(I want to listen to this sermon)

The crucifixion of our Lord was the climax of His sufferings. The contest was not between Jesus and His human enemies – the Jewish leaders, the Roman soldiers etc. – it was a contest between the Kingdom of God and that of darkness. In His crucifixion Jesus was taking on Satan and everything that Satan could throw at Him. The sufferings Jesus experienced were but the necessary path of obedience that would lead to glory. Yet for all that these sufferings were very real and must in no way be minimised.

From the Cross Jesus spoke seven times. And these words, coming from His lips when He was so being so severely tried, help us to understand the majesty of our Saviour. How does He react under such pressure while experiencing such agony?

As His human nature was being most deeply abased so His Divine nature was able to shine forth most brightly.

This evening and in the weeks to come we'll look together at these seven Words spoken from the cross and we'll follow the traditional order as we do so.

When the condemned man had been fixed to the cross with the excruciating pain of the nails, the cross was then lifted up and dropped into its upright position. The physical suffering was intense.

Men reacted in different ways to such horrific treatment. It was common for the doomed man to curse the watching crowd with the most foul of curses imaginable as the crowd gathered for its gruesome entertainment.

Others would cry out piteously to their executioners in a hopeless attempt to be spared their ignominious fate.

Some might call protesting their innocence and the injustice of it all.

Some might go as far as to accuse God for the situation in which they find themselves. We all know that type of reaction that cries out "Why me?"

And now the question comes: What will Jesus say at such a time as this?

And His lips begin to move – perhaps He licks them so that He can speak out clearly – and as He prepares to speak what will His words be? Cursing and swearing? Declarations of His own innocence? What will it be?

And then His first words are heard.

No, there's no asking for mercy for Himself, no cursing either. Can it be possible? He's asking His Father to forgive those who are responsible put putting Him to death!!

We need to dwell upon this. Let us not allow the familiarity of the words blind us to their significance, to their impressiveness. Let us not simply nod and say yes that is how Jesus did things. Let us rather try to appreciate what is going on.

You see, in utter self-forgetfulness, the God-Man, in the very act of being crucified, seems unconcerned about His own interests. Instead what is foremost in His mind is something completely different. He is remembering only the Divine mercy. But wait He doesn't call out for Himself; no, He calls out for the forgiveness of those who crucify Him. The words are so familiar but let us hear them again:

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

In this way the Conquered One conquers His conquerors by asking for them what their deed had forfeited.

It is instructive to note that Jesus first word spoken on the Cross was a word of prayer spoken to His Heavenly Father.

He had come into the world to do poor helpless sinners good. He was well known for having gone around doing good to those in need. He had healed the sick, comforted the sorrowing, cleansed the leper, exorcised the demon-possessed, fed hungry crowds giving both physical food for the body and spiritual nourishment for the soul. But now those gracious hands that had tenderly touched the outcast and had lifted a dead girl back to life are nailed to the Cross and can no longer reach out to bring solace to the distressed.

Likewise His feet which had carried Him quickly to respond to calls for help can no longer transport Him as they too are impaled upon the tree.

Surely there is nothing left that He can now do to bring good to others! And we can be tempted as life passes by and we're less and less able to do things for others to think that our days of usefulness are behind us.

But no! He prays. Humanly speaking He is so restricted that it would appear there is nothing left for Him to do. But there is! He can pray and pray He does. Not a prayer of self-centred pity but a prayer of loving compassion for the worst of criminals – those who are responsible for this grossest of crimes!

We'll come back to some of the detail in a moment but He prays and we must learn from this. Scarcely could He move but none was beyond the reach of His prayers! And virtually none are out of reach of our prayers too.

And there is success to His prayers!! Consider with me:

Crucified by the soldiers – at least one of their number was so affected by all He saw that day that as he watched Jesus die he praised God, declaring Jesus to have been an innocent man (Lk.23:47), "the Son of God" (Mt.27:54).

3.000 are converted on the Day of Pentecost – Peter declares to the crowd "Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified." Acts 2:36 and the crowd are cut to the heart before Peter urges them to repent and believe!

Not long after Peter is again preaching in the Temple – listen to what he says on that occasion: Acts 3:17 "And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers." And he continues to urge repentance. The authorities rush in and try to stop what's going on but the number of the church continues to grow – now 5.000 strong.

What answers to our Lord's dying prayer here and down through the running centuries as we too come to faith having opposed Him for years some of us, glad to have seen Him out of the way. Perhaps you're still trying to push Him out of the way and to refuse Him any influence in your life. My friend, you don't know what you're doing!! He is so great, so loving, so wonderful and yet you don't want Him!! What's the matter with you?

So His first word on the cross is a word of prayer. Nothing really surprising you say in that. After all He often prayed throughout His life – you tell us this often from the pulpit. And yes, you're right. But do you know He had never prayed like this before!!

Earlier in the gospel records of Jesus' life we hear Him teaching His disciples to pray for forgiveness and to be ready to forgive others. We find Him forgiving the sin of those who came to Him but we never hear Him praying to the Father that the might forgive sins. There is something new here on the cross. Jesus is become our High Priest and sacrifice all wrapped up in one. As He identifies completely with His people and bears their sin on His own body on the tree He cannot any longer forgive sin – He Himself is cursed and so He must plead with the Father. Oh yes, the grounds for forgiveness are there – His own perfect life willingly given as a sacrificial substitute for His people – but forgiveness is asked of the Father.

Sinner do you not see yourself and your need here? What holds you back from coming to Christ?

Saint do you not see yourself here? Marvel and rejoice that you have such a glorious Saviour!

Many centuries before Isaiah had prophesied concerning the sufferings that the Messiah would have to undergo. In his famous 53^rd chapter he wrote:

v.12"Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors."            

What clearer fulfilment of this prophecy do we need than to hear the voice of Jesus praying from the cross?

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Then consider His own teaching. Many think He was a marvellous teacher and so He was. Yet many people are good at laying down the law without being able to practice what they preach. How did Jesus much up to His own majestic teaching of Mt.5:44 or of Lk.6:27-28:

"But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,"

"But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you."

Easy enough to say when all is going well and when the crowds are following giving their approval to everything you do. A whole different matter when condemned unjustly to die an ignominious and agonizing death – what will He do then when pushed to the limits? You have it – total consistency!! He prays:

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

About sin and  the hardness/blindness of the human heart

Sin committed in ignorance is sin nevertheless and as such deserves punishment.

Ignorance is not to be confused with innocence.

Of course when Jesus prayed declaring that they didn't know what they were doing He was not making an absolute statement.

·       The soldiers knew very well that they were executing a man by hammering His hands and feet to a cross – they had done this sort of thing probably many times before and would probably do so again in the future.

·       The Jewish leaders knew very well that they were trying to get rid of a man they considered troublesome. They knew when they ignored the proper and due legal practices of their country what they were doing. When they called in false witnesses and condemned an innocent man that what they were doing was unjust. They knew when they whipped up the crowd against Jesus to call for His death that in handing Him over to the Romans He would be crucified. They simply thought that given the circumstances this was the 'best' course of action that they could take. Do you remember Caiaphas' words recorded for us in Jn.11:49-50:

“You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.”

So what did Jesus mean when He said that they did not understand what they were doing?

·       Well, the failed to understand WHO He was

·       They failed to understand WHAT He had come to do and WHY

·       They failed to see clearly where their spiritual interests truly lay

1Cor.2:8-9 "None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him"

Even while acting wrongly and sinfully their actions actually moved forward God's plan of salvation set in place since before the foundation of the world. The fact that their actions did function this way did not excuse their sinfulness as their motives had nothing whatsoever with forwarding God's plans.

Their blindness was really inexcusable – after all the OT witness had spoken clearly about the coming Messiah  and then Jesus had come and the evidential value of His life and teaching was such that surely they should understand but they simply did not want a Messiah on those terms.    

And what about you?

Sin always needs to be forgiven. Has yours been forgiven? You're not too far away to be forgiven – see the testimony of divine love in our Lord Jesus Christ – at the very moment when His enemies were doing their worst Jesus is actively seeking their pardon!!

Let us rejoice to know and to serve such a glorious Lord!

Amen.

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