Just as the townspeople were finishing breakfast, word began to spread that Jesus had been arrested. Eternity’s trial was in session on the steps of Fort Antonia. Just outside the walls, two little boys, short of breath, ran back to their father, “Papa, it sounds like a riot is breaking out, the crowd is yelling, and the governor is trying to calm them!” “Stay close to me boys; we are going to stop here outside the walls until we know things have calmed down,” said Simon.

It was about 8:30, when the execution parade made its way past Simon and his boys. Their Passover journey had taken an unexpected turn. Instead of simply celebrating the Passover, Simon was now face to face with the Passover lamb. Simon Peter had boasted earlier that he was willing to die for Jesus. But now, as Jesus fell beneath the weight of the beam, another Simon wrapped his dark hands around the cursed wood on which God’s son would absorb the wrath for humanity’s sin and bring forgiveness and grace to all who believe.

The death march featured three victims: the Son of God and two men simply known as thieves. These two men were born into a world of Roman savagery. As children, their parents had hopes and dreams for their lives. Maybe they would be so lucky as to meet the Messiah. The run-ins with Rome were fun: anything to make a soldier’s life more miserable. But then one day, they were found and bound. Deemed unfit to serve a master, power a ship, or dig the roads; the only good these men had to offer was to serve as a warning to all to never mess with the legions of Rome.

Crucifixion was no stranger to any of the three men. They knew its shriek, its gore, its meaning, its end. The wonderment would soon be over: will they use nails or ropes? how long will I hang? will anyone care that I’m dying? It was about 9:00 when the hammers began to ring. The gospel writers describe it best with three words, “They crucified him.”

The scene was dripping with anger. Hardened soldiers gambled for possessions. Religious leaders piously taunted the very God they claimed to worship. How dark is a heart that delights in the cross?

“In the same way, the criminals kept taunting him.” Soon the black drops of anger had saturated the sky. Through the darkness came a voice of grace, “Father forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing.”

Hanging six feet from God, the clinched soul, broken dreams, and dark abandonment of one man’s life, began to pour out. The thief began to blaspheme Jesus spewing vileness so reprehensible his tortured body became the reflection of his heart. This man was minutes from death; his life deemed worthless. Soon, all evidence of his days would vanish, but instead of embracing grace, he chose to take his anger to the grave. He died six feet from God, suffocated in his sin. He and God would remain apart forever.

Hanging six feet from God was another angry man. Minutes from death, he had lived a life that no one would remember. His life had been officially proclaimed as worthless. He had nothing to give God, nothing with which to negotiate. All he could do is open his clinched fist of anger and request to be remembered. Wrapped in death’s cold embrace, he met grace through the suffering love of his substitute. He is mere man’s greatest witness to Calvary’s collision of horror and love. He died six feet from God, but remains with God forever. How full is the heart that finds life in the cross?

 

Lash Banks is Lead Pastor at Murphy Road Baptist Church (murphychurch.com). Lash’s weekly podcast/sermon can be heard at http://www.buzzsprout.com/17504