“The Mark of Contentment”
Luke 23:1-25
Think with me for a moment about your greatest injustice. When did everything that was right seem to be turned upside down? What happened that made you really question the fairness of life, others, America…even God?
I’m sure many of you have stories involving situations like a deserting spouse, an unforeseen affair, an unfair accusation, an undeserved family crisis, an unexpected layoff. In fact, even as I’m looking at many of you whom I’ve known over the years, I can recall situations that were unfair for you. Unjust. Upside down. And my heart is affected, even now as I speak, by the memory of what I know was painful for you.
Mine is not near as memorable as some of yours, but it is what I know. So at least it is personal. I was a young youth pastor in Augusta, GA, doing my best to train a group of kids to reach out to others. Granted – some of my ideas met resistance (imagine that!), and the culture there turned out to be very different than what was actually communicated to me at the beginning. However, I figured everyone wanted to obey the Great Commission and make disciples, so that’s what I set out to do – make disciples who would make disciples!
But disciplemaking is a messy business. And when crowds of kids getting saved started upsetting church traditions, routines and comfort zones, I found that the elephant in the room can be a mighty big creature to take down, even one bite at a time.
For instance, one day I was asked to promote a special speaker we were having – Let’s call him “Joe Miles” – by advertising his appearance on our church sign. After posting the sign letter by letter, which read “Come hear Joe Miles this Wednesday,” I asked our pastor’s secretary, “Do you need any help hosting Joe’s visit?”
“No,” she said, “he’s not really speaking here live. We’re just going to play a video of his message.”
Hearing that, I politely inquired of our pastor about the sign and if he wanted a different reading. The answer? “Of course not! It might actually make some folks not attend.”
Things like that just didn’t settle well with me. It seemed like an obvious untruth, yet no one seemed too worried about it. Still, my actions regarding discipemaking – biblical evangelism – were dissected and evaluated weekly. And if anything I did with kids brought accidental damage to the church sanctuary or unintentionally dirtied up the church vehicle or inadvertently caused schedule conflicts with the existing dead, dry ministries, I was brought in for a verbal lashing.
So you can imagine my surprise and shock when, one day at staff meeting, the Pastor’s wife looked at me, pointed her finger, and said, “You’re taking our youth down the wrong road!” Whoa! Sure enough, that was the feeling of most everyone in the room. And sure enough, that began a discussion about why I didn’t really fit.
As I left the meeting, I was curious why promotional untruths were okay, but honest, messy disciplemaking was out of line. And as I thought about that the rest of the evening, I actually agreed – I didn’t fit! Unfortunately, my departure, though polite, was political. And I left Augusta silently.
Looking back, I am so thankful my mouth had invisible duct tape across it. Though I didn’t understand a lot about that situation then, I’ve come to learn that God was working on a larger plan and from a bigger perspective. And the quieter I kept the quicker he could work. Yes, what seemed like human inequity in action was actually divine sovereignty in motion.
Add to your experience and mine the many “kangaroo courts” that happen in our country every year, much like the O.J. Simpson trial of 1995, and you can begin to see why there is distrust among people when it comes to the words ‘justice’ and ‘equity.’
Yet, none of the injustices we have described or mentioned would come close to describing the injustice of Christ’s arrest and trial. It is documented in Luke 23, and what a picture of manipulation, deceit, bias, and unfairness. Turn there, would you?
We’re actually going to jump in just prior to Luke 23. Put your finger on Luke 22:66 and let’s read through Luke 23:25.
Notice some textual highlights:
• What really jumps out to me in 22:66-23:5 is the way injustice was shown in what was said. Tons of false accusations and untrue statements were made. Yet, our Lord’s ability to be completely truthful without being defensive is amazing. Jesus always spoke the truth and nothing more. He didn’t defend himself, although he did declare the truth. This was a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy (Isaiah 53:7-9) where it is said that he was “led as a lamb to the slaughter.”
Herein lays a good application: When injustice strikes, declare the truth, but not defensively. Often when we get defensive we get personal, and even legitimate debates become heated attacks. Let’s model Christ’s behavior in the face of false accusations and simply declare the truth. After all, it’s the truth that sets us free (John 8)!
• As I read 23:6-16, I’m struck by the injustice shown in what was done. Did you know that Jesus actually endured six trials? That’s right – after His arrest in Gethsemane, Jesus was paraded around to six illegal and dishonest trials in less than six hours. Not exactly justice, would you say? More like a kangaroo court! Additionally, the first three trials were religious in nature and held by the Jews, while the last three trials were civil in nature and held by the Romans. Here’s a breakdown:
o The 1st trial took place at the home of Annas around 2 am.
o The 2nd trial was held in the home of Caiaphas (high priest) at 3 am.
o The 3rd trial was a formal hearing before the Sanhedrin at 6 am.
o The 4th trial was before Pilate around 6:30 am
o The 5th trial quickly occurred before Herod.
o The 6th trial went back to Pilate and was done in just a few minutes.
Add to that the way Herod mocked him and Pilate whipped him, and it is clear that all the actions were rooted in injustice. What spineless leaders and what a stunning partnership! We shouldn’t be surprised, though. Injustice can bring about the strangest of bedfellows, can’t it?
• As this passage closes out in 23:17-25, I see a great injustice in what was arranged: a convicted criminal exchanged for a kind Savior; a felon for a forgiver! The height of injustice is found in the release of Barabbas in exchange or the death of Jesus. Truly, the guilty went free and the free One was treated as guilty.
This great exchange is more than physical, though. For though the rulers traded my King for a criminal, 2 Corinthians 5:21 says a greater spiritual trade took place on Calvary. “He who knew no sin was made to be sin for us.” King Jesus actually took my sin and gave me his righteousness. He took my sin debt and credited me his righteousness. That’s a great exchange no doubt!
Make no mistake – The trials of our Lord were the greatest mockery of human justice known to man. In what was said, done and arranged, injustice was all around.
NOTE: For those who would like to know more about the injustice of Jesus’ trial, go to our Web site, www.firstfamilyministries.com and click on the ‘Extra Point’ under this week’s date (left side of the main page). There you’ll see a list of all the legal injustices that occurred on the night of Jesus’ arrest and trial. Trust me, you’ll be amazed!
Interestingly, as the injustices increased and the crowd got louder, Jesus got quieter. He had a strange sense of personal calmness and contentment even as public restlessness grew. No doubt the text shows the crowd in turmoil, escalating toward chaos (the very thing they didn’t want!); but Jesus was tranquil and contented.
Think about it – In the midst of life’s inequity, our Lord was content with his Father’s sovereignty. How, in the midst of great injustice and inequity, could the Son of God remain calm, quiet and under control? Because he knew the cross was part of his Father’s overall plan. He mentally went back to the garden and found strength in knowing God’s sovereign will was being worked, even in the middle if unjust situations! So he would wait and God would work!
Ironically, it was in this very scenario of injustice that we find divine justice being hammered out. Humanly, the cross screams out, “This isn’t fair!” But spiritually, it sends a louder claim to all who would be damned spiritually – “God is satisfied!” That’s the point of the Gospel – he who knew no sin was made to be sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21).
Before I go any further, I want to make sure you understand what I’m saying. We are only made ‘just’ because of Christ’s ‘unjust’ death. Any other means of trying to reconcile the spiritual balances won’t work. Everyone everywhere must come the same way – by the cross! Our Lord’s human injustice is our spiritual justice! And because he endured the cross, I can enter heaven by simply believing in him! Hallelujah! If you have never willfully believed in Jesus and placed your hope for eternal life in his death and resurrection, then I invite you today to do exactly that – believe in the only Son of God, Jesus Christ, and take your stand on the Gospel. In fact, in a few minutes I’m going to give you an opportunity to do exactly that – take your stand on the Gospel and believe in Jesus Christ as your only Savior. As the picture of this humanly unjust crucifixion unfolds, I hope it will lead you to find spiritual justice for your soul only through God’s Son, Jesus.
This is what a young couple did last Wednesday – they accepted God’s free gift of salvation. It’s what a young man did last Sunday here in church – he put his faith in Jesus as the only way to God and heaven. And it’s what you can do this morning as well – you can believe in Jesus Christ and be saved!
Let me hasten to say also that God’s sovereignty taking charge over life’s inequity is a recurring theme throughout the pages of Scripture. And the greatest picture is found in the Old Testament version of redemption, the Exodus. Write these verses down and let me walk you through a quick history of the Israelites after Joseph brought his family to Egypt.
Genesis 45:7 – “God sent me ahead of you.”
Genesis 47:11 – “So Joseph settled his father and his brothers in Egypt and gave them property in the best art of the land.”
Genesis 50:22 – “Joseph stayed in Egypt along with all his father’s family.”
Exodus 1:1-7 – “Israelites became fruitful and multiplied…the land was filled with them.”
Exodus 3:7-10 – “seen the misery…heard them crying out…concerned about their suffering…the Egyptians are oppressing them…”
Exodus 12:40-42 – “At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the Lord’s divisions left Egypt.”
Understand that from Genesis 47:11 to Exodus 12:41 was 430 years! WOW! They suffered under injustice and oppression, wondering when God was eventually going to step in and “right” the “wrong.” Finally, after 10 plagues, the night of deliverance came! And it was through a type of the cross that he did this – the Passover! Israel’s redemption was finally arriving! Truly, God’s sovereignty was greater than Egypt’s inequity.
When I look at my Lord’s response in Luke 23 and the Israelite’s redemption in Exodus, I learn something (say it again with me): In the midst of life’s inequity, I can be content with my Father’s sovereignty. Nothing illustrates this better than the wonderful cross!
My friends, the cross is the place where I learn to deal with the injustice of life. It is at Calvary that I begin to understand what it means to wait in quiet contentment for God to work. Yes, one mark of the cross is that I learn to trust God’s sovereignty even in the middle of life’s inequity. Truly, when the image of the cross is stamped upon my life, quiet contentment becomes the imprint others see, even in the midst of injustice.
Consider this: The fact that God has favored us and forgiven us – that we are right in our standing with him because of Jesus and the cross – that settles lots of personal security issues and self-esteem matters. God has accepted me. ’Nuff said!
So even if things are exactly ‘even’ right now, or if the scales seem out of balance currently, hold on, child of God. Your Lord is working on a larger plan and from a bigger perspective. And the inequity you think might drown you will one day succumb to the sovereignty of our great God. Don’t believe me? Look to the cross and let its mark of quiet contentment make a lasting imprint!
If you’re wondering how, allow me to offer three quick action points, taken from our text, which will help you wade through the swamp of injustice and wait for the hand of God on your behalf:
1. Hold your tongue. Defensiveness doesn’t help in situations of injustice, for it often comes out as truth wrapped in a personal agenda. And usually when we’re defensive, we put others on the offensive. Then all the emotional temperatures start rising. Bad idea! It is best to let verbal words be minimized. Model our Lord and let your words be few.
2. Hang on to the truth. Simply declare what is right and true. You don’t have to spin it or hide it. Just declare it, without personal agenda. It’s the truth, not your version of it per se, that sets you free.
3. Hope in God. Often the truth needs time to incubate, and during this time of waiting many people give up and quit. Don’t! Stay focused on God’s character and put your hope in him. Remember – Timing is his responsibility, trusting is ours. Jesus knew that though he was facing a ‘Friday,’ Sunday was just around the corner! So he trusted his father’s timing.
What “Friday’s” are you facing? What are you going to do this week with the injustices of your life? I encourage you to remember that it is only Friday, and Sunday is coming. And the best place to learn how to be content with your “Fridays” is at the cross. For at Calvary we see that in the midst of life’s inequity, I can be content with my Father’s sovereignty.
Yes, it may be a Friday for you, as it was for our Lord. But Sunday is just around the corner. Watch this simple video and let it motivate you to trust our Father’s sovereignty in the middle of life’s inequity.
Video – “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s a Coming”
Are you ready to trust your inequities to the Father’s sovereignty? [Give invitation]
