4 Condemned, 3 Died, 2 Saved

Luke 23:13-49

Welcome dear friends to this meeting on Good Friday. Why do Christians call it Good Friday? What’s good about it? Why do you call a day where you remember the death of your God, a good day? Shouldn’t it be a bad day? No. We call it a good day because of the good design of a good God. You see, all men are sinful. We all deserve judgment from God. The Bible says all have sinned and fall short of the glorious standard of God. Therefore, we’ve a debt to pay. And the price of our debt is our souls. When a criminal commits a crime, he must do the time. If a judge does not sentence the criminal, he’s not just. When a sinner sins, he must be condemned. If God does not condemn, he’s not just. But God is good. And a good God offers sinners a way of salvation from his own judgment. He himself comes to pay the penalty. We should be judged, but God sent his Son to take that judgment. We should die, but God sent his Son to die for sinners. Today we see what a good God did for bad sinners on Good Friday. There are 3 points. Firstly, 4 condemned. Secondly, 3 died. Thirdly, 2 saved.

Firstly, 4 condemned. Why was Jesus tried and condemned to death? In his ministry, he taught the only way to be right with God was by trusting in him and repenting of sins. But the religious people didn’t like that. To them, the way to be right with God was to obey God’s laws perfectly. And they had an elaborate system to of keeping God’s laws. And this made them judgmental to condemn those who didn’t follow them. But Jesus taught no one could keep God’s laws perfectly. God’s laws are not only outward - like don’t steal. They’re also about the intention of the heart. Don’t be greedy. But this elaborate system of obedience only concerned the outward. So when others didn’t keep their outward commands, the religious people hated and condemned them. Meaning, these religious people sinned inwardly. They weren’t perfect before God. They were sinful at heart. Jesus taught a better way. They needed forgiveness and a Savior. They needed to admit their own imperfection; that they should be condemned. That they needed a savior to forgive their sins and make them perfect.

But when Jesus taught this, they hated him. They were proud of their strict obedience. And couldn’t bear to be told they were inwardly sinful. So they brought him to the governor to be condemned. They got witnesses to lie that Jesus incited the people to rebel against the government. The governor knew, “you’ve brought this man to me as someone who’s incited the people to rebellion.” Yes, these religious leaders wanted to condemn Jesus to death, just as other criminals had been condemned to die.

Who were these criminals? When Jesus was crucified, there were 2 next to him. Verse 33 says, “And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors or criminals, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.” Another part of the Bible calls them thieves. But they weren’t just thieves. They were much worse. This word thief was often used to speak about revolutionaries - those who wanted freedom from Roman rule. What they’d do is cause damage to property - especially Roman property. They’d kill, maim, stir problems. And in the midst of trouble, they’d also steal. These were terrorists - terrorists, rioters, murderers, looters. Did they deserve their condemnation? Oh yes! When they were at the cross, one of them cursed Jesus - “Aren’t you the Savior? Prove it and save yourself and us!” Even in execution, he spoke such hateful words. But listen to the words of the other criminal. “Don’t you fear God at your own execution? We deserve it; we’re getting our just reward - but this man didn’t do anything wrong.” Two men were condemned. One recognized he deserved condemnation. The other didn’t.

Now, these 2 terrorists weren’t the only ones condemned to die. There were 2 more. One true terrorist, one accused of terrorism. Barabbas was a terrorist. He’d been condemned to die. Verse 19 says he was imprisoned for taking part in a riot and also for murder. In another place, Barabbas was also called a thief - same as the first two. Meaning, he was supposed to have died along with the other two - his friends. He was condemned. He was guilty. But we learn that he didn’t die. Condemned but didn’t die. Why? Someone else was condemned in his place. Jesus Christ. But Christ was falsely accused. Pilate even said Jesus Christ was innocent. Verse 14 - he examined Jesus but found no fault in him; not guilty of the accusations by the religious leaders. But he knew the religious leaders would make noise. So Pilate offered to beat Jesus to satisfy them. They weren’t satisfied. They wanted him dead. So much for being good on the outside.

Now, the custom in those days was to release a prisoner during a special holiday. And these religious leaders called for the release of Barabbas to ensure Jesus’s execution. They’d rather let a dangerous criminal free than repent of the sin Jesus revealed to them. So they cried out to Pilate to release Barabbas and to crucify Christ. In fact, 3 times, Pilate tried to release Jesus, and 3 times he said Jesus did nothing wrong. But because of them, he had to release Barabbas and condemn Jesus. 2 thieves were condemned to die. 2 others were condemned - but one was unjustly condemned for the unjust release of one justly condemned.

Secondly, 3 died. And we want to see how they died. After Jesus was condemned to die, he was led to the place where he’d be crucified. The 2 criminals were there. And there, one of the criminals mocked Jesus. Like the crowd who shouted at him, the thief also acknowledged in verse 39 that he saved others. He knew. The crowd knew. And then he said - “save us and yourself!” But this was not a plea. This was insulting. Verse 39 tells us that he railed or cursed Christ. It was blasphemy because the other criminal said to him - don’t you fear God? Why did he say this? After you’re whipped by a Roman cat of nine tails, made to carry your cross - you’re tired. Then there’s the pain of being crucified. You feel the burning pain in your wrists and your ankles when you’re nailed and lifted up. You feel the crushing of your diaphragm, and the lack of air. You push yourself up to breathe, putting pressure on your nailed feet. And yet, this man took the chance to blaspheme Christ. There was no fear of God in him. It’s no surprise. Even in hell there will be the gnashing of teeth - people still rebel. They are angry with God and their condemnation even though know they deserve it. So when he died, he died in rebellion and sin.

But the other criminal asked Jesus to save him. He said in verse 42 - “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” Why did he say this? At this point of death, he realized something the other didn’t. In verse 40, he rebuked the first robber for his lack of fear of judgment. They deserved death but Jesus was innocent. And he saw the mercy of Jesus. When Jesus was being crucified by the Roman soldiers, mocked by them, he asked God to forgive them. The Roman soldiers used their energy to hurt Christ, but Christ used his to ask God to forgive them. And so this man had a spiritual awakening. To him, they wanted to kick out the Romans. He wanted their own national paradise. But here, the terrorist, asked Christ to remember him when he inherits his kingdom. So there must’ve been a realization that there was a spiritual kingdom - heaven. And Christ was a spiritual savior. The second criminal used his breath to confess Christ. This showed his desperation for forgiveness. He recognized his guilt, but he saw what his friend could not - that Christ could save. And Jesus responded with words that proved the man was sorry. Verse 43 - “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” This meant that the thief died having been forgiven.

We also see Christ who died. When he was brought to the cross, there were Roman soldiers. Verse 36 says they mocked Jesus, offering him vinegar - or sour wine - cheap wine. In parallel passages it says it was mixed with gall or myrrh. While this was supposed to be a sedative, and given to crucified criminals to dull senses, here, it was given to mock him. And in this context, verse 37, they mocked his kingship. You serve wine to a king, so they served Jesus, mockingly him, “If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself.” They used king instead of Savior. In offering wine, they were mocking him. Now the soldiers had 2 purposes - to crucify a convicted criminal and to maintain order. They also kept rebels from interfering. But they were cruel men. In other passages, they pressed a crown of thorns on his head, making him wear purple. They hit him. So while they did not hate Jesus like the religious leaders, these men delighted in cruelty. And they also benefited. Jesus’ clothes were pricey - probably gifted to him. They removed his clothes, shamed him, and cast lots for his possessions. There were 3 or 4 of them by how they divided his clothes. And at this stage, their leader probably participated too. The centurion was their commander. He was in charge of 100 such legionnaires, but here he was deployed to ensure Jesus was crucified. He was a career soldier - cold and efficient - probably ignoring his soldiers’ mocking and theft. Now why did they mock Jesus? That’s what they do. These were cruel, war hardened men - they dealt with rebellion all the time. And there were these 2 criminals beside Jesus. So these soldiers were used to people like this - and took out their frustrations on Christ thinking he was one of them. So when they mocked Jesus, they did it out of ignorance. That’s why Jesus said in verse 34 - “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.” He asked God to forgive these ignorant soldiers. Jesus died forgiving others. He died giving assurance to a sinner who asked for forgiveness that he’d be in heaven. He died also in control. His life was not taken from him, but he gave his life freely. In verse 46 he told God he entrusted himself to him, and breathed out his last breath. Jesus died forgiving others, saving others, and in control of his life and death.

And as a result of his death, 2 were saved. This is the last point. When the thief asked Jesus to remember him, he knew that his hope was not in an earthly kingdom but a heavenly one. And he needed Jesus to take him there. And he asked Jesus. We see in this confession of the thief that he believed. He knew that he was sinful. Remember when he scolded his fellow criminal? He said Jesus was innocent and that they deserved their punishment. He also knew that Jesus was the Savior. He called on Jesus to save him. He called him Lord - master. Jesus was the one who could grant him eternal life or condemnation. He called on Christ to remember him. The Bible often uses this word in connection with God. When God remembers his people, it shows that he’s so merciful to think about sinful people. In other words, this thief was asking Christ as God to show mercy on him. This is why he was saved. It’s not the perfect who are saved - for there is none perfect. It’s not the strong who are saved - it’s those who acknowledge their weakness. Jesus said - blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are they that mourn for their sin, blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the kingdom of God. The thief knew that Christ was God, and he knew to be humble, acknowledging his sin, and asking Christ meekly to show mercy. And Christ said - verily, today you shall be with me in paradise. Today, you will be in heaven. Despite all of his sins, his crimes, his murders, his theft, rebellion and rioting - he had a place in heaven - not because he was good, but he was counted good by Christ because he was sorry. In death, he was saved.

But we see another, who in life, was saved. The centurion. The complete opposite to the thief. He was law abiding, law enforcing. But he too needed to be saved. His soldiers had mocked Christ, hurt Christ, but now he confessed Christ. Jesus was there since the third hour - 9 am. This is when he was crucified. But from 12 pm to 3 pm, a great darkness went over the land. And at 3 pm he cried out to God and died. Now, it says in verse 47, when the centurion saw this, he glorified God. Something was revealed to him. In the span of 6 hours, the Centurion went from mocker to confessor. There were several things he witnessed. At the 9 am, when Jesus was crucified, he asked God to forgive the Roman soldiers. But he’d previously heard that Jesus was a rebel. He’d only heard people mocking Christ. But then he heard Jesus forgiving. And he also heard Jesus’ assurance that his kingdom was spiritual. And then he realized - Jesus hadn’t come to revolt. And he heard Jesus crying to God - not cursing as many would have like the first thief; but trusting in God. He was innocent, he cared for others, he showed mercy not anger. So the centurion In glorified God and confessed that Jesus was a righteous man. But not just that, in another part of the Bible, he said - “truly, this was the Son of God.” He recognized his need for a savior. He glorified God. He recognized that Jesus was righteous - contrary to the robber, the other soldiers, and the religious leaders. But most of all, I believe that it’s because Christ prayed for him. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Why is Good Friday good? Because of the good design of a good God. We’ve seen what a good God did for bad sinners. He gave his life to be condemned so sinners who see their sins and are sorry for their sins can trust in him and be saved. 4 were condemned. 1 escaped. His life was spared because of Christ. But his soul and the soul of others like the religious leaders, and all the other soldiers would not be spared in the day of judgment. When the women of the city were weeping for Jesus, he told them not to - but to weep for all the truly rebellious people, the true rebels against God’s kingdom, God’s laws, murderers - because the day of judgment would be far more terrible. That judgment will come. But God gives you a way out. Would you not confess your sins and call out to Christ to save you?