(Text and Audio)
Title: Two Robbers
Thanks for the Q&A last week. When people ask me what my favorite regular moment in ministry is, I don’t hesitate to provide the answer: It’s the 5-10 after each sermon when I get to hear from you.
Thanks to Victor who provided a perfect segue from last week’s message into this week’s message with his comment of how when he thinks of the cross, Jesus in excruciating physical, spiritual and psychological agony, all he can think of is the MERCY that Jesus is demonstrating to us, sinners, who have no right or ability to be redeemed to God if not for Jesus’s amazing act of grace and compassion.
(read/pray)
Today we will take a slightly unorthodox approach to the material in today’s passage.
(Passage slide, highlighting the first and last verses)
We will spend a few weeks covering the material in verse 38-44, but today we will look at the bookend verses of 38 and 44.
Next week we will be looking at a complementary story of Jesus from he Gospel of Luke that I hope will tie back into the middle verses which will return to two week from today.
“Two Robbers”
“Robber” lestes
literal definition: a robber, plunderer, freebooter, brigand
Packer: The term translated “robber” is the same word that Josephus uses for “rebel.” Robbers were not ordinarily crucified. Perhaps these two were cohorts with Barabbas.
Mark 15:7
And there was one named Barabbas, who was chained with his fellow rebels; they had committed murder in the rebellion.
Interestingly, the Gospel of Matthew doesn’t record the conversation between Jesus and the Robbers, but Matthew DOES show us something very interesting about these men.
So the first thing I want to do, as we have often done while working through the passion narrative, is to consult the other gospels and see what they have to say about these other two men, crucified on either side of Jesus.
The Gospel of Mark:
Very similar account to Matthew, does not record the conversation with men, but does add an interesting observation about how Jesus being crucified with sinners also fulfilled scripture.
Mark 15:27-28
“With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right side, and the other on His left. So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors.’”
Isaiah 53:12
Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.
The Gospel of Luke:
Here we see the famous conversation between Jesus and the men that shared his fate, with Jesus showing unbelievable mercy and compassion, even in the midst of his own suffering.
Luke 23:39-43
Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
(*PB’s side note on the question of “Where did Jesus go?” and the Apostle’s Creed)
The Gospel of John
John’s Gospel records NOTHING of the two men beside Jesus! But John’s account includes two things not found elsewhere: The sign being written in three languages, and Jesus’s charge to Peter to take care of his mother.
(Again, this is a great time to revisit the idea of perspective.)
Each of the gospel writers had:
- Their own personal experiences
- Their own personalities
- Their own intended audiences
- Their own guidance from the SAME Holy Spirit that would guide their writings.
*Next week’s sermon will be an entire lesson on perspective. How we can learn so much more from a situation if we see it from different angles.
Conclusion and Point:
In verse 44 BOTH of the robbers were reviling him.
Therefore, the one robber’s repentance happened WHILE ON THE CROSS WITH JESUS. (Sometimes I think we get the impression that he was already full of sorrow before he was on the cross, I think both Matthew and Mark’s accounts dismiss that idea.)
So what happened? What changed? What caused this man to go from reviling and mocking Jesus just like those on the ground, to rebuking the other robber and begging Christ for mercy?
- His pride broke.
- He realized the difference between himself and Jesus.
- He repented, and asked Jesus for mercy.
Is this not EXACTLY what happened you and me, and anyone who has come to know Jesus?
Occasionally I will be asked, “Pastor Ben, do you believe that 11th hour conversions can be genuine?” My answer is quite simple, “Well, apparently Jesus did!”
It is never too late. You are never without hope. If I could talk this robber, I would ask him a question that I’m sure I already know the answer to, but I would ask it anyway.
“Was it worth it? Everything you did, everything you experienced, the horror of your own death…was it worth it?”
I believe that man’s response would be something like this, “Anything that brings you closer to Jesus is worth it.”
pray/Q&A