Amen. If you have a Bible, let me invite you to turn with me to the Gospel according to Luke. Luke 23, we are in a study on the last days of Jesus on the earth. We've been looking from his tears in the garden of Gethsemane, all the way to his triumphal ascension into heaven.
And tonight we're in Luke 23, verse 32, hearing now of the crucifixion of Jesus. And perhaps we immediately think when we hear crucifixion of that excruciatingly painful method of torture and execution. With its physical agony, with the spikes through the hands and feet, with its slow asphyxiation. And in fact the word excruciating, meaning intense pain, comes from the word crucifixion.
But Luke doesn't emphasize that. He just says they crucified him. What Luke does emphasize is all who were there and how they treated Jesus and also how Jesus treated them. And for Christians, this is vitally important because in God's plan, just as Jesus suffered much.
So also in God's plan may we. And also when we suffer at the hands of others, Jesus is our model for how to treat even our enemies. So we're pondering these things this evening and considering the life and especially the death of our Lord Jesus and how he relates to his enemies. Let's look to the Lord's word now from Luke 23 beginning at verse 32.
Two others who were criminals were led away to be put to death with him. And when they came to the place that is called the skull, there they crucified him and the criminals. One on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, father forgive them for they know not what they do.
And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by watching. But the rulers scoffed at him saying he saved others. Let him save himself.
If you are burning if he is the Christ of God, he's chosen one. The soldiers also mocked him coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, if you are the King of the Jews, save yourself. There was also an inscription over him. This is the King of the Jews.
Amen. This is God's word when he write it on our hearts, let's look at him in prayer. And father, we pray you would be our teacher and our God who is sufficient for these things, who is worthy to proclaim Christ. To speak his words of grace, we pray that your spirit would drive them home to our hearts tonight.
You'd be glorified and show yourself strong on our behalf. Give us ears to hear in his name I pray. Amen. We didn't need the events of the last days, the horrific attack in Paris to teach us that attack claimed by the Islamic State.
To teach us that people are capable of great evil, though events like that are a difficult wake of call and a reminder to us. But we have the evil of humanity on display in the crucifixion of Jesus and the mocking and taunting of him upon the cross. And what Luke does is he shows us how they treated Jesus and how the way they treated Jesus was according to God's plan, according to the prophecies of Scripture. And Luke shows us the response of Jesus in praying for his enemies.
What do you think about two big things tonight? God's plan and Jesus' prayer. The plan and prayer, that plan and that prayer in the life of Jesus and in our lives amidst his and our enemies. So in the first place tonight, I want you to think about God's plan.
Luke in this passage is showing us that what happens to Jesus, even what is said to him, and what is done with his stuff, is in accordance with God's plan and it's for our salvation. Jesus in other words, isn't on the cross because God's plan in his life stopped working. Jesus is not on the cross because something went wrong and God didn't foresee it. Jesus isn't on the cross because his purpose has been derailed.
He is on the cross according to God's plan and it was always God's purpose and plan that the Messiah should come and suffer in this way to gain our salvation. And the Bible, for hundreds and even thousands of years before the coming of Jesus told us it would be like this ahead of time in the life of the Messiah. And so what you have here is Jesus fulfilling Scripture, Scripture being fulfilled in his suffering. It look piles up ways in which he shows you this.
So let me just highlight a few of them. First, if you consider Isaiah 53, Luke picks up the language and the idea that he was numbered with or identified with the transgressors. They crucified him, Luke says, with one criminal on his right and another criminal on his left. That is a fulfillment of Isaiah 53 verse 12 preached and proclaimed 700 years before the Messiah, the servant of the Lord of Isaiah 53 comes.
That's Jesus. And it said this about him. Isaiah 53 verse 12, he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors. Yet he bore the sin of many and makes intercession for the transgressors.
And here is Jesus numbered with him. You can count them. There's one there and there's one there and there's one in the middle. That's Jesus.
What's he doing? He's interceding. He's praying on their behalf. And so you see this being fulfilled.
Jesus was counted among criminals. And this is the way Jesus even went out of his way in his ministry to be known. Jesus ate and drank with gluttons and tax collectors and drunkers because he wanted to be identified and was willing to be identified and misunderstood as a drunken man and a glutton and a tax collector. He welcomed them.
He talked to adulterers. He didn't shun the outcasts. He identified with them. He even touched prostitutes and allowed them to touch him.
He didn't hide in shame. He didn't turn his face away because he loves sinners and wanted to be identified with them that he might die for them in their place. And here he is hung between two criminals, not off to one side, not in the way that a passerby could go. I hear those two guys over there.
Those are really bad thieves. That guy over there, well he was that innocent dude. We don't need a wife hanging on the cross. They put him in the prominent place between the two criminals so that at a glance he would be identified with them.
And that's what's happened here. He was a counted a transgressor, a criminal. And that is a great reminder that no matter how bad you are, he is not ashamed to be identified with you and even to die for you. This is part of God's plan and it's a fulfillment of what was foretold by Isaiah.
There's another fulfillment here, multiple filaments from Psalm 22. If you have a Bible, you may want to turn there. Psalm 22 is a Psalm about crucifixion and the humiliation of the Messiah. In Psalm 22, beginning of verse 12, we read this, 12 to 18.
Many bowls encompass me since the Psalmist. Strong bowls of the shan surround me. They open wide their mouths at me like a raving roaring lion. I am poured out like water and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart is like wax, it's melted within my breast. My strength is dried up like a pot shirt and my tone sticks to my jaws. You lay me in the dust of death. For dogs encompass me, a company of evil doers encircles me.
They have pierced my hands and feet. I can count all my bones. They glare and gloat over me. They divide my garments among them.
And for my clothing, they cast lots. Now what's amazing about that Psalm? This is a Psalm of David and we know of no experience in the life of David which corresponds to this. When did evil doers pierce his hands and his feet?
Now what is described as crucifixion? This man is desperately thirsty as Jesus was on the cross. His bones are exposed and people can count them. He is nailed through the hands and feet.
And this was given at a time when crucifixion didn't even exist. It wasn't invented and propagated until the Persians literally multiple centuries later. And so what you have in Psalm 22 is a prophecy. It's a Psalm of David.
That was he never experienced, but by the spirit of Christ in him. For told the experience of the greater David, the greater King, David's Lord, the Messiah. And they crucified him. They pierced his hands and feet.
The people stare. They watch him. The rulers. They gloat over him.
And they cast lots to divide his garments. All this from Psalm 22 came to fulfillment in the life of Jesus. And you see another expression of fulfillment. And this is such a help to us.
In our own sufferings, a Corey Tenboom writes about her experience in the Nazi concentration camps in her book, The Hiding Place. She and her sister Betsy had been in a concentration camp. And she says this, I had read a thousand times. The story of Jesus' arrest.
How soldiers had slapped him, laughed it and flogged him. Now such happenings had faces and voices happening to her. Fridays, she says, the recurrent humiliation of medical inspection. She had a file passed a phalanx of grinning guards.
How there could have been any pleasure in the sight of these stick thin legs and hyper-bloated stomachs. I could not imagine nor can I see the necessity for the complete undressing. But it was one of these mornings while we were waiting, shivering in the corridor that yet another passage in the Bible leapt into life for me. He hung naked on the cross.
There had been no reverence for him, she says. There was no reverence for us. The wind toward Betsy, ahead of me in line, her shoulder blades stood out sharp and thin beneath her blue-modeled skin. Betsy, they took his clothes, too.
Ahead of me, I heard a little gasp, O Corey. And I never thanked him. When we think of Jesus dying for our sins, let it be part of our thanks that he did not shrink from the humiliation of being stripped and exposed publicly and hung for all to see on our behalf. Let us remember his sufferings when we encounter our own difficult days.
When we are tempted to say, God, why me? Why this? Don't you love me? And the Scripture reminds us, yes, I love you.
All the days ordained for my beloved son were written in my book before one of them came to be. And you, are you not of much more value than many sparrows? Not a sparrow falls to the ground, but by the will of the Father. And I number the hairs on your head and not a hair falls to the ground.
But by the will of the Father, I love you and I am at work in all things for your good, just as in the life of Jesus. And so we see him stripped naked in fulfillment of prophecy and hung publicly exposed. And we see again, Psalm 22 adds more to the fulfillment. We see him mocked back in Psalm 22 and verse 7, it says, And what does Luke tell you happened?
The people watched and the rulers scoffed at him. They opened wide their mouths at him, shaking their heads at him, dismissing and mocking him. He saved others. Let him save himself, they said.
If he's the Christ of God, if he's the Messiah, if he's the church, what if he's so beloved by God? Do it. I dare you. The rulers, of course, misunderstood him.
He did save Lazarus. He saved the daughter of Jairus. He brought them both back to life. He saved others, they saved.
Now save yourselves, they say. But they wrongly thought that just as he saved others, he would come and protect his own life because they did not understand that he had come to actually give his life for the salvation of others. And so they mocked him and the soldiers then mocked him as well. Every king, any king they'd ever heard of who had any power at all had defenders at an army.
No king would die so easily. So they mocked him. If you're the king, then save yourself. They're toying with Jesus.
They're teasing Jesus in fulfillment again of the prophecy. Now I want to pause there and comment on the events of the last few days as you may have heard the Islamic State claims responsibility in the name of their God for the multiple attacks against civilians in Paris. These attacks brought to my mind something that Pastor John Piper wrote after the attacks some years ago that Charlie Hebdo, that's how he pronounced that when the cartoonists had made some cartoons offensive to Muslims and there were riots and there were stones thrown at police and parts of the city were burned and people were killed in the rioting in response. Well, Piper wrote these words then and I thought it would be helpful to hear them.
They're entitled. Being mocked is the essence of Christ's work, but not Muhammad's. I'm going to quote him at length. What we saw this past week, speaking of that prior event in the Islamic World demonstrations over the Danish cartoons of Muhammad was another vivid depiction of the difference between Muhammad and Christ and what it means to follow each.
Not all Muslims approved the violence. But a deep lesson remains the work of Muhammad is based on being honored and the work of Christ is based on being insulted. This produces two very different reactions to mockery. If Christ had not been insulted, we would not have been saved.
This was a saving work to be insulted and die to rescue sinners from the wrath of God already in the Psalms. The path of mockery was promised all who seek me. He quotes the Psalmist. He was despised and rejected by men.
He quotes Isaiah 53. When it actually happened, it was worse than expected. They stripped him and put a stomach robe on him. They twisted a crown of thorns, included on his head.
They kneeled before him. Moximus, King of the Jews, they spent on him in his response was patient endurance. This was the work he came to do, like a lamb that is led to the slaughter. This was not true of Muhammad and Muslims do not believe in his true of Jesus.
Most Muslims haven't taught that Jesus was not crucified. One Sunni Muslim writes, Muslims believe that Allah saved the Messiah from the ignominy of crucifixion. Another adds, we honor Jesus more than you Christians do. We refuse to believe that God would permit him to suffer death on the cross.
The essential Muslim impulse is to avoid the ignominy of the cross. That is the most basic difference between Christ and Muhammad and between a Muslim and a follower of Christ. For Christ endured the mockery of the cross. That was the essence of his mission.
And for a true follower of Christ enduring suffering patiently for the glory of Christ is the essence of obedience. Blessed argue when others revile you and persecute you and honor all kinds of evil falsely against you on my account, said Jesus in Matthew 5. Jesus himself was called illegitimate, a drunker, a blasphemer, a devil. And he promised his followers the same if they have called the master of the house the eels of the hub.
How much more will they malign the household? And so Piper goes on, the caricature and mockery of Christ has continued to this day. Martin scores Aesipar trade Christ in the last temptation as a man wracked with doubt and be set with sexual lust. Andres Serana was funded by the National Endowment for the Arts to portray Jesus on a cross sunk in a bottle of urine.
The Da Vinci Code portrays Jesus as a mere mortal who married and fathered children. How should his followers respond? Well, on the one hand we are grieved and angered. But on the other we identify with Christ and we embrace his sufferings and rejoice in our afflictions.
And we say with the Apostle Paul that vengeance belongs to the Lord. Let us love our enemies and win them with a gospel. If Christ did his work by being insulted, we must do ours likewise. When Muhammad was portrayed in 12 cartoons in the Danish paper, the uproar across the Muslim world was intense and sometimes violent.
Flags were burned, embassies were torched. At least one Christian church was stoned. The cartoonists went into hiding for their lives like Sam and Rushdie before them. What does this mean?
It means that a religion without an insulted Savior will not endure insults to win this office. It means that this religion is destined to bear the impossible load of upholding the honor of one who did not die and rise again to make that possible. It means that Jesus Christ is still the only hope of peace with God and peace with man. It means that his followers must be willing to share his sufferings becoming like him in his death.
Christianity is a religion that wins people by enduring suffering and mockery. Now let me add this, for the nation of France, their president has said we shall wage war without pity upon the terrorists. And I will note that the Bible in Romans chapter 13 says that the governing authorities established by God do not bear the sword in vain. And the one who governs is the servants of God and a venture who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.
And government is established by God for the defense of people from those who would do them harm. And so the leaders of France or any nation would be derelict in duty not to defend themselves or punish the guilty. But speaking to Christians here in this congregation in our personal dealings, not as public leaders in times of war, but as private individuals, Jesus disposition on the cross is to be our model. People are spoken to family or friends about Jesus and the response was laughter, mockery, anger and dismissal.
You're in good company with Jesus. And some of you are going home for the holidays and just perhaps you'll be reunited with old friends or family who have since you saw them last, they've rejected Christianity and they wonder why you haven't yet. Or it's just possible that maybe you have truly come to faith in Christ and your beliefs now are different and your life now is different. And when you meet them, they may mock you and they may dismiss you and they may insult you.
Well, when Jesus was reviled, he did not revile in return. And when he suffered, he did not threaten. But he continued in trusting himself to him who judges justly and so let us follow his pattern because he is our savior. Number with the transgressors nailed naked to the cross enduring mockery without retaliation in fulfillment of scripture just as it was God's plan that he should for our salvation.
That's the first thing. The second is shorter. Not only God's plan do we see, but we see Jesus prayer. Luke here shows Jesus in his priestly office interceded on behalf of even his enemies for forgiveness.
Notice the language verse 34, Jesus says, Father forgive them for they know not what they do. He prays for their souls and you might have thought if you didn't know Jesus that he would break and sue them. Father destroy them. Father send your angels and relieve me and let's wipe them out.
But he says, Father forgive them. And don't think because he says forgive them they know not what they do. That what he means is they are culpable for the wrong doing here. And so let's pretend it doesn't exist.
It is true in Acts. Peter when he preaches says they acted in ignorance. That means they didn't understand who Jesus truly was the Lord of glory and that they were crucifying the eternal and everlasting son of God, their king of kings. But they knew he was innocent.
That's already been made clear in Luke. They are still in the wrong for putting him to death and mocking him and calling him as a crowd. And they were crucified and it was unjust and they need to be forgiven. And so he's praying for forgiveness not because they aren't guilty because there's no need for him to say, Father forgive them.
Oh, he prays, Father, don't hold this evil they have done against them, though it was done in ignorance. And think of the answers to this prayer. In just moments in the life of Jesus and just weeks in the life of redeemer we'll look at an immediate answer as one of the thieves turns in repentance. And says Lord remember me when you come into your kingdom and salvation is granted to him.
And then at the moment of his death one of the centurion guards who undoubtedly assisted in crucifying him and keeping him on the cross. For many who might try to rescue him. That one says he was a righteous man, the son of God. And he bows in worship before the one he sees and thousands are converted in Jerusalem in the coming months.
And many priests, Old Testament, Israelite, Jewish priests came to favor Jesus. The Bible says, and undoubtedly many of these answer to this very specific prayer, Father, forgive them. Who knows how many lives have been changed by this prayer for his? This prayer tells us why he is on that cross to forgive us.
He's there for our forgiveness. He's there so that we can be forgiven and so that all who rest and trust in him and his death on their path can find pardon and acceptance with God. A guy named Timothy, and how many pronounceers last name? Can't do it.
Specialists, if you know how you say, you type in a word, how you say, how to say? It's a great tool. They don't know how to pronounce this. Go clean.
He was at one time the special assistant to the president of the United States. He served for seven and a half years under George W. Bush. One morning he came into the White House to discover an email from a reporter waiting for him, a reporter discovered some things he had written for free as a courtesy of information to a column in a newspaper.
He had lifted from others and passed off as his own. And the reporter had doogled and discovered this and was writing to inquire. He knew that he had been found out for this. He said the moment he read that, he literally fell down beside his desk and just cried out a prayer, oh God, oh God.
And then he wrote back to the reporter and said, yes, it's true. I plagiarized. And he said, he goes on to say, looking back on this episode, when you embarrass the president, a divorce takes place. You become persona non grata immediately.
Through my own fault, no pressure, no stress, no extending circumstances. Because of what I did, choices I made, I inflicted shame and embarrassment on the man who has given me the greatest professional opportunity of my life. I inflicted shame and embarrassment on my wife, my children, my 20 years worth of interns. I was a total hypocrite and I resigned.
I resigned. No excuses on a Friday. On Monday I came in to take the pictures off my wall and clear off my desk and I received a call from the chief of staff of the president, Josh Volden. And he asked me how my wife and my children were doing and he told me he forgave me.
And then he said, the boss wants to talk to you. That means the president, when I got there to the White House, the president greeted me and I apologized immediately and he looked at me in the eye and he said, I forgive you. I tried to apologize. It's a second time.
And he said, Grace and mercy is real. I've known it in my life and I'm sending it to you. And I said, Mr. President, I apologize.
Please forgive me. And he said, I'll save again. Grace and mercy is real. You are forgiven.
Now, we can talk about all of this or we can talk about the last eight years. And we spent 20 minutes together. We prayed and we embraced. I cried when I was looking around the Oval Office for the last time.
And as I prepared to leave, he said, by the way, I want you to bring your wife and sons here so I can tell them what a great job you have done for the country in the last seven and a half years. And sure enough, he invited them to come. He was the leader of the free world, validating me after I did what I did and before my wife and my children. And dear friends, the forgiveness that Jesus offers us is far better even than that.
He pardons us. And one day before the entire universe assembled before his court, he will say, that one is mine. I freely forgive that one. You are my child.
Come and be with me forever in friendship. I am not ashamed of you. Freely. I forgive.
That is a forgiveness you can enjoy now and experience in all its pleasure in the glory that yet awaits before his face. Just look to him. And us who profess to believe, let us remember that it is his work that gets us that forgiveness and then calls us to be forgiving. I say to you, Jesus says, love your enemies.
And pray for those who persecute you. If he prayed for his murderers, then surely we can pray for our enemies. Let us pray. And Father, we thank you that you are kind and Jesus that you are rich in grace and gave yourself on our behalf, dying the just for the unjust to bring us to God and reconcile us and to make us friends.
And we pray that we would know the pleasure and joy of that more and more, the freedom of it and that it would shape us to love our enemies. As you have loved us, in your name I pray. Amen. Let's stand and sing.