IRONIES SURROUNDING JESUS’ CRUCIFIXION—Lk. 23:26-46
Irony—An “incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events & the normal or expected result.”—Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Luke wrote a true account of some events that surrounded Jesus’ crucifixion, & in so doing recorded some of the ironies present in Jesus’ death.
There are teachable moments of irony present in Jesus’ crucifixion.
*What are some of the ironies surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion?
1—Ironies surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion are hidden/revealed in...
JESUS’ PHYSICAL WEAKNESS(:26)
Explanation:(:26)
:26—“Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, & on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.”
The Son Of Almighty God was shrouded in physical weakness.
Jn. 14:3-11—“And if I go & prepare a place for you, I will come again & receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, & the way you know.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, & how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, & the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; & from now on you know Him & have seen Him.” Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, & it is sufficient for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, & yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, & the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father & the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.”
Jn. 12:44-46—Then Jesus cried out & said, “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.”
Argumentation:
1Sam. 16:6-7—“Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, & go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons.” And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the LORD said, “Take a heifer with you, & say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ “Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, & I will show you what you shall do; you shall anoint for Me the one I name to you.” So Samuel did what the LORD said, & went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, & said, “Do you come peaceably?” And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Sanctify yourselves, & come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he consecrated Jesse & his sons, & invited them to the sacrifice.....
6- So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab & said, “Surely the LORD’S anointed is before Him.” 7- But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.””
Php. 2:5-11—“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, & coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself & became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him & given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, & of those on earth, & of those under the earth, & that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Mat. 16:13-16—“When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, & others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered & said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.””
1Tim. 2:5-6—“For there is one God & one Mediator between God & men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,”
Illustration:
Snapping turtles/As a kid, I lived about 50 yards from a small creek/I spent a great deal of my childhood playing in & around the creek/One day, I noticed a small snapping turtle(~6in. long) was slowly struggling to navigate the thick grass in our yard/I knew it was ‘out of place’, so I was going to put it back in the creek where it belonged/I reached down to pick it up by the top of it’s shell with one hand & before I knew it, in a lightning fast moment, the turtle had almost succeeded in biting my hand between my thumb & index finger!/Either out of or in water, snapping turtles may appear slow & helpless, but they can literally take a chunk out of you if you are careless with it!/JESUS’ PHYSICAL WEAKNESS
Application:
?Do you see the irony in JESUS’ PHYSICAL WEAKNESS?
•He is God the Son, being both the Son of God, & the Son of Man.
?Is your faith strengthened thru the Ironies surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion?
2—Ironies surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion are hidden in...
The CONCERN Of The MULTITUDE(:27)
Explanation:(:27)Multitude’s experience
:27—“And a great multitude of the people followed Him, & women who also mourned & lamented Him.”
The people followed Jesus for various reasons...
•To gawk at a criminal getting what He deserved.
•To mourn the demise of the One Whom they had ‘blindly’ followed as a prophet.
•To mourn a miscarriage of God’s justice at the hands of evil men.
•To mourn the loss of the One Whom they knew to be the promised Messiah.
Argumentation:
?Do you follow Jesus to the Cross, for legitimate reasons or for illegitimate ones?
The following highlights many legitimate reasons for following Him!...
Col. 1:9-20—“For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, & to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom & spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work & increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience & longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness & conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven & that are on earth, visible & invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him & for Him. And He is before all things, & in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, & by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”
*We have all seen, all too well, that a crowd of people can either, escalate a situation for the wrong reasons, OR for the right reasons!...
•That is the reason why Jesus did NOT entrust Himself to the designs of men!
Jn. 2:23-25—“Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, & had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.”
Application:
?Do you see the irony in The CONCERN Of The MULTITUDE?
•Jesus going to His death is the ever-living God & creator of all that exists.
?Is your faith strengthened thru the Ironies surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion?
3—Ironies surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion are hidden in...
The CONCERN Of The WOMEN(:27-31)
Explanation:(:27-31)
:27—“And a great multitude of the people followed Him, & women who also mourned & lamented Him.”
“... & women who also mourned & lamented Him.”
The “women” who were mourners mentioned here, are most probably those, or at least included those, who had ministered to Jesus’ needs throughout His three years of ministry(cf.-:49).
•Now they are here “mourning & lamenting” His brutally unjust criminalization.
•Possibly some “mourned & lamented” the blatant injustice done to an innocent ‘Man.’ But no doubt, there were also some ladies in the crowd who “mourned & lamented” the blatant injustice against the innocence of the ‘God-Man’, Jesus!
:28—“But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves & for your children.”
“Daughters of Jerusalem” is a title or descriptive moniker for those ladies who were steeped in God’s directives.
Jesus was attempting to turn the attention of the “daughter’s” “weeping” to themselves & their own “children”, rather than upon Himself.
“Jesus” was more concerned for those who were “mourning, lamenting”, & “weeping” Jesus’ physical torment. He was concerned that they remain faithful thruout the coming time of their own persecution, that would take place, not so much because of His death, but more so because of His impending resurrection!
Jesus knew He would rise again. He knew that His anguish was a temporary suffering which would eventually attain/secure the “daughter’s” place in heaven.
•Jesus’ statement was intended to prepare them for the ‘long haul’ of personal faithfulness, that would be needed in order for the “women” to live as viable witnesses in a world of persecutory pressure, which would be would be unleashed thru His death & resurrection.
:29—“For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, & breasts which never nursed!’”
*It was a personal blight & a demeaning situation for a woman in Jewish society/culture to be openly known as being “barren.” Many would suppose ‘something was wrong with her’ if she couldn’t have children.
*Here in our verses, Jesus is warning them that, because of what is happening with Him, & particularly what will follow His resurrection, that in the future there will come a time(“days are coming”) when, days of openly maiming & mortal persecution will descend upon the women & their families.
In those “coming” “days” a woman will ironically be considered “blessed” if she has had NO personal responsibility as a parent....Thus having never birthed or nursed children.
•That “blessedness” will be because in the future beyond Jesus’ crucifixion, the children whom a Christian mother devotes her life to nurturing, would be coldly & thoughtlessly murdered as a result of their mother’s faith in the resurrected Jesus!
•Consider the Christian mother who is destined to see her children murdered, because of her own faith!
:30—“Then they will begin to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” & to the hills, “Cover us!” ”
Here Jesus pre-sees that the faithful would call out “to the “mountains”, in order to be “covered” by the “mountain’s” boulders, rocks, & stones.
Thru those boulders, rocks, & stones “falling on them”, they would be provided a far better & quick & relatively painless death, rather than suffering a drawn-out torment by the hands of religious persecutors.
•People have been, remain, & will be utterly cruel. People will not eventually ‘evolve’ into godly people!
:31—“For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?””
“The green wood” is represented by Jesus’ undeniable presence in the flesh. And so “the green wood” would represent the clarity & presence of God’s truth, granted thru Jesus’ unquestionable word. “The green wood” would represent God's greatest privilege for men as seen in the fleshy presence of Christ Jesus.
“The green wood” also relates to the Roman’s blatant meting-out of worldly justice upon anything that is of God. Thus there is will be no security of justice for Jesus’ followers!—‘Notes on the New Testament’ by Albert Barnes, F. Cooke, J. Murphy.
Even the women & their children—those normally protected thru common civilities of secular societies(‘women & children first’)—would constantly be at risk of being surrendered to the common brutalities of military coldness. And all that because of personal faith in our resurrected Lord Jesus!
“Our Lord alludes prophetically to those tribulations which fell upon the Jewish people about forty years after.”—‘Commentary on the Bible’ by Adam Clarke(1832).
“It was the green tree of God's greatest privilege, & it was all being rejected nationally.”—Unknown writer in ‘Eclectic Notes’ compiled by John Greenhalgh.
Thus the “dry” “wood” represents a sharp contrast to “the green wood.” “The dry” “wood” involves that time on earth following Jesus’ ascension, when He would not be present physically to relate God’s truth & bear the brunt of man’s & the devil’s fury.
•“The dry” “wood” represents a time of Jesus’ physical absence...A time when He is no longer ‘physically face-to-face.’ “The dry” “wood” relates to a time—even OUR time—when the privilege of God’s ‘physical presence’ has been temporarily removed, or rather re-directed or channeled differently.
In the “the dry” “wood” NOW, God’s people relate & experience God’s wonder, majesty, & direction thru the unseen, yet personal & gathered presence of the Holy Spirit.
In the “the dry” “wood” NOW, God’s people relate & experience God’s wonder, majesty, & direction thru His written Word, & thru communication with Him by Prayer, & thru fellowship with others of the same faith.
Thus because Jesus was condemned to capital punishment in “the green wood”, then in “the dry” “wood”, persecutors & their persecution will escalate & be even more bold, callous, violent, & savage! Persecution will naturally escalate because the world will no longer see God with the eye, & thus not center their attention upon God’s Son, Jesus.
Argumentation:
*Mat. 10:16-25—“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents & harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils & scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors & kings for My sake, as a testimony to them & to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. Now brother will deliver up brother to death, & a father his child; & children will rise up against parents & cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. “When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, & a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!”
Illustration:
•The innocent Jesus, going to His death as a criminal, is a brutal & hellish undertaking—particularly as He is becoming the innocent offering for the sin of the world—YET even His all atoning sacrifice is momentary in regard to time, while the sacrifice of the women of God will be a constant thruout their lifetime on earth.
Application:
?Do you see the irony in The CONCERN Of The WOMEN?
?Is your faith strengthened thru those Ironies Surrounding Jesus’ Crucifixion?
4—Ironies surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion are hidden in...
JESUS’ COMPANIONS On The CROSS(:32-33)
Explanation:(:32-33)
:32—“There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death.”
:33—“And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, & the criminals, one on the right hand & the other on the left.”
One writer calls this a “diabolical comedy” that Pilate saw fit to have true criminals(:41) crucified on the left & right hand of Jesus. “This is to parody a king who has on his right & his left his two leading courtiers, the second & the third-most honorable people in the court.”—John MacArthur
This goes to show us that a person’s surroundings may indeed be a poor indicator of true worth/value & of opportunity.
•Rather, one’s surroundings may instead, be an indicator of the limiting values that the world & worldly governments holds to!
Application:
?Do you see the irony in JESUS’ COMPANIONS On The CROSS?
?Is your faith strengthened thru those Ironies Surrounding Jesus’ Crucifixion?
5—Ironies surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion are hidden in...
The DESTINATION For CRIMINALS(:33)
Explanation:(:33) Destination of wrong-doers
:33—“And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, & the criminals, one on the right hand & the other on the left.”
“Golgotha”(Aramaic), “Calvary”(Anglicised Latin), kranion(Greek), & “the Skull”(English), are all legitimate translations for a specific place outside of Jerusalem, where Jesus’ crucifixion would take place.
And ‘the Skull’ is where “they crucified Him”, along with the two deserving wrong-doers.
The circumstances surrounding this crucifixion answer & fulfill Isa. 53:9a, :12d.
Isa. 53:9a & :12d—“...And they made His grave with the wicked--...”.....“...And He was numbered with the transgressors...”
“Calvary” is from a Latin word, ‘Calvarium.’ It was used to translate the Greek, kranion, but the Latin version made it’s way into the English tradition only here in Luke 23:33. John Wycliffe translated Jerome’s Latin Vulgate into English in the late 1300s—Thus it was a translation of a translation. Wycliffe used the Latinized, ‘Caluerie’ for ‘Skull’ in Lk. 23:33.
Later in the early 1500s, William Tyndale translated the Bible using the original Greek & Hebrew texts of the New & Old Testaments, in addition to the Latin Vulgate. But instead of translating “Calvary” into English as ‘the Skull’, he kept the Anglisiced Latin word, “Calvary.”
The King James & New King James versions have chosen to keep the word “Calvary.”—simplybible.com(Australia)—Ron Graham
“Calvary” or “Golgotha” or The Skull’ was a feared place for the simple reason that death sentences for capital offenses took place there.
Argumentation:
*Jesus was anything but a wrong-doer or criminal!:
Jn. 8:43-47—Jesus to the conservative religious Pharisees—“ “Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, & the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, & does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar & the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.” ”
2Cor. 5:20-6:1—“Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.”
Heb. 4:15—“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
1Pet. 2:20-25—“For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good & suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd & Overseer of your souls.”
*Without Jesus’ ‘sinlessness’, There can be no substitution, no payment, no atonement; There can be no redemption; There can be no forgiveness, for your & my personal sin!
Application:
?Can you see the irony in The DESTINATION For CRIMINALS?
?Is your faith strengthened thru those Ironies Surrounding Jesus’ Crucifixion?
6—Ironies surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion are hidden in...
The CONCERNS Of The DUTIFUL SOLDIERS(:34)
Explanation:(:34)
:34—“Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments & cast lots.”
“Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
•God’s Forgiveness is available to all(cf.-Jn. ; 1Tim. 1:12-17). No matter what they may have done in their lives.
Mat. 19:29-30—“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, & inherit eternal life. “But many who are first will be last, & the last first.”
By Jesus’ praying in this way, Christians are certain that eternal salvation is entirely by faith, that is couched in personal freewill, & that all people, no matter their station in life, are personally responsible for receiving God’s offer of forgiveness.
Isa. 53:12—“Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.”
Even the soldier was redeemable, whose hands had driven the nails into the hands & feet of God’s only-begotten Son!
1Tim. 1:12-17—the apostle Paul said,—“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, & an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith & love which are in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying & worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor & glory forever & ever. Amen.”
*Paul’s ignorance was an ignorance that was freely ‘chosen’ by Paul. IF Paul had maintained his ignorance, he would have continued rejecting Jesus as the Christ, & would have gone to hell. But by rejecting his rejection of Jesus, he now has confidence in Christ!
“And they divided His garments & cast lots.”
The soldiers continued to go about their business oblivious to the forgiveness available to them.
One ‘perk’ of being soldiers on the crucifixion detail, is that they would be rewarded with the garments of the criminals whom they crucified.
•Jesus’ clothing was divided evenly among the 4 soldiers, but gambled for His tunic(cf.-Jn. 19:23-25).
•So 4 soldiers were assigned to ‘Crucifixion duty’ or ‘Crucifixion watch’ duty that day(Jn. 19:23).
John 19:23-25—“Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments & made four parts, to each soldier a part, & also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. They said therefore among themselves, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be,” that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: “They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.”[Ps. 22:18] Therefore the soldiers did these things. Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, & His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, & Mary Magdalene.”
•Your own perspective can keep you blinded/from seeing the reality of your circumstances.
*Continuing to cast lots—Illustrations:
•Haiti’s continual plight vs. Dominican Republic playground.
•Mexico’s Cancun—Playground for the rich supported by those who barely eke out a living.
•Goods brought in from China—Made in factories by people oppressed by a Communistic/Authoritarian framework.
Application:
?Do you see the irony in The CONCERNS Of The DUTIFUL SOLDIERS?
?Is your faith strengthened thru those Ironies Surrounding Jesus’ Crucifixion?
7—Ironies surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion are hidden in...
The ARROGANT MOCKINGS Of DENIAL(:35-38)
Explanation:(:35-38)
:35—“And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.””
:36-37—“The soldiers also mocked Him, coming & offering Him sour wine, & saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.””
•“The rulers with them sneered”...“The soldiers also mocked Him”—Jesus’ true claim as the source of salvation played into the schemes of those who mocked Him.
•The “rulers” & “soldiers” allowed their understanding of suffering to be limited to the physical realm of salvation & deliverance. That limitation—to live by sight rather than by faith—had BLINDED the ones who were involved in securing/assuring/bringing about Jesus’ crucifixion.
•Likewise many of the crowd of onlookers were BLINDED.
*Throughout history & on into the future, those who see themselves as ‘strong’ will continue to prey upon, oppress, & exploit those they see as weaker than themselves.
:38—“And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, & Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
Pontius Pilate’s intention was to call attention to the ‘weakness’ of the Jew’s chosen King(Jn. 19:19-22), as he himself trivialized Jesus’ kingship & elevated his own(Jn. 18:33-38—He wrote Jesus off as a fool).
John 19:19-22—“Now Pilate wrote a title & put it on the cross. And the writing was: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; & it was written in Hebrew, Greek, & Latin. Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘He said, “I am the King of the Jews.”’” Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.” ”
Argumentation:
Lk. 14:25-27—“Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned & said to them, “If anyone comes to Me & does not hate his father & mother, wife & children, brothers & sisters, yes, & his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross & come after Me cannot be My disciple.”
?Is there anyone here, who ‘has’ or ‘has had’ family members who have written you off as a certified nutcase?!
Mat. 10:32-40—“Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. “For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, & a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; “& ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross & follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, & he who loses his life for My sake will find it. He who receives you receives Me, & he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”
Acts 2:1-16—“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, & it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, & one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit & began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, & were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. Then they were all amazed & marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? Parthians & Medes & Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea & Cappadocia, Pontus & Asia, Phrygia & Pamphylia, Egypt & the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews & proselytes, Cretans & Arabs--we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” So they were all amazed & perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?” Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.” But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice & said to them, “Men of Judea & all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, & heed my words. For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:”
All Peter could do against the mocking, was to speak against it, & preach Christ by giving reasons as to why the events were in fulfillment of God’s promise.
Application:
?Do you see the irony in The ARROGANT MOCKINGS Of DENIAL?
?Is your faith strengthened thru those Ironies Surrounding Jesus’ Crucifixion?
8—Ironies surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion are hidden in...
AVAILABILITY Of SALVATION(:39-43)
Explanation:(:39-43)
:39–“Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself & us.””
“One” of the two ‘doers-of-wrong’, who was hanged beside Jesus, joined with all the other detractors in mocking & “blaspheming” Jesus. That ‘doer-of-wrong’ was in agreement with the the rulers, elders, chief priests, scribes, & soldiers... & they were in agreement with him. That “criminal” basically reiterated the soldier’s blasphemy that Jesus should “save Himself”(:35). “IF” JESUS WAS INDEED “THE CHRIST”!(which the criminal did not believe). He also added that while Jesus was “saving” Himself, He should also have the good sense to “save” all those on the crosses that day, even though the two criminals were fully deserving of being crucified.
That criminal was openly mocking Jesus seeming inability to physically remove Himself from the Cross.
:40—“But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?”
:41—“And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.””
:42—“Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.””
:43—“And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.””
•Mat. 27:44 & Mk. 15:32 tells us that BOTH of the crucified robbers/“criminals” reviled Jesus.
*But obviously one of them had a life-changing ‘change of heart.’
Sometime during the crucifixion, he had gained insight about the ironies present(:40-42), & rightly believed Jesus to be the Eternal King that He was.
Jesus promised that man, even though he was a “criminal”, that on that very day, he would be with Jesus in Paradise...That is, that he would, live in heaven for eternity...that he would experience life in eternity, in God’s presence.
Like you & me, the “criminal” did not deserve heaven at all, but had only ‘earned’ it thru His trust of the Father’s grace that comes to anyone thru Jesus.
Argumentation:
Eph. 2:4-9—“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ(by grace you have been saved), & raised us up together, & made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, & that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
Heb. 7:25-26—“Therefore He[Jesus] is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, & has become higher than the heavens;”
Rom. 10:9-13—says, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus & believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, & with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew & Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”
Illustration:
Microwaves bombard us continually/They are unfelt, undetected, & meaningless until we obtain a phone with which we can access them/AVAILABILITY Of SALVATION
Application:
?Do you see the irony in AVAILABILITY Of SALVATION?
?Is your faith strengthened thru those Ironies Surrounding Jesus’ Crucifixion?
9—Ironies surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion are hidden in...
The MOUNTING EXTERNAL EVIDENCE(:44-45)
Explanation:(:44-45)Connecting the dots/Accumulating
:44—“Now it was about the sixth hour, & there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.”
:45—“Then the sun was darkened, & the veil of the temple was torn in two.”
This is not mere ‘natural darkness’, but is rather a judgment from God, upon & against His own Son—who has on that Cross, become sin itself for all mankind. (Jn. 1:29; 2Cor. 5:21).
Jn. 1:29—“...John[the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward him, & said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
2Cor. 5:21—“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
So during the first three hours of Jesus’ crucifixion, one of the “doers-of-wrong” had been saved to “Paradise”(:43).
*Jesus had already been hanging, suffering, & tormented on the Cross for three hours, from 9am to 12 noon.
Then a “darkness” comes over “all the earth.” That “darkness” lasted for three more hours, the FINAL three hours, until Jesus “breathed His last”(:46) on the Cross.
•Following those things, then “the sun” itself “was darkened” for an unspecified amount of time.
“& the veil of the temple was torn in two.”
Right at the time of Jesus finished work on the Cross, something else miraculous occurred...The “veil” in the temple which separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place(Holy of Holies), was miraculously “torn in two” from top to bottom(Mat. 27:51; Mk. 15:38).
The miraculous “tearing” of the “veil”, is significant in that it tells us Jesus is the One Mediator between God & man! The “veil” no longer separates what is ‘most holy’(God Himself) from what is holy(any who trust God).
The tearing of the “veil” signifies that from that point on, there is no need for any other human priest, than THE God-Man, Christ Jesus!
Illustration:
If the “veil” were to have been “torn” in today’s world, no doubt, many would have blindly called their insurance company for a settlement on the torn veil, & ironically calling it ‘an act of God’!/The MOUNTING EXTERNAL EVIDENCE
Application:
?Do you see the irony in The MOUNTING EXTERNAL EVIDENCE?
?Is your faith strengthened thru those Ironies Surrounding Jesus’ Crucifixion?
10—Ironies surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion are hidden in...
JESUS’ COMMITMENT(:46)
Explanation:(:46)
:46—“And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’” Having said this, He breathed His last.”
•Jesus death on the Cross, declared that His Father’s work, that Jesus had been faithful to accomplish, was finished on the Cross(Jn. 19:30). The miraculous “tearing” of the “veil”, was a result of Jesus’ finished Cross-work!
John 19:28-30—“After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; & they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, & put it to His mouth. So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.”
*Just because you commit your spirit to the god of your imagination, does not mean that you are committed to the true, living, & benevolent God!
For all ‘appearances’, it would SEEM, having died a criminal’s death on a cross, that Jesus would spend eternity in hell!...
BUT, NOTHING could be farther from the truth!
*REMEMBER...SUNDAY’S COMING!
Application:
?Do you see the irony in JESUS’ COMMITMENT while hanging on the Cross?
?Is your faith strengthened thru those Ironies Surrounding Jesus’ Crucifixion?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Heb. 12:1-2—“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, & the sin which so easily ensnares us, & let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author & finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, & has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Action:
Ironies surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion are hidden/revealed in...
1. JESUS’ PHYSICAL WEAKNESS(:26)
2. The CONCERN Of The MULTITUDE(:27)
3. The CONCERN Of The WOMEN(:27-31)
4. JESUS’ COMPANIONS On The CROSS(:32-33)
5. The DESTINATION For CRIMINALS(:33)
6. The CONCERNS Of The DUTIFUL SOLDIERS(:34)
7. The ARROGANT MOCKINGS Of DENIAL(:35-38)
8. AVAILABILITY Of SALVATION(:39-43)
9. The MOUNTING EXTERNAL EVIDENCE(:44-45)
10. JESUS’ COMMITMENT(:46)
Pt#s 1-6 presented 03/28/2021am to:
1BC Cbelle
206 SE Ave. A(Storrs Ave.)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
