The Crucifixion Crowd: Faces of Darkness and Light

That day, when Jesus was crucified, he was hanging on Barabbas' cross. He took his place. Now we we use a big theological word for that. We call that the substitutionary atonement, but it simply means that Jesus died in our place. He body on the tree, the scripture said. God made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. All of us are like Barabbas because Jesus took our place. Let's pray. [01:10:27] (49 seconds)  #JesusTookOurPlace

Isn't it interesting that Jesus three times gave him the opportunity to affirm his love for him after he had denied him three times? Over and over again, he let Peter be restored in that sense. Every time he said that, Jesus gave him a commission and said, Feed my sheep, knowing what Peter would do with the rest of his life. So Peter was a person of light. Next, we group in the it's the last group in the story who are people of the light. These are are the women who were acquaintances of the lord Jesus himself. Luke in chapter 23 verse 49. And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things. [01:01:13] (65 seconds)  #RestoredAndCalled

But what do the skeptics say about the darkness on the earth? The skeptics say that it was nothing more than a solar eclipse. Now how do you get a solar eclipse? The way you get a solar eclipse is the moon comes between the sun and the earth. Are you with me? But this couldn't be possible. Why? Because it was Passover, and Passover always had a full moon. So for the sun to go for the earth to go dark and the light of the sun to fail, it had to be a divine miracle from God. Amen? Thank you, guys. Thank you, Ruth. Very good. You guys are good. I'll I'll use you again. That's just a little side note, but to me, it's so encouraging so encouraging to see that note. [01:08:38] (57 seconds)  #DarknessWasAMiracle

I believe that this centurion not only falls under this category of being a person of the light, I think I could have put in him in the category of people in the light. I think he came to realize who Jesus was and trusted him that day. I wanna believe that with all of my heart. So these were the people of the life. I want you to notice this is a side note, but I want you to notice something here because to me it's just fascinating and and further proof of who Jesus was and what was happening. Even creation was acknowledging what was going on on the cross that day. In verse 44 of chapter 23, it was now about the sixth hour. The sixth hour in their rendering was noon. [01:05:40] (49 seconds)  #CenturionConfession

And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. That had to have been the saddest look that you could imagine. And, obviously, when Jesus turned and looked at Peter, it did something to Peter because the verse goes on to say, and Peter remembered the saying of the Lord how he'd said to him, before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times. And he went out and wept bitterly. How do we respond when we know we have disappointed disappointed the lord? Peter didn't stop being a disciple at that point. He didn't stop being a follower of Jesus at that point. He didn't you know, a terminology that we might use that he didn't lose his salvation at that point. [00:59:09] (59 seconds)  #JesusLookedPeterWept

I really believe with all of my heart that Peter just had bad aim. I don't think he was trying to cut off his ear. I think he was trying to cut off his head. And evidently, Malchus had pretty good reflexes, and he dodged and only lost his ear. These are the people who came out. Verse 52, Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders who had come out against him. This arresting posse was antagonistic as Jesus went on to say in verse 52, have you come out as against a robber with swords and clubs? Again, he goes on to say, I was with you in the temple. Every day this week, I've been in the temple. You could have arrested me easily there, Jesus said. But no. You waited till darkness. [00:43:28] (49 seconds)  #ArrestedInDarkness

Jesus is coming. We're gonna see this in other passages of scripture this morning. Jesus is coming to shine light into the darkness, to the people in the darkness. And so the first group of people that we're gonna see are people in the dark. These are people who are simply unaware of who Jesus is and and what's really going on. The second group is people of the darkness. People of the darkness. And these are people who are antagonistic toward the lord Jesus Christ at the time of his crucifixion. The next group, the third group is people in the light. And this is people who see the light of Jesus. They understand to know him. [00:34:11] (45 seconds)  #LightIntoDarkness

I can imagine this man, Simon, he's come into Jerusalem. He's walked into town. He's standing there on one of the main streets on the sidewalk, and suddenly he realizes that the crowd is gathering, that there's some type of procession coming along. He may have even realized that these were criminals because there were more than just Jesus. There were the criminals with him who were carrying their crosses as as was the standard way of going to crucifixion in that day and time. And he's watching the parade as it were as it goes by. Jesus falls. He's unable to go on, and they look into the crowd, and there's Simon. And the Roman soldiers conscript him into service to carry the cross of Jesus. [00:37:15] (46 seconds)  #SimonOfCyrene