Luke 23:13-25
March 28th, 2010
"Crucify Him!"
The classic Christian teaching is that our sins and in fact the sins of the whole human race led to Jesus’ death on our behalf on the cross. Jesus paid the penalty for our sins, once and for all, collectively and individually, as he bled and died on the cross on our behalf.
It is then time to examine our hearts, and lives and souls. Where is the sin that clings, that Jesus’ blood needs to wash away? We cannot touch on it all, but today let’s look at ourselves through the characters involved in Jesus’ crucifixion on our behalf. Each one of us is one of them.
Pilate washed his hands of Jesus. Pilate found no guilt in Jesus. Jesus wasn’t a threat to the state, but the religious leaders wanted him gone and stirred up the crowd to demand his blood. Pilate washed his hands of Jesus and turned him over to the will of the crowd for it was too inconvenient to defend him. A riot might develop. People were and would be upset if he defended Jesus; so in an act of cowardly expediency Pilate set lose a rioter, insurrectionist and murderer, Barabbas.
Do we wash our hands of Jesus when it is too inconvenient to defend Him? Do we turn Him over to the crowd.
Herod said he wanted to really meet Jesus. He had heard a lot about him and now was his big chance. But here again Herod was too cowardly to defend him. Herod also found no guilt in Jesus, but it was too costly, too much effort and personal cost to defend and protect Jesus; so he simply sent him back to Pilate to his doom.
We may say we really want to meet Jesus, but when we do, do we determine the cost is too great to follow him? Do we then send Jesus on for someone else to defend and protect and witness too? What do we do?
Judas, was he the worst of the lot? He outright betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. He betrayed him beforehand, and the whole early Church by thieving from the common purse as we read about last week.
Do we outright betray Jesus for money? Do we choose work schedules over worship and Christian fellowship? Has God giving us resources to give and share and we refuse?
Peter, he denied Jesus. This I believe is our most common sin. We know Jesus. We worship Jesus. We pray to Jesus and study his word, but at times when we could witness and acknowledge him we through our silence deny him. It’s politically incorrect and against the “cultural religion” of our day to acknowledge Jesus. Jesus might offend.
So through our silence we sit alone with Peter in the courtyard, and the voice of a young girl accuses us and we deny and when we realize what we have done, we like Peter, we cry.
The Disciples they abandoned him. The going got tough so they got going. They left Jesus before his accusers and detractors. Do we?
Now there was only one group that took any responsibility at all in all this and that was “the crowd.” Matthew 27:25 states that “the crowd” said, “His blood be upon us and our children.”
We are the crowd, do we take such responsibility? If we do it leads to new life.
Now Barabbas, he was the first to be saved by Jesus’ death on his behalf. Think about this. The crowd demanded that Barabbas, the rioter and murderer, be set free and Jesus die in his place. Barabbas was the first to benefit from Jesus’ death on our behalf.
The Criminal who repented needs to be the focus of our attention. He is the only one besides the crowd who took any responsibility for his sin. He repented. As he hung on the cross and the other crucified criminal derided Jesus this criminal said, “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. And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
This man, this criminal repented and turned to Christ. He is the only person on this earth Jesus personally promised a place in Paradise.
So the key question today is, “Do you need to repent to receive Jesus’ promise of Paradise today?
Do you like Pilate; need to take responsibility for your faith and witness by living a life of Jesus’ love and defending it by what you say and do? If so repent and let the blood of Jesus cover your sin.
Do you like Herod deeply desire to meet Jesus, but won’t defend him and push him aside as someone else’s responsibility? The Church’s responsibility as an institution, but not mine? If so repent and let the blood of Jesus cover your sin.
Do you like Judas betray Jesus for money? Are your resources more important to you than the help they can extend to others and the work of God here on earth? Is our first consideration money and personal financial comfort, or is it lifting up Jesus? If so let us repent and let the blood of Jesus cover our sin.
Do you like Peter deny him by what’s left unsaid? The opportunity is there to name who you follow and who inspires you to love, but out of fear, by your silence do you deny Him? If so repent and let the blood of Jesus cover your sin.
Do you like the disciples abandon him when the cost and threat of following him seems too great? If so repent and let the blood of Jesus cover your sin.
Only the crowd took responsibility, “His blood be upon us and our children.” They took responsibility but they did not take the next step and that is to repent. But taking responsibility for our sins is where repentance begins. We recognize that our sin caused his suffering and death, not Pilate who pushed him off on Herod, who pushed him off on Pilate who pushed the responsibility off on the crowd.
The responsibility for our sin and our repentance belongs to us. It’s only then when we can repent, which means to turn around to God and receive the salvation Jesus offers in his blood.
As long as we deny our sin there is no need for a Savior!
And the criminal repented and received a Savior and Paradise. It is only in the horror of that moment, that moment of realization that with each sin we again cry “Crucify Him!” that forgiveness and salvation begins.
Today this time and this place is for examining our hearts and lives. The shout of “Crucify Him” is a moment in which we can take responsibility, repent and then receive the immeasurable gift of salvation through God’s Grace and Jesus’ blood.
Then with joy and celbration we can say with the crowd “His blood is upon us and our children” as both a statement of responsibility and as witness of our salvation for by his blood we are saved!
In Jesus name amen.
Let us pray. Today O, God, we have seen ourselves in the characters of the scriptures as ones who deny, betray, abandon, refuse to defend, or wash our hands of Jesus. In our heart of hearts we lift up these sins and others to you. (Please confess now in silence)
We repent O, God, grant us the courage to stand with you, by you, to defend and embrace you and your way of love. In Jesus name amen.
