Luke 23:32-38 Words From the Cross pt. 1
Good morning! It is now the second Sunday of Advent, a countdown to our celebration of the incarnation of Christ the Son, the Word made flesh, Christmas time. It only makes sense then that we will be focusing, in these few weeks before Christmas, on the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
As odd as that may seem, I would remind you that the cradle is absolutely meaningless without the cross. Jesus’ work on the cross is the reason we have to celebrate, it’s the reason He came, it was the whole purpose of His incarnation.
As we consider Jesus’ death on the cross over the next few weeks, I want to focus on three statements made by Jesus from the cross. The Gospel writers included seven statements of Jesus from the cross and Luke records three of those statements for us here in chapter 23. This week we will focus on the first of those statements in Luke 23:32-38, and that’s on page 884 in the pew Bibles. So turn with me there if you would.
Jesus had already stood trial and been sentenced to death even though the Roman governor found no guilt in Him. He had been beaten and bloodied and led through the city forced to bear His own cross until it became too much for Him to bear so the Romans forced Simon of Cyrene to carry it for Him.
That is where we pick up the narrative in verse 32 of Luke 23.
32 Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33 And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. 35 And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine 37 and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”
Let’s pray.
There are a lot of details worth examining in our text, lots of prophecy being fulfilled, truly a lifetime worth of work, but I want to focus solely on Jesus’ unique prayer as He is crucified. This prayer is unique in its majesty, its significance, and its power. Sounds a lot like a three point sermon…
As we consider this prayer, what is it that makes it uniquely majestic? It’s not just the content of His prayer, it’s also the timing, and the objects of His prayer that make it uniquely awe-inspiring.
This particular type of prayer is called intercessory prayer. Making intercession for someone is simply praying on their behalf. We do this all the time when we pray for other people.
So when Jesus prays here in verse 34 He says, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
Jesus intercedes for people and asks the Father to forgive them. That’s great and all but what makes this particular intercessory prayer for forgiveness unique in its majesty is for whom it is offered and when.
Who is Jesus praying for, for all sinners ever? No. He is praying for the forgiveness of those who crucified Him. And to add to the unique majesty of His grace and plea for forgiveness of those who were crucifying Him is when He asks the Father for their forgiveness. He asks the Father to forgive them for crucifying Him, for killing Him, while they are doing it.
For those grammar nerds among us, the verb, “said,” is in the imperfect, active tense. This means that Jesus continued to say this, repeatedly. It was not a onetime statement. While He was being stripped, while they were driving the nails through His hands and His feet, while they hoisted Him up on the cross, Jesus continually prayed for their forgiveness.
Jesus’ continual prayer was not just unique in its majesty, but it is unique in its significance.
Jesus said, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you. Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you.”
This prayer of Jesus from the cross was the crown of His earthly life, it is the demonstration of all He said and taught. This prayer was continued fulfillment of prophecy.
Isaiah 53:12 says, he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.
Here He was making intercession for the transgressors as they transgressed and numbered Him as a transgressor with the other two transgressors who hung on crosses with Him.
This prayer for forgiveness was also unique in its significance because the forgiveness that Jesus prayed for would not be available to those for whom He prayed unless He poured out His soul to death and bore their sins on the cross. Without the death of Jesus, there is no forgiveness of sin. His prayer here consecrated His work on the cross, He knew the purpose of His death, and here declared it sacred and declared its purpose, the forgiveness of sin.
Jesus prayer was unique in its significance because it was the crown of His earthly life, and because it was the consecration of His cross but it is also a picture of His heavenly activity, it reminds of what Jesus is doing right now. 1 John 2:1 says that Christ is our advocate with the Father, Hebrews 7:25 says, “He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
This prayer of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins continues even to this day for those who would believe in Him.
This prayer of Jesus from the cross, unique in its majesty, and its significance is also unique in its power.
Though Jesus was praying in that moment for a specific group of people, His prayer stands as a stark reminder of the need of forgiveness for everybody. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”
This reminder of our guilt has the power to humble us before God.
I was reminded this week of the account of John chapter 8 where a woman caught in adultery was brought to Jesus by the scribes and the Pharisees.
4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.
Scripture doesn’t tell us what Jesus wrote on the ground that day, but I believe that He wrote the Ten Commandments. No one can claim to be without sin in the face of just ten rules. We are all guilty before the holiness of God and all stand condemned apart from his grace as displayed on the cross even before His death in this prayer, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
What a great consolation for sinners like me! The grace of the Lord Jesus was on full display even as those men drove the nails through His hands and feet.
Jesus’ amazing prayer from the cross is unique in its power for humiliation and consolation for sinners but also has the power of sanctification for saints.
Remember a saint is not some dead person who had miracles performed in their names, patron saints of lost items, lost causes and beer are not biblical. What the Bibles does say is that through faith in Jesus, we are all saints!
This prayer of Jesus has the power of sanctification for all of us because Jesus is our example and sanctification is simply the process of becoming more like Him. I said it at the outset, Jesus said to love your enemies, do good to those who hate you. Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you.
Jesus from the cross was the intercessor for His enemies and the example for His friends. The best thing that we can do for ourselves and for others is to follow His example and pray for the forgiveness of sins.
1 Peter 2:20-25
…if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
This first of three words of Jesus from the cross recorded by Luke, a prayer unique in its majesty, its, significance, and its power, like the two remaining words, demonstrates the amazing grace of our Lord Jesus Christ who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising its shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Amen.
