3/12/13. Luke 23:32-43. FATHER, FORGIVE THEM – my devotional

Luke 23:32-43                                                                                     3/12/13

Key Verse: 23:34                                                                                Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF

“Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.”  (NIV 2011)

Dear Father in heaven. Thank you for filling our days with hope, love, truth and a mission in life that truly satisfies. Coming to know you more personally and communing in you is at the head of that mission. I am coming to know that. When we are found in you then everything else comes into focus. There is power and strength to do all things. Thank you Lord.  I pray that my heart can be prepared for Easter and that I could write a Gospel message on the death of Jesus for the Bible school. Lord, help me to understand this passage and know how to apply it in my life. I pray in the powerful name of Jesus Christ. Amen!

Part 1: He Did Not Save Himself (32-38)

Verses 32-38, “³² Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. ³³ 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. ³⁴ Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. ³⁵ The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” ³⁶ The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar ³⁷ and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”

Jesus suffered along with those he came to save. Verses 32-33 reads, “Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed ³³ 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.”  This is also a fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 53:9 which reads, “He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.” By suffering as a criminal and dying among criminals and being considered a criminal by the general populace, Jesus was “assigned a grave with the wicked.” Jesus suffers along with us. He walks with us through the valley of death. He is our friend and our Savior who is forever by our side. He was not ashamed to be counted among the criminals. He was no ashamed to be considered one of them. He walked along side them. He had a clear identity about who he is, the Savior, and what he was doing, trying to save their souls unto eternal life.

We must never be ashamed to associate with those whom we are called to save. Whatever our peers may think of us, we need to be differentiated enough to stand our ground and say, “Jesus died to save this person. God loves them and I love them too. I will stand with them.”

Jesus suffering and death fulfilled prophecy. Suffering and dying with criminals was all part of God’s plan. Jesus’ suffering and death was not an accident, but part of God’s perfect plan to bring salvation to us. We can trust Jesus, trust the Bible and trust the Gospel.

Jesus did not die for his own sins; he did not even pray for himself. Jesus prayed for those who killed him. Look at verse 34a, “Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing…”  Most people would be cursing their tormentors. They would be praying for themselves for God to either end their torment or for the Lord to take their own lives a quickly as possible. But Jesus was totally selfless in his dying moments. He was actually praying for those who were killing him. That really blows my mind. That is the ultimate in spirituality and the ultimate in love. This totally defines God’s love for us. Jesus was on the cross dying for the sins of the world. That includes our sins. Our sins are part of the reason that Jesus was hanging up there on that cruel cross in the first place and yet he prayed for us. His prayer reminds me of his prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of his betrayal. In John 17 he prayed for his disciples if all times. He was about to be betrayed by his friend and yet he was thinking of his followers, even us. What a selfless heart Jesus has. I pray that I can have such a selfless heart. I am too preoccupied by my own situations and needs. Rarely do I have time to think of others. I must turn my heart upward and outward.

Jesus knew the truth about humanity, that they really don’t know what they are doing. The soldiers did not know what they were doing; they only thought of the small material benefit they could get from his clothes. Maybe they wanted the cloth to make a shirt or to sell it in the market of to keep it as a souvenir. The people who watched did not know what they were saying when they mocked, “He saved others; let him save himself….” All mankind thoughtlessly contributes to Jesus’ death, for Jesus died for all sinners–including those who, in their ignorance, do not take sin seriously.

People know that people should not be condemned for things that they don’t know that they were doing. That is why people plead insanity. We don’t execute children or the mentally challenged. Our court system understands that such people may not have been fully aware of what they were doing. God understands this about us.

Before meeting Jesus I never had a clue what I was doing. I sinned greatly every single day in my ignorance. All I was doing was trying to have fun and do something with my life. But actually I was sinning against the God who created me. I was part of the reason why Jesus had to go the cross. Even now I end up sinning in ignorance and immaturity. I make lots of mistakes and cause some emotional pain on others from time to time. What is my hope? Is it not Jesus who prays, “Father, forgive Kevin, for he does not know what he is doing?” Jesus forgives me and prays for me and guides my heart out of darkness so that I may walk in his wonderful light.

Part 2: Jesus, Remember Me (39-43)

Verse 39-43, “³⁸ There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews. ³⁹ One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” ⁴⁰ But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? ⁴¹ We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴² Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” ⁴³ Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Jesus hung between two criminals, one was repentant and the other held onto his unbelief. The sign above his head read, “The King of the Jews”. It was true. Jesus is the King of the Jews and the King of the whole universe. He is a king who came to die to save his people from their sins and bring them into his everlasting kingdom. Not everyone could see this truth. Jesus’ disciples saw. A few like Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodenus and Simon from Cyrene saw it. But very few did. In this scene one criminal was blind to Jesus’ true identity and the other could see it.

One criminal’s heart was very hardened. He was stubborn to the end, even in his dying moments. He was actually hurling insults at Jesus. How hard hearted can you get? He cried out, ““Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”  He is going to die anyway, even if he gets taken off the cross, from his wounds and infection. What did he have to loose? He should just humbly repent and believe in Jesus. He reminds me of people who remain estranged from Jesus even when they have nothing else to live for in this world. How foolish and how stubborn!

But then there was the criminal whose heart was moved at the suffering Jesus. He was convinced of his own sin. He did not excuse himself nor did he minimize his crimes. He believed that Jesus was Christ the King and he only asked his King for mercy.  He rebuked the other criminal, ““Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? ⁴¹ We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

He entered into a condition of heart that anyone needs before they can be saved, a humble confession of sin. He was ready to accept Jesus as his Savior. With a tender heart he looked at Jesus. Jesus was not like his criminal buddies. He was not like dying like anyone he had ever seen before. Jesus’ face was so full of victory and love and hope. (As compared to the despair and defeat and sorrow in other criminal’s faces.) He took hold of the hope that Jesus was offering, the forgiveness of sins and eternal life in the kingdom of God. Though he was dying in excruciating pain, his heart was transformed. He was filled with God’s hope in a hopeless situation. He tasted God’s love in a condemned state. He really wanted to be with Jesus in the Kingdom of God though he was nailed to the cross.

His weak body mustered enough strength to utter the words, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” That was what Jesus was longing to hear. And he responded immediately to the man’s prayer. Jesus is waiting and longing to hear us utter this type prayer and he will come into that person’s heart like a flood. It happened to me when I was 22 years old and in the depth of darkness and sin. I was so empty that one night I cried into my pillow, “Oh God!”  That was enough. Jesus started to send Christians my way. They preached to me. They prayed for me and soon after, I accepted Jesus into my life. My life has not been the same ever since. I pray for people across our land to look at Jesus, confess their sin and have just enough faith to utter the words, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Miracles will happen if people have faith the size of a mustard seed.

Jesus would fulfill his promise. Look at verse 43, “Jesus answered him, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.’” Jesus was not joking. After their relatively short time of intense suffering, their life in this world would end. They would breathe their last. The man who repented of his sin and put all of his faith and hope in Jesus would enter into Paradise because he had received the complete forgiveness of sins. His justification came through faith in Jesus’ shed blood on the cross. He didn’t have to do anything for this gift. What could he do?  His hands and his feet were nailed to the cross! He repented and believed and he was there with Jesus in paradise. Whether his soul sleeps till Jesus comes again, or if it all happened that day is not so important. From the criminal’s point of view, it happened as soon as he closed his eyes in death. The other criminal, who hardened his heart to the end, could not have such a beautiful post death reality. He would have to stand before the judgment seat of Christ with no savior at all.

How short is our live in this world! I am doing some genealogy and discovering how many of my relatives died young. Some died of cancer, kidney failure, in their 30’s and 50’s and 60’s. I am not that far from that. I confess that my life is but a vapor. How am I going to spend this vapor of a life? Where will my eternal home be after this vapor has dispersed?  I thank God for the hope that Jesus has brought into my life. Because of the Gospel, I will be with Jesus in Paradise. It will happen. Jesus dwells in my heart now. But I will see him face to face in the Kingdom of God. No matter what suffering comes my way, that suffering will soon end and I will be with Christ forever. Praise God!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for forgiving my sins. Help me to hold onto your abundant grace, with my hope in your kingdom.

One Word: Father, forgive them