Luke 23:32-43

The Bible passage that was read for us today gives part of Luke’s account of the Crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is part of the story of what happened at Easter 2000 years ago.

In the first passage that was read we meet Jesus and we meet two men who are going to be executed alongside Jesus.

So much of Easter is in fact concerned with death.

The death of Jesus and then of course his conquering of death in his resurrection.

I don’t know if you have noticed but for such a long time we have not wanted to speak about death in Australia. It is a taboo subject.  Even our funerals are “celebrations of life”, we don’t even speak about death at funerals.

Now, all of a sudden, we hear about death every day, updated in the news every evening. Numbers of deaths for Australia, numbers of deaths for around the world.

Over 95,000 people have died from the Corona Virus around the world in just a few months, 51 people in Australia, over 18 000 in Italy.

It is hard not to take notice and be shaken by it all.

What is it about death that is so difficult for us, scary? For so long we have felt we so invincible in Australia, and suddenly we discover we are not.

It is partly because we don’t like being out of control and death certainly reminds us that we are not in control. Is it also because deep down we know we are not prepared?

For just about every other event in our lives, if you are sure the event is happening, and it is important enough, you will make preparations.

We saw that in the great toilet paper capper (when stocks were non-existent because of hoarding), as people made preparations for isolation. Those that missed out had to be very inventive.

If you have a child getting married, you will be preparing for that day. (Can I say it has become a lot simpler for you over the last few weeks, now that you can only have five people at the ceremony). Every Father of the bride has found themselves breathing a financial sign of relief.

For just about every event in our lives, if you are sure the event is happening, and it is important enough you will make preparations.

Why are we not prepared for the day of our death?

Do you think it is not going to happen?

One thing the Corona virus has done is remind us that we too one day will die. Corona virus has just added another way in which we can die, and every day it reminds us afresh of that fact as we hear of the new ones who have died because of it.

Every day by default it questions if we are prepared for that day?

I wonder if it would actually surprise you to know that you could be prepared and that it is so very important to be prepared.

Well have a look at this passage with me this morning as I think it speaks to that subject.

What if you actually could be prepared for death?

Well the section of Luke’s Gospel we are going to spend most time on this morning is a simple one. It really only has three characters.

There is Jesus and there are the two criminals who are crucified with Jesus.

It is the two criminals that I want to draw your attention to this morning.

It seems most likely that they are in fact terrorists.

There had been a recent uprising and people had been murdered, and it seems most likely that these men had been a part of that and that is why they were being crucified.

Both of them are at the point of execution and both of them knew that they would soon meet their maker, it turns out they were dead before the end of the day.

It is said that when troubled times come it often makes clear to us what is important and what is not important. Nothing quite sharpens your focus like facing your own death. Well let’s see what each of the men do in the face of death.

The First Terrorist

The first terrorist speaks, and let me read to you what he says from Luke 23:39.

Luke 23:39

³⁹ One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at (Jesus): “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

Everyone else around the cross of Jesus was speaking like that, hurling insults and mocking.

We are told the Jewish authorities had said, “he saved others, but he cannot save himself. If you are the Christ come on down from the cross and we will believe in you”.

Christ, is the name given to God’s great king. The king of everyone and everything. The authorities are saying, come down from the cross and we will believe that you are God’s great king.

This man joins in the insults, “aren’t you the Christ? Aren’t you God’s great king, save yourself and save us.”

It is not a genuine question, we are told he is insulting Jesus.

I wonder if you notice that, although he is facing death he is treating Jesus as if Jesus is his servant and that he is the master. He thinks he can tell Jesus what to do.

Now, if Jesus is not all that important, then what does it matter how we treat him … but what if he is?

What if he really is the Christ? What if he made us and owns us? What if he is God the Son?

Who owns you?

Who owns what? That is often a big question.

I live in a house with three daughters who can all fit into each other’s clothes. Who owns what is a big deal when we are dressing up to go somewhere.

“Those are my Jeans … I only lent them to you … but I own them.”

(None of them are interested in loaning my Jeans I notice.)

Who owns what is a big question, but who owns you? That is bigger isn’t it?

What if Jesus really is the Christ, God’s great king? If he is, then he made you and owns you?

This terrorist would have known of all the things that Jesus had been doing on earth, so too all those in Jerusalem, it was the talk of the town … the blind see, the lame walk, the dead rise.

This man has good reason to believe that Jesus is who he says he is, but I tell you something: you and I have even more.

It is not a small thing that three days after he was crucified Jesus rose from the dead.

It is his way of making it very clear to you that he really is the Christ. Have a look at Chapter 24:5, it was no surprise to Jesus.

Luke 24:5bff

“Why do you seek the living among the dead? ⁶ (Jesus) is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, ⁷ that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”

Jesus rose from the dead, surely that has got to make us stop and think!

What are we to make of this?  Other than we are in the presence of the Lord of life and death. How else could he have made it any clearer that he is God the Son?

I doubt there is a person listening who has not heard about the story of Easter, that Jesus Christ died and rose again the victor over death.

You may have heard that a thousand times but it is not until you stop and think about it that you realise how impressive that is.

Death is the very thing we have no control over, death is the very thing that mocks us and yet here is Jesus, where every account of his life testifies to his death and he resurrection.

He is none other than the Lord of life and death.

He his God himself. Could he have made that any clearer to us? He told us this would happen.

This man on the cross … he didn’t know about the resurrection but he would have known about the other things.

That is why it is staggering that this man is so bold as to treat Jesus as his servant and not as his king and God.

Perhaps we treat Jesus as a house guest. Most of us as an unwanted house guest.

We say “this is your room, and this is your bed and this is the bathroom, and you can put your stuff here”.

You don’t expect him to lay claim to the whole house … or your life.

Can you imagine treating the one who owns everything like that?

Jesus this is your ares of my life … but that is where it stops.

You see Jesus is not a house guest. He owns the whole place and he owns you and he owns me. It is a serious thing to ignore him, and act as if he is a no one.

You see there are lots of ways you can mistreat Jesus, you can treat him like your servant and just make demands on him or you can live your life as if he is not your maker, you can ignore him.

Right to the end this man remains careless in regards to getting right with God. He is not prepared for his death, though it is staring him in the face.

The warning of this passage is don’t be like this man.

Well that is one of the men.

The Second Criminal

There is a second man as well. Let’s have a look at his response which is quite different.

Read Vs 40f

⁴⁰ But the other criminal rebuked (the first criminal) him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? ⁴¹ We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

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

Now don’t you think that has got to be a most unexpected request?

Jesus never looked less like a king than when he was on the cross. Three days later when he rose from the dead it was clear … but not on the cross.

There was a notice above him that said this is Jesus King of the Jews … but it was there to mock him, no one was meant to take it seriously, but in a great flash of understanding this man realises who Jesus really is.

Was he thinking clearer than ever as he looked death in the eye and considered eternity? Suddenly he saw that here was the king he had ignored.

As I said before, it is said that death has a way of focusing the mind onto the things that matter.

Maybe it didn’t work that way for the other man, but sometimes in his kindness Jesus uses things like this to focus our thoughts onto the big questions. What really matters so that we suddenly see him.

I spoke to one of the people who work at the Tamworth hospital this week and asked him how he was going. He spoke about a nurse in Italy who had to remove a desperately ill patient from a ventilator because another patient who was younger had come in and they needed the ventilator as well.

It was decided that they had a better chance of living that the man currently on the ventilator so his job was to remove one man, knowing it would lead to his death, and put the ventilator on the other.

Hard not to think about eternal things when you have to do something like that don’t you think?

Hard not to think about life after this one and if you are right with God.

Has Corona virus made you consider bigger things?

In his kindness has Jesus forced you out of your comfort zone to consider eternity, and how you stand in relation to him?

That would be a great mercy wouldn’t it?

I think that is what he did to this man. In his kindness Jesus cleared this man’s mind … to the see the truth.

Enough to see that Jesus was God’s great king, and he humbles himself and he admits his need of help and he says Jesus will you remember me when you come as king?

It is a plea for mercy and it is a plea for forgiveness.

He says I know that you are king; I know that you are powerful and I know that I don’t deserve to be forgiven in any shape or form, I am getting what I deserve, but is there some mercy within you, where I can find forgiveness and the promise of a new life?

He is not proud. He makes no excuses. He comes to Jesus empty handed and he says Jesus will you remember me when you come as king?

Jesus says to this second man, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

There are lots of things that surprise us in this world.

There is a statement that I think may well have surprise the dying terrorist a great deal.

This man put his trust in Jesus the king and asks him for mercy and Jesus treats him with great mercy. All his life he has mucked it, and here, before it was to late, he found Jesus to be full of mercy.

You see what is going to happen to you on the other side? What is going to happen after death?

Sometimes people say, no one has come back to tell us but that is not true someone has come back to tell us.

Jesus is the great conquer of death, risen from the grave and says I am the Son of God. Follow me as king. You can walk through death with me, I am that way, the truth and the life and no one comes to God the Father apart from me.

How does it work? How can you be prepared for death?

It is not that complex. Recognise Jesus as your king, and follow him. Throw yourself upon him for mercy and forgiveness.

The wonderful thing is that Jesus promises that anyone who comes to him that way will not be turned away … even a terrorist.

On the great day in which you stand before him in judgement you will stand forgiven, because of Jesus.

Today you will be with me in paradise. You will be safe with Jesus.

I don’t know if you have any membership in an exclusive club … I don’t, and I am always nervous to go near them.

We were meant to go on holidays next week to South West Rocks, not that that is happening anymore. At South West Rocks there is a place called the county club. I have always been too nervous to go in there.

It is the big guy who stands by the door that makes me nervous and the fact that I am not a member.

That is nothing compared to the Australian Club, which was founded in 1838 and has John Howard, Banjo Paterson, Kerry Packer as members and past members. That is very exclusive.

They won’t let you in …

Can you imagine walking to the door and being stopped by the bouncer and asked, “Do you have member ship here?” All you could say is “No, I don’t”.

Imagine if while you were there the founder of the club came and said “It’s alright … he is with me”.

It would get you in where you don’t deserve to be.

On the great day of the judgment, when you have come through death and the question is asked … “Will you be with Jesus in Paradise … do you have membership here?  On that day those who belong to Jesus in this world will hear Jesus say, “It is aright … he is with me.”

That is the promise he is making to this man. You will be with me in paradise.

This man, in the end, was prepared for his death.

The other was not and he will only hear … “He is not with me. I never knew him”.

How about you?

So there are the two men, and there are the two outcomes.

Which will you be?

Can I urge you this morning … come to Jesus on your knees, come to him as your king.

He is the king who delights in showing mercy.