. But, by faith we are saved. There is a final picture.

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The picture of the curtain torn asunder Luke 23:44–45:

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.

When man sinned he was separated from God. And the whole layout of the Temple showed this.

The outermost court was known as the Court of the Gentiles. Everyone, Jew and Gentile was permitted to enter this area. Then, a low inner wall enclosed three further courts, the Court of the Women – beyond which Jewish women may not go, the Court of the Israelites – into which Jewish men may go, and finally the Court of the Priests – the innermost of the courts into which only priests might set foot.

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Within the Court of the Priests was the Temple proper where the sacrifices were conducted. There were actually two veils in this portion of the Temple. One veil a was beautifully coloured Babylonian curtain which separated the Holy place from the porch. In the Holy place stood the Table of Showbread, the Altar of Incense and the Candelabrum. At the rear of the Holy place was another curtain which led into the Holy of Holies. Entrance to this place was only permitted once per year when the High Priest would enter to make atonement for the sins of the nation. This whole setup showed the separation between God and man. Areas beyond which Gentiles could not pass. Areas beyond which women could not pass. Areas beyond which men who were not priests could not pass. And an areas beyond which no one could pass except the High Priest and then he could pass only once per year to make atonement for the sins of the nation. If we just had the accounts of the gospels alone, it would be difficult to determine which veil was torn. But, in the book of Hebrews it is made clear that the one torn asunder is the inner curtain, the one that separates the Holy place from the Holy of Holies. This curtain is described in detail in the Old Testament. While the descriptions are of the curtain for the Tabernacle, this same design was kept for the Temples. The curtain was woven of very fine strands of blue, purple and scarlet interwoven into a white linen fabric. The design was a mass of cherubim, the angels who surround the presence of God. These angels symbolically bar the way to the presence of God. But once a year could anyone enter the presence of God. And that could only be the High Priest come to make atonement for the sins of the nation. The rending of this curtain had obvious significance. The death of Christ had rendered the sacrificial system obsolete. The Lamb of God had made the continuous sacrifice for sins obsolete. He had paid for the sins of the world once for all. The whole system of sacrifice and atonement was now passed away. This tearing of the veil symbolised the end of this whole system. The destruction of the Temple in AD 70 would complete the end of this whole system. The sacrifices pointed to the once for all sacrifice of Christ. Now that sacrifice was made, the old system was no longer necessary. But the greater significance for those who are in Christ is what His death opened up. Once only the High priest could draw near to God. Now all who are sons of God can draw near. We are all priests. We can all approach the throne of grace. We can all come to confess our sins and receive forgiveness. The death of Christ tore down the barriers between Holy God and sinful man. Those in Christ could come before the Lord bearing the righteousness of Christ. What was once unthinkable, now was possible.

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The rending of the veil whereby man could have access to God was the greatest event in history. Through the blood of Christ, man could come to God. Restricted access is something we understand on a human level. I can’t just saunter up to Ms Bligh’s office and wander in for a chat. I can’t just pick up the phone and dial Julia. When we were touring around the US, we spent a few days in Washington DC. I wanted to see the White House. I soon found out that to get past the front gate you needed a ticket. Each Congressman and Senator has a certain number of tickets available for each day. Dena’s uncle pulled a few strings, we went searching found this congressman’s office, got some tickets for the next day. We turned up, and I thought half the world had turned up. There was this huge line down the gate, round the corner and several people deep. After a few hours in line we came to a metal detector and some secret servicemen searched us. We then got this quickie tour of a few rooms of the White House. Now, we never got to see any important room. We never got anywhere near the Oval Office. There was no way we would ever get a glimpse of the President of the time – Bill Clinton – let alone a few minutes to chat about what it was like to be President. You see, to see this man, several hundred thousand dollars to his re-election campaign would buy a few minutes with Him. If you got to be a head of state of another country it warranted a few hours. But for paeons like us, seeing his picture on the wall is as close as we could think of getting. Bill Clinton is man like you and me. A sinful man. Yet, we can’t arrange for a few minutes chinwag. God is not a man. God is not sinful. Not even Bill Clinton could arrange for a few minutes with God. God in His infinite mercy allowed the High priest and him alone a few minutes each year to atone for the sins of Israel. The death of Christ changed all that. The veil is gone. The least of men can have permanent full time access to God through the blood of Christ. But, this new ease of access means we take it for granted. Tens of thousands cue for hours daily to see the downstairs of where Bill Clinton lives. Powerful men paid fortunes for a few minutes of his time. But that is nothing compared to the torn curtain – we have unfettered access to God – the Creator of the universe. But the question is – will we take advantage of His death and walk through the curtain? Verses 46-49:

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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.

It is all well and good to know that there is a way to be made right with God. The point is we have to take that opportunity.

We must be reconciled through His death. The centurion who nailed Jesus to the cross – one of those who Jesus prayed might be forgiven – He realises that this man is innocent. The crowds who mocked – some of them were cut to the core and loft beating their breasts. Here is the point – Simon of Cyrene had to choose to become a disciple of Jesus. The daughters of Jerusalem had to choose to repent and escape the wrath to come. The thief on the cross had to choose to turn to Christ in faith. The way to God is open – but we have to grasp the opportunity. We have to realise who Jesus is – the Sinless Saviour who by faith is our Substitute. The curtain is open – the way to God is there. If you do not know Christ – if you do not choose to follow Him – then His death does not avail for you. But for all who choose to enter the veil and trust Him – Paradise is yours – heaven – forgiveness of sin – escape from the wrath to come. Please talk to me. Make His death

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avail for you this day. Follow in the footsteps of Simon, the women, the thief, the centurion – own Christ and live. This is the glory of the cross – salvation for all who come to Him in faith. This is why we celebrate Easter every year. And for us who are in Christ – may the wonder of this truth never leave us.