This
month we have been looking at things Jesus never said because we can learn new
insights about what Jesus did say by comparing it to what He could have said
but didn’t. Last week we looked at what
Jesus didn’t say when He was getting ready to leave this world. Instead of telling His followers that
everything was going to be great and there were only going to be good days, Jesus told them straight out
that there would be times of trouble.
Today we want to look at one of those days of trouble for Jesus, the
worst day for Jesus, the day He died on the cross.
Luke 23:33-34, Two other men, both
criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull,
they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other
on his left. Jesus said, “Father,
forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Before
we go on, let me ask you a question. How
many people were crucified that day? Not
really a trick question. How many?
That’s right, 3. Just remember that and
we will come back to itt.
I
always find it amazing how simply the gospels record Jesus’ crucifixion. In each gospel we only find a sentence or two
describing the crucifixion and here it is just 4 words. They
crucified him there. The truth is
that when the gospels were written, a lot of explanation about crucifixions
wasn’t needed because everyone knew what they were like. People knew it was the most painful means of
execution that usually began when the criminal would be whipped with leather
straps that had bits of stone and bone embedded into them. The skin would be ripped off leading to a
tremendous loss of blood. Once the
person regained enough strength, they would have to carry the beam of the cross
to the place of execution.
Once
they arrived, 7-9 inch spikes would be driven into the wrists and ankles of the
criminal so that the weight of their body would be held to the cross. This made any movement incredibly painful and
breathing was impossible unless you pushed up with your arms and legs to get
air into your lungs. That movement was
excruciating - which is where that word comes from. The word, excruciating
means from the cross - or the pain that comes during a crucifixion.
Crucifixions
were also expensive because they could last for days and Roman soldiers had to
be paid to stand guard during the entire time.
The Romans wanted the deaths to be slow and painful because they wanted
people to see what would happen to them if they disobeyed Rome. The length of time it took, and the cost of
the execution, meant that crucifixions were usually reserved for those who were
the most dangerous.
So
when Jesus was crucified with 2 thieves, we know these other men weren’t just
pickpockets. These weren’t people who
had just made one bad decision. These
were hardened, violent criminals that deserved this means of execution. Jesus was crucified with these kinds of men
and beyond the physical pain, there was also emotional humiliation as the
crowds insulted him, the religious leaders celebrated, and Jesus’ ow followers
had disappeared. During this pretty bad
day for Jesus, this is what He never said, take
them all out God. Send down your angels
and rescue me. Then destroy them. And Jesus never said, I don’t deserve this God, they do but I
don’t.
Jesus
never said that, instead he said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know
what they are doing. In the
midst of the injustice, the physical pain, the personal humiliation of being
stripped naked, and even the spiritual humiliation of being hung on a cross,
which in Jewish tradition was seen as a cursed life, in the midst of it all,
when Jesus could have justifiably called down all the power of God to destroy
the people, He didn’t. He didn’t give
them what they deserved - he gave them grace.
Jesus
offered words of mercy and grace but those words fell on the deaf ears of one
of the criminals hanging with Jesus. One of the criminals who hung there hurled
insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you
fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting
what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then
he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Luke 23:39-42,
Once
again, Jesus had an opportunity to speak out and this is what He never said, No!
You are getting what you deserve.
Jesus never said, No! You had your
chance to turn to me when you heard my teaching and preaching. You didn’t respond then, you can’t respond
now! Those are things Jesus never
said.
These
are common phrases Jesus never said.
Finish them for me...
What goes around… (comes around)
Your past will come back to… (haunt you)
You made your bed… (now lie in it)
All
those statements tell us that we get what we deserve, but Jesus never said
that. Jesus rose above that desire but
if we are honest, there are times we don’t.
There are many times we take guilty pleasure in thinking - what goes around comes around. There is at least one moment when I think we
all secretly feel this way. We are
driving down the highway and going the respectable 7 miles over the speed limit
when a car flies by us going 90. We
might say a few choice words at the time, but a mile down the round when we see
the flashing lights and that same car now getting a ticket… come on, doesn’t
that feel good. He is getting what he
deserves.
To
the crowds watching from afar, or the thief who was up close, Jesus never said,
you will get what you deserve,
instead He offered mercy. To the crowds,
Jesus asked His father to forgive them.
To the thief on the cross, Jesus said, Today you will be with me in
paradise.
Did
this thief deserve paradise? No. He was a violent and hardened criminal who
was getting what he deserved from the state.
Could he do anything to show Jesus he meant what he said? Could he get off the cross and change his
life, turn over a new leaf, or make restitution for all that he had
stolen? No. Could he get baptized, give to the church,
read the scriptures, and pray daily? No. He couldn’t do anything, he couldn’t earn
anything, and he didn’t deserve anything, and yet to this heart filled with
faith Jesus said, Today you will be with
me in paradise. You are forgiven. You will not get what you deserve.
You will not get what you deserve. That is what Jesus
says to all of us. It’s what He says to
you, and to me. I don’t deserve God’s
mercy. I don’t deserve the daily grace
and forgiveness that God extends to me.
More often than not, I feel like the Apostle Paul who said I have
the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but
the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. What a wretched man I am!
Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Romans
7:18b-19, 24
This
wasn’t me years ago before I was a pastor, or before I was a believer, this is
me today. There is still so much good I
want to do but don’t, and the evil that I don’t want to think and do, I too
often keep doing. I don’t deserve God’s
forgiveness, what I deserve is God’s wrath.
Ephesians 2:3, we
were by nature deserving of wrath.
This
is who we are. We are the thief on the
cross. We are the people hurling
insults, we are the crowds who stand around and do nothing. And to all of us, Jesus says, You don’t get what you deserve. We were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God,
who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in
transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. Ephesians 2:3-5
Thank
God we don’t get what we deserve. Psalm 103:10-12 says, God
does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our
iniquities. For as high as the heavens
are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the
east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
By
looking at what Jesus never said, it helps us see the power of what He did
say. To the thief on the cross, who
could do nothing to earn His forgiveness and certainly didn’t deserve it, Jesus
said, today you will be with me in
paradise. You don’t get what you
deserve. Now let me go back and ask you
again, how many people were crucified that day.
Three.
In
the Bible, numbers are very significant and symbolic, and the number 3 means
completeness. We talk about God in 3
persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Israel had 3 great fathers, Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob. The Temple in Jerusalem
had 3 main sections. Jonah was in the
belly of the whale for 3 days, Paul was blind for 3 days, The Wiseman brought Jesus 3 gifts. Jesus had 3 disciples who were the closest to
him, Peter, James and John. Jesus prayed
3 times in the Garden of Gethsemane with those 3 friends, and Jesus was in the
tomb for 3 days. In each situation the
number 3 means that what is being described is full and complete.
God
is complete in 3 persons. All of Israel
was included when they talked about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. All the gifts of the world were given to
Jesus in gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Jesus gave all of himself in prayer when he prayed three times, and all
of death was defeated during Jesus’ 3 days in the tomb. And in the 3 men on the cross, all mankind is
represented, all sin is accounted for, and all creation is redeemed.
But
there’s more. Notice Jesus hung on the
cross for 3 hours and at the third hour, 3 PM, the gospel of John declares that
Jesus said one word. Tetelestai. If we translate that one word into English,
guess how many words we need? That’s
right 3. It means. It Is Finished. In that moment, the work of God on the cross
was finished. The sin of all humankind
was forgiven, and we were redeemed.
Tetelestai
was also written on business documents in Jesus day so it could also be
translated with these three words. Paid
In Full. While the price of our
sin is death, that penalty was paid in full by Jesus. It is finished. Paid in Full.
We don’t get what we deserve because Jesus was willing to take on what
he didn’t deserve.
On
the cross - Jesus didn’t get what He deserved.
Instead, Jesus persevered in love so that we wouldn’t get what we
deserve. Jesus never said, watch out - you're going to be sorry -
you're gonna get it. Instead He said
then, and he says to us today, you are
forgiven, you are redeemed. Thanks
be to God.
Next Steps
Things Jesus Never Said
“You get what you deserve.”
“What goes around comes
around.”
●
Why do we
like this idea for others but not for ourselves?
●
When have
you been glad to see that someone else got what they deserved?
●
How did
you feel when someone didn’t get what they deserved?
Read the account of Jesus’ crucifixion in Luke 23:13-49. Read the other accounts in Matthew 27:27-56, and Mark
15:16-41.
●
What did
Jesus deserve in this situation?
●
Why did
Jesus not call for help or condemn the injustice of the situation?
●
What is
significant about 3 men being crucified, Jesus hanging for 3hours and dying at
the third hour?
The Bible is clear about what we deserve.
●
Ephesians 2:1-10
●
Romans 3:9-20, 6:23
●
Psalm 103:10-12
Jesus said we don’t get what we deserve. We call this grace.
●
When have
you experienced God’s grace in your life?
●
Where do
you need to receive God’s grace in your life today?
The thief on the cross could do nothing to earn God’s mercy and he
didn’t deserve it.
●
How does
this make you feel when you think about yourself? (In what way are we this thief?)
●
How can
this help shape how you look at others?
