The People Before the Cross of Jesus

Introduction

There are a thousand ways to talk about the cross of Jesus. Today, you are going to look at it through the eyes of those who were there. Luke 23 puts on stage a whole cast of very different people facing the same event: two judges, a passerby forced to carry the wood, women in tears, two criminals, the crowd, the religious leaders, the soldiers, the centurion, Joseph of Arimathea. Each one reacts in his own way. The question this chapter asks you is simple: when you lift your eyes toward the cross, who do you look like? And above all, what should you do to stand before Jesus the way he would want you to?

Sermon outline

1. Two judges who miss their moment (Luke 23:1-25)

• Pilate is the Roman prefect of Judea. The religious leaders bring Jesus to him in a crowd, likely a good part of the Sanhedrin, up to three hundred people. They accuse Jesus of three things (v. 2): misleading the nation, forbidding payment of taxes to Caesar, and claiming to be a king. At least the second point is an outright lie: Jesus had said, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's" (Luke 20:25). Their real motive is jealousy and the protection of their own position; they lie without shame.
• Pilate questions Jesus, finds nothing politically dangerous, and declares, "I find no guilt in this man" (v. 4). He sends him to Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee, who happens to be in Jerusalem for the feast.
• Herod is delighted to see Jesus. Not because he wants the truth: he wants a show, a miracle, entertainment. Jesus stays silent. Jesus only speaks to those who have ears to hear. When our motive for opening the Bible or coming to church is to experience something exciting rather than to meet the Lord, he stays silent with us too. Herod mocks him, dresses him in a splendid robe, and sends him back to Pilate. That day, Herod and Pilate become friends (v. 12), the wrong kind of friendship, a partnership in injustice.
• Pilate again. Three times he offers to release Jesus (v. 16, 20, 22). Three times the crowd shouts, "Crucify him." He knows Jesus is innocent, but he is afraid of a riot that would damage his position. He gives in. A judge who bends under the pressure of the crowd is a judge who has given up on justice. Would social pressure make you keep quiet about what you know is right before God?
• Two models to avoid. Herod: do not come looking for Jesus for the thrill of it. Pilate: do not let what other people think decide your obedience. The real question is this: what is my true motive when I approach the cross?

2. Simon of Cyrene: forced, then drawn in (Luke 23:26)

• Simon comes from North Africa (the region of present day Libya). He simply came up to Jerusalem for the feast. Roman soldiers grab him and make him carry the cross behind Jesus.
• Mark 15:21 notes that he is "the father of Alexander and Rufus." This Rufus is probably the one Paul greets in Romans 16:13. It is very likely that Simon met Jesus that day, that his family became Christian, and that it eventually became part of the church in Rome.
• Remember that Jesus had said, "If anyone would come after me, let him take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23). Simon does exactly that, without having chosen to. God can even use circumstances forced upon you to lead you to Jesus. This is not an invitation to force others to come to church: it is a comfort when you look at your own path. God works all things together for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28).

3. The women of Jerusalem: moved, but without repentance (Luke 23:27-31)

• A crowd, including women who mourn and lament, follows Jesus. They are probably not his disciples: Jesus does not comfort them, he warns them. "Do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children" (v. 28).
• He announces the judgment to come on Jerusalem (fulfilled in the year 70). If they do this when the wood is green (the righteous one), what will happen when it is dry (the one who has rejected God)?
• Being moved is not the same as repenting. You can be deeply stirred by the suffering of Jesus and change nothing. The cross is meant to lead you all the way to, "Lord, forgive me, I turn to you." Stopping before that point means missing the point entirely.

4. The two criminals: two opposite responses (Luke 23:32-43)

• Two criminals are crucified with Jesus, one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus prays, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (v. 34). This prayer is not only for the soldiers dividing his clothes: it covers everyone who is there, then and now. Before the cross, your attitude may be hostile, indifferent, or trusting; in every case, Jesus is ready to forgive whoever comes to him.
• Matthew 27:44 notes that at first, both criminals were hurling insults at Jesus. Then something shifts.
• The first keeps mocking: "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!" (v. 39).
• The second rebukes his companion: "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly... but this man has done nothing wrong" (v. 40-41). Then he adds, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom" (v. 42). He recognizes his own sin, the kingship of Jesus, and asks for mercy. This is pure faith, with no works at all.
• Jesus answers, "Today you will be with me in paradise" (v. 43). Romans 4:5 confirms it: "To the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness." This is why this criminal is the clearest proof of salvation by faith. He can do nothing else, and he is saved.
• Do not take this grace as a reason to live at the bare minimum. Whatever time you have left on earth is a gift, meant to help you know the love of Jesus more deeply and respond to it.

5. The crowd, the leaders, the soldiers: mockery and indifference (Luke 23:35-38)

• The people watch. The leaders scoff, "He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!" (v. 35). The soldiers mock too, offering him sour wine, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!" (v. 37). A sign is fixed above him: "This is the King of the Jews."
• The crowd, for its part, does nothing. Lukewarm. It was shouting "crucify him" just a few hours earlier, and now it watches without a word. Neither hot nor cold, simply numb.
• And Jesus prays for all of them. This is the heart of the gospel: Jesus died praying that the Father would forgive those who were killing him at that very moment. His disposition toward you is the same today.

6. The darkness and the torn curtain (Luke 23:44-45)

• From noon until three in the afternoon, darkness covers the land. This is not an eclipse: Passover is celebrated at the full moon, so a solar eclipse is physically impossible at that time. This darkness is supernatural.
• In the Old Testament, darkness accompanies the wrath of God: the ninth plague of Egypt (Exodus 10:21-23), the day of the Lord in Joel 2:10. Here, the wrath your sin deserves falls on Jesus. The Father turns his face away from the Son because the Son is bearing our sin in our place (2 Corinthians 5:21). He is forsaken so that we would never be.
• The curtain of the temple is torn in two, from top to bottom (v. 45). This curtain separated the holy place from the most holy place, where only the high priest could enter, once a year. The tearing comes from above: it is God who opens it. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, you can now draw near to the throne of grace with confidence (Hebrews 10:19-22).

7. "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" (Luke 23:46)

• A little earlier, quoting Psalm 22, Jesus cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Here, he no longer says "my God," he says "Father" (a quotation of Psalm 31:5). The sacrifice is accomplished, the Father-Son relationship is fully restored. He gives up his spirit in peace, not in despair.
• What Jesus went through (being forsaken, then restored) promises you this: because he was forsaken, you never will be.

8. The centurion, the crowd, those close to him, Joseph of Arimathea (Luke 23:47-56)

• The centurion praises God: "Certainly this man was innocent!" (v. 47). His gaze turns toward God. We do not know what happens next, but the direction is right.
• The crowd goes home beating their breasts (v. 48). They are sad, perhaps haunted. But they do not go all the way to the repentance that receives forgiveness. Emotion without changed life is one of the worst states to be in: recognizing your fault without receiving the grace. If you see yourself here, ask the Holy Spirit to help you take that one extra step.
• Those close to him and the women from Galilee stand at a distance (v. 49). They are afraid. It will take Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit for that fear to give way to boldness (Acts 1:8). If fear is keeping you from your next step, ask for the Spirit.
• Joseph of Arimathea is a member of the Sanhedrin, but had not consented to their decision (v. 50-51). According to Matthew 27:57 and John 19:38, he is a disciple of Jesus, but in secret. That day, he comes out into the open: he asks for the body of Jesus, wraps it in a linen cloth, and lays it in a new tomb cut into the rock. He risks his position and his reputation. The cross turns his secret into a public confession. Is there something the Holy Spirit is pressing you to do openly for Christ?

Key takeaways

• Before the cross, there are many ways to be "present" and still miss Jesus: chasing a spectacle, protecting your reputation, weeping without repenting, mocking, staying lukewarm, or keeping your faith hidden.
• The cross is aimed at your repentance and your faith, not just your emotions. The right trajectory always moves from "I recognize my sin" to "I receive forgiveness" to "I respond with a life given over to him."
• The saved criminal proves that faith alone is enough. No work to add. But also no work to refuse once you still have time left.
• The darkness at noon and the torn curtain say the same thing: the wrath your sin deserved was carried by Jesus, and access to God is now open to you.
• If fear or lukewarmness is holding you back, ask for the Holy Spirit. He is the one who changes hearts and gives the courage to take one more step.
• You still have time on this earth. Use it to taste more of the Father's love and respond to it, rather than settling for "barely saved" and missing out on the rest.

Personal application

1. When you open your Bible, come to church, or pray, what is your true motive? Do you look like Herod, chasing a strong experience, or do you come to listen to the Lord, even when he corrects you?
2. Is there pressure from people around you (family, work, school, social media) that keeps you quiet about what you know is right before God? Where has what others think taken the place of God's voice in your life?
3. Before the cross, does your reaction look more like the women who weep and then go home, or like the criminal who says, "Remember me"? What is the next sentence you need to say to Jesus, today?
4. If you recognize yourself in the crowd going home beating their chest (you know you have sinned, but you do not receive the forgiveness), what is stopping you from simply telling God, "Forgive me, I am relying on the death of Jesus"?
5. Like Joseph of Arimathea, is there a public confession you keep delaying out of fear: baptism, speaking up, church membership, reconciliation, a change in your career? Ask the Holy Spirit for that specific step.

Verses cited

• Luke 23: main text of the sermon
• Luke 22:66: the Sanhedrin gathered
• Luke 20:25: render to Caesar what is Caesar's
• Luke 9:23: take up your cross daily
• Mark 15:21: Simon, father of Alexander and Rufus
• Romans 16:13: greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord
• Romans 8:28: all things work together for good
• Isaiah 53: the Suffering Servant
• Matthew 27:44: the two criminals insulted him at first
• Romans 4:5: faith counted as righteousness
• Exodus 10:21-23: the ninth plague, darkness
• Joel 2:10: the sun and moon grow dark
• 2 Corinthians 5:21: made sin for us
• Psalm 22: my God, why have you forsaken me
• Psalm 31:5: into your hands I commit my spirit
• Hebrews 10:19-22: free access to the sanctuary
• Acts 1:8: you will receive power
• Matthew 27:57: Joseph of Arimathea, disciple of Jesus
• John 19:38: Joseph, a secret disciple

FAQ

What does it mean to "look at the cross every day"?

It is not an emotion to keep stirring up. It means concretely remembering that your sin was carried by Jesus, receiving that truth, repenting today of whatever needs repenting, and letting that grace feed your obedience through the day ahead.

Was the criminal on the cross really saved without doing anything?

He was saved by faith alone (Romans 4:5). There was truly nothing else he could do. But his words prove genuine faith: he acknowledges that his condemnation is just, he confesses the innocence of Jesus, he believes in his kingship, and he asks for mercy. Jesus answers him, "Today you will be with me in paradise."

How do I know whether I am more like the centurion or the crowd?

The crowd is moved, beats its chest, and then goes home with nothing changed. The centurion praises God and starts moving toward him. The fruit shows up in the life that follows: is there repentance, new obedience, reliance on the Holy Spirit? If you do not see that fruit, ask the Spirit to touch your heart and lead you into the forgiveness you have been offered.