The Power of the Cross (Luke 23:32-56)
Have you ever gone along with the majority — only to realize later that you should not have?
Maybe you joined the longest queue at a hawker centre, thinking it must be the best — only to discover it was not worth the wait. Or you echoed a complaint everyone was making — only to later realize the consequences were more serious than you thought.
Or children, maybe you joined your classmates in teasing someone — only to regret it afterward.
The truth is simple: the majority is not always right.
And that is exactly what we see in Luke 23.
On a Friday two thousand years ago, a crowd demanded the death of Jesus. They ignored the fact that both Herod and Pilate had found Him innocent. They shouted in unison: “crucify Him, crucify Him!” And as they looked at a man hanging on a cross, they concluded: “This cannot be the Christ.
If He cannot save Himself, how can He save me?”
To them, Jesus was a fraud — exposed and defeated.
But as we study today’s text, we will see that God’s thoughts and ways are different from ours. In the same way that heaven is higher than earth, so are God’s thoughts and ways higher than ours.
What looked like weakness was a divine display of mercy. What looked like defeat was actually victory. The cross does not display Jesus’ weakness. The cross displays Jesus’ power to save.
Through the cross, Jesus saves and transforms sinners like us.
I pray that as we walk through Luke 23:32-56, we would not just understand, but truly see and feel this hope:
Through the cross, Jesus saves and transforms sinners like us.
At the cross, Jesus shows deep compassion for sinners (Luke 23:32-34a)
How do you usually respond to those who wrong you? Do you bide your time to take revenge or burst out in anger?
The number of road rage incidents has been quite alarming. A motorcyclist was recently sentenced to jail after biting off part of a man's ear during a scuffle on the PIE. In another incident in January, a man was filmed chasing down and kicking a car in Kallang Way.
In contrast, Jesus neither bursts out in anger nor plots any vengeance against those who had unjustly persecuted Him.
When soldiers came to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, we note that He did not ask His disciples to fight. Instead, He tells Peter to put away His sword and voluntarily surrenders Himself. And when Jesus stood trial, He did not seek to defend Himself. He silently accepted the false charges against Him.
And finally, in Luke 23:32-33, Jesus behaves like a sheep that is led to the slaughter. He puts up no resistance and obediently climbs the hill called The Skull. He lays down on the wooden beam, and extends His arms and legs for the soldiers to crucify Him. Why would Jesus suffer such pain and agony voluntarily? Why did He not try to escape or even use His power to resist?
Usually people have no qualms revealing what is on their minds when they are in pain. People curse and swear when they are in agony. Spy agencies use torture to extract the truth.
Thus what Jesus says amid His suffering is very revealing. As blood flowed from His pierced hands and feet, Jesus says in Luke 23:34, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
Jesus’ prayer is not just remarkable — it reveals His heart. It shows us who Jesus is. He is not self-absorbed in His pain and agony, and thinking woe is me.
Instead, He acts as the Christ. The Christ is a special title reserved for the Chosen One God has sent to deliver His people from this evil age. Contrary to the scoffers who concluded that Jesus’ crucifixion was a clear sign that He was too weak to be the Christ, Jesus demonstrates the qualities befitting the Christ at the cross. At the cross, Jesus shows deep compassion for sinners. He intercedes for His enemies. He asks His Father to forgive them. Whilst Jesus could have asked His Father to rain down fire from heaven upon depraved men, Jesus mercifully views them as those blinded by darkness and in need of salvation.
True to the mission He received from the Father, Jesus came not to judge the world but to save the world (John 12:47). He came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). He taught people to repent of their sins and seek God’s forgiveness. He desired to reconcile sinful man with their creator.
This is why Jesus began His public ministry by proclaiming liberty to the captives (Luke 4:18). And right at the end, He intercedes for sinners, asking God to pour our His forgiveness.
And notice in Luke 23:34 that Jesus does not say “forgive these soldiers” or “forgive the Jews”. Just “forgive them.” This is because Jesus had in mind every sinner that God had sent Him to redeem. Jesus did not suffer to save a few people. Jesus suffered for all of God’s people. Jesus calls every sinner to find forgiveness at the cross. We are part of the “them” who crucified Jesus. You and I are included in the “them” that Jesus prayed for.
Now some of us may think “I have not sinned against God since I have not cursed God or committed any crimes.”
But God tells us that living as though he does not exist is sin. Being the sole captain of our life is a rejection of God’s rightful authority as our Creator. Feeding our lusts and desires without care of God is rebellion. And because God is Holy, all sin incurs His wrath. All sin is deserving of death.
Hence the Bible says that all we like sheep have gone astray. All of us have blindly followed the devil in sinning against God. We are all destined to die. But God, rich in mercy has sent us a compassionate Saviour to pray for us and to atone for our sins.
So no matter how great your sin, you can come to God and experience His forgiveness.
Tragically, the soldiers and Jews who heard Jesus’ prayer responded rather poorly. No one fell to their knees. No one cried out for forgiveness. Instead, they mocked Him.
This brings us to my second point:
On the cross, Jesus endures mockery and offers salvation (Luke 23:34-43)
What follows Jesus’ prayer illustrates the ignorance of sinners. The rulers, who were also the religious leaders, scoffed at Jesus, saying “He saved others; let Him save Himself, if He is the Christ of God, His Chosen One!”
A man hanging on the cross did not meet their hopes for a warrior king. The rulers probably felt relieved that Jesus was finally going to die and would no longer be a threat to the religious establishment. As their high priest had prophesied in John 18:14, it would be best for them if Jesus died.
Seeing the Jews reject their own, the Roman soldiers join in the fun. Since Jesus was crucified for being “the King of the Jews”, they mocked Him by offering sour wine instead of the good stuff that real royalty would drink.
Like the Jewish rulers, they concluded that Jesus’ inability to save Himself was proof that He was in fact a fraud. A real king would not have surrendered without a fight. A real king would not keep silent while he was being mocked. Adding to the intensity of Jesus’ suffering, a crucified criminal rails at him in Luke 23:39, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!”
This was a new low. The criminal was surely the last person on earth qualified to judge Jesus. The criminal must have committed one of the vilest offenses to warrant the most severe form of punishment that Roman citizens were spared from enduring. Yet watching the Jewish rulers and Roman soldiers mock Jesus, emboldened the criminal to take a swipe at Jesus too. The mockers taunted Jesus on the cross. They dismissed him as a powerless being. Yet the profound irony lies in this: the crucified Jesus is the very sign by which the Christ is recognized.
Every nail that pieced Jesus, and every insult that he endured, was all part of His work of redemption.
Jesus did not save Himself so that He could save us.
He stayed on the cross not out of weakness, but out of obedience. Not because He lacked power, but because He was fulfilling His mission to save. In fact, the necessity of Jesus’ suffering was foretold by the Old Testament prophets.
Let me read parts of Psalm 22 for us:
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?” (Ps 22:1)
“But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”” (Ps 22:6-8)
“For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet I can count all my bones — they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” (Ps 22:16-18)
Isn’t it amazing to see how Jesus’ suffering was long foretold by the prophets? Even the details of Jesus’ hands being pierced and his clothing being divided by lot was foretold a thousand years before it actually happened!
If only the religious leaders were not so hardened in their disbelief, they would have realized that every aspect of Jesus’ crucifixion was in fulfillment of the Scriptures. The mockers could not have gotten things more wrong. Jesus remained on the cross for their sake.
Isaiah 53:5 explained hundreds of years before why Jesus must suffer and die — “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.”
From the get-go, the Christ was not going to come as a warrior who would slay Israel’s enemies and Make Israel Great Again. The Christ would come to endure the punishment that God’s people deserved. This is because God is holy and all sin against Him must be addressed. Sinners must be punished and the penalty is death.
But the Good News is God’s mercy is so great that He has provided His Son to take the place of sinners. His Chosen Son will bear upon Himself all the sins of His people. In this manner, He will die the death that His people deserved. Through His suffering and death, God’s people will receive a royal pardon and be forgiven. The broken relationship between God and His people is healed through Jesus’ sacrifice.
This is the great exchange: Jesus takes our sin and gives us His righteousness. He bears our punishment, so we can have peace with God.
Because Jesus’ sacrifice secured our salvation, we call the Friday Jesus was crucified on Good. Good Friday is Good because Jesus died for our sins and we are no longer under condemnation. Good Friday is Good because we have a way back to God. Through Christ’s sacrifice, we are redeemed and reconciled to our Creator. Through Christ we are pardoned and given new life with Him.
Kids, now you can explain to your friends the origin of Good Friday. Good Friday is Good because we have a way back to God.
And would you have guessed who the first person is to understand the power of the cross? It was not the crowds. It was not the religious teachers. It was a dying criminal!
Look at Luke 23:40-43.
The other criminal hanging on the cross was horrified by the first criminal’s railing against Jesus. He knew he was guilty and deserved his punishment. He knew Jesus was innocent and believed Jesus was the Christ. Whilst the mockers expected the Christ to save Himself, this criminal believed that Jesus’ death would not end in disaster. He believed that Jesus’ death leads to the inheritance of a kingdom and desired to be with Him.
Therefore, he says in Luke 23:42, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” At a time when everyone else was distancing themselves from Jesus, this repentant criminal discerned the truth about Jesus and sought citizenship with Him.
Friends, this was not a vague, foggy conversion where we are unsure if there was a true recognition of sin and right understanding of who Jesus is.
The second criminal was crystal clear that he was a sinner deserving of death. Against the majority, he believed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God who offers forgiveness and new life. He was certain that for Jesus, death was a pathway to glory. He believed that Jesus would be reigning in His kingdom. He wanted to follow Jesus and knew that he could rely only on Jesus’ grace and mercy for admission. He had nothing to bring to the table. No opportunity to perform any good works. All he could do was turn to Jesus in humility and rest in Jesus’ atoning work on the cross. This man displayed true understanding of the gospel, that believers are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
And he was blessed beyond measure.
In Luke 23:43, Jesus said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” These must be the sweetest words we can ever hear from Jesus’ lips. Jesus gave the repentant criminal the greatest assurance of salvation. By starting his reply with “Truly,” Jesus asserted divine authority and assurance. Jesus did not just give a non-committal “sure” to the criminal’s request. Jesus made a formal declaration as the Christ.
Secondly, Jesus assured the new believer that his salvation was definitive and immediate. Today, he will be with Jesus in paradise.
If you have waited years for your BTO to be ready or kids you have waited months for your parents to bring you to Legoland, we can appreciate the immediate nature of Jesus’ promise. The repentant criminal was granted same day admission to heaven.
For some of us in this room, we might view Disneyland as the happiest place on earth. But the Paradise Jesus refers to will be tons better. Jesus’ paradise refers to a perfect place that is free of suffering. A place more beautiful than the Garden of Eden. It would be the polar opposite of hell.
Paradise is where everyone longs to go to. We all want to dwell in a place that is beautiful and perfect for the rest of eternity. But what makes paradise, really paradise, is the presence of Jesus Christ.
Consider for a moment what truly makes you happy. Would you rather spend eternity with the person you love most or spend eternity in the Ritz Carlton all by yourself?
For those who love Jesus, being in His presence for eternity will be the greatest blessing. Hence the psalmist’s love for God led him to declare in Psalm 84 that one day with the Lord is better than a thousand days elsewhere.
The repentant criminal must have been overwhelmed by Jesus’ mercy and grace. Despite his ugly past, he was welcomed into Jesus’ kingdom.
Friends, do you now understand why Jesus did not respond to the scoffers and remained on the cross?
Even though Jesus had the power to cast out demons, calm the sea, and even raise the dead, Jesus did not save Himself so that He can save you and me. Jesus chose to bear the punishment for our sins so that we can receive God’s forgiveness. Jesus willingly remained on the cross so that we can be with Him in paradise.
Cementing Jesus’ authority to grant admission into paradise, Luke records God speaking. Not with words, but with signs.
Through the cross, Jesus satisfies God’s wrath and transforms hearts (Luke 23:44-56)
Let us read Luke 23:44-49.
In the same way that Jesus’ public ministry began with God’s testimony that Jesus is His beloved Son, so Jesus’ ministry ends with testimony from the Father.
The sixth hour based on the Jewish method of telling time refers to 12 noon which is the brightest time of the day. But on the day that Jesus was crucified, darkness covered the whole land from noon to 3pm. The absence of sunlight for 3 hours could not be attributed to an eclipse or some large cloud. This was no natural event — this was a sign of God’s judgment and sorrow over sin.
God was displeased with the religious leaders who claimed to love Him yet scorned His messengers and killed His Son. And so, God tore the curtain of the temple that kept people out of His Holy presence.
When we refer to the design of the temple in the Old Testament, we learn that the temple curtain was very large and thick. It was roughly 18m by 9m large and 10cm thick. It would have taken a team to put up scaffolding and use some serious tools to cut through it.
God was clearly the only one capable of tearing the curtain in two. And the significance is this: through the cross, Jesus satisfied God’s wrath against sin. Because God is holy, our sins incurred his wrath and kept us out of His presence. But out of mercy, God allowed the priest to enter His presence temporality after sacrificing an animal.
Therefore, the tearing of the temple curtain shows the efficacy of Jesus’ sacrifice. Through the cross, all other animal sacrifices are no longer necessary. The divide between God and man has been permanently removed. Through Jesus, we can have permanent access to God.
The corrupt priesthood and the ignorant religious leaders are officially cast aside. Anyone who wants to go to the Father must now go through the Son. With His final breath, Jesus affirms His relationship with the Father. With a loud voice, He said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this He breathed his last.
Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!”
The centurion had killed many people as a professional soldier and he had overseen many executions as an officer. Thus he is a very credible witness that the death of Jesus was anything but ordinary. Despite having little knowledge of the prophecies concerning Jesus, he was compelled by what he had witnessed to declare that Jesus was innocent.
The centurion’s own soldiers had earlier mocked Jesus. Yet seeing darkness cover the land at 12 noon, hearing Jesus address God as Father, and watching Jesus voluntarily give up His Spirit, compelled Him to praise God without regard for what His men thought.
Luke tells us in Luke 23:48 that even the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle had a change of disposition. There was no further scoffing. Instead, when they saw what had taken place, they returned home beating their breasts. They were moved to despair. Even though they may not have professed faith, they were nonetheless affected by watching Jesus die and witnessing the divine signs from God.
Luke 23:50-56 shed light on yet another man who was transformed by the death of Jesus. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
Joseph of Arimathea was a member of the council, the same council that ruled Israel and was responsible for condemning Jesus. Thus, Luke clarifies that unlike the other council members, He was a good and righteous man, one who had not consented to their decision to crucify Jesus.
Nevertheless, John 19:38 describes Joseph as a secret disciple for fear of the Jews. Although he was genuinely seeking the kingdom of God, he was afraid of ridicule and condemnation. But witnessing Jesus’ crucifixion made him reconsider his allegiance. Since God Himself had testified that Jesus is the Christ, how could he pretend otherwise?
If Jesus was not ashamed to die for Him, how could He be embarrassed of His Saviour?
Therefore, Joseph boldly honours the crucified Christ. Without care for what the other council members would think, Joseph takes it upon Himself to give Jesus an honourable burial. Since the Romans usually left the corpse on the cross as a warning to others, Joseph had to get approval. He boldly uses whatever connections he had as a Jewish leader to gain an audience with the Roman governor. Pilate was probably in a bad mood from having his arm twisted by the Jews, yet Joseph bravely asked for a favour.
Next, Joseph personally took Jesus’ body down from the cross. As a ruler he could have gotten his servants to do menial tasks. And if he wanted to participate in the Passover celebrations, Joseph should have avoided contact with the dead. But because Joseph saw in Jesus’ death that He is the Christ, he took it upon himself to bury Jesus. He used fine linen to wrap the body and laid it to rest in his own tomb that was fit for a noble. What Joseph did was far from covet. In the sight of the Jewish leaders and Roman soldiers, Joseph honoured his Saviour.
Jesus’ death was clearly not a disaster but a key piece in God’s great plan of salvation. Jesus’ death brought about spiritual life and transformation. A repentant criminal finds forgiveness at the cross and is welcomed into Jesus’ kingdom. A Roman centurion who had little Bible knowledge proclaims Jesus’ innocence and praises God. A secret disciple who once feared man more than God now declares his allegiance to Jesus with great reverence.
Having examined Jesus’ response to suffering and His last words on the cross, we must now decide for ourselves: Were the majority right? Or did they get it wrong?
The cross forces a response. You cannot remain neutral or indifferent. Either you see Jesus as a failure or see Him as the Saviour who died for you.
So the question is: Will you stand with the scoffers, or receive Jesus as your Saviour?
Jesus did not save Himself so that He could save you.
He bore your sin on the cross. He endured your shame. He died to open the way to paradise.
So will you follow Him?
If you feel unworthy of salvation, be encouraged by the mercy Jesus showed the repentant criminal. Jesus offers immediate salvation to all who come in humility and faith.
Do not feel like you have to study the whole Bible or have everything figured out before you can respond. Like the centurion, you just need to believe God’s testimony that Jesus is the Christ.
If you have questions and would like to know more about becoming a Christian, please chat with the person who brought you to church or anyone wearing a name tag. We would love to hear from you.
For those of us who are already in Christ, let us give thanks for God’s mercy towards us. Even though we are undeserving, God is rich in mercy. While we were still dead in our sins, God sent us His beloved Son.
Therefore, let us give Jesus the worship that He deserves by not being ashamed of Him. Like Joseph of Arimathea, let us not be secret disciples who are afraid of people discovering our faith. So what if people ridicule us or call us foolish. So what if we suffer financial harm or abuse.
Jesus has already promised us entrance into His glorious kingdom. He has assured us that in the age to come, we will be with Him in paradise. We will be captivated by His beauty and enjoy the perfect life we have been longing for — a life without pain and suffering. A life filled with love, peace and joy.
Therefore, let us not be afraid to share the gospel or speak up when people mock our Saviour. Hold fast to God’s truths even when others ridicule us for our devotion to God’s Word.
Follow Jospeh’s example of honouring Christ. Instead of letting Him be an afterthought, make Jesus the most important person in our life. Give Him what we had reserved for ourselves. Honour Jesus over our work or studies and relationships.
Remember that without Jesus’ sacrifice, we would still be dead in our sins and under condemnation. It is only because of Jesus died in our place that we have peace with God. It was through the cross that Jesus saved and transformed sinners like you and me.
Let us pray.
Jesus, thank you for choosing not to save yourself so that you could save us.
Thank you Holy Spirit for helping us to see this beautiful truth.
We confess that we were once like the scoffers who had gotten it all wrong. We are so grateful for giving us eyes of faith to recognise Jesus as the Christ and experience the salvific power of His death in our place.
Through the cross, you save and transform sinners like us.
So please give us faith to believe that you are the Christ. Help us boldly live for you and give you the worship that you deserve.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.