Rescue through judgment
Luke 24:44-49
Preacher: David Williams
Lk 23:44-49. Rescue through judgment. Sermon by Pastor David Williams. Strathalbyn Church of Christ. Good Friday 7 Apr 2023.
To understand the cross, we need the back story. Ever watched a film that had already started – and you couldn’t work it out? You had to begin at the beginning. Meet the characters. Understand where they were coming from. You needed the back story. There are five characters or groups here: God, Jesus, the Roman soldier, the Jewish crowds and the women who followed Jesus. For each we need the back story.
1. God.
God’s response to Jesus’ death was like firing off two great missiles – he took out the sun and he took out the temple curtain. Many feared that he took out both life itself and the way to life by these acts.
God acts - Darkness
It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed.
Here is the backstory to the darkness. The Romans were very superstitious. The disappearance of the Sun God was a sure sign the gods were angry. They had brutally crucified Jesus, even though he was clearly innocent. At his trial, Jesus was called King of the Jews – even the Son of God. This sign of the anger of the gods would have terrified the Romans.
But what did the Jews make of it? Darkness is very important in the greatest event in Jewish history. Every Jewish child knows the Exodus story - when God rescued the Jews from slavery in Egypt. It’s a story of rescue through judgment. God judged the Egyptians and so rescued the Jews.
At Jesus’ death, the three hours of darkness were terrifying enough. But back in Egypt, God sent three days of darkness (Ex 10:21-23). God did this to warn Egypt of their coming judgement. But Egypt ignored the warning. So God warned their king, Pharoah, that every first born son would die in the darkness of night (Ex 11). But Pharoah ignored the warnings. He would not release the Jews from slavery. So God’s judgement fell on every Egyptian home. After that the Jews escaped. They fled from Egypt and passed through the Red Sea – with God lighting their way but sending darkness on the Egyptian chariots and destroying them (Ex 13:21-22; 14:19-20; 24-25). Darkness reminds the Jews of rescue through judgement. God rescued his people from slavery by judging Egypt and he used the darkness – three times - to do it.
By the time of Jesus, it wasn’t Egypt but the hated Romans who now ruled the Jews. Many had thought Jesus was a new rescuer – their name for this rescuer was Messiah. They had thought Jesus was the Messiah who would rescue them from the Romans. But hanging on the cross, he couldn’t even save himself, let alone the Jews (Lk 23:35, 37).
So what did the Jews now make of this three hour darkness? This eclipse? It would have reminded them of a prophecy:
The sun shall be turned to darkness… before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes, Joel 2:31; Acts 2:20.
So had this great and awesome day now come? Was the darkness a sign of another judgement? Because they had killed God’s Messiah? Or was it a sign of rescue – perhaps God would send another Messiah?
There is something else in the backstory you need to know: the Passover. When God warned the Egyptians that their first-born sons would die, he warned the Jews too – for they were also in the wrong with God. To escape this fate, God told them to sacrifice a lamb so that death would pass over their own households. Poor lamb – he was innocent yet died in place of the Jews. This sacrifice they made, and each year, Jews celebrate the Passover – when death passed over them. God rescued their first-born sons by the death of an innocent lamb. Again, we see our theme of rescue through judgment. The Exodus tells of the rescue of the Jews as judgement fell in darkness. The Passover tells of their rescue as judgment fell on a lamb.
One more thing to notice: the timing. Jesus’ death occurred during the Passover festival. Both Jesus and Passover lambs were being sacrificed. God’s firstborn son was dying while the Jews recalled the rescue of their firstborn sons.
What did the Jews make of all of this? The darkness raised huge and awkward questions for them. But then something else happened – even more alarming.
God acts - Curtain
And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.
For the Jews, there was nowhere in the world more special, more sacred than the Temple. God himself had shown them how to build it. At its heart was an even more special place. It was so special that a huge curtain - 20 metres high – hung there. That is two or three times higher than this church.
A permanent guard of priests was stationed around the temple. No-one could go through that curtain without facing certain death. No-one except the high priest. And even he could only enter once a year. And then only after lots of prayers and sacrifices to prepare himself. After all that, he could enter the curtain. There he prayed for the whole nation that God would forgive their wrongs.
But now this sacred curtain – all 20 metres of it - was ripped apart. The Jews would tear their clothes to show their grief or anger. God tore this curtain to show his grief and anger at the death of his son. But the tearing did much more – it tore away the barrier between God and humanity. It was God’s way of saying, folks, the temple has had its day. From now on, there is a new way of approaching me – of forgiving wrong – and it all had to do with the cross.
Again, we see our theme here, of rescue through judgment. In the torn curtain we see God’s judgement – his anguish at what the Jews had done – and his rescue: making a new way to forgive wrongs.
2. Jesus.
God the Son acts - Trust
Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.
Does this strike you as odd? Jesus had been through a kangaroo court. The Jews and Romans together had framed him on false charges. He – an innocent man - was dying in agony and shame. Why didn’t he curse God? Why didn’t he curse God like the thieves who were crucified with him? Why didn’t he spit out words of self-pity, of bitterness, of despair?
Jesus’ response could not have been more different. It was astounding! He was not ashamed but wanted the world to know how he died. Straining on his last reserves in calling out with a loud voice. He did not hate God but loved him to the very end saying Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. He did not sound like one defeated but who is in control – even choosing the time and manner of his death –
… into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.
Why did Jesus die in this way? What was in his mind? Again, we need the back story.
Jesus had been looking forward to this moment all his life. Not dreading it as we all dread death but looking with anticipation. His regular saying was “My time has not yet come” – meaning his death (Jn 2:4; 7:6, 8, 30; 8:20; cf. 13:1, 17:1). He predicted his death many times. For example:
Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.” Luke 18:31-33 (see also Lk 9:21-22; 9:43-45; 20:9-16)
Now in his final breath, he quoted a psalm written centuries before, but for this moment - a psalm of hope for an innocent sufferer.
Into your hands I commit my spirit; Rescue me, Lord, for you are a faithful God. Ps 31:5
Jesus died confidently, knowing that he had completed the job that his Father sent him to do. A gruesome job, but one that has reverberated around the world ever since.
And we now come to the final characters and their responses to these acts of God – the acts of God the Father and God the Son.
3. Centurion
Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!”
What did the centurion see? Even if he wasn’t involved in the earlier events that day, he would have heard all about it. You can picture the gossip among the soldiers:
Did you hear of the trial today? The Jewish leaders whipped up a great mob. Three times the governor declared Jesus innocent (Lk 23:4, 14-15, 22) and tried to wash his hands of it all (Mt 27:24) – but they made him release a murderer and crucify Jesus instead! Then Brutus whipped him within an inch of his life. But you’ve never seen anything like it. You know that look of terror that prisoners get when they face the lash? But he took it all so calmly – the kangaroo court, the false charges, the whipping and mocking.
Instead of fear there was peace. Instead of hatred, love. Instead of despair, hope. The courage and peace that shone out from Jesus must have been incredible to see – especially for a hardened centurion. These guys were not selected for their compassion and cultural sensitivity. Flogging and crucifixion was part of their job. In the previous century the Romans crucified 6,000 rebels in one go. This centurion had seen it all before, yet no man had ever responded as this man had. So, this hardened centurion gave his verdict – in this he agreed with Governor Pilate:
Certainly, this man was innocent!
But then he did something else too – did you notice? Something puzzling. He praised God. For he did not only see the way Jesus died but also God’s responses. He saw the darkness. He would not have seen the torn curtain – but the news would have spread to him like wildfire. It was headline news!
Let’s get into his headspace. At the trial of Jesus, it was said that he was a King (Jn 18:33). At his trial, it was said he was the Son of God (Jn 19:7). At his trial and in his death, he had the bearing, the attitude of an innocent man. And God himself has now given his verdict. Putting it all together, the truth dawned – this man was innocent. This man truly was a King. This man is surely the Son of God (Mk 15:39).
4. Jews
And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle
The crowd was very mixed. Jewish leaders who hated Jesus. Others turned up to enjoy the spectacle. Many were fickle – shouting Hosanna to the King one day and the next it was, Crucify him, Crucify him (Jn 12:13; Lk 23:21). Yet others were mourning the end of their supposed Messiah. But out of this mixed batch, many were moved. For
when they saw what had taken place, they returned home beating their breasts.
For the Jews, breast beating was often a sign of repentance - not just of regret but of change. Like the centurion, they too were beginning to understand. This man, this hoped for Messiah – he didn’t show any regrets. Indeed, the way he passed from life to death had all the marks of victory – of having accomplished something. And in some way they couldn’t explain, God responded.
Often the first steps of faith are like that. Our past has been a complete mess. Yet one day we have a glimpse of eternal realities. We can’t explain it. But we know it is real. It is true. And like a little child we take the first faltering steps towards the truth.
5. Women
And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things.
They were watching these things. This was very important for what would soon happen. And this is where you and I come in. For Jesus died to create something. He died to create a community of forgiven people – it is called the family of God, the Kingdom of God, the church.
We enter this family, this Kingdom, by believing in him and what he did for us. We enter by faith. But it is not blind faith. It is not faith in something that has no evidence. No, it is faith based on the reports of eyewitnesses. People who knew Jesus. For three years they had walked the roads with him – hearing him teach, seeing how he lived. They had seen how he faced death. And three days later, they saw him conquer death.
Did you notice something about those first eyewitnesses. The first was not a Jew but a despised Roman. And then the women. Jesus had appointed 12 followers for his inner circle. They were all men. But where were they now? Instead, Luke mentions the women who had followed him. This is very odd. To a Jew, in a Jewish court, the word of a woman was almost worthless. And to make matters worse, they came from Galilee. The crucifixion took place in Jerusalem, the Jewish capital. Galilee was a backwater, and an embarrassing one. Proper Jews sneered at Galileans. What would they know? I come from Meningie, which means ‘mud’ – it is like me from the town of mud trying to tell the Lord Mayor of Melbourne how he should run his city.
So, the first eyewitnesses are a hated Roman solider and despised Galilean women. Not the sort of people we would have picked. But God has a habit of choosing the last, the lost and the least – those of little value in the world’s eyes. God chose such people to love, to invite into his family, and to be his witnesses to the death and resurrection of his son. That is why he chose you and me. You may think you can’t achieve anything. You have little to offer. But God has other plans. Like the centurion, like the women, you can tell others of this great story.
What did Jesus’ death mean?
Bringing all the threads together – this is what Jesus’ death means. Remember again our theme of rescue through judgement. God judged humanity at the cross. His anger was shown in the darkness and the torn curtain. Yet in this very judgement we glimpse his compassion - the hope of rescue. Like the Passover – rescue from slavery comes through judgment. For Jesus is the Passover lamb – the innocent one sacrificed to pay for our rebellion. Our rebellion against our maker. With his sacrifice, we now have a new way to come into God’s presence. Jesus is the new temple – he is the great priest who stands between us and God (Jn 3:18-21; Heb 4:14). Through Jesus, we know God forgives us. Like Jesus, we can call God Father because no curtain now separates us from him.
Put yourself in the centurion’s sandals. See the calm resolution of Jesus as he endured the most horrific death. See the awesome acts of God. God broke through the calloused heart of that soldier. We have glimpsed that today. God can break through your heart, to open your eyes to see what the centurion saw. If you do not know Jesus, look at him now. See him dying on that cross with courage and conviction, control and composure – certain in the knowledge that his sacrifice for you and for me was accepted by his father.
Can you look at Jesus and yet turn away? Can you reject his sacrifice? If you were hard up and someone came and brought a cooked meal to your door, would you spit at them and slam the door. Can you imagine a more disgraceful act of ingratitude. Yet to reject the sacrifice of Jesus would top that. To reject his sacrifice for you would be the meanest act of ingratitude that could be imagined. If you have not done so, will you come to Jesus today? Please pray this prayer with me:
Jesus, thank you for your suffering and death. Thank you that you came to die for me – to die in my place. Thank you that you have opened the way to God. Thank you that I too have a place in God’s family because of what you have done. Please accept me today. In your name, Amen.
Source:
· Williams, D. Exegetical Essay on the Greek text of Luke 23:44-49. 2007.