On the corner of Bostwick Street and Dewitt Street in Lowville there is a house where the owners have placed three crosses. My attention is called to that particular house for two reasons, first – it is the house in which my grandparents lived in and the house I remember visiting them as a child. They died in 1959 and 1960, so I was probably between 3-6 years old when I visited there but I can’t drive by even 60 years later without thinking about those visits and that house being Grandpa and Grandma’s house.
The second and primary reason that I notice the house is, of course, the three crosses placed on the lawn. It is interesting, why would they place three crosses? Scripture tells us that there were 3 crosses on the day of Christ’s crucifixion, and there were 3 crucified on that day. The three were Jesus, and two criminals. Why celebrate and bring into remembrance the other two crosses, the other two men – after all they were just common criminals.
In the second part of his April 3rd message, Pastor Bruce used the scripture from Luke 23: 32-39. In that message he spoke about the lessons learned from those two criminals – how despite the fact that both were criminals, both sinners, one was lost and one was saved. The lessons, of course, is why? What caused one to be saved, and one lost.
All four gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John mention that there two others that were crucified with Jesus. Both Matthew and Mark that each of the criminals were crucified on either side of Jesus, and they also both mention that both criminals joined the crowd in ridiculing Jesus. Luke tells us in chapter 23: 35 – “The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine They called out to him, “if you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!. A sign was fastened about him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.”. The crowds were ridiculing and challenging Jesus – there on the cross in an apparent totally helpless state – they challenged Jesus to “put up or shut up”, if he truly was the Son of God, if He truly was all that He claimed to be then come down from that cross, save yourself. The Son of God, at least in their mind, would not allow Himself to be placed in such a hopeless, humiliating situation.
Matthew and Mark tell us that both of the criminals joined the crowds in that jeering and ridicule. Luke tells us it was just one of the criminals that joined with the crowd. Is there a difference, is there a contraction between the different versions of the story as told by the 3 gospel writers. I believe that there is no contradiction, each gospel writer shared their own part of the story, so that in the end we have a complete picture of all that happened.
I believe that initially both of the criminals joined with the crowd in ridiculing Jesus, but as they watched, as they listened to Jesus, one of the criminals, began to realize and understand that this was no mere man. Who else would, could take the punishment, the torture that no ordinary man could endure, and yet – look at that same crowd and tell them “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do?” No mere man, if he could have found a way out of that situation would have tried. Here was they very Son of God, with all the powers of Heaven at His disposal, yet chose to be the helpless “criminal”, Jesus, the very Son of God chose to suffer the same punishment just as the other two men being crucified with Him on that day.
Both criminals began by ridiculing Jesus, but one of them changed. It was by watching and listening to Jesus that he came to understand, that one criminal not only stopped his own ridiculing of Jesus, he challenged the other criminal to stop. “ Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” The that same criminal turned to Jesus and said “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” That criminal not only not ridiculing Jesus, and challenged the other criminal to stop, he recognized that Jesus, even in His hopeless and helpless condition, he recognized Him as the one who could save him. Even in Jesus’ hopeless and helpless condition, the criminal recognized that Jesus could and would be victorious in saving Himself, Jesus could also be merciful enough to save him too.
What lessons to we take away from the story? Why do we recognize 3 crosses, 3 crucifixions on that day. We recognize and celebrate the death and crucifixion of Jesus Christ – because of His death, His defeat on the cross, Jesus defeated death, bore our sins, that we might have life through Him.
The first cross, the first criminal who continued to ridicule Jesus, who like the crowd could not see Jesus as anything but a mere man, one who was all talk, no action. He could not see Jesus as the one who would and could save him – so he received the punishment that he deserved.
The second cross, the second criminal who stopped ridiculing Jesus, recognized Jesus as someone far greater that a mere man. He recognized Jesus as the very Son of God who not only was capable of saving Himself but capable of saving him. That second criminal recognized that he was justly condemned to die, receiving his own just punishment. He recognized that Jesus was unjustly accused and condemned for a crime He did not commit.
Just as that second criminal, we too must recognize our own guilt, our own helplessness, our own inability to save ourselves. We must recognize that it is Jesus alone that can save us.
Pastor Bruce shared with us the story of the two crosses, the two criminals, to once again illustrate and remind us of the two choices that are available to us. If we reject Jesus’ death on the cross we are ridiculing Jesus just as the first criminal did, we are subjecting ourselves to the punishment that we deserve. However, when we take the path of the second criminal, we too can be with Jesus in paradise!!
I pray that we all follow the path and make the same choices as the second criminal.
Thanks Pastor Bruce!