Easter story and the guilty criminal saved by faith

Easter Story and the guilty criminal saved by faith and mercy of God

Mat  27:1,2, 11, 18, 22-25,  40,  45, 50-52, 54, 62-66

1 Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed.

2 So they bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor.

11 When Jesus stood before the governor,  the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus replied, “You have said so.”

18 Pilate knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him.

22 “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked.

They all answered, “Crucify him!”

23 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.

But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”

24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd and said “I am innocent of this man’s blood. It is your responsibility!”

25 All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!

Luke 23:32-43--32 Two criminals, were also led out with him to be executed.

33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left.

34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah."

36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him

37 and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”

39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?

41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.

43 Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Mat 28: 45, 50-52, 54, 62-66

45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land.

50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split

52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.

54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”

62 The next day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate.

63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while Jesus was still alive, that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’

64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”

65 “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb secure.”

66 So they went and made the tomb secure ... and posted  guards.

Mat 28:1-6 --  1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.

3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.

4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.

6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.

10  Jesus said to them (women), “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Mat 28: 12-20--

12 The chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, and they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” ¹⁵ So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.  ¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

COMMENT:

One of the criminals being crucified rebuked the other criminal for not fearing God.  He said that they were both guilty and deserving of death.  That criminal also said that Jesus was innocent having done no wrong. So there the criminal was, nailed to a cross, able to do absolutely nothing, but to ask Jesus to  remember him when he comes into His kingdom. [So that criminal knew Jesus came from God and that His life would not end with the crucifixion, and that Jesus  had a spiritual kingdom.]  So Jesus replied, today you will be with me in paradise.  So here we see that God showed mercy even toward one of the criminals who admitted his guilt and was able to do absolutely nothing to deserve paradise. He simply asked Jesus to remember [have mercy on] him, a criminal worthy of death. And Jesus saved his soul that day -- at the very end of his life. That's what Easter is about-- the good news that God provided salvation for every soul that believes that Jesus came to die and pay the price for their sins if they confess and ask to receive forgiveness.  Eternal life in paradise comes through faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ, and nothing else. It cannot be earned by doing good, only by faith and asking for forgiveness made available by the death of Jesus -- the son of God -- the perfect sacrifice for sin forever.

Last revision: May 2, 2017