39 One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding* him and saying, ‘Are you not the Messiah?* Save yourself and us!’ 40But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.’ 42Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into* your kingdom.’ 43He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’
44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land* until three in the afternoon, 45while the sun’s light failed;* and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.’ Having said this, he breathed his last. 47When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, ‘Certainly this man was innocent.’*48And when all the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating their breasts. 49But all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
THE FOUNDATION OF ALL HOPE: GOOD FRIDAY
The contrasting responses of the two criminals crucified with Jesus could not be starker. One was contemptuous and hurled insults – ‘If you’re the Christ,’ he spat out, ‘then save yourself and us.’ He chose to die disdainful of anything religious. It’s tragic to witness this kind of death for it’s without peace and without hope. Yet every day men and women choose to die that way.
The second criminal was so different: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” This man didn’t pretend to be good: “We are justly deserving death,” he said. Yet in his last hours he seems to have been impressed by Jesus. He saw he was innocent: “This man has done nothing wrong.” Faced with his own impending death he feared God and recognized his need: “Jesus, remember me,” he said. His words were simple and sincere. It seems that in some vague way he understood that Jesus really is God’s special king and so he asked for a place in his kingdom.
His repentance was at the eleventh hour, yet Jesus responded, “I tell you the truth,today you will be with me in paradise.” This man did not die without being forgiven or without hope: for him there would be new life forever.
The scene challenges us to ask what our response to Jesus will be in the last moments of our life – among the contemptuous who choose to die without Christ, or among the believing who choose to die with him? We can be sure of this, when we put our lives in the hands of Jesus as Lord and Savior, his promise rings true: “Today, you will be with me.”
During the last three hours of Jesus’ life an ominous darkness fell the scene. Being Passover, it could not have been an eclipse. Towards the end of this surreal darkness and quiet, there came a shout (23:46) as Jesus breathed his last.
Because crucifixion causes asphyxiation it would normally be impossible for the victim to shout. Luke’s record suggests that Jesus was not physically about to die. His words, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit,” tell us that death didn’t conquer him; rather he voluntarily surrendered his life. John’ Gospel indicates that Jesus’ shout was one of victory: “It is finished.” His work was done, his sacrifice complete, and the gate to God now open. The torn curtain in the temple (23:45) was testimony to that.
The Roman centurion’s comment is significant: “Certainly this man was innocent.” His words were so true: Jesus was righteous, without fault, the most righteous, the most godly man who has ever lived.
As Isaiah had prophesied: There was no deceit in his mouth(Isaiah 53:9). He didn’t retaliate, but put his life in the hands of the judge who judges justly. In his voluntary sacrifice, he bore our guilt in his body (Isaiah 53:6). He died the death we deserve: the punishment of our sin was laid on him. This is why Good Friday is so good – God in his love has provided the perfect solution to our human tragedy. It is because of Good Friday that there is hope for you and for me.
You might like to reflect:
what it cost Jesus to die on the cross – he could have walked away;
why it was he chose to die;
what Jesus’ death really means for you.
Let me encourage you to pause and pray
Almighty Father, look graciously upon this your family, for which our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed and given up into the hands of wicked men, and to suffer death upon the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (BCP, Good Friday)
32 Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus* there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’ And they cast lots to divide his clothing. 35And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, ‘He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah* of God, his chosen one!’ 36The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, 37and saying, ‘If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!’ 38There was also an inscription over him,* ‘This is the King of the Jews.’
ASSURANCE OF HOPE
The scene around Jesus’ cross was gruesome. He was naked, exposed to the idle curiosity of the crowd and the vulgar frivolity of the soldiers. They offered him wine and made a party of it. “If you are the king of the Jews,” they taunted, “save yourself.” Above Jesus’ head Pilate had written the charge against him: ‘King of the Jews.’ That too brought its own ridicule and scorn, for a cross is a pretty strange throne.
Yet the extraordinary thing is that unlike one of the men crucified with him, Jesus did not curse his tormentors. There was no spirit of revenge. Instead he prayed: “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Many have wondered about these words. Everyone knew he was innocent. Some have suggested he was praying for the soldiers, but if that were the case he would have said, “Father, understand them,” not “Father forgive them.” The soldiers were doing their duty.
We need to consider the larger Gospel narrative and Jesus’ words, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). As Jesus was dying he was praying that God would forgive ignorance of the truth. He was praying for those around him and also for you and me.
We can be sure of this for when the first Christian sermon was preached on the Day of Pentecost, three thousand responded to Peter’s announcement that Jesus was God’s promised Messiah: they repented and were baptized (Acts 2:38). In the days that followed another five thousand received Jesus as their Lord and Savior (Acts 4:4), including many priests (Acts 6:7). God continues to hear the prayer of Jesus on that first Good Friday for our family, our friends and for New York City.
You might like to reflect:
what it cost Jesus to die on the cross – he could have walked away;
why it was he chose to die
consider the irony of the words above Jesus’ head: ‘The King of the Jews’.
In an article last week in The New York Times(March 15, 2106), David Brooks wrote of the way a ‘shame culture’ is replacing a ‘guilt culture’. ‘In a guilt culture’, he writes, ‘people sometimes feel they do bad things; in a shame culture social exclusion makes people feel they are bad’.
Paul the Apostle, in his Letter to the Ephesians sees a deeper problem within us: You were dead through the trespasses and sins2 in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 3 All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else (Ephesians 2:1-3).
Our first response to this may be to think he is writing nonsense. We only have to observe the vigorous bodies of athletes, the agile minds of scholars and the charismatic attraction and perfect teeth of celebrities. How can he say that people are dead?
Clearly he sees life from a perspective we usually overlook – the issue of our soul. We all know that we are much more than the sum of our parts, that there is a spiritual dimension to our lives. When it comes to the real issue of life, Paul is saying that having a perfect body or a brilliant mind or the most charismatic personality will not help us. We have a soul problem.
And he tells us why we are spiritually dead: it is because of our trespasses and sins. Trespass is a false step, involving either the crossing of a known boundary or stepping away from the right path. Sin is missing the mark, falling short of a standard.
Trespass and sin highlight our predicament. We have done what we ought not to have done, and we have not done what we ought to have done.
CREATED IN GOD’S IMAGE
Here in a sentence is the irony of our human state. Created in God’s image for relationship with him, we choose to live without him. God wants to give life and to love the life he has given. We, also having the capacity to love, turn our love away from the very God who has given us this gift. And, Paul tells us, this is our condition until the Good Shepherd finds us.
But, because God is who he is, Paul can go on to write: But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us… (2:4).
Paul moves here from speaking about us being condemned by God, to the mercy and love of God. He can hold both together because giving life and love is at the heart of God’s nature.
We need to think about this, for then we will realize that we need to pay careful attention to what disappoints and angers God. Like the Prodigal son in Jesus’ parable, we need to come to our senses and turn back to him and worship him, because his justice and love are perfect.
It is because we fail to recognize the gravity of our true condition that we tend to put our trust in other remedies – better government, better education, better laws, more acts of charity, more equal distribution of wealth. There’s no doubt these things are pleasing to God but they can never rescue us from spiritual death, spiritual captivity, or God’s condemnation.
This doesn’t mean that we should give up on providing better education or working towards a more just society, but the fact is we need a radical remedy – and this is just what God has done. God has given us a message of good news that offers life to the dead, freedom to captives, and forgiveness to the condemned.
These events don’t fit our model of the way the world works, but it doesn’t mean they are false.
Let me encourage you to set aside time this Easter to consider afresh the meaning of the cross and the amnesty God now holds out to us because he is rich in mercy. May you know afresh the hope of forgiveness and new life that God holds out to you – a hope that is grounded in the reality that God raised Jesus from the dead.
1 You were dead through the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 3 All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else.
In a recent article in The New York Times(March 15, 2106), David Brooks wrote of the way a ‘shame culture’ is replacing a ‘guilt culture’. ‘In a guilt culture’, he writes, ‘people sometimes feel they do bad things; in a shame culture social exclusion makes people feel they are bad’.
Paul the Apostle, in his Letter to the Ephesians sees a deeper problem with us: You were dead through the trespasses and sins…
Our first response to this may be to think he is writing nonsense. We only have to observe the vigorous bodies of athletes, the agile minds of scholars and the vivacious personalities and perfect teeth of celebrities. How can he say that people like these are dead?
Clearly he sees life from a perspective we usually overlook – the issue of our soul. We all know that we are much more than the sum of our parts, that there is a spiritual dimension to our lives. When it comes to the real issue of life, Paul is saying that having a perfect body or a brilliant mind or the most charismatic personality will not help us. We have a soul problem.
And he tells us why we are spiritually dead: it is because of our trespasses and sins. Trespass is a false step – involving either the crossing of a known boundary or stepping away from the right path. Sin is missing the mark – falling short of a standard.
The two words highlight our predicament. There are our sins of commission: we have done what we ought not to have done. And our sins of omission: we have not done what we ought to have done.
CREATED IN GOD’S IMAGE
Here in a sentence is the irony of our human state. Created in God’s image for relationship with him, we choose to live without him. In his essential nature God wants to give life and to love the life he has given. We, also having the capacity to love, turn our love away from the very God who has given us this gift. And, Paul tells us, this is our condition until the Good Shepherd finds us.
So Paul goes on to write: But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us… (2:4) .
With these words he moves from speaking about the wrath of God to the mercy and love of God. He holds both together because he understands that they are held together in God’s essential nature.
It is so important we think about this, for it makes us realize that we need to pay careful attention to what angers God. It makes us realize that it is only right that we should turn to him and worship him because his justice is perfect.
It is because we fail to recognize the gravity of our true condition that we tend to put our trust in superficial remedies – better government, better education, better laws, more acts of charity, more equal distribution of wealth. There’s no doubt these things are pleasing to God but they can never rescue us from spiritual death, spiritual captivity or God’s condemnation.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that we should give up on providing better education or working towards a more just society, but the fact is we need a radical remedy – and this is just what God has done. God has given us a message of good news that offers life to the dead, freedom to captives, and forgiveness to the condemned.
This is what the first Easter was about – God providing the means for his reconciliation with us through Jesus’ death and resurrection.
You may want to consider:
a ‘culture of shame’ and the real human tragedy;
the way we turn the gift of love to anything but loving the Giver – God;
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence.
PRAYER AND CONVERSATION
We neglect three things when we’re too busy: prayer, Bible reading and talking about God. In Colossians 4:6 Paul exhorts us to action.
Talking to God about others – prayer. C.S. Lewis once commented: It’s probably truer to say that God invented both prayer and work for that purpose. God gave us, small creatures that we are, the dignity of being able to contribute to the course of events in two different ways. God listens to our prayers, and when he considers something is for the best, he will act on it. Prayer is very powerful: a potent force. This is why Paul urged the Colossians to be steadfast in prayer. He knew that effective outreach begins with persevering prayer. Prayer was one of the reasons for the terrific outreach success of the first Christians. Continue steadfastly in prayer…, Paul says. ‘Don’t give up! Your prayers may not be answered immediately, but don’t give up.’
The Bible tells us over and over again that God’s great passion is for people turn to him. This is one prayer we know he will answer.
Lifestyle and conversation – a potent combination. Paul’s advice to the Colossians has two parts – life-style and speech. We are all obliged to act wisely and graciously towards people with whom we live and work. We are also obliged to make the most of the opportunities to respond to people about matters of the faith. We are to cultivate our conversation so that it is kind and gracious and seasoned with salt – that is, conversation that is not insipid and puerile, but conversation that has substance.
PRIORITIES OF HOPE
In fact Paul is suggesting that all of us will have opportunities to talk to others about God – his reality and relevance, his amazing love and incredible goodness. Paul may have in mind a similar thought to Peter (I Peter 3:15). ‘When you speak,’ Paul writes, ‘introduce ideas that will stir and provoke questions about the larger issues of life’. All of us hear comments such as, ‘Religion seems so self-righteous’. ‘Everyone is right in their own kind of way.’ ‘I’m not a religious person.’ ‘I hate the rules and restrictions of Christianity!’ Or, ‘You have your ideas and I have mine!’
Have you considered how you might respond to such comments? Pray that you will be alert to these opportunities, and be prepared to answer. This may include a two-minute account of why you came to put your trust in Jesus Christ! Or, you may want to invite your interlocutor to church or a short course such as Christianity Explored.
You may want to consider:
one of the implications of giving an answer is to be able to tell your ‘story’ of how you came to the faith: you may want to think about this and learn to present it naturally and easily; a personal story recounted well holds attention and cannot be refuted;
how worthwhile it is to develop skills in answering questions people ask; resources are available to help us;
the need to provide opportunities for people to learn about the faith – plan to invite friends and family to church and courses such as Christianity Explored.
The scene challenges us to ask what our response to Jesus will be in the last moments of our life – among the contemptuous who choose to die without Christ, or among the believing who choose to die with him? We can be sure of this, when we put our lives in the hands of Jesus as Lord and Savior, his promise rings true: “Today, you will be with me.”
Many have wondered about these words. Everyone knew he was innocent. Some have suggested he was praying for the soldiers, but if that were the case he would have said, “Father, understand them,” not “Father forgive them.” The soldiers were doing their duty.
And he tells us why we are spiritually dead: it is because of our trespasses and sins. Trespass is a false step – involving either the crossing of a known boundary or stepping away from the right path. Sin is missing the mark – falling short of a standard.
The Bible tells us over and over again that God’s great passion is for people turn to him. This is one prayer we know he will answer.