If you would now turn to the copy of the scriptures. We are in the Gospel of Luke. We are in Luke chapter. It should be 23 I read 22 typo on my part, 2326 through 38 not 2223 beginning in verse 26 before we read, let's go to the Lord in prayer. Let's pray our Heavenly Father. We thank you that you are not silent, but that you speak to us, and that Lord you speak to us. This very morning, as we woke up in the heavens, were declaring your glory, but even Lord, we come now to the scriptures, where you speak in a special way. Not only do you declare your power and your existence and your goodness, but you declare to us salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. Give us ears to hear. Give us hearts to receive Lord. Let your spirit have its way with us. Let there be no corner within our hearts that harbor sin. But Let us repent and let us believe and be saved in Jesus's name, we pray, Amen, people of God, hear God's word for you from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 23 beginning in verse 26 and as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming In from the country and laid on him the cross to carry it behind Jesus.
And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him, but turning to them, Jesus said, Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children, for behold the days are coming when they will say, Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed, then they will begin to say, to the mountains fall on us, and to the hills cover us.
For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry? Two others who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him, 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. And Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do, and they cast lots to divide his garments. 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, the soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, if you are the king of the Jews, save yourself. There was also an inscription over him, this is the king of the Jews. He who has ears, let him hear the Word of God. Please be seated. We find our place in the Gospel of Luke, where Jesus has been betrayed by Judas, one of the 12 denied by Peter. Jesus has now stood on trial four separate times. He's exhausted.
He is sleep deprived. He's been mocked, he has been beaten and he has been tortured. A governor of Rome, Pontius Pilate, has declared Jesus, however, to be without guilt three separate times, not guilty, but because of his cowardice and his fear, he gives the people what they will, what they want. As verse 25 ends, he gives them over to the people's will. And what is the people's will for Jesus death and we know Jesus is going to die. We know that already, because if you have spent any time with us in the Gospel of Luke, the book has been leading us to this very moment, from the very beginning of Luke, you have known Jesus is going to die when Jesus is born and he's brought to the temple. Remember Simeon, that prophet in the temple. He predicts that Mary is going to be struck and pierced to the heart, because her very precious son is going to die. Jesus will predict it, and very specifically. Himself in both chapters nine and 13 and other places, Jesus says the Son of Man. Remember Jesus's favorite title for himself. Found, where is it? Found? You should know that Daniel seven, right?
Anytime Jesus son of man, Daniel seven should ring it ring in your mind. But Jesus says the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and on the third day be raised. And not only has the entire Gospel of Luke been leading us to this whole point, but the entirety of the scriptures are as well, from all the way back in Genesis chapter three, it's leading you to this very moment that the seed of the woman is going to crush the head of the serpent, but the seed of the woman, that is Jesus, his heel would be bruised. Or even in the Psalms, we look at Psalm 22 leading us to this moment where the psalms are directing us. His hands and His feet will be pierced. They will cast lots for his garments and the prophets in Isaiah. 53 he will be numbered with the transgressors. And there are many, many, many more. And you see, the scriptures are all leading us here to this moment in time, and in our text, the cross finally comes into focus.
We see the cross for the very first time, and it's a cursed cross. And this is where Jesus will be crucified for your salvation. The cross is where Jesus will bring salvation to prostitutes. He will bring salvation to adulterers, lovers of money, the unclean, the liars, those disrespectful to their parents and chief sinners.
This has been the Gospel of Luke, that you and I are the ones that deserve to die, that all the healings are all ultimately a picture of our hearts, of the man with leprosy and his the disgust and the outward appearance of his heart and the disease is a picture of our hearts. Remember the man with the withered hand, a picture of our hearts. And our hearts withered away, and our rebellion against God and Jesus has come to save not simply physically, but spiritually. The wages of sin is death, and that is what you and I deserve, but Jesus is going to the cross willingly to save you and me, the chief of sinners. And our text begins with Jesus being led away from that court where Pontius Pilate declared him innocent, but yet he's given now over to the people's will, and Jesus is now being led away. And it's typical that those who are condemned to die by crucifixion carry the cross, beam of the cross on which they will die, and they will carry it through the town as a form of humiliation and shame before their death, but Jesus is so exhausted and beaten that he might not survive carrying the cross up to the hill, up to the skull. And everyone is unified.
And what are they unified? And everyone has come together.
Remember Pilate and Herod? They were enemies. They hated each other. They despised each other.
But you know what? They're friends now, because they're unified in their hatred of Jesus. Do you remember? Do you remember the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and they can't get along with with anything?
They're always arguing about, is there a resurrection or not? And they're always disagreeing, just like politicians do, whether or not you agree with it, if the other side say it, well, guess what? I'm going to disagree with it, but the Sadducees and the Pharisees are united. And what unites, what has the ability to unite all the people of the world together? As Psalm two tells us hatred for the Son of God, the Son of Man, the Lord Jesus, Christ, the Anointed One of God. And they are united together that Jesus's torture must not end. Yet he must be crucified. Someone has to do something here, lest Jesus dies before his torture is completed.
So the Romans, they're not going to touch this cursed thing. They sees a guy from the crowd to carry Jesus's Cross for him.
We're told, his name is Simon, and he's from Cyrene, which is in. Modern Day Libya, Africa.
So Simon is a Jew living in Africa, in a foreign land, and he's probably come to Jerusalem because it's a Passover.
Remember, Passover, Jerusalem would swell, triple, maybe quadruple, in size, as people from all over are are coming to celebrate the feast. And while Simon is there, he something happens to him that I'm sure he was not expecting. But he's going there, and he hears that there's going to be this public execution of someone named Jesus, and this has to probably be the most public execution to ever occur in Jerusalem. Not only is it Passover, where you already have so many people there, but this is Jesus. Jesus has made a name for himself. He, he, he has stirred the people that is. He's He's performed miracles. He's taught with authority. Jesus has a name that that people recognize it and know. And now Simon does not volunteer. Here, it's not that Jesus is carrying the cross and he's struggling, and says, officer, do you mind? Can I step in? Can I help? I don't know if he's going to make it. No, Simon is seized. We are told. He doesn't volunteer. He might not.
Probably, of course, doesn't want to do this. They take him out of the crowd. Now, why Simon? There's a huge crowd there. Why would they pick on Simon. Well, I know if I want something moved, there are some people in our congregation that I would call, and others I wouldn't call. If I need some furniture moved. You know who I'm calling, the state boys, and I know many of you have called on them before. And why do you do that? Because you have strong young men who something might seem very heavy to you, is quite light for them. So my guess, my assumption here, is that Simon is not some feeble old man, but that he's a young man and quite strong, someone who is able to carry this cross beam for Jesus.
And even though Simon is a strong fellow, he's also a smart fellow, and he knows not to resist the Roman soldiers when they seize him, he's not going to put up a fight. He might be strong, but he's not carrying swords, so he steps out and takes on this burden of shame.
But this is not shameful for Simon to carry this for Jesus.
In fact, what was shameful is that there's no one else to do it, no one willing to do it for Jesus. There are no disciples around. Remember, Jesus has has been ushered into Jerusalem, and people are laying palm branches and shouting Hosanna. But everyone has fled. Everyone has left Jesus, the Lord of Glory.
And that is really what is shameful here, not to carry this cross for Jesus. And it's a sad picture. And so sad that people are beginning to weep. People are beginning to cry in the crowd, a sad picture that the people see this innocent man who has been beaten up to the point where he is barely alive at this point, and people are insisting that his torture continue until he is on this cross. And so we see in our text too that there are these ladies, these daughters of Jerusalem, these Jewish ladies, we don't know exactly who, but they're crying.
They're weeping, and understandably so, they're showing pity for this man who they perceive to be, maybe an innocent victim, and what you might expect Jesus, if he says anything to them at all, you wouldn't maybe expect Jesus to have ability to thank you. Thank you. I am innocent, and you should be crying for me, or maybe you might even expect Jesus say, Blessed are you?
Because yet you see what's going on in this, this unjust situation. But Jesus doesn't say anything like that, and says, he says something very surprising, doesn't he almost shocking. In verse 28 he says, Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. Why? Well, Jesus goes on for behold the days are coming when they will say, Blessed are the barren and. And the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed, they will begin to say to the mountains fall on us and to the hills cover us. This is a terrible thing for Jesus to say to women, especially Jewish women. It was a it was a disgrace to be a barren woman in the first century, because the the whole culture and the the mentality was to be barren is to be cursed by God, because blessing will come through the seat of the woman. And if you're if you're barren, you're cursed by God. Why would Jesus say that? Here, Jesus says to not only weep for yourself, but for yourself, but for your children.
What is going on here? Isn't this mean and cruel? Is Jesus just angry? No, this goes back to chapter 21 in fact, where Jesus has predicted the terrible destruction of Jerusalem, which happens in about four years from this moment later, in 70 ad, where Titus, the Emperor's son, comes in and just utterly destroys Jerusalem. Remember, in chapter 21 Jesus enters Jerusalem, and he weeps over it, because he knows what's going to happen to it, and it's hard to conceive even of all the terrors that happened when Rome came and destroyed that city. But Josephus, the historian there in the first century, said that the living envied the dead. That there was cannibalism. There were even mothers eating their own children because of the famine and lack of food from the siege, there was human sacrifice, hoping that God or some other God, would listen and do something, and there were certainly crucifixion by the Romans. And it was a siege that took over a half a year. 1 million Jews were killed, and over 100,000 were taken captive by Rome. And if you remember, however, when we were wearing, when we were in chapter 21 we needed to also put on our redemptive historical bifocals.
Do you remember that term, your Did you forget your redemptive historical bifocals today? Well, if you did, I have an extra pair. And here that here it is.
What that means is, as you remember, bifocals allow you to see things that are both near and also far, and the destruction of Jerusalem is a fulfillment of Jesus's prophecy of something that is near only 40 years later, and it would happen, Jerusalem would be utterly destroyed, a terrible, horrific thing, lots of terror, lots of horror. But Jesus is not only speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem. In fact, the destruction of Jerusalem is a picture, even a foreshadowing or a warning of something even further in the future that is yet to come, that is the destruction of the world. That is the world standing in judgment before God and being wiped out even much worse than Jerusalem or Sodom and Gomorrah would ever experience by God, Jesus is rich in mercy and grace, but we forget that God is just, and there is judgment and there is wrath for those who do not repent and for those who do not Believe, and that's what Jesus is talking about here. One of his last words before he is crucified is a final warning, not only to the daughters of Jerusalem and the people of Jerusalem, but to you and me who are here listening now to Jesus's words, when would a mother wish to be barren? When would a mother who has a little baby who she is nursing and loving and caring for, ever wish that that little one was never born? When will the Scriptures tell us specifically when, not a date, but when this happens, Revelation chapter six, then the kings of Earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful and everyone, slave or free, hid themselves in caves and among the rocks of the mountains calling to the mountains and rocks fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come. Him and who can stand again? Remember the temptation for us as we enter in here in chapter 23 and as we consider the cross is to do exactly what these ladies are doing, to feel sorrow and pity for Jesus, and we can leave this church today feeling good about ourselves, because we felt bad for Jesus, and I feel, I feel a sorrow and a pity that Jesus ever went through that, that he left heaven and he went through that.
But Jesus says, Do not pity him.
Pity yourselves if you do not repent and believe, that's exactly what Jesus is saying. Do not leave this place. Just feeling sorry for him. Feel sorry for yourselves if you do not believe in the King of kings and the Lord of lords, because judgment is coming, Jesus doesn't want sympathy. He wants repentance. He wants faith to rest upon Him, to receive Him as He is freely given to you in the Gospels. And He lovingly gives us this last warning before he faces the cross in which he will save you, if you would believe.
And then this last line there, he says, For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?
What does that mean? Well, when we're up in Maryland recently for Thanksgiving, my mother in law enjoys having fires. My father in law likes to keep the house quite cold. He refers to it as the three sweater in quite cold in the house. And so my mother in law, she likes to have fires done. So my father in law then goes outside and he he chops wood for the fire. And he gave my boys a task while we were there to help them out, to get the pieces of wood and lay them out so they can dry. Why?
Because the pieces, as you know, or anyone who has burns fire, or has started fire, pieces of wood that are dry are better for burning than fresh pieces or pieces that are wet. So they were laying out pieces of wood so they can dry, so they can easily burn. And so what Jesus is saying here is that he's referring to himself as a green tree. And if he says, If judgment is coming to me, who am a green tree, what will happen to you who are dry wood. If this is how Rome treats me, how will they treat you? And here's the other point, if my father will judge me, how much more will he judge you? If God was going to at one point ever in history say, I'm not going to judge sin.
I'm not going to do it. It would have been right here with his beloved son. But did God not judge sin when Jesus became sin, who knew no sin? Did the Father say, No, I can't do it. I'm not going to do it. No, he did it, and he judged his very own son.
And God will do that. How much more will he judge you who do not repent and believe in His Son? God will certainly do it.
He will certainly do it. So what's the there's a very practical application of this text of how do we live our lives? Repent and believe. This is what this text is calling us to do. We have to understand God's judgment, or else His mercy makes no sense. This is what Christ has done for us, it's not a pitiful situation.
It's not simply that this King of heaven came and now he has nothing and he became poor. It's not just that an unjust thing occurred and he was he was innocent, and now they're declaring him guilty. No, it's all happening for your sake and for the glory of God. Remember that Adam brought death to the world through a living tree. He was told not to eat of it, and he did, and he brought death and misery to the world, to you and me, but Jesus here is bringing life to the world through a dead tree, the cross, the new Adam, the second Adam that you and I might be saved, and I'm going to spend probably more. Time on this passage next week. But verse 32 says there are two others who are criminals. Were led away to be put to death with him, and when they came to the place that is called the Skull, there they were cruc there they crucified him and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do. And there we have the crucifixion. What's interesting is it's very short.
It says, there they crucified him, just four short words.
What's interesting, I think, is that there's no description of the crucifixion. You know, if, if you read anyone's modern take, or happen to see any of these movies like The passion and things like that, a real emphasis in them is, what is crucifixion like? You know, there's no description here in the text of of what it's like to have your body suspended by nails and having nails in your feet and your hands. Luke doesn't give us any Luke's a doctor. He doesn't give us any detail about muscle fatigue and the difficulty of the catching breath with your lungs and the asphyxiation that often happens with the cross. Why? Why is that absent? Why? Well, what's going on here? Why does it just say in the crucified, shouldn't we be where's the gore, where's what's going on? The emphasis of the text is not what was Jesus's suffering of the crucifixion like, but not only in Luke, but in Matthew and Mark and John and all the epistles. The emphasis is not on what crucifixion is like. It's What does crucifixion of Jesus achieve. That's the emphasis. What does it do for you? And you know what it does for you. Jesus tells us right plainly here in this text, forgiveness, Father, forgive them. As soon as the blood of the great lamb begins to flow on the cross, He intercedes as your great high priest to the Father, and says, Father, forgive them.
In the midst of his agony, Jesus is thinking of your salvation, and he's also blessing those who cursed him and abused him. Now, who is Jesus praying for? Who is the then? Is it the soldiers? Is it the priest? Is it everyone who is observing the whole situation? Well, I don't know, but we at least know it's at least one Centurion. We at least know it is one thief on the cross, and who else could it be?
I God for anyone who repents and believes forgiveness is yours.
And if you have repented, and if you put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, you can even in your little Bible, just write your own name above them and say, Father, forgive me, and Jesus has prayed for you if you have repented and believed that that you might be saved. There is no one that is too evil or too far gone that can't be saved. Jesus is even praying for those who murdered him, and yet many will come to salvation. And they are taunting here in Jesus.
They're taunting Jesus here in our text for not saving himself.
But they have the whole thing backwards. It's because he doesn't save himself that he's able to save you. Remember God made Him who who knew no sin to be sin, so that in him you might have the righteousness of God.
Now, I think another person that Jesus probably prayed for here was Simon of Cyrene. I think Simon heard Jesus's words, I think he believed that there was judgment coming, and he wept not only for his own sin, but he wept before the Lord for His own children, and made sure that not only himself but his family knew the gospel. Why do I say that?
Because Simon had two sons, did you know that Simon had two sons, Alexander and Rufus?
You can find their names written in Mark's account, Mark chapter 15, and also in the early church in Romans, chapter 16. I.
Alexander and Rufus grew to be men who were great figures in the early church. Even Paul mentions, I think, Rufus in Romans 16 as a man who was chosen by the Lord, and like their father, then they took up the cross of Jesus and believed in him for salvation. And this is the message. If this is a foolish message to you, it means that you're perishing. But if this is a sweet message to you, then you're being saved. Jesus has prayed for you, and so let us listen to Jesus's words right before and even as the first words as he enters into the cross. Let us repent of our sins and believe, but then know we are forgiven completely and fully. In Christ, every single sin of yours would be crucified on the cross, not of just yesterday today, but even yet to come. Jesus is bearing your sins that you might have life. Let's pray father. We, thank you for giving us your word and we, thank you for Jesus. We thank you for the severe warnings of Christ that we might be sober minded, that we might not be foolish, that we would repent, that we would turn from our sins, to not take our sin lightly and to believe and put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, to receive Him as our Lord and Savior, our King of Kings, Lord, I pray that you will strike the hearts today of those who do not know you, that you will give restless nights, that you will not give peace until peace has been found in Christ and Christ alone. And for those Lord who have faith, even if it is weak faith, it is sure faith in Christ and that you will give peace, that you will give forgiveness and pardon.
It's in Jesus's name, we pray.
Amen. Do.