Sunday's Message - The Cross (Luke 23:26-49)

During the season on Lent, the congregation of Sligo Presbyterian Church will move thought a sermon series entitled “His Last Week: The Last Seven Days in the Life of Jesus.” As we prepare ourselves to celebrate the resurrection, we're looking at the following six events in Jesus's last week here on earth and consider how each can shape what we believe and how we live right here and now. 

• March 6 – The Entry (Luke 19:28-40) 
• March 13 – The Cleansing (Luke 19:41-48)
• March 20 – The Meal (Luke 22:7-23)
• March 27 – The Prayer (Luke 22:39-46)
• April 3 – The Trial (Luke 22:66 – 23:12)
• April 10 – The Cross (Luke 23:26-49)

During this last message, we used Luke 23:26-49 to discuss the crucifixion and the cross.

You can stream all our services live by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube channel. If you miss one of these messages, you can find a copy and podcast on the Sligo Presbyterian Church: Our Congregation and Community blog (https://thenettransform.blogspot.com/). 

Luke 23:26-49 [Contemporary English Version]

As Jesus was being led away, some soldiers grabbed hold of a man named Simon who was from Cyrene. He was coming in from the fields, but they put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.

A large crowd was following Jesus, and in the crowd a lot of women were crying and weeping for him. Jesus turned to the women and said:

Women of Jerusalem, don’t cry for me! Cry for yourselves and for your children. Someday people will say, “Women who never had children are really fortunate!” At that time everyone will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” They will say to the hills, “Hide us!” If this can happen when the wood is green, what do you think will happen when it is dry? 

Two criminals were led out to be put to death with Jesus. When the soldiers came to the place called “The Skull,” they nailed Jesus to a cross. They also nailed the two criminals to crosses, one on each side of Jesus.

Jesus said, “Father, forgive these people! They don’t know what they’re doing.”

While the crowd stood there watching Jesus, the soldiers gambled for his clothes. The leaders insulted him by saying, “He saved others. Now he should save himself, if he really is God’s chosen Messiah!”

The soldiers made fun of Jesus and brought him some wine. They said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself!”

Above him was a sign that said, “This is the King of the Jews.”

One of the criminals hanging there also insulted Jesus by saying, “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and save us!”

But the other criminal told the first one off, “Don’t you fear God? Aren’t you getting the same punishment as this man? We got what was coming to us, but he didn’t do anything wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “Remember me when you come into power!”

Jesus replied, “I promise that today you will be with me in paradise.” 

Around noon the sky turned dark and stayed that way until the middle of the afternoon. The sun stopped shining, and the curtain in the temple split down the middle. Jesus shouted, “Father, I put myself in your hands!” Then he died.

When the Roman officer saw what had happened, he praised God and said, “Jesus must really have been a good man!”

A crowd had gathered to see the terrible sight. Then after they had seen it, they felt brokenhearted and went home. All of Jesus’ close friends and the women who had come with him from Galilee stood at a distance and watched.

The Cross

Well, this morning we’ve come to the end of a series we started back in early March. You see, during the Sundays in Lent, we’ve used the Gospel of Luke to look at five things that happened to Jesus during his last week on earth. For example, in week one, we talked about how Jesus entered Jerusalem and in week two, we looked at the importance of him cleansing the Temple. In week three, we considered the last meal Jesus shared with his disciples and in week four, we discussed the prayer he prayed on the Mount of Olives. And then last week, we saw a re-enactment of his trial. Now that’s where we’ve been. And this morning, well, we’re going to look at what happened at the very end of his life here on earth, and right now I’m talking about the crucifixion, you know, the cross. 

Of course, when you’re talking about the cross, I think we all recognize that these two perpendicular lines have become a symbol, in fact, the symbol of not just the crucifixion, but of Christianity in general. You see, whether it’s mounted behind the pulpit or stamped on a Bible, the cross stands for Jesus Christ and what he represents, doesn’t it? And because of that, we see crosses everywhere. But you know, because they’re all over the place, maybe that’s why the cross, at least as a symbol, has lost some of its meaning. I mean, let’s face it, some folks who’ll never darken the door of a church have no qualms about wearing a cross around their necks. Now, let me be clear, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with doing that nor am I questioning either their motives or their faith. Still, beyond having something to do with Jesus Christ and Christianity, for a lot of people, I’m not sure the cross itself has a deeper meaning. And to me, man, I think that’s a shame.

And I’ll tell you, for that reason, we’re going to focus on the cross this morning. You see, for the next ten minutes or so, we’re going to consider what the cross can represent for us. And to do that, we’re going to use Luke’s description of the crucifixion and focus on the three statements that Jesus made as he hung on the cross, each of which, I believe, can make it meaningful to us in a special way. And like I said, it’s right here in the passage we just read.

For example, first, I believe the cross represents forgiveness. In other words, it can remind us that, through Jesus Christ and his sacrifice, we’ve been forgiven; our past has been washed away; and we’ve been made clean. 

I mean, just think about what happened. After going through a mock trial and appearing before Caiaphas and Herod and Pilate, Jesus was handed over to be crucified. And as Luke wrote, “Two criminals were led out to be put to death with Jesus. When the soldiers came to the place called ‘The Skull,’ they nailed Jesus to a cross. They also nailed the two criminals to crosses, one on each side of Jesus.” [Luke 23:32-33, CEV] Now that’s what happened; that’s exactly what he endured. And yet, as Jesus hung from that cross, suffering a punishment that he didn’t deserve, he said something remarkable. According to Luke, “Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive these people! They don’t know what they’re doing.’” [Luke 21:34, CEV] Now, that’s what he said: no bitterness or hatred, no desire for revenge or retribution, in fact, no anger; instead, only compassion. “Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive these people! They don’t know what they’re doing.’” [Luke 21:34, CEV] Now that’s forgiveness.

And whenever we look at a cross, I think that’s something we need to remember. As Jesus endured his crucifixion, and I’ll tell you, that was an intentionally horrible way to die, he forgave the ones who drove the nails. You see, this is the kind of forgiveness we have from God. Of course, we’ll never be able to appreciate its power, unless we choose to do two things ourselves. I mean, one, to feel it, we probably need to recognize that we need it. It’s like John wrote, “If we say we have not sinned, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth isn’t in our hearts. But if we confess our sins to God, he can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away.” [1 John 1:8-9, CEV] Now that’s one. And two, to really feel forgiven by God, we need to be willing to pass some of that forgiveness on to others. As “Jesus said:

Don’t judge others, and God won’t judge you. Don’t be hard on others, and God won’t be hard on you. Forgive others, and God will forgive you.” [Luke 6:37, CEV]

You see, I believe the cross represents forgiveness, something we can experience ourselves and also pass on to others. And that’s the first thing we can remember.

And second, I believe the cross also represents fellowship. And right here, I’m talking about a special kind of relationship with both God and with one another. And just like it was with forgiveness, I believe we can see this new fellowship in the passage we read from Luke.

I mean, when he was crucified at that place called “The Skull,” remember, he wasn’t alone; there were two criminals who were nailed to their own crosses. And even though, according to Luke, one of these criminals sort of mocked Jesus, the other was very different. You see, after telling his colleague to shut up, “then he said to Jesus, ‘Remember me when you come into power!’” [Luke 23:42, CEV] And to this, “Jesus replied, ‘I promise that today you will be with me in paradise.’” [Luke 21:43, CEV] In other words, because that criminal trusted that Jesus had the power and compassion necessary to help even those who didn’t deserve his help, from his own cross, Jesus offered the possibility of a new relationship.

And I’ll tell you, I think that’s something else we need to remember when we look at a cross. It’s like what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans:

Christ died for us at a time when we were helpless and sinful. But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.

But there is more! Now that God has accepted us because Christ sacrificed his life’s blood, we will also be kept safe from God’s anger. Even when we were God’s enemies, he made peace with us, because his Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by the life of his Son. [Romans 5:6, 8-10, CEV]

I’ll tell you, it was through the one who was crucified that we have a new relationship with God. But it’s not just with God, it’s also with one another. You see, because of the cross, God has drawn us together into a new community, one that frankly has a focus and follows a set of values that are radically different from anything we can find in the world. For example, just listen to how Luke described the ideal church:

All the Lord’s followers often met together, and they shared everything they had. They would sell their property and possessions and give the money to whoever was in need. Day after day they met together in the temple. They broke bread together in different homes and shared their food happily and freely, while praising God. Everyone liked them, and each day the Lord added to their group others who were being saved. [Acts 2:44-47, CEV]

I’m telling you, along with forgiveness, I believe the cross can represent fellowship, that new relationship that we have with God and with one another. And that’s the second thing we can remember.

And third, in my opinion, the cross also represents faith, and right now, I’m talking about a deep and abiding trust that Jesus had as he looked toward God, one that was stronger than the suffering and pain that he was forced to endure. In other words, Jesus faced death itself confident that he was not alone. And even though that might not be the way his death was viewed by either Matthew or Mark, based on what he wrote, I think that’s exactly what Luke believed.

And I’ll tell you, that’s why he described Jesus’s last moments the way he did. I mean, just remember what happened. According to Luke, “around noon the sky turned dark and stayed that way until the middle of the afternoon. The sun stopped shining, and the curtain in the temple split down the middle.” [Luke 23:44-45, CEV] In other words, after Jesus had endured the pain and indignity of the cross, everybody could see that the end was near. The sky was dark. In the Temple, the curtain that separated the people from God had been torn apart. Why? Because Jesus was about to die. But instead of saying the words we find in Mark and Matthew, “‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you deserted me?’” [Mark 15:34b, CEV], the Evangelist Luke simply wrote, “Jesus shouted, ‘Father, I put myself in your hands!’ Then he died.” [Luke 23:46, CEV] You see, for Luke, Jesus didn’t die feeling as though he’d been deserted by everyone and everything. Instead, he died with faith. He died trusting God.

And you know, we can claim that same kind of faith right here and right now. You see, regardless of problems we may have to confront, regardless of the pain we may have to endure, regardless of the death each and every one of us here this morning will face, we can still have faith. It’s like the writer of the letter to the Hebrews said, “Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see. It was their faith that made our ancestors pleasing to God.” [Hebrews 11:1-2, CEV] You see, this is the kind of faith we can claim. And I’ll tell you, when we do, when we decide to trust in God, man, that’s going to change the way we see everything, even suffering itself. I mean, that’s what I think the Apostle Paul was getting at when he wrote this:

By faith we have been made acceptable to God. And now, thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ, we have peace with God. Christ has also introduced us to God’s gift of undeserved grace on which we now take our stand. So we are happy, as we look forward to sharing in the glory of God. But that’s not all! We gladly suffer, because we know that suffering helps us to endure. And endurance builds character, which gives us a hope that will never disappoint us. [Romans 5:1-5, CEV]

You see, along with forgiveness and fellowship, I believe the cross represents faith, something that can actually enable us to face and to endure whatever life can throw at us. And that’s the third thing we can remember.

Now when Jesus endured his crucifixion, I doubt that he realized that the cross would become a symbol, in fact, the definitive symbol for the message that he shared. But regardless of what he thought, that’s exactly what has happened. It’s become the universal symbol for Christianity. But you know, as its recognition has risen, I think some of its meaning has sort of gotten lost in the shuffle. And so, as we move past the crucifixion toward Easter, let’s remember what the cross represents. I mean, because “Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive these people! They don’t know what they’re doing’” [Luke 23:34, CEV], the cross represents forgiveness. And because “Jesus replied, ‘I promise that today you will be with me in paradise’” [Luke 21:43, CEV], it represents fellowship. And because “Jesus shouted, ‘Father, I put myself in your hands!’  Then he died,” [Luke 21:46, CEV], it represents faith. You see, these things we can remember, whenever we see the cross.