Statement #4: “He saved others…He trusted in God…Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe…”

“Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.” (Matthew 27:41–43).

“And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.” (Luke 23:35)

“Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.” (Mark 15:32)

The mockers began to call for one more miracle: “Just come down, and we will believe.”  Jesus had spoken to this attitude and a similar request during His earthly ministry.  He said, “An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas as three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Mat. 12:40, 41).

Perhaps a bit of irony can be found in some of these statements by the crowd and the rulers.  Jesus did come down from the cross.  God would have Jesus, the Son of God.  He was delivered on the third day that individuals might believe in Him.

Statement #5: “…Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom”.

“And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” (Luke 23:39–42).

Both thieves mocked the Lord.  However, while on the cross, one thief had a change of mind.  What turned his mind from hostility to humility is not given.  What is clear is that he had a sense of justice about him, and he knew the Christ would soon enter His kingdom.  Subsequently, he was told, he would be with the Lord in Paradise that day.

A person cannot be saved that way today for two reasons.  First, Christ had power to forgive sins while He was on earth (Mk. 2:10), but obviously He is no longer on earth.  Second, persons today must be saved according to the Gospel (Rom. 1:16).  The thief died before the New Testament went into effect, and as a Jew, he would have still been living under the Law of Moses (Heb. 9:17).  Sometimes it is suggested that he submitted to John’s baptism, the baptism of repentance, but if he did, did he bring forth fruits worthy of repentance?

Statement #6: “This man calleth for Elias…”

“Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias. And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.” (Matthew 27:47–49)

Jesus most certainly was not calling for Elias, but the crowd most likely misunderstood this saying of the Lord, as He was drawing His last breaths.  Although He had the capability to call for Elijah to rescue Him as they suggested, His love fully committed Him to the task at hand: the sacrifice for the sins of the world (1 Jn. 2:2; Jn. 3:16).

The Father did not forsake Him on the cross nor did He become a sinner on the it.  He felt abandoned, just as David (Ps. 22:1).  He was human and had feelings, just as we do.  However, the false doctrine of transferred righteousness teaches that Christ became a sinner on the cross, and sinners thus receive Christ’s personal righteousness or faith.  Paul wrote, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor. 5:21).  This verse is used often to justify this false teaching; however, this verse teaches nothing of the sort.  Bullinger points out that two figures of speech are used in this verse.  The first figure is metonymy of the object, which is a figure that puts the object for that which pertains to the object (Bullinger 584).  Thus, in 2 Corinthians 5:21, Jesus was made to be the sin offering (Bullinger 584).  The second figure likewise is a case of metonymy but this time it is a metonymy of the cause. This figure relates to the cause being put for the effects (Bullinger 539).  Jesus, who never sinned (1 Pet. 2:21-25), did not know the effects of sin, the scars and pains associated with sin-sickness.  He was the unblemished Lamb of God that came to take away the sins of the with His precious blood (Jn 1:29; 1 Pet. 1:18-19). He did not become a sinner, and the Father did not forsake Him!

The Deity of Christ

Statement #7: “Truly this was the Son of God”

“Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man.” (Luke 23:47).

“Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.” (Matthew 27:54).

The centurion’s statements show his honesty.  This man probably had a part in executing many criminals outside Jerusalem before taking part in Jesus’ crucifixion.  This crucifixion was like none other before it and none other after it.  The rulers of the Jews came to mock this carpenter.  Six hours of darkness filled the land.  An earthquake shook the region.  The graves of the saints opened and filled the streets of Jerusalem.  This man looked at the evidence and openly confessed to the fact of the deity of Christ.  When honest people look at the evidence and are willing to change to be in a right relationship with God, that person will become a Christian.  It is for honest individuals like this centurion which we must seek to teach.

Conclusion

What a scene it must have been for the Lord to look down from the cross and to see all the different kinds of people and to hear the things people were saying.  It is not much different from today, however.  Some still mock Him.  When people today mock the Lord or the Bible, they only hurt themselves.  It does not change the fact of the inspiration of the Bible or His deity.  Furthermore, the ridicule is not new.  Solomon wrote, “There is nothing new under the sun,” and Jesus faced all kinds of mockery before his very eyes while on the cross.  In a sense, it is almost cowardly to attempt to mock the King of kings nearly 2,000 years after His coronation.  Some are just passing by.  They are indifferent to Christ, but if the opportunity presents itself, they will hurl some ridicule as well.  Mostly though, they are just going through life concerned with this and that, trying to “get ahead.”  Some are searching, like the thief and the centurion.  These need to go to the same place as the thief and the centurion did: the cross of Christ (Rom. 6:3, 4; 6:16-18).  What would you say if you could stand at the foot of the cross today?  I would hope that I could say the words of 1 Corinthians 15:57: “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory though our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Works Cited

Bullinger, Ethelbert William. Figures of Speech Used in the Bible. London; New York: Eyre & Spottiswoode; E. & J. B. Young & Co., 1898.

After recently preaching about the seven statements of our Savior on the cross, I began to think about the ideas that were uttered around the cross as He was dying.  Those who surrounded the cross likewise made seven statements or had seven conversations.  In these statements, similar to the Lord’s statements on the cross, the authority of Scripture, the longsuffering love of Christ as He endured cruel ridicule, and the deity of Christ is seen.

Statement #1: “Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be…” (John 19:24)”

The Roman soldiers which made this statement at Calvary casted lots, as is indicated by the inspired apostle John, as a fulfillment of prophecy.  The prophecy that is fulfilled is found in Psalm 22, which has been called “The Psalm of the Cross” because of its prophetic description of the Lord’s crucifixion, even centuries before crucifixion became a common form of execution in the ancient world.  David recorded nearly 1,000 years before the crucifixion, “They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture” (Ps. 22:18).  As John indicated, this is exactly what the soldiers did.  This prophecy alone shows the inspiration and authority of the Bible.  No other book has been able to predict a minor detail like this nearly 1,000 years before the event.  Since John tells us David was correct in this matter of parting garments, we ought to pay careful attention to what this Book of Books says because it does claim to have authority over us (2 Pet. 1:19-21) and to be our judge at the Final Day (Jn. 12:48).

Statement #2: “If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself” (Lk. 23:37)

Next, the Roman soldiers turned to mocking the Lord with the above statement, while offering Him vinegar.  Earlier they had mocked him with a crown of thorns and reed (Mat. 27:29).  This mocking he endured gives us a glimpse of the longsuffering he has.

They also placed an inscription above His head which read in Greek, Hebrew, and Latin, “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”  Inscriptions such as this described the charge the criminal was guilty of violating and served as a warning to passersby.  Matthew phrases it, “his accusation” (Mat. 27:37).

Pilate wrote this inscription, but the Jews were not satisfied with it (Jn. 19:19-21).  Oddly enough, Pilate on that day became friends with Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great (Lk. 23:12).  It is interesting to note that the Roman senate gave Herod the Great the same title, “The King of the Jews” (Bruce 189).  None of his children received this title upon his decease.  Herod the Great, the King of the Jews, reigned over Palestine as such from 37-4 B.C.  It was this king to whom the wise men came and asked, “Where is he that is born King of the Jews?  For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him” (Mat. 2:2). Of course, the wise men “mocked” Herod, who then began slaying all children under the age of two in and around Bethlehem (Mat. 2:16).  What a great contrast we see then in the Crucified King of the Jews, who when He was mocked and prayed, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” (Lk. 23:34)!

Statement #3: “Thou that destroyest the temple and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross” (Mat. 27:40).

Being at the wrong place at the wrong time can be a life-altering event.  Here are some passersby who decide to join in on the mocking that seems to have been started by the soldiers.  The passersby joined in the mocking of Jesus and began to blaspheme Him, as they shook their heads at Him (Mat. 27:39).  Considering the slanderous remarks of those passing by the cross, we understand that they were informed of Who was on that cross.  Additionally, every one in Jerusalem knew what was taking place (Lk. 24:18).  The passersby failed to remember that the Lord’s statement concerning destroying and building the temple was given in response to a request for a sign (Jn. 2:18).  Jesus did come down from the cross, and as He said, in three days the temple of His body was raised (Jn. 2:19, 21).

Works Cited

Bruce, F. F. Israel and the Nations: The History of Israel from the Exodus to the Fall of the Second Temple.  (InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, IL) 1997.