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Reactions to Christ’s Crucifixion
Luke 23:33-49
People have different reactions to Jesus. When Dad believed in Jesus, he cried and was grateful for salvation. He was in his 70s but he confessed his sins in my presence. There was sorrow and gratitude. Then a few years ago, I met a lady who was hostile to Christianity. She found out I was a believer and mocked Christ - without me even sharing the gospel. She took the initiative to attack Jesus and Christians, saying how foolish it was to believe an executed man was God. So people have different reactions to Jesus. We want to explore that in our passage today.
And we’ll do it in 3 observations. Firstly, the distress of the people; secondly, the derision of the unbelieving; and thirdly, the devotion of the penitent. This is an account we’re familiar with - Jesus at the cross making atonement. Often, we focus on his 7 sayings - much to learn from them. But equally also, there’s much to learn from the reactions of the people surrounding him. These are often the reactions that we see today.
So firstly, the distress of the people. We learn there were 3 groups of people who comprise of his friends and foes. Verse 33 reveals them - “And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.” So besides Jesus, the malefactors or criminals, and the soldiers that crucified him, some others were referred to as “they.” Who were they? The crowds of people - both for and against Jesus. Verse 35 describes those against him - people who came together with rulers - Pharisees and priests. They mocked him. What did they say? Verse 35 - “let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.” Then you have in verse 48 a group of the people that came together to see - the kaypoh crowd. But in verse 49, a group of his acquaintances and the women who followed him from Galilee. So we see 2 kinds. There were his friends and the crowd who shouted Hosanna. We didn’t read verse 27-28, but they’re instructive. Luke 23:27 - “And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.” These women were of his company - who supported him from Galilee to Jerusalem. But they were also other followers. The term daughters of Jerusalem or daughters of Zion does not only refer to these weeping women, but to the crowd who shouted Hosanna. They came from Jerusalem, Bethany, and Galilee; Jericho too. These were Jesus’ supporters of whom the Pharisees were afraid. They had wanted to arrest Jesus when he cleansed the temple, but didn’t dare because of these supporters. That’s why they resorted to middle of the night darkness in Gethsemane and their late night kangaroo court. But there was also a different crowd - his foes. Those who shouted “crucify him!” They came from the region to celebrate Passover and heard the Pharisees and false witnesses. Not knowing Jesus or understanding, only hearing, they believed the lies. At Pentecost, Peter preached and accused these very people of crucifying the king of glory. So the crowd had followers of Jesus - who according to verse 49 later stood afar off; and those who ridiculed Jesus with the religious leaders in verse 35. So let’s be clear - the crowd that shouted Hosanna wasn’t the crowd that shouted crucify him.
And we see their reactions. There was shock and sorrow. In verse 48, those who wanted him dead were shocked - “And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts, and returned.” They were there for a spectacle - to see blood. It was sensational with Passover, a religious dissenter, and large crowds. They came, pushed, shoved, jeered. But Calvary was very different. They heard Jesus speaking, they saw his side pierced, they felt the earthquake, saw darkness and the graves opening up. Verse 48 says they smote their breast. That’s a Jewish way of expressing deep feelings of shock. They were first riled up, then distressed and shocked. They came to watch a show, but left feeling woe. The chest pounding was the same expression as the publican before the temple because of his sins. While the publican grieved for sin, these were shocked; but I suspect this prepared them to repent at Pentecost.
But there was also sorrow. Luke 23:49 - “And all his acquaintance, and the women that followed him from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these things.” Jesus’ supporters were afar off. There were some at the cross - Mary and John were close enough for Jesus to speak to them. But there were others afar off. These were his disciples. Acquaintance refers to people who had intimate knowledge of Jesus - so not just anyone - but friends. Luke wrote Luke - it’s essentially Paul’s gospel. Matthew wrote Matthew and Mark wrote Mark - which was essentially Peter’s! So Matthew and Peter were there afar off witnessing. Shame and sorrow. Remember, they were always hanging around at a distance. In Luke 22:61-62, after the rooster crowed the third time, Jesus looked at Peter. It says, “And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.” Their hope in a Jewish kingdom was destroyed with Christ’s death. So we’ve seen the distress of the 2 crowds.
Next we see the derision of the unbelieving. And here we focus on two people. The first are the soldiers. We want to see their identity and ignorance. These were Roman soldiers. Verse 33 says they crucified him. Verse 36 says they mocked him, 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.” These were words of the crowd. They used king instead of Christ. 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 parallel passages, they pressed a crown of thorns on his head, making him wear purple. They hit him. So while they were not emotionally invested like the Jewish rulers, they delighted in cruelty. And they also benefited. Jesus’ clothes were pricey - probably gifted by a rich woman supporter. 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 Jewish rebellion all the time. And there were 2 criminals beside Jesus. They were called robbers - as in looting rebels; like thieves during riots. There would’ve been a third with them - Barabbas - the political prisoner who instigated rebellion. If so, these were his friends. 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.” To be clear, Jesus did not ask God to forgive all these people. He asked God to forgive these ignorant soldiers.
On the other hand, we see the rebel. We see his identity and impenitence. He was the one who mocked Christ in verse 39 - “And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on (or blasphemed) him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.” He was a rioter and robber, which is what the Greek word means. These independence fighters were terrorists. Jesus himself addressed an account in Luke 13:1 of Galileans who rose up. Pilate chased them to the temple and slaughtered them there. They were hoping for independence - especially for the political savior spoken about in the Bible - the Christ. So you can imagine his bitterness. Christ - the one hoped for - was hanging next to them. So one said, using the exact words as the Roman soldiers and crowd - verse 39 - “If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.” But while the Romans soldiers said it ignorantly, yes maliciously; the crowd and this robber said it insolently and impenitently. The crowd in verse 35 acknowledged he saved others. So they knew. As did the robber. Verse 39 - if you’re Christ, save yourself and us. This was not a plea. It was insolent. How do we know? He railed - or insulted (NIV), blasphemed or cursed (NKJV), hurled abuse (NASB), scoffed (NLT). And we know it was blasphemy. The other robber said - don’t you fear God? Now, this is telling. After you’re whipped by a Roman cat of nine tails, and made to carry your cross - you’re tired. And when you’re crucified and lifted up, you immediately feel the burn on your wrists, the crushing of your diaphragm, and the lack of air, and you want to push yourself up for breath. But this man took the chance to blaspheme Christ. It’s no surprise. Even in hell there will be the gnashing of teeth - sinners in hell will be sinners of the worst kind. So while the Roman soldiers rejected him politically, the crowd and the robber rejected him prophetically.
But there were 2, who received him. Here we see the third kind of reaction - the devotion of the penitent. There were 2 robbers, both went through the same crime, same cause, same riot, same trouble together - buddies. But the reaction was different. One rejected Christ but the other accepted Christ. We see his realization and repentance. He realized something the other didn’t. In verse 40, he rebuked the first robber for his lack of fear of judgment - right judgment. They deserved death but Jesus was innocent. And he saw the mercy of Jesus. The robber used his energy to curse Christ, but Christ used his to ask God to forgive the soldiers. And this man had a spiritual awakening. To him, Messiah had been political. All his hope was on throwing off Roman yoke. But here, the terrorist, if you’d like - asked Christ to remember him when he inherits his kingdom. So there must’ve been a realization that Christ was firstly a spiritual savior. And we know that this kind of penitence can only come from God. Jesus said - no man cometh unto me, except the father which sent me, draw him. The second robber 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.” Jesus used his breath to utter this. Now, these things happened from the third to the sixth hour.
The other who received him was the centurion. And here we see his revelation and confession. From the sixth to the ninth hour - meaning, 12 pm to 3 pm, there was darkness, verse 44. The sun at noon was darkened, verse 45. When Jesus died at 3 pm, the veil of the temple split in two. And 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 only before heard people like the robber cursing, not Jesus forgiving. He heard the mocking of the people, but then Jesus’ words to the penitent robber. The kingdom is spiritual. So Jesus hadn’t come to revolt! He heard Jesus commending the care of Mary to John. He heard Jesus crying out to God - why have you forsaken me? Then finally, he took vinegar with gall to quench his thirst. Why did it take him so long to dull his pain? Then he cried out - it is finished, into your hands I commit my spirit. The moment it happened, there was a great earthquake. The veil split into 2. Tombs broke open and dead people were raised to life. Now, 2 things were revealed to him. Firstly, Jesus was no ordinary man. He was innocent and cared for others. He showed mercy not anger. But secondly, he believed Jesus was God. All of the supernatural events. In our text, we learn that he glorified God and confessed that Jesus was a righteous man. But not just that, in Matthew 27, he said - “truly, this was the Son of God.” Some say such a confession doesn’t prove his faith. I disagree. He glorified God. This must reveal something. He recognized that Jesus was righteous - contrary to the robber, the other soldiers, and the Pharisees. But most of all, I believe that it’s because Christ prayed for him. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And this man was the one who confessed Christ.
So what are some applications we can take from this? Firstly, religious people can be the most blind. We see the unrighteousness of others but are blind to ours. We can mock and destroy others. We can become the very Pharisees we fight against. And this is especially a dangerous spirit in a Christian. As we come to the Table of the Lord, how much do we grieve for our sins compared to our righteous denunciations of others? Let us come to behold Christ - that he removes our filthy good works and gives us his true righteousness. Jesus saves the harlot as he does Paul of Tarsus.
Secondly, Christ’s prayer is powerful - there are immediate results. The most hardened people can change. Our Lord prayed for that centurion - who in the span of 6 hours, confessed him. Let us pray for those who are outside Christ. Are our children walking far from God? Some of them are living in sin. Some of them are not desirous of spiritual things. They’re gripped by sin. Let’s pray for them. The Lord can soften the most hardened hearts. Perhaps we too may need to repent. Some of us are truly struggling against sin - it has a grip on our lives. And we find ourselves not hating sin enough. Pray! Ask the Lord for a hatred and grief for your sins. Thirdly, the salvation we seek or the solution we seek may not be the most obvious to us. Like the robber wanted political salvation - in the end, he saw what was most important - spiritual salvation. For those of us who are walking for from God, we hope for a better life here or there; a better job, a more comfortable life, affirmation in school. What we must desire is the happy face of our Lord - to sit at his table - lame and sinful, but received by him. Fourthly, the crowd had to go through shock and grief first, before they would believe subsequently at Pentecost. Children, you have grown up in church - but you are willing to live for your sins. Jesus died on the cross - the king of glory gave of himself, and suffered many things, so that the gospel can be offered to you. You’ve grown up knowing God’s laws, God’s grace and mercy - don’t be blind to your sins. See them and be shocked. See what Christ has done to remove sin - and be shocked that he would do this for sinners. Let your shock turn to gratitude as you are amazed by what he has done.
- The Distress of the People
- His Friends and Foes
- Their Shock and Sorrow
- The Derision of the Unbelieving
- Their identity and ignorance
- His identity and impenitence
- The Devotion of the Penitent
- His realization and repentance
- His revelation and confession
Conversation for Change:
- In what way does humility (and shock) help you to repent and to change your mind?
- In light of Christ and what he died to achieve in your life, how do your pursuits in life (spiritual or otherwise) honor his death and suffering?
* As a matter of courtesy please advise Rev. Mark Chen, if you plan to use this sermon in a worship service. Thank-you.
(c) Copyright 2022, Rev. Mark Chen
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