6th Wednesday of Lent - April 9, 2014
Sermon by Pastor Paul G. Eckert
Sermon text - Luke 23:32-43
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At the beginning of March in our church services we took note of
the Transfiguration of Jesus. In transcending glory Jesus appeared on
a mount to three of His disciples. One of them, Peter, was so
impressed that he said, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us
put up three shelters - one for you, one for Moses and one for
Elijah.” Then the record in the Bible goes on to say, “He did not
know what he was saying.”
That brings to my mind a hospital visit I made many years ago with
a St. Jacobi member, a man I had regularly greeted when he came to
church with his family. My devotion with him came after we had first
talked a bit. As I listened, I found it hard to believe that I was hearing
what I was hearing. It seemed that almost every other word he spoke
was the name of Jesus. But he was using Jesus’ name in vain, like a
fill word, like what we hear so often today when we hear the name
“Jesus” or the combination “Jesus Christ” being used like what we
might call a cuss word, or like many people today use the OMG
phrase “O my God” without realizing they are saying it at all.
I finally stopped him and asked, “Do you know what you are
doing?” He said, “What?” I told him that he was using Jesus’ name
in vain, without meaning. He said he didn’t realize he was doing that,
that he certainly did not want to use his Savior’s name in vain. I think
you can easily imagine what my devotion was like after that.
Let’s move ahead now to our text. We come to not a mount of
transcending glory where Peter did not know what he was saying, but
to a horrible mount of crucifixion where people did not know what
they were doing. There we hear these words from Jesus, “Father,
forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
What about our doing with Jesus? This week’s theme is:
WHAT SHALL I DO WITH JESUS? FORGIVE WITH HIM.
I WE KNOW WHAT HAPPENED HERE. (32-33,34b-39)
1. Jesus was sentenced like a criminal. (32-33)
Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be
executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, there
they crucified him, along with the criminals - one on his right, the
other on his left.
a) Two actual criminals were facing a court’s sentence.
b) Jesus had been declared innocent by judge Pontius Pilate, by
all of the evidence, but faced the same sentence.
2. Then He received mistreatment, mocking. (34b-39)
And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. The people stood
watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He
saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the
Chosen One.” The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They
offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the
Jews, save yourself.” There was a written notice above him,
which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. One of the
criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the
Christ? Save yourself and us!”
a) The physical pain had to be terrible.
b) Then He was mocked for being who He actually was.
3. Let’s not forget our part in this.
a) Were we there when they crucified our Lord?
b) Do our lives or our language at times slap Him in the face?
c) Yes, we were there. We all are sinners too.
II DO WE KNOW WHAT WE ARE DOING? (34ab)
1. Often we do know.
a) We don’t mock and mistreat Jesus. We are Christians. We
believe in Jesus as our precious Savior from sin. Right?
b) Because of that we pray, strive to live a God-pleasing life,
come to church to worship. We do know what we are doing.
2. But often we do not know. (34a)
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they
are doing.”
a) Children and adults start using the bad language of the world
and gradually it’s a way of talking, doesn’t bother them.
b) They start neglecting worship at church and see no need to
use offering envelopes that support sharing the Word of God
with others here and elsewhere - and it doesn’t bother them.
3. What should this mean?
a) The wages of sin, known or unknown, is eternal death.
b) Are we really any better than the mockers at the cross?
c) But now let’s look penitently to the cross again.
III JESUS KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING. (34a,42-43)
1. Willingly He had gone to the cross.
a) God’s holy justice required this.
b) God’s Son had come to be the sacrificial Lamb of God.
2. There He paid the price for forgiveness. (34a)
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they
are doing.”
a) The price was a totally innocent death for all of the guilty.
b) That sacrifice paid for all sins, also those unknown to us.
3. Jesus promises what that forgiveness means. (42-43)
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your
kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you
will be with me in paradise.”
a) Penitently this man confessed his faith in his Savior.
b) His sins forgiven, he was promised heaven with Jesus.
c) And Jesus promises us the same.
IV WHAT SHOULD WE BE DOING? (39-43)
1. Penitently confess your faith. (39-42)
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him:
“Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other
criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you
are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are
getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing
wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into
your kingdom.”
a) Acknowledge all sins, also those you don’t know about.
b) Turn to Jesus, just like this man on the cross, and be forgiven.
2. Then let that faith be evident.
a) Let that be in your daily life, your family life, your church life,
your work life, your business life, your entertainment life.
b) And don’t forget to do that by putting into practice what you
pray in the Lord’s Prayer when you ask the Lord, “Forgive us
our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.”
3. Praise God for forgiving us!
a) It is not always easy to forgive others as we have been
forgiven.
b) When it is hard to do that in a family or elsewhere, remember
how your Savior forgives you and assures you of that. You
and I don’t deserve that forgiveness. He in His grace and love
made forgiveness possible and gives forgiveness to us.
c) And in Paradise forgiveness no longer will have to be given.
Let me go back to the hospital visit I mentioned in the beginning.
When the man I visited said he did not realize he was doing what he
was doing with Jesus’ name, I asked him about his family - his wife
and children also were members of our congregation. I asked him if
they had ever told him how he was misusing the name of Jesus. His
answer was that they had not.
How sad. May none of us here fail our fellow family or church
members in that way. Instead, let us pray what Jesus prayed,
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are
doing.” Then, when there is repentance for sin, let us assure them
that our heavenly Father does forgive. That’s why Jesus was on the
cross. That’s why He died. That’s why He arose victorious from the
dead. That’s why we can live as His forgiven people and also forgive
those who sin against us. God give us the strength to do that!
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