Martin Luther declared: “No one understands the Bible unless they are acquainted with the Cross.”
The Cross was a God-forsaken death for a God-forsaken people. In our reading we observe 3 aspects of the Cross of Christ: It is a Cross of Rejection, Reception, and Redemption.
? Rejection
The skeptical thief indicates that if Jesus is really the Messiah, why isn’t he saving himself, and--by the way--his two companions? He joins the scoffers. He isn’t interested in Paradise; he only wants rescue from this terrible fate. This is the Cross of Rejection, and it is part of our Lord’s suffering.
The thief who rejected Jesus had no desire to know Who he was rejecting. “Most of the people who reject Christianity know almost nothing of what they are rejecting” (Sheldon Vanauken). There are people for whom no amount of evidence, no persuasion will have any effect. They have determined to deny the teachings of Scripture no matter what.
In the original Paradise, the Garden of Eden, The first sin was unbelief. Adam and Eve chose to doubt God’s interest and intentions. The serpent tempted them to resent what God has done for them. Sin began with thinking God was unjustly withholding something good from them. To be suspicious of God and His goodness is an insult to His character…and it is a choice. The first sin was unbelief, rejecting God’s loving provision. When we reject the truth, we can’s see things as they are. Here is where the Fall of humankind began--before the first bite!
At the cross we see God Himself opening His arms to embrace the bitterness of the world He has made. Jesus was rejected by his own people, but especially from the Father. There he cried, “My God, why have you forsaken me?” One the cross we see “God rejected by God.” Jesus descended into the hell of the absence of God. His abandonment is what saves us, for it is the punishment we deserve.
Regarding the cross, there is no neutrality. Indifference is rejection. Apathy is the sin that believes in nothing. To ignore God is to defy and deny Him.
? Reception
The other thief feels remorse for his crimes and sympathy for the innocent Man in the middle. But more than sympathy, despite the vile, degrading method of execution, he somehow looks beyond all that and sees Jesus for Who He is. And he asks for pardon.
This is the Cross of Reception. John writes, “To all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God” (1:12). Jesus says in Matthew 10:40, “Whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” Believe + Receive = Become. God does for us what we cannot do for ourselves. He gives us new life, and life eternal. Romans 10:9, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Like the believing thief, we lose all hope in ourselves and realize that Christ alone is our hope for eternity.
Conversion is about reception. We choose to leave our wrecked lives and take on a new allegiance. We turn to the cross and look to Jesus. We look, and live. And we are transformed. We move from death to life. Receiving Jesus means inviting a new Director into a bankrupt, broken life. On the cross Jesus paid our debt of sin, the price for our forgiveness, the Just for the unjust. Not only are we debt-free but rich beyond imagining.
? Redemption
Now we consider the Cross of Redemption. Jesus assures the believing thief that he will be promoted to Paradise. We have the same promise. “There are far better things ahead than anything we leave behind” (CSL).
Redemption is Christ’s saving work in purchasing and rescuing us from the slavery of sin at the cost of His life-blood. We were bought with a price.
“Jesus came to punish our sin but not punish us” (Hoofnagle). The Cross was our Judgment Day. Jesus died for us, because of us, and in place of us, a death that was really ours. How much of our penalty has been put on Christ? -ALL OF IT! Jesus is one with us in our God-forsaken condition, bearing everything that we are destined to bear (Vidu). It’s been said, “Christ died…that’s history. Christ died for me…that’s salvation!”
“Jesus was our obedience substitute during His life, our punishment substitute in His death, and our rebirth substitute in His resurrection” (Adrian Warnock).
• Application: So what does this mean for us?
Jesus died not because we were lovely, but to make us lovely (Tim Keller). The cross is our salvation, but it is also our new life. It is not mere “fire insurance” but an open door to a new reality. The cross is a paradigm-shift. By it we see the world with new eyes, and we understand history is “His story” under God’s direction, headed toward a glorious conclusion! We don’t trust in luck but in providence. We no longer live aimlessly, without purpose. We no longer live for ourselves, but for God. This takes humility, surrendering to Christ’s Lordship.
The Cross is a summons to take up the Cross. The cross makes us yearn to love like God, by sacrificially accepting others and caring for their concerns.
Our spiritual progress is the gradual destruction of our corrupt natures. Because of the cross we have a new perspective on life, new priorities, and a new process of growth. The cross changes everything.
How many people do you know who live without a moral compass? It’s been said, “Conversion doesn’t pluck you off the road; it changes how you travel; it is not an arrival at our final destination; it’s the acquisition of a compass” (James K.A. Smith). You can become a Christian in a moment, but not a mature Christian. Christ can enter, cleanse, and forgive you in a matter of seconds, but it will take longer for your character to be transformed and molded to His will. Our lives are shaped by the Cross. Jesus sets us on a new journey, with a new destination.
• Conclusion: At Calvary, Christ CROSSED out our sins. We are ruined until we are redeemed by Christ. Everything starts with the Cross. Everything ends with the Cross. It is where wrath and mercy meet. If you’ve trusted in Jesus, you can say with confidence, “The Cross has my name on it.”
• Prayer: Crucified and risen Lord, set our feet upon the right path. Lead us to share the good news. Some will reject it, but hopefully some will embrace the cross. As we travel life’s path, shape our understanding. At the cross may we contemplate the evil of sin and look upon You whom we have pierced, as One slain for us, and by us. We rejoice that You accomplished the work of redemption enduring our punishment, and on the cross You cried out in triumph, “It is finished.” May we continue to follow You and reach our end in peace. Amen.
