The Crucifixion

All four gospel record the events that surround Jesus crucifixion, and while they don't give us a lot of detail about how he suffered. They make it very clear as to why he suffered today on Truth for Life. Alistair Begg emphasizes the purpose of Christ's death on the cross and I invite you to turn to chapter 23 verse 33.

Four words there they crucified him three words in Greek@Chi Estado sign out on their Estado Sunday crucified out on him three words.

After all this time, after all of the expectation after the flag of the gospel of Luke has literally been pulsating with the expectation of the cross of the shadow across the horizon of Jesus and all of its awful prospect has now become a dreadful reality. Luke along with Matthew and Mark and John does not dwell on the manner in which Jesus was crucified. Indeed, if you search the Gospels and I commend the exercise do you you will realize that there are virtually no details of Christ's physical suffering now. Presumably the gospel writers understood what others have faced, namely that if they focus primarily on the physical sufferings of Jesus than the reader could very readily stop at night. The reader could very quickly look at the scene as it was described and mistakenly think that once I have been gripped by stirred moved, succumbing to this dreadful scene that I haven't grasped the neck a lot when in point of fact to focus on the outward aspects. The physicality of it. If you like. Maybe in five to over Luke the vetting deepest dimensions of what the writer is conveying. Now of course this runs contrary to Christian art. Contemporary religious art. At least when I say content rearming in the last couple hundred years 300 years or so. It is almost all inevitably focus on the physical sufferings of Jesus. But clearly, sympathy for Jesus as the perfect suffered or stop short of faith in Jesus as the perfect Savior and it is for that reason, presumably, that the witnesses, the gospel writers. These evangelists have not sought to answer the question, what was his suffering. Like, but have essentially been addressing the question what did his suffering achieve what was the purpose of these events as opposed to a preoccupation with the passion itself.

I find it equally illuminating that when we go into the acts of the apostles and when we go into the epistles primarily, we discover that the writers there are doing the same thing you will search in vain in any of the letters for some detailed description of the sufferings of Jesus not present.

Religious art does it, but the Bible doesn't do it all and gives to us. Are these great summary statements he himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree or if you like. In two Corinthians he was rich for our sakes became poor doesn't say he was rich, became poor, that may simply induce sympathy. What a sorry tale, but somebody who had so much and lived in heaven to come down here and end up with nothing. I feel dreadful about that.

We may feel all kinds of sympathy in relationship to that story but the very fact of the middle words are there is the significance of it all. He was rich he was rich for our sakes became poor and for our sakes.

Receipt is the issue is the achievement of the cross is the purpose of the cross throughout the pages of Scripture. Indeed, from the very beginning of it all in the book of Genesis when man sins and turns his back on God. The issue is atonement. Atonement means to bring reconciliation to those who are alienated from one another man is alienated from God by nature, on account of his disobedience and his sin. Man recognizes that sin needs to be atonement for conscience tells him so.

But man also recognizes that he actually doesn't have the power to atone for his sins. And there's no acceptance with God apart from atonement and since there sin even in the best things that we do any hope of making amends will actually only increase our guilt and deepen our predicament.

Therefore, it is foolish for a man or a woman to try and establish their own righteousness before God to take if you like the religious road to see by my doing, and by my try and by my out besting my neighbors. Perhaps I can deal with this alienation that I experience deep within me.

Perhaps I can be reconciled to God. Perhaps I can affect my own atonement. Paul says in his great diatribe in Romans he says you shouldn't even try it.

The whole world is accountable before God that the door is shut up along that journey. Then again, summary of the nature of what the cross is achieved, he says, but now listen carefully to this, but now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known to which the law and the prophets testify. In other words, he says if you wanted know about this read your Bibles, and this righteousness from God comes through faith in Christ Jesus to all who believe. There's no difference for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus and God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. So you go back to the gospel records and you say what is it that Luke is conveying here in this story.

Why is it that he details things as he does. After all, he was not himself an eyewitness. He used eyewitnesses. He confirmed with eyewitnesses, he brought his lien is is medical training to bear investigative leads diagnostically. If you like. Upon the facts as they were presented to him and then as an evangelist.

He wrote them down in order that men and women might believe that Jesus is the Christ. God saw that men and women might feel sorry for Jesus and then feel good because they felt that I sent you. Again, there is all the difference in the world between us.

Sympathy for Jesus as the perfect self and faith in Christ as our personal savior and final summary statement from Johnny says this is love that we love God that he love doesn't send his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. My own study of this passage cause me to stand back from it. I read it and read it and read it again and read it in different versions read in paraphrases and read it in my Greek New Testament, and so on and eventually standby from an in the same way as with a picture because these words are painting a picture certain things stand out and I wonder if you would agree that as you stand back from this. There are two things that seem active/I would add is first of all, at the end of verse 34. This statement and they divided up his clothes by casting lots now here is Jesus reduced to nothing. Jesus here is robbed of everything robbed of honor robbed of his followers robbed of his life. Yes, and as he hangs up on the cross he hears them saying no. I want the sandals know you got the sandals from the last check. It's your turn for the turbine. I don't want to turn and what are we going to do with this undergarment is just one huge piece while.

Why don't we throw dice for it. Staggering is in John gives us the details of it is the gamble so that it isn't torn as a first thing that stood out to me the second thing that stood out was the signing business. This sign in verse 38 were so familiar assigns our memory of other signs about this and signs about that.

Well this is been going on for a long time so there was a written notice here that was a sign above the head of Christ declaring this is the king of the Jews. Again, there is historical precedent for this. It was customary for the executed individual, either to sign hanging around his neck as he proceeded to the place of execution or to have another individual, bearing a placard in front of the condemned man and on that placard or around his neck on that sign was the declaration of his guilt.

So the people could see that he was on the way to execution and then they could read wired was that he was about to be executed, but with Jesus. There was an immediate problem. After all, Pilate knew that he was an innocent man.

It was a very innocence of Jesus that it created such a dilemma for pilot and he was sure that many of those who were his protagonists Christ protagonist were were equally convinced of his innocence by the hated so what actually is going to put on the sign that eventually is placed above the individual for the people to view Jesus and told pilot, my kingdom is not of this world is aware of this world. My followers would fight sensitiveness of white wine is Pilate put this sign up that you might want lateness until or you just so familiar with this you thing you know why is it here is the only way 11 get on the wireless. If you come that I was in I don't know why this is in here this is the king of the Jews. Why, why put that apply well I think there's a way to get to this again is in John in his detail. John says that the Jews came to pilot would like to change that sign would like you to put he claimed to be the king of the Jews.

We don't want to read.

This is the king of the Jews and member pilots response what I have written.

I have written in a dramatic irony because an actual fight what Pilate had written was true.

Here is the heralded Messiah. Here is the chosen one of Israel. Here is the answer to the great guy.

Llamas of men and women with their tawdry little kingdoms in a universal kingdom in an eternal kingdom over which Christ will reign, and he shall reign forever and ever.

Pilate is actually declaring the reality albeit with an agenda. I think that was to tell the Jews listen you folks have annoyed me intensely. You forced my hand and I want to put a sign up there so that when you walk past people will be able to see the Jews are a subjective people but they don't have a king because this is their king. So what kind of people are they with a cane on a cross. And lest any of you should determine to produce an earthly king with views on an earthly kingdom. Let this scene be a reminder to you of what the Roman authorities will do if ever you seek to rise up in insurrection.

Let's just leave it there. This is the king of the Jews, so the closer gamble for the signing is in place and then these verbs Luke builds up a picture of the the flavor in the crowd. The spirit that is amongst this last arena of individuals. Let me just point the verbs out to you. Verse 35 the people student watching is always a crowd just standing around the rulers were sneering incidentally look at these rulers. These tough guys are talking to one another.

You know you saved other people that what is a go ahead and save himself if he is the Messiah of God. The soldiers join in, but they mock him to his face. What have they to fear. They care similar song if you're the king of the Jews, save yourself and finally most staggeringly of all, verse 39, one of the criminals who is hanging there beside begins to Harlan Southside in the, the, the Greek is graphic. He was tiring this stuff out of venom, as it were spitting out from them what you think of the Messiah. If you will, Messiah, senior cell and while you're at it, save us, and you understand what's going on here. In every instance in each instance, the notion is that self deliverance is the criterion for genuineness. In other words, will know that this man really is the Messiah. If he saves himself, but if he doesn't save himself.

How can we possibly save anybody else. In other words, it's completely upside down. It is because he doesn't save himself that he is able to save those who come unto God through him-we have it clearest in the criminals words because he really is expressing the crowds view isn't what kind of Messiah are you and your Messiah while you save yourself while you sleep last while you're about.

He's guilty of the most biting sarcasm.

Now he's just joining in the rulers and their conversation with each other. They couldn't deny that he saved others is how they started. He saved others.

Oh yes he did against what appeared to be the run of playing against their interest.

Some of their friends, presumably, had been converted by Jesus had become followers of Jesus had broken ranks with religious orthodoxy had stepped away from the religious epicenter and it hooked up with this Galilean carpenter and his ragtag bunch of friends. He saved others on and let them save himself now less. This all seems so far away. Think this fellow is saying. I'm not sure what the Messiah supposed to be like, but I'm pretty certain that he should be hanging on a cross. You know I say that I'm a religious person and understand things and relax. I'm a spiritual individual led on that and I don't know a great deal about messiahs but the little I know about messiahs. I'm pretty sure that no Messiah was the name should be hanging up here dying is it only once a week here this the people thing to reject Christ on the basis of the same morphologic that in their arrogance. They say well you know I'm a spiritual part time job as a religious person but I do know this I do know that whatever this Jesus is can possibly be suggesting the pivotal event of human history that the that the answer to the Dilantin of my alienation that my brokenness and the wretchedness of our world and the deprivation of humanity in the wars of the nations and the disintegration of so Mark is directly answered here in this scene, I mean it's just silly incidents. I spied Paul when he makes one of his summary statements. Again, he says the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.

I would imagine that there are at least some of you this morning trapped somewhere in the middle-of-the-road. He started off as a little uncomfortable. It's moved to more uncomfortable is now regulated to annoyance and is beginning to really drive you nuts and is this this is supposed to be a happy Sunday and what is this character about listen to me this is the story and review the reason that you feel awkward, annoyed, even a sense of animosity is because of your condition.

If this story is foolishness to you it is because you are perishing, and if this story is music to Uni's. It is because you're being seen you seek what is criminal was doing was essentially this is saying to Jesus.

Jesus prove yourself, get yourself out of this mess. Get me out of this mess and then I'll believe in you. Is it every week. I hear while as far as I'm concerned in regards looked down and saw the situation with my friend or my neighbor of my son and my daughter real concerns real dangers real difficulties without minimizing that in any way. If God was prepared to do this then if he obeyed my command. If you responded to my demands. Then I was ready to believe in him, but since he didn't that have nothing to do is with his father said you notice that he ignores the character of Christ.

He clearly sets aside the claims of Christ and he is apparently unmoved. The compassion of Christ as we see next time his friend on the other site, healing the same things observing the same scene comes to a different conclusion hear Jesus say father forgive them and he says I need the other chapters. What is about how I before I'll believe in this Messiah died. He did without believing in him. Don't die in unbelief don't die in unbelief do not die in your on belief and urgent appeal for McAllister big day on Truth for Life. Maybe you been challenged by Alister's message you want to know more about the forgiveness that Jesus offers what it means to believe in him. We encourage you to visit the learn more page on our website. There you'll find a couple of videos that explain more about Jesus sacrifice on the cross. Visit Truth for Life.org/learn more. Again, that's Truth for Life.org/learn more criminal on the cross, ridiculed the idea of a crucified Messiah, but the crucifixion of Jesus is central to Christianity.

That's why we've selected a book called the cross in for words to make available to you. This is a short and yet thorough book that explains four outcomes of Jesus redemptive work on the cross, how they were foreshadowed throughout the Old Testament. Many of us are familiar with the account of Christ death, but the more we can understand about the cross, the better were able to share God's amazing grace and forgiveness with others.

The cross in for words comes highly recommended from Alister to request your copy when you get by clicking on the app by calling us at 888-588-7884 Bob Lapine hope you have a relaxing and refreshing weekend.

Hope you can join us on Monday, as will hear Christ's words from the cross continue our series with a message titled prayer and the promise the Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life or the Learning is for Living