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SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Jesus, Pilate, cross, Christ, Jews, crucified, verse, hung, Mark, crucifixion, Romans, mock, nail, mercy, Luke, sin, sinner, God, drink, death

Table of Contents

Introduction.. - 1 -

1. The Messiah's Crucifixion. - 3 -
2. The mockers contempt. - 7 -
3. The Murderer's Cry.. - 9 -

Conclusion.. - 10 -

Introduction

This morning we are continuing in Mark chapter 15. And as we've been going through Mark, we've been working our way now for the last few months through the Passion Week, what we call the Passion Week. Christ coming into Jerusalem on a donkey on Monday. I know we call it Palm Sunday. He came in on Monday. This morning in our passage we come now to Friday, Friday morning of the Passion Week. And you can see in your bulletin the title of the sermon this morning is Mercy at the Cross.

Last week, we saw The Amusing Mockery of Christ by the Roman guards, they had turned the trial of Jesus into a joke. They began to make fun of Him and scorn at Him and beat Him and spit on Him. They had scourged Jesus, and then they put a robe on Him and a crown of thorns on Him. They bowed down to insult Him. They derided Him and scoffed at Him by hailing Him, "the King of the Jews." We talked about the beating that Jesus went through, as they scourged Him, they beat His back so bad that they exposed His muscles and the bones as the whips rip the flesh off of His back in His scourging.

And when you read something like that, about this mockery of the Romans, and all that they did to Jesus, one might ask a question like this. How could God allow His Son to be treated like this? How could God allow something like this to go on? As Jesus is tied to a post, and beaten, spit on? How could the Father allow His Son to be treated like this? I mean, if God is all powerful, He is the sovereign ruler of the universe, which He is. Then why didn't He stop the Romans? Just strike all of them dead right there on the spot?

Why didn't God just send His angels, maybe the angel of death to come through and just kill all of the people wipe them all out, for treating Jesus like this? As this crowd screams out, Crucify Him! Crucify Him! Such anger and hatred toward Jesus. How could God allow for all of this, and watch all of this go on, as they treated His Son with contempt and disdain? Which, by the way, is what set the crucifixion of Christ apart from the other two criminals, who were crucified with Him and all other crucifixions that were going on during this time.

Not only was Jesus treated with scorn and mockery from a human perspective, but also from God's perspective, from a divine perspective. It was this crucifixion that was accomplishing redemption for all those who would believe in Him. Now, what we're reading here, in Mark 15 this morning is the climax of all history. All of human history hinges on this one account at Golgotha. This is the moment that changed the world.

We're going to look at this account here this morning. So, open your Bibles to Mark chapter 15. And follow along as I read our passage for us, beginning in verse 22. Mark 15 in verse 22.

“Then they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. 23 They tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh; but He did not take it. 24 And they crucified Him, and divided up His garments among themselves, casting lots for them to decide what each man should take. 25 It was the third hour when they crucified Him. 26 The inscription of the charge against Him read, “THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
    27 They crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left. 28 [And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with transgressors.”] 29 Those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads, and saying, “Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save Yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were mocking Him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. 32 Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him. (Mark 15:22-32)

Now, as we saw last week in verse 21, after they've scourged Jesus and mocked Him, Pilate then tried one more time to get off of the hook, to get the Jews to change their minds about Jesus. But the Jews were set on crucifying Christ. Pilate said He was an innocent man. The Jews said, "Crucify Him." So, Pilate, with the authority that he had, he handed Jesus over to be crucified. And they put the crossbeam on His shoulders, as they would make those being crucified carry their own cross to the final location, outside of the city where they would carry out the crucifixion. And as Jesus is walking out of that city, He was collapsing because of the weight of the cross that would have weighed over 100 pounds, along with the weakness of His body after being scourged. This was a heavy cross.

Well, we met a Jewish man named Simon of Cyrene, who was walking to the city at this time, coming there for the Passover to celebrate the Passover, and the Roman guards, they forced him to help Jesus carry His cross, to the final destination to the place where Jesus will be crucified. Which leads us now to verse 22 of our passage this morning, and our first point that we will call The Messiah's Crucifixion.

1.     The Messiah's Crucifixion

Look again at verse 22. And what it says there, “Then they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull.” (Mark 15:22) Now, we don't know the exact location of Golgotha. But we do know that this place was located outside of the city. How do we know this? Listen to Hebrews 13:11. It says this, “For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp. 12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. 13 So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. (Heb 13:11-13) Outside of the city gates. Golgotha, or Place of a Skull, was located outside of the city.

Why was it called Golgotha? We don't know exactly. Some say it's because it's the hill that the Romans would have carried out the crucifixions of criminals. And so, there was death after death after death. It was basically a hill of death, Place of a Skull. But others say it's because it actually looked like a skull. One commentary says this, "The location is north and just outside of Jerusalem, the hill on which it is located, protruded, much like a skull, giving the place its name." 

So, if you were to stand at a distance, and you were to look over at this hill, it actually looked like a skull.  You can even go online today, and you can find pictures of it there. Golgotha was the Hebrew name...in Latin it's Calvary. We sang that this morning. One of our songs, Calvary. This place was located on a well-traveled road so that all who came passing by would have seen these men hanging there on this cross.

Why would the Romans do this? Why would they want to put them on a well-traveled road? Crucifying these men? Well, they would do this to put fear into the hearts of the people...not to mess with Rome. As people came passing by there, they would see these crucifixions, there on the side of the road, essentially saying, if you mess with Rome, this is your future. This will happen to you. It was a horrific act. Horrific torture.

Now, in order to try and show just a little bit of compassion, the Jews had a custom, an old tradition of offering a mixture of wine and myrrh.  It was a bitter drink that was essentially a narcotic to help deaden the pain of those that went to the cross. This tradition comes from Proverbs 31, verses 6-7. It says this, Give strong drink to him who is perishing, And wine to him whose life is bitter. 7 Let him drink and forget his poverty, and remember his trouble no more. (Prov 31:6-7)

So this became a tradition then among the Jews, to offer up this drink, this strong drink to give to them, essentially, to numb the pain. Because it was such a horrific and torturous act. Look at verse 23. “They tried to give Him” (Jesus) “wine mixed with myrrh; but He did not take it.” (Mark 15:23)

It was usually women who did this, who created this concoction, Jewish women who would create that and then they would bring it to those who were being crucified. And they come up to Jesus before they nailed Him to the cross. And they offered Him this wine mixed with myrrh to drink. John tells us that Jesus was thirsty as He hung there on the cross. So, you can imagine even at this point, Jesus is thirsty. Give Him something to drink. But even though Jesus was thirsty at this time, notice, He would not drink this wine.

Matthew tells us that He tasted it but did not drink it. Why? Why would Jesus not drink this narcotic to lessen the pain? Well, a narcotic like this would obviously cause the victim to lose control mentally. It would dull their mind, just like any narcotic does. But Jesus wanted to maintain full awareness the whole time. Not only was He ready and willing to drink the cup of suffering that He accepted back in the garden. You remember when he prayed there? "Father, remove this cup from me but not My will, but Your will be done." (Mark 14:36) He was willing to drink the cup of suffering, and He had accepted it back there in the garden. But Jesus also wanted to remain completely conscious the whole time, because there was still another encounter that Jesus was going to have. A divine encounter as Jesus hung there on that cross. And He needed to be awake. He needed to be fully conscious for this encounter. And so, he denied the wine.

Look at verse 24. "And they crucified Him and divided up His garments among themselves, casting lots for them to decide what each man should take." (Mark 15:24)

It's now time for Jesus to be crucified. And they crucified Him -- a horrific torturous act. What they would do is they would take the victim and they would nail their hands at the wrists to the crossbeam that they had just carried out there to the place of execution. They would nail put the nail through their wrists...which in those times the wrist and the hand were both considered the hand. So, as we talk about the nails going through the hand, it actually went through His wrist so that it could support Him. And they would drive the nails through their wrist, and then they would hang them up there naked, to shame them in front of everyone who passed by. Then they would fasten that crossbeam to the vertical post.

And then once they've done that, they would then put a nail through the victims’ feet, they would nail their feet to the cross, one foot on top of the other, with the knees slightly bent. Once they were nailed, all of the weight of the victim would be supported now by those nails. And as they hung there, it would be difficult for them to breathe because it would cause paralysis of the chest muscles being stretched out like that. Hanging there with all of the weight of the body, holding them up being held up only by nails. And so it'd become hard for them to breathe. And in order then for the victim to take a breath, what they would do is they would push themselves up with their feet that are nailed down, in order to take some weight off, basically to give themselves some relief. You can imagine as they would do this, how horrific this was. Their back, which has just been scourged, would rub on that wooden beam and bring more pain and more suffering to them as they hung on the cross. This is a horrific way to die.

The final death was ultimately by asphyxiation, as the victim lost the strength to continue pushing up on his feet in order to take a breath. If the Romans wanted to hasten the death, the guards would come along, and they would break the victim's legs so that they didn't have the strength to push themselves up anymore. It would quicken the suffocation, and then they would quickly die. This was a horrible, torturous death. Cicero called the cross, "The most cruel and terror-inspiring penalty." Horrific.

And as Jesus hung on the cross, since the Romans hung the victims there naked, to shame them, they would then take the victim's garments, and they would divide them, the garments up among themselves. This was sort of a compensation for the Roman guards, for all that they had to do in this horrific act. Because they were the ones that had to carry all of this out. In John chapter 19, John tells us that, "they took his outer garments and made four parts … a part for every soldier." (John 19:23) But they took the tunic, which was a seamless, woven single piece. And they took His tunic, and they didn't want to tear that one because it was a single piece. It was seamless. And so, what did they do? They cast lots for it. Which is exactly what Mark tells us here. Right? They cast lots for His garments.

Mark says that there in verse 24, "casting for them to decide what each man should take." (Mark 15:24) This is essentially our modern-day dice throwing. They threw dice so that they could gamble for His tunic. But little did they know they were actually fulfilling a prophecy...what was prophesied about Christ in Psalm 22:18. It says "They divided my garments among them. And for my clothing, they cast lots." (Psalm 22:18) The soldiers although they didn't know it, they were actually fulfilling prophecy there as they're gambling for the tunic of Christ.

Mark then tells us of the timing of this, when they actually hung Jesus on the cross. Look at verse 25. "It was the third hour when they crucified Him." (Mark 15:25) What is the third hour? Well, this is the Jewish method of telling time, and it would have been around 9am. The third hour is 9am. What's interesting is if you look at John's gospel, John says it was it was about the sixth hour when Jesus was still on trial. You have the third hour and the sixth hour. How can you have John saying that Jesus was on trial about the sixth hour, but Mark saying that Jesus was crucified about the third hour?

See Passion Week timeline graphic

What's going on here? Are they conflicting one another? Well, the answer is pretty simple. They're not. John doesn't use the Jewish method of time. John actually uses the Roman method of time, which the day for the Romans began at midnight. So, John says that Jesus was on trial, the sixth hour, six hours after midnight is what? 6am. 6am, which is consistent with Mark's timing. If you remember when the Sanhedrin took Jesus to the trial before Pilate, early in the morning, it was 6am. That was when the governor would begin his workday. But now it's 9am, three hours later. And within three hours, they have had three trials, a scourging, and now the crucifixion. Three hours, this is all happening so fast on this Friday, on this Friday morning. It's happening fast.

But it all had to happen in this timing, because listen, this is God's timing. This was not the timing of Pilate. This was not the timing of the Jews. This was God's timing. As we'll see, next week, Jesus was on the cross for six hours, until he finally dies at 3pm. 3pm being the exact time that the Jews are sacrificing their Passover lamb over in the temple. While the Jews are sacrificing their Passover lamb, God is sacrificing His Passover lamb right there on the cross. It's God's timing. And it all began the third hour 9am.

And as Jesus hung there on the cross at 9am, those who came passing by, they saw a sign that was nailed above His head. Look at verse 26. "The inscription of the charge against Him read “THE KING OF THE JEWS." (Mark 15:26) As I said, last week, when they led someone to be crucified, they would put a sign around that person's neck, letting all of the bystanders know what the crime was. Then when they got them to the cross, they would take that sign, and they would nail it above their head so that everyone passing by would be able to look up and see what that crime was, essentially, to say, "Don't do what that guy did. Or that's where you're going to end up."

Pilate made up a sign for Jesus. Mark tells us that it read the King of the Jews. If you were to take all of the Gospel accounts, and you were to put this together, this is actually what it said. It said, "This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." (John 19:19) John tells us that Pilate had written it in Hebrew, Latin and Greek. So that all those who came by could read exactly what it says. Because remember, it's Passover during this time, so you got pilgrims coming from all over to come to Jerusalem. There's people that are coming from all over to go and celebrate the Passover. And so, Pilate wanted to make sure that everyone coming into Jerusalem would be able to read that sign. "This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews."  He wrote it in Hebrew, which was Israel's language that was the language of religion. He wrote it in Latin, which was the language of power. It was the language of Rome. And he wrote it in Greek, which was the language of the culture, the language of Greece.

Pilate wrote that so that everyone could read it as they came to celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem. And why would Pilate want everyone to read this? Why does he want the people to know what this says? Well, this was actually Pilate's way of mocking the Jews. Remember, Pilate hated the Jews, and the Jews hated him. Although Pilate made the final decision to have Jesus crucified, remember, he didn't want to. He didn't want to do this. He kept saying, "Jesus is innocent, I find nothing wrong with this man." But he knew that if he didn't do it, if he didn't send Jesus to be crucified, that a riot would break out there in Jerusalem, and the Jews would essentially have driven him out of power, because word would have gotten back to Caesar and Caesar would have said, "You're done, Pilate".  So, he agrees to their plan, and he executes Jesus.

But in order to get back at the Jews, notice he doesn't put the charge that the Jews had brought against Jesus on that sign. What did they want on that sign? They wanted it to say, blasphemy. Blasphemy, because that was their final charge. That Jesus is blaspheming. They tried to get other charges against Jesus like perverting the nation or telling people not to pay taxes to Caesar or just being a flat out evil doer. But none of those worked. And so, their final verdict then was that he was a blasphemer, because He claimed to be God, which He did. And He is. According to Jewish law, Leviticus 24:16, anyone who blasphemes is to be put to death. But notice, Pilate doesn't put blasphemer above the head of Jesus. On that sign, he puts this is "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." And this was a way to mock the Jews. Because what good came from Nazareth? No good. According to the Jews, nothing good comes from Nazareth. Then Pilate declares that this "no good man from Nazareth" is their king. Here He is Jews. Here's your king nailed to a cross. This made the Jews upset. They came to Pilate. They said, don't write that. Don't put that on there. Say that "He says He is the king of the Jews"... and what does Pilate say?   I've written what I've written. Let it stand.

This made the Jews upset. And although Pilate's intentions were to mock the Jews, what he actually wrote was true, right? He is the King of the Jews. And so, there was Jesus hanging on the cross, with a sign above His head, that read "This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." 

But Jesus wasn't alone at Golgotha. Look at verse 27. "They crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left." (Mark 15:27) Who were these men? Who is this man on His right and His left? Well, we don't know their names. But Mark tells us that they were robbers ... that these guys were robbers. Now if you were to look at the Greek word for robbers, it's the word "lestas" and it means robbers, bandits or insurrectionists. The same Greek word is used in Luke 10:30 in the story of the Good Samaritan. Remember the story of the Good Samaritan? When the bandits, they came out and they stripped him, and they beat him and they went off leaving him half dead. Essentially, they beat him to a pulp, and they just let him lay there dead. That's who these guys were. They were insurrectionists. These two guys hanging on the cross next to Jesus, they were revolutionaries, guerrillas.

How do we know that? Well, stealing was not a crime punishable by death. And so to call them a robber or a thief that was not punishable by death. So, we know that that can't be their crime. These guys were most likely the companions of Barabbas. Remember, Barabbas? Who Pilate released? Who do you want? You want Jesus? You want your king? Or do you want Barabbas? And what did they say? Give us Barabbas release him!  These guys are most likely the companions of Barabbas, who was an insurrectionist and a murderer. Luke calls them criminals. The Greek word that's used there means "evil workers" or "evil doers." These men were not thieves or robbers in the sense that you and I would think of a thief or a robber. They were insurrectionists and they were murderers, along with their companion Barabbas.  Barabbas was freed by Pilate. But these guys were not so fortunate as to be released. And they then received the death sentence by crucifixion, as they hung on the left and the right side of Jesus.

Verse 28 in your Bible is not in the earliest and most reliable Greek manuscripts which is why your Bible, some Bibles, just skip right over it. Other Bibles, they put it in brackets, you'll see it there in brackets. It's not in the earliest manuscripts meaning Mark didn't write that, but a scribe later put that in there, but we do know it's a true statement, right? It is a true statement. "He was numbered with the transgressors." (Mark 15:28) Listen to Isaiah 53:12, " Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:12) 

It's a true statement, Christ was nailed there to a cross between two criminals, two murderers. And He was treated as such as He hung there, and He died for the sins of all those who would believe in Him. He's the sacrifice for our sins as He hung there on that cross. And so that's the Messiah's crucifixion.

2.     The Mockers Contempt

Let's look at our second point this morning, point number two, The Mockers Contempt. The Mockers Contempt.  Look at verse 29. “Those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads, and saying, “Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save Yourself, and come down from the cross!” (Mark 15:29-30)

Jesus has already endured tremendous abuse at the hands of the Sanhedrin and the Romans. Remember the night that Jesus was arrested, they took him over to Annas, and then they took Him to Caiaphas, and they spit on Him. And they blindfolded Him, and they begin to beat Him and to say, “Prophesy to us, You Christ; Tell us who hit you.” (Matt 26:67-68) Then we saw last week, the mockery and the abuse that He went through at the hands of the Romans. They put a robe on Him, mocking Him as they put a crown of thorns on Him beating His head. But the mockery wasn't over. It's not over. There were three more groups of people here in these verses who continued to mock Jesus, as He hangs there on the cross.

• First, there were those who were passing by. This would encompass the general public in Jerusalem, the general public. Now remember, just four days before, what were the people saying as Jesus is coming into Jerusalem on a donkey? What are they saying? “Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD;" (Mark 11:9) They lay their palm branches down. Here comes our king. But now what are they doing? They're hurling abuse at Jesus. The Greek word for hurling abuse is blasphemeo. Which obviously is the word for blasphemy. Hurling abuse at Him and blaspheming Him as the Son of God.

They're wagging their heads at Him as a sign of derision and contempt, as they mockingly tell Jesus to save Himself and come down from the cross, huh? You who are the Christ! Notice what they say to Him, "You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days." (Mark 15:29) not realizing that when Jesus said that, what was He talking about? His own body, right? "Destroy this temple, and in three days, I will raise it again." (John 2:19) But they're mocking Him, "you who are going to destroy the temple." What they don't realize, though, is that Jesus has to stay on that cross so that the temple, and its functions there in Israel, in Jerusalem could be destroyed. Jesus prophesied that the temple would be destroyed, right? That whole sacrificial system is coming down. Why? Because the Lamb of God has come. He is the one true sacrifice. You don't need all these other sacrifices because the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin, but the blood of the Messiah who has sacrificed on the cross takes away all sin for all time. And He comes to destroy that temple, and to say that system is over. It's done with as He becomes the only perfect sacrifice for sinners.

• There's a second group of mockers. Notice, they're the religious leaders, the chief priests and the scribes, verse 31. “In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were mocking Him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. 32 Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” (Mark 15:31-32) These are the guys who led the way in putting Jesus on the cross. Notice how they mock Jesus, notice what they do. They don't speak directly to Jesus. But what do they do? They begin to talk amongst themselves. As if to scoff at Jesus under their breath. As they begin to say to each other, "He saved others. He cannot save Himself." What they're doing here is essentially congratulating themselves and what they think is a victory. "We got Him. Look, there He is. Our plan is accomplished. We wanted Him dead. And there He hangs on the cross." They think it's a victory. "We got rid of Him. If He really is the Christ, oh, He'll save Himself. He'll come off that cross. And then when He does that, you know we'll do? Then we'll believe, then we will believe in Him." But the reality is, He did come off that cross, and then He burst out of the grave. But did they believe? They didn't!

Even if Jesus came off of that cross, they would not believe in Him. Why? Because their heart was so hard towards Christ. They hated Him. They didn't want to believe. In fact, when Christ burst out of the tomb, what did they do? They tried to cover it up. I just tell people; somebody came and stole the body away. I thought you said you would believe in Him. No, you won't. Because your heart is hard to Christ. And you don't want to believe in Him. They didn't want to believe because they were self-righteous hypocrites who hated Christ. And it was seen in their murder and their mockery of Christ as they sneer amongst each other and whisper to one another.

• Well, there's a third group. Third group of mockers. Two guys, two guys who were mocking Jesus. Look at the end of verse 32. "Those who were crucified with Him, were also insulting Him." (Mark 15:32)

These are the guys on His right and His left.  They began to mock Jesus. The Greek word there for insulting means to find fault in a way that demeans the other, to reproach, revile, mock, heap insults upon as a way of shaming. These guys hung there next to Jesus continued to mock Him. And yes, this means that both men were hurling insults at Jesus, and both of them were mocking Him. But something suddenly happens in this story. Something happens, that Mark doesn't tell us about.

3.     The Murderer's Cry

Something miraculous, something amazing, an act of mercy takes place right there on the cross. And for this, we need to turn our Bibles over to Luke chapter 23. I'd invite you to turn over to Luke 23. This leads to our third and final point here this morning, The Murderer's Cry, The Murderer's Cry. Look at Luke chapter 23, beginning in verse 39. Luke tells us of this amazing, merciful story that happens here. Luke 23:39,

“One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” 40 But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” 43 And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:39-43)

Luke tells us, one of them was hurling abuse at Jesus, Mark and Matthew, both tells us that both of them started this. Both of them were hurling abuse at Jesus. Remember, this is a six-hour crucifixion; 9am to 3pm. But notice verse 40. Look at verse 40. There's a key word there at the beginning of verse 40. Notice what it says there, the word "but".  "But" ... that is a key word. Luke tells us that something has happened there at the cross. One of these criminals suddenly has a miracle take place in his heart. While the one is still hurling abuse at Jesus, the other criminal begins to rebuke Him.

Notice this first question there in verse 40. "Do you not even fear God? Since you're under the same sentence of condemnation?" (Luke 23:40) notice what the state of all unbelievers is. The state of all unbelievers is that there is no fear of God in them.

Unbelievers don't fear God. It’s what Paul says in Romans 3:18, "there is no fear of God before their eyes." (Romans 3:18) There is no one good no, not one. There is no one righteous, no, not one.   In fact, let me tell you about unbelievers. There is no fear of God in them.

But listen, the first step to receiving mercy and salvation is to fear God. That's the first step. Listen to what Jesus says in Luke 12:4, “I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! (Luke 12:4-5) There are too many people who have no fear of God, and they will end up in hell because there is no fear of God. They fear man rather than God.

The thief on the cross -- he realizes who Jesus was, and he feared God, and he recognized his sin. In fact, look at verse 41. "And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds. But this man has done nothing wrong." (Luke 23:41) Not only does he fear God, but that fear of God now drives him to recognize and realize his sinful heart. He's a sinner. And he realizes and recognizes at this moment that he is a sinner who needs mercy. We are getting what we are getting, because that's what we deserve. We're getting justice. But this man has done nothing wrong. We have sinned. So, what does he do? He cries out for mercy. And he says this, "Jesus, remember me, when You come in Your kingdom?" (Luke 23:42) It’s a cry of mercy. And in an instant, this sinner went from a blasphemer, to a believer; from a wretch to being redeemed, from a sinner to a saint, from hell bound to heaven bound, from a mocker to one who has received mercy. In one instant. Because it was in that moment, that this sinner was shown mercy by Christ.

It was a divine encounter there at the cross. What did Christ do for that man in that divine moment? He  answered that man's prayer, didn't He? He answered his prayer. And He gave him mercy. And He gave him everlasting life. And He will do that for any sinner who repents of their sin and puts their faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation.

Conclusion

In closing, remember that question that I'd asked you earlier? How could God allow His Son to be treated like this? How could God allow His Son to go through all of this pain and suffering and mockery there at the cross? How could He allow this?

You know why God allowed this? Because He loves us. Because He loves us, because He loves you. Because a sacrifice needed to be made for your sin. Because at the temple, there was no sacrifice that was acceptable to God because there was no perfect sacrifice. Every one of those sacrifices was tainted with sin, but not Jesus. There was no sin found in Him. He is the perfect sacrifice. He is the perfect Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. And that is why God allowed His Son to go through all of that. And that is why Christ went through all of that, because of His great love for us. He drank the cup of God's wrath, so that you and I could be saved from God's wrath. And He gave Himself as the perfect sacrifice on that cross, so that you and I and all who believe in Him, would receive mercy.

Father, we are thankful for our merciful Savior who showed His mercy there at the cross to a man who was a murderer, to a man who is deserving of death, to a man who rightfully should have been there on that cross. Yet Your mercy was shown to him because he cried out for mercy because he feared You and he recognized his sin. And he turned from his sin, and he put his faith in Jesus Christ that day. And You changed a murderer’s heart-- from a heart of rebellion to a heart of trust in You. Father, we thank You that You save sinners like us. Father, I pray for anyone who's here this morning who was like that other thief on the cross. Who has mocked Christ, hated Christ, who has turned their back on Christ. Who does not fear God. Father, I pray that You would soften their hard heart. That You would do Your work in their heart, a work that only You can do. I pray that You would grant them mercy. Grant them repentance and faith so that they might put their trust in Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of their sin. Father, I pray that You would help us to live this week in light of this truth. Realizing and recognizing how great and merciful and loving You are. I pray that we would imitate Christ in our lives. That we would be those who would be bold and proclaim this truth. This message of the true gospel, the only message that saves. The only message that gives eternal life. Lord, give us boldness to preach it and may You draw sinners to Yourself through it. And may You receive all of the glory for it. We thank You for being such a loving and merciful Father to us. We give You praise and glory in Christ's name. Amen.