Luke 23 shows us first the beauty of the incarnation and then the glory of our salvation at the cross. The incarnation is the beautiful mystery of the eternally divine Son of God who was also the fully human and perfectly righteous Son of Man. Because Jesus was the Son of God, His sacrifice had infinite value. Because He was both fully human and totally righteous He is able to serve as an appropriate and sufficient substitute for sinners like us.
The dividing line of history – the cross – in that moment became the dividing line of ETERNITY. Two criminals – both of them just minutes away from an eternity in hell – were suddenly and eternally separated! The dividing line between them was JESUS on the cross.
And that is the case for every single human being. Jesus is the dividing line. For those who call on Him in faith, He is the doorway to heaven. For those who refuse His invitation, He is the judge sending them to hell. You cannot remain neutral about Jesus – you must choose a side.
The truth is that we are all criminals. Jesus was perfectly righteous but He is the only one in history who did not deserve to die for his sin. All of us do deserve to die for our sins. We are just like Barabbas and the two men on the crosses beside Jesus. But Jesus came to take your place. He died precisely so that we would not have to die. Here is the beauty and wonder of the gospel in the darkest and most glorious moment in history – when the divine Son of God, who was the righteous Son of Man, became the all sufficient Savior.
Let’s cherish and cling to the Old Rugged cross: “The emblem of suffering and shame; And I love that old cross, where the dearest and best for a world of lost sinners was slain!”
What made Jesus the all sufficient Savior? It was his nature as the fully divine Son of God and at the same time the fully human and perfectly righteous Son of Man. In Jesus’ trial, the Jewish leaders actually got Jesus’ title correct, though they used it as an accusation.
“And they began to accuse him saying, ‘We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.’” Luke 23:2
Pilate, the governor, questions Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” and Jesus’ response was basically, “You said it.” So Pilate placed that placard over his head: “This is the King of the Jews.” And later the rulers of Israel mocked him saying, “He saved others, let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One” (v. 35).
So they conspired to have Jesus crucified not because they were unclear about his claims to be the Messiah – the King of Israel – but BECAUSE he made such claims. Look at John 5:
“Jesus answered them, ‘My Father is working until now, and I am working.’ This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.” John 5:17-18
“Messiah” in those days meant KING. “Son of God” meant GOD. We hear “Son of God” and might be inclined to think LESS THAN God. But the Jewish people knew that the claim to being God’s Son was equivalent to claiming divine essence. Jesus WAS making Himself equal with God because He was and IS equal with God. Elsewhere Jesus said, “I and the Father are ONE.” Because Jesus was the fully divine Son of God His sacrifice had INFINITE VALUE.
“You were ransomed from the futile ways… not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 1 Peter 1:18-19
The Blood of Christ was precious because it belonged to the divine Son of God, and because Jesus, the Son, was perfectly righteous and utterly untainted by any sin. That leads us into our next point – that Jesus was not only the divine Son of God but He was also the Righteous Son of Man.
We saw the sacrifice system throughout the Old Testament, in which animals were slaughtered and burned up to make atonement for the sins of the people of Israel. All of these sacrifices provided only a partial and temporary covering – which is why they had to offer more and more sacrifices day after day, month after month, year after year.
On the cross Jesus provided a once for all sacrifice for sinners because he was not only spotless but also because he was fully human. Only a human can really take the place of a human. Animals were not totally appropriate substitutes. But Jesus – the spotless Lamb of God – offered Himself as the perfect, all sufficient sacrifice for sinners like you and me!
This is one of the main emphases of Luke 23 – the innocence and righteousness of Jesus – especially in contrast to the three criminals. The Righteous Son of Man was a pure and appropriate Substitute.
“Then Pilate said to the chief priests and crowds, ‘I find no guilt in this man.’” Luke 23:4
After sending Jesus over to Herod, who was responsible for Galilee, Jesus’ hometown, Pilate summed up his assessment and that of Herod.
“After examining him before you, behold, I did not find this many guilty of any of your charges against him.” Luke 23:14
Even when the whole crowd was shouting for Jesus to be crucified Pilate again protested the innocence of Jesus:
“A third time he said to them, ‘Why? What evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death.” Luke 23:22
Even one of the criminals beside Jesus perceived that there was something different about him.
“We are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” Luke 23:41
And finally, after Jesus breathed his last, the centurion who was responsible for overseeing the execution “praised God, saying…”
“When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, ‘Certainly this man was innocent!’” Luke 23:46
Even if you dismiss the testimony of the thief on the cross, you still have the word of a high level Roman officer and the triple conclusion of the Governor of Israel – that Jesus was INNOCENT! He had done nothing wrong!
This is why the cross became the dividing line of history: because Jesus was everything the world needed in a Savior. He was the Divine Son of God – so His sacrifice had infinite value. And He was the Righteous Son of Man – so he was a pure and appropriate substitute for sinners.
Jesus is the All Sufficient Savior!?
| The Divine Son of God = | A sacrifice of infinite value |
| The Righteous Son of Man = | A pure and appropriate substitute |