Allen Jackson - The Display of Good and Evil - Part 2
May I ask you, if you're on trial and the judge is in a really hard place and there's some angry, powerful people shouting for your execution and the judge knows you're innocent. Do you think it'd be okay if he just caved to the crowd? No, I don't think any of us would. We would want him to do what he thought was right even if there was some consequence for it, that's what we call character. That's the difference in being a character and having character. And tragically, we live in a culture that tends to reward and celebrate being a character. If you have character and you hold a set of values, we have all sorts of fancy language and all sorts of explanations. "Well, it's business". Or, "If I forfeit that opportunity, it would have a financial impact on me and then that would have a financial impact on my children, therefore I have complete license to do whatever I need to do to get as much as I can, can all I get and sit on the can because it's gonna go to my kids".
Folks, Pilate could have been a participant in the eternal kingdom of God. That would be a much better place to have stood than being the one that condemned him to death when your earth suit wears out. Agreed? Pilate surrendered Jesus to the murderous mob. We don't do that, we don't sit on the beam of the judgment seat, the Roman judgment seat. We don't occupy a praetorium and have our own personal guard and a guard of people that we can command. We cave in other ways. We surrender children to abortionists. We look away while lewd, obscene material is made available to our children in school libraries. We think we can elect somebody to go do that for us so we don't have to pay any attention, we don't have to use our voices.
Why should we invest the time and the energy? That's what we chose them, they should go be bold. Seems to me we've all spent too much time in that middle place where Pilate found himself. I think it's one of the reasons Luke takes so much time to help us understand the scene because by the time Luke is putting this Gospel together, many scholars imagine he did it with Paul while Paul was under guard in Caesarea. So Paul is nearing the end of his ministry and Luke has traveled with him through much of that and Luke has seen the pressure that comes because of the gospel. He's seen the opposition at Ephesus, he's seen the riots, he's seen the trauma in Philippi, he understands what it means. And so when he's telling us the story, he's illuminating that pressure. I think he's trying to help us understand we have choices to make.
Verse 26: "As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and they put the cross on him and they made him carry it behind Jesus". By this point, Jesus has been beaten severely. In fact, he's hemorrhaged enough that he's too weak to carry the cross. A normal expectation for prisoners, but most prisoners headed for crucifixion would not have been beaten as severely as Jesus has been. "A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him". It's an interesting study, I'll give you one you can do on your own. There's a number of phrases, particularly in the last few chapters of Luke's Gospel, where he points attention to the women who were engaged. It's here, he says, "There's a large number of people following him, including women," it's a highlight, "who mourned and wailed for him".
They were willing to be identified with Jesus. They had the courage in the streets of Jerusalem, the same streets where, just a few hours earlier, they'd screamed, "Crucify him". Now these women have the courage to mourn on his behalf. Remarkable. "Jesus turned and said to them," Jesus stops. Remember now, he has been beaten horribly, too weak to carry his cross, and he turns and says to the women, "'Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. For the time will come when you will say, 'Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!' and they will say to the mountains, 'Fall on us!' and to the hills, 'Cover us!' For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it's dry"?
Luke is presenting to us a very public humiliation and torture. Jesus is severely beaten, but he still has a message for the people. Through all the injustice, through all the false accusations, through the mock trial, through the cries of the people of the city to whom he has come with a message of the kingdom of God is at hand and they have demanded his execution. Jesus still has a message for the people. Jesus cares enough about them to tell them what's ahead. He said things are going to get difficult. He has a message for his followers. He makes a point to tell us about the women following Jesus. Even Jesus's message is directed towards those women, the daughters of Jerusalem. That last sentence is worth noting. He said, "If men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry"?
If they'll do these things while I'm here physically amongst you, what do you think they will do to my people in my absence? If you'll allow me, I would submit the women in our current setting need to hear the voice of the Lord. Protect your children. Men are not without responsibility as husbands and fathers. But at the moment, we're locked in this national debate about abortion with people demanding the privilege of terminating the lives of their children up to the point of delivery. And the block amongst us, the block amongst our population that's been identified is most advocating for that are the most educated women. Every time I hear that report, I think, "Educated in what way"? Not on the principles of Scripture.
Luke 23, same chapter, verse 34: "Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing.' And they divided up his clothes by casting lots". You know, when Jesus said that, "Father, forgive them, they don't know what they're doing," I don't know how you understand that prayer, but I think it bears just a moment's commentary. I believe the centurion and the Roman soldiers that nailed him to the cross understood exactly what they were doing. They've crucified dozens if not hundreds of people. They know how to loop the rope over their wrist and pull the arm taut so they can nail them to the cross. They know how to position them. They're gonna suffocate on that cross. That's the point of crucifixion. It's slow, it's torturous, it's awful, it's horrific, it's intended to inspire terror in the enemies of Rome. They know exactly what they're doing.
Jesus isn't confused. He's not addled. "Father, forgive them". They know they're crucifying a man by the name of Jesus who's from Nazareth. I don't believe they understood the full implications of what was happening. That the innocent, sinless, son of God was being nailed to that cross. And Jesus, through the haze of the pain and the tremendous injustice and the anger and the rage that almost anyone would have felt in that position, he says to them something that we have to hear.
"Father, forgive them". Because usually the assignment for you and me in order to benefit from Jesus's sacrifice on the cross and be forgiven is we have to be willing to forgive. And that is never simple, not for any one of us. "The people stood watching, the rulers even sneered at him. And they said, 'He saved others; let him save himself if he's the Christ of God, the Chosen One.' The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and they said, 'If you're the king of the Jews, save yourself.' There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the Jews".
You see, the one thing for which you could be crucified, period, was if you claim to be a king, because Caesar would stand no pretenders to the throne. There's an interesting contrast that Luke gives us. In verse 27, the passage is just before this one in your notes. He tells us, "There was a large number of people following Jesus, including women who mourned and wailed for him". A large number of people, and many women, mourning for Jesus, wailing for him through the streets of the city of Jerusalem. And just outside the city gates, Luke gives us the contrast in verse 35. He said, "There's people that stood watching". They have no opinion, they express no opinion. They remain moot. We have a lot of those today. And then there's this other group, the rulers that are sneering at Jesus. "He saved others, let him save himself".
And the soldiers who were mocking him. It's a very sharp contrast Luke gives us. In the same scene, in the same screen, in the same emotional setting, there are people mourning and wailing. There are others sneering, there are others mocking, there's a group silently just watching the whole thing play out. Sounds a whole lot like the world we live in. Mourners, watchers, those sneering. So I have a question. When evil is apparent, what do you do? You need to think about your answer.
Luke 23 verse 39: "One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at Jesus: 'Aren't you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!' But the other criminal rebuked him. 'Don't you fear God?' he said, 'Since you're under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man's done nothing wrong.' Then he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' Jesus answered, 'I tell you the truth, today you'll be with me in paradise.'" There's that dimensional thing Luke keeps doing for us, reminding us that there's a hope beyond time. Folks, please don't give that up. Please don't live your life just for this dimension.
I enjoy life. It's a beautiful place God has given us. It's an amazing creation. It's spectacular and wondrous and it's beyond description, but there's something far better and sometimes we get so anchored into time that we miss the joy and the hope of eternity. And I believe Luke is reminding us of that, but he's back to this contrast. We followed it all the way from the first chapter of Luke until now. From those that believe and those who don't believe, those who don't want to believe. Now on the cross, there's this contrast between two criminals. If you're reading this with anything like an open mind, it's hard to escape what Luke keeps saying. Some mourned and wailed and some jeered and some mocked. Even on the cross, on either side of Jesus, there's a criminal who's hurling insults at him and another who is acknowledging him as King.
Luke consistently shows us the differing choices made by the people around Jesus. He takes us to the dinner table in a Pharisees's home. And the Pharisees, the experts in the Scripture, the ones that should know him, the ones who lead God's people in regular worship. And a sinful woman. One believes and the other doesn't. It's a consistent message. Folks, you and I are not without opportunity. It's too easy to look at other people and miss our own opportunities.
Same chapter, 23 verse 44: "It's about the sixth hour," it's noon, "and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour," It's Friday afternoon, "the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.' And when he'd said this, he breathed his last. And the centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, 'Surely this was a righteous man.' When all the people who had gathered to witness the sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. But all those who knew him, including the women," there's Luke again. He's determined that we won't miss the fact that the women have some prominent role in this tragic, terrifying, pressure-filled part of Jesus's life.
"Those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things". The centurion again is a sharp contrast with the sneering rulers of verse 35. "Surely, this man was the Son of God". The rulers of the people were standing there going, "If you're the Son of God," and the Roman centurion, the hated executioner, imagine the vulnerability of that centurion when he praises God, affirming Jesus. Some of you remember the message Jesus gave to one of the churches at the beginning of the book of Revelation. He said, "You're lukewarm, I'm gonna spit you out of my mouth". Be hot or cold. Luke's inviting us to that.
You decide which of those criminals you are. You decide whether you'll sneer, you'll be silent, or you'll mourn when the kingdom of God is diminished, mocked, ridiculed, or suffers. I got a couple of minutes. We can finish, kinda. Luke 24, it's a resurrection chapter. Hallelujah. After those horrific scenes, you need the resurrection chapter. "On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they didn't find the body of the Lord. They were wondering about this and suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them".
Luke began his Gospel with angelic visits and he's going to conclude his Gospel with angelic visits. I don't believe we should imagine that we can complete our assignment without the support and help from the kingdom of God. "In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, 'Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men.'"
The angels knew what was happening in the earth. They're repeating the message Jesus had delivered. We tend to think the veil between where we are and next is so thick that it's impenetrable. That is not the message of Scripture. The angels have been listening to what Jesus had to say. They've been listening to what the crowd had to say. And when the Bible says, "Everything whispered in the secret will be shouted from the housetops," we're the only ones that think it's secret. You know, I have to smile a bit at how stubborn we are in our willingness to believe. I think most of us imagine that Google is listening most of the time.
How many times have you had a con... Kathy and I had a conversation and we talked about, you know, I'd like a new pair of shoes. And the next time you open your phone, all it's filled with is shoe advertisements that I didn't go looking for. But we're so stubborn, we're so reluctant to believe that God listens or that the spiritual world is paying any attention. "Well pastor, you know, I'm just not sure I believe in all of those things". "Oh, you mean, like, the Bible". The angels knew what Jesus had been saying. "Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again?' Then they remembered his words".
Yeah, with a little angelic prompt. You have two guys in bright white clothing with faces so illuminated you can't look at them, and they say, "Do you remember John 3:16"? "Uh, no". "For God so loved..." "Oh yeah, we heard that one"! Then they remembered his words. "When they came back to the tomb, when they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven". These are Jesus's closest friends. These women and these 11 guys are Jesus's closest friends. "And to all the others, and it was," and he said, Luke tells us who the women were. This fascinates me. "It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna. Mary the mother of James, and the others who were with them told this to his apostles. But they did not believe them".
This is Mary Magdalene. They've been on this whole journey together and they come back and say the tomb is empty. Two really bright people reminded us of what Jesus told us. They're not talking to the Roman guards, They're not talking to the courtiers outside Pilate's office, they're talking to his best friends. There's no... we don't believe that. The women, "They did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Peter, however, he got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away wondering to himself what happened". And if you're reading this, "Listen to the women"! Right? They told you! Now all the men on the way home tonight, "Are you gonna listen to me"? Women have recovered enough to go searching. I think that's noteworthy. The men haven't recovered that much yet. We'll save that for another session.
I wanna close with a prayer. For those of us that are in a mountaintop and everything's wonderful, that's awesome. Those are wonderful times and seasons in life. If maybe you're not in that place and you're in some other location, you may be in the depth of the valley of despair, we're gonna stand together and invite God into our lives. You can stand with me. We're gonna declare ourselves overcomers. We're not gonna overlook evil. We're not gonna excuse it. We're not gonna lack the courage that Pilate lacked. We're not just gonna act like we don't notice. We'll take our stand and then we will trust the Lord, amen? Hallelujah.
Father, I thank you for your Word, for its truth and power and authority, for clarity that it brings to us. Lord, we live in a broken world. In a fallen world, a world that has more pain and anguish and suffering and loss than we would like. And Lord some days it seems as if it's too much. And we pause tonight, Lord, to pray for one another. I thank you for the hope we have that life is greater than death, that your love and mercy and grace triumph over every expression of evil. That greater is the Spirit that is within us than the Spirit in this world. And I thank you, Father, that you have called us to be overcomers. And so now we present ourselves to you, Lord, in all our frailty and all our weakness and all that we lack and all that we're not and the places we've made mistakes, Lord, we ask for your forgiveness. Lord, we choose to forgive those who have harmed us. And I ask now that you bring life to our mortal bodies, bring strength to us, renew our strength, revive our strength, refresh our strength, bring life to us. A health triumph over sickness and disease, where there is heaviness and darkness and despair, may joy triumph over discouragement. I thank you for it tonight. I praise you for it. Lord, we give you glory and honor and thank you that in the midst of our lives your name will be exalted, that your purposes will break forth and we will know the victory of our Lord. In Jesus's name, amen.