Crucifixion Of Christ

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TRIAL, CRUCIFIXION & RESURRECTION SERIES: CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST

Pastor Mike here.

I want to talk to you about the Crucifixion Of Christ today.

This is the third in a series on the Trial, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

THE CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST TEXT IN THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

The Crucifixion Of Christ is found in the Gospel of Luke chapter 23, verse 33 through 46, where it reads…

33 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.

34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.

35 And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!”

36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine

37 and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!”

38 There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”

39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!”

40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?

41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.”

42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

44 It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour,

45 while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.

46 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.

And so we have the Crucifixion Of Christ in the Gospel of Luke.

THIS WAS ALL DONE FOR US

And before we dive in to the text, let me just remind you of the main point of the entirety of this series on the Trial, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

This was all done FOR US.

Jesus was put on trial, sentenced for execution, nailed to a cross of wood, suffered, bled and died there, was buried and rose again from the dead on the third day so that we could be saved of our sins and have eternal life.

This was all done FOR US.

VERSE 33

Which brings us to the text.

In v. 33 it starts out, “And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucifed him.”

“The Skull” is probably named because of the deaths there, but it may have looked like a skull from afar.

And the crucifixion and death of Jesus takes place here.

Just like God promised in the Garden.

Adam and Eve ate from a tree whose fruit was forbidden.

They died because of it.

But God came to them and said, “And I will die, too, in your place.” (Genesis 3:15)

It would be thousands of years later on another tree at the place called The Skull (the cross!) that God would die – in Adam and Eve’s place and all their descendants after them – so that we could be saved from our sins and have eternal life.

VERSE 34

And in v. 34 now, as the nails are being driven through His hands and feet, Christ says, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

This is Jesus’ first saying of seven from the cross.

And I don’t want you to miss this.

Christ’s prayer here, of course, has to do with those who’ve handed Him over to be killed and those now carrying it out, but it also includes the entire whole world of human beings of all time throughout all of history!

VERSE 35-39

Three mockeries of Jesus now take place beginning in v. 35 through v. 39.

The first mockery comes from the rulers who scoff at him, saying in v. 35, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!”

The second mockery comes from the soldiers who come up and offer Jesus sour wine, saying in v. 37, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!”

They also mock Him with the sign they hung above His head in v. 38 which read, “This is the King of the Jews.”

Ironically, this was the truth.

The third and final mockery comes from one of two criminals being crucified with Jesus who rails at him, saying in v. 39, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!”

VERSE 40-43

In v. 40-41 now the second criminal being crucifed with Jesus rebukes the first criminal, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.”

This second criminal then turns to Christ and says in v. 42, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

The Lord responds to him in v. 43, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

This is now Jesus’ second saying of seven from the cross.

“Paradise” equals Eden restored.

VERSE 44-45

Continuing in v. 44 it is now the sixth hour (12 noon).

Jesus has been on the cross for three hours in the light and sunshine of the day (beginning at 9 am).

But now a darkness envelops “the whole land” which will continue for the next three hours while Christ is on the cross up “until the ninth hour” (3 pm) since, v. 45 says, “the sun’s light failed.”

This is not an eclipse.

It is likely a supernatural miracle as the sins of all mankind are laid upon the Son of God and He is made “to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

The second part of v. 45 concludes, “And the curtain of the temple was torn in two,” showing that the barrier between God and man was now removed through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the the cross.

VERSE 46

Continuing now in v. 46 Jesus calls “out with a loud voice,” saying, “’Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!'”

This is now Jesus’ seventh saying of seven from the cross.

It comes after three hours of silence right at 3 pm in rapid succession following the fourth, fifth and sixth sayings from the cross.

The Gospel of Matthew, Mark and John confirm this.

And then now v. 46 closes, “And having said this (Jesus’ seventh saying from the cross) he breathed his last.”

Christ dies on the cross in our place.

DR. PAUL KRETZMANN ON THE CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST

In his commentary on the entire Bible including the Gospel of Luke, Dr. Paul Kretzmann adds this regarding the Crucifixion Of Christ…

They came to the place which was called Calvary, the place of the skull, very probably from the shape of the hill, which resembled the upper part of a skull. There they crucified the Lord in the midst between the two malefactors; they stretched out His arms on the cross-pieces, pierced His hands and feet with nails to hold His body in place. Thus did Christ suffer the punishment for our sins, thus did He bear our sins in His own body on the cross, 1Pe_2:24; Isa_53:5. The cross was a wood of cursing and shame, Heb_12:2; Gal_3:13. He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, Isa_53:5. And still, there was no bitterness, no resentment in the heart of Jesus, not even against those that were carrying out the sentence, none too gently, if the usual cruelty was practiced. With His Savior’s heart going out to them in the blindness of their crime, Jesus calls out over the heads of His tormentors: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing! He prayed for the criminals, for His enemies that caused His death. They did not know the Lord of Glory, for His glory was hidden under the guise of a lowly servant. But they did it in ignorance, Act_3:17. And therefore the Lord prayed for them all here, and He had patience with them once more afterwards. He had His apostles go and preach the Gospel of His resurrection to them. And it was only after they had rejected this Gospel absolutely and finally that He carried into execution upon them the sentence of destruction. This first word of Christ from the cross is full of comfort for all sinners. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, Eph_1:7.

Dr. Kretzmann goes on…

During the first hour of the excruciating agony of the crucifixion, both malefactors had joined the surging throngs in reveling and cursing and mocking the man hanging in the middle between them, Mat_27:44. But the example of wonderful patience, together with the words which fell from the lips of the Sufferer, gradually caused one of the criminals to become silent. His heart was pierced by thoughts of sorrow and repentance, he acknowledged Jesus as his Savior. When, therefore, the other malefactor continued his objurgations, sneeringly asking Jesus to save Himself and them also, the man on the right hand rebuked him. It is difficult to say in just what way he brought out the emphasis, but he probably meant to express: Isn’t there even fear of the holy, just God in thy heart, not to speak of any other feeling of commiseration and sympathy! He reminded the other that they both were suffering justly, receiving payment in full for the sins which they had committed, exactly what their deeds were worth. But they were the only ones in that class; for this Man, this Jesus, had done nothing out of place, nothing wrong, nothing wicked. So this malefactor acknowledged his great guilt before God and accepted his punishment as a just payment of divine wrath. He was heartily sorry for his sins. And this sorrow was supplemented and completed by faith. Turning to Jesus, he begged Him: Remember me when Thou enterest into Thy kingdom. The Lord should in grace and mercy think of him and receive him into His kingdom, at the time when the Messiah would return in glory. The poor outcast thus made a splendid confession of Christ; he recognized in Him the King of heaven.

Dr. Kretzmann concludes…

It was the sixth hour according to Jewish [time keeping], high noon according to modern reckoning, when the miracle here narrated came to pass. See Mat_27:45-56; Mar_15:33-41. Suddenly, not only in Judea, but over the whole earth that was just then enjoying the blessing of sunlight, an abnormal, inexplicable darkness fell, one that was mentioned even by heathen writers. The sun simply failed the people of the world; his light was shut off. All nature was mourning at the climax of the suffering of Jesus. This darkness was a picture of the greater, deeper darkness that had fallen into the soul of the Redeemer. He was literally forsaken by God, given over into the power of the spirits of darkness, to suffer the indescribable agonies of hell. Christ, in these three hours, had to bear and feel the full strength, the full terror of the divine wrath over the sins of the world. He was in prison and judgment, He poured out His soul in death, He endured the agonies of hell. What an incomprehensible humiliation! The eternal Son of God in the depths of eternal death! But this also was for our salvation, in order that we might be delivered from the pain of death and hell. For delivered we are, since Jesus in the midst of the agony of hell clung to His heavenly Father and conquered wrath, hell, and damnation. But when these terrible hours were over, the victory was gained. Not as one that was expiring in weakness, but as one that proclaimed Himself the Conqueror over all the foes of mankind, Jesus committed His soul into the hands of His heavenly Father. Thus He fulfilled the great work of atonement for the sins of the whole world, thus He died for us.

BY HIS WOUNDS YOU HAVE BEEN HEALED

And so we have the Crucifixion Of Christ in the Gospel of Luke.

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)