Title: The robbers also cursed
Contents
Kim Gil-tae, the kidnapper and murderer of a Busan middle school girl, is a hot topic because he gave legal advice to the first person arrested after a hit and run accident at the Busan Sasang Police Station detention center. A person who has been in and out of prison often knows how to avoid imprisonment and how to receive less punishment. It is said that he is embarrassed because he had a car accident and was locked up in a detention center, but I wonder what kind of person Kim Gil-tae learned from him. But if we assume that Gil-Tae Kim cursed and rebuked another fellow criminal, how shameful would that person be?
If you look at today's talk, it actually happened. The robbers who were crucified with Jesus cursed him (verse 44). One of the greatest pains a person experiences in life is shame. This is because disgrace is the most difficult thing for a person, a personal being, to endure.
In this way, Jesus, without sin and blemish, tasted the disgrace that is more painful than death for any human being. He was also humiliated in the most shameful and cursed way among the punishments devised by mankind called the cross.
On Palm Sunday, I would like to take a little time to share in the suffering of the Lord by looking at the disgrace that Jesus Christ suffered because of the cross he bore for me.
cross of shame
When Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden, all mankind was put under the curse of sin. In other words, he committed a crime through the tree, and as a result received a great curse, God wanted to remove that curse through the same tree.
The tree used as a means of removing the curse is the cross. Deuteronomy 21:22-23 says, “Cursed of God is he who hangs on the tree.” Galatians 3:13 says, “He who is cursed on the tree is a symbol of Christ.” In other words, the tree that removes the curse is the cross, and the one hanging on the tree is none other than Jesus who carried the cross.
Crucifixion was originally a very severe punishment from ancient times, but in Jesus' day, it was only applied to Roman colonists or slaves, and it was so severe that it was only applied to Romans and free people for very heinous crimes. Crucifixion is characterized by suffering and shame in the whole process, from the beginning to the moment of death.
First, the sinner who had to bear the cross had to suffer terrible pain and shame before being punished. So, if you look at verse 26 and below, Jesus suffered all kinds of insults, including scourgings, before he was crucified. The whip used at that time was a piece of bone or lead attached to the tip of an animal's skin, and it was said that when it hit the whip, blood spurted out like a fountain, and it was said that it was so terrible that bones and even internal organs came out.
And, to ridicule the fact that he is the king of the Jews, he made a mockery of Jesus by putting on a scarlet robe. According to some records, the scarlet robe worn on Jesus was thrown away by King Herod, and the soldiers gave it to him and used it to ridicule Jesus. They made fun of Jesus by putting a scarlet robe on his shoulder, which was torn to shreds while being beaten.
After the Lord was clothed in scarlet robe, a crown of thorns was woven and placed on the Lord's head. The thorns in the Palestinian region are so large and sharp that when pierced by the thorns, they cause unimaginable pain. We cannot bear the pain even if we only pierce a needle in our hand, but the Lord wore a crown of thorns, so how great must the pain be?
He also gave a reed in his hand and treated the king in front of it, mocking him for treating the Lord as a paranoid patient. Then he spit and took the reed from the Lord's hand and even struck him in the head. At the time, spitting was the most insulting act.
Second, it was also a great pain and shame for a prisoner to carry the cross and go to the place of execution. In the case of Jesus, while carrying the cross to Golgotha, he collapsed in excruciating pain before he could even get there. It was impossible to carry the cross any longer, so Simon of Cyrene was forced to carry the cross (verse 32). Because the cross was so shameful that it could not be carried by Jews or Roman citizens.
An even greater disgrace was being stripped of clothes in prison. No matter how lowly a person is, they die wearing clothes, but Jesus hung on the cross with nothing on, trembling with unspeakable disgrace. No wicked man has ever been humiliated by being naked in front of a large crowd. However, the Lord took away the last remaining underwear by the vicious crowd, and the soldiers divided the Lord's garments by lot as the prophecy of the Psalms (22:18) showed.
In general, a person's clothes are a means of maintaining identity and self-esteem. Jesus, who should be respected and honored more than anyone else, was humiliated by being hung on the cross with his clothes torn by the rough soldiers' hands, so that his whole body was exposed in front of many people.
The original clothes are derived from the skin garments made by God to cover the shame of nakedness that Adam felt because of his sin in the beginning. Thus, clothing serves to cover the shame felt by sin. Therefore, being naked is one of the greatest shames that a sinner experiences. In order to bear this shame on our behalf, the Lord was crucified with His clothes on.
Thirdly, after the ridicule and shame we have talked about so far, the work of crucifixion proceeds. After laying the Lord on the cross, nailing it, and then driving the cross into a pit, it is said that all the bones are deformed due to the tremendous vibration at that moment (Psalm 22:14).
Golgotha, the place of the skull
First, the place where he was crucified was Golgotha, which means ‘place of the skull’. The name alone tells you that it is a terrifying execution site. The Lord was nailed to such a place, because the prophecy of 'he was counted as one of the criminals' (Isaiah 53:12) was fulfilled, so that all human beings might end their lives as devastated sinners like skeletons and live a new life. It was.
Second, the plaque on the cross was humiliating. In verse 37, it says, “He placed on his head a plaque called Jesus, King of the Jews.” The title, “King of the Jews,” was used by Pilate as an insult to the Jews.
Third, that death was made even more disgraceful by the robbers who were crucified with Jesus. Verse 38 says, “There were two robbers, one on the right and one on the left.” In this way, the Lord was hung between the two robbers, treating Jesus as an accomplice and chief of the robbers.
Even passersby insult me
People passing by under the cross shook their heads and insulted them, saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, if you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross” (verse 39). The word ‘ask’ here was meant to ridicule the fact that Jesus is the Savior. But Jesus never succumbed to this booing because he came to this earth to sacrifice himself to save many sinners.
On the other hand, looking at verse 41 and below, even the religious leaders such as the high priests, scribes, and elders mocked Jesus, saying, “He saved others, but he cannot save himself.” Although it was unintentional, it was unintentional for the crowd to shake their heads, or for the leaders to accuse Jesus by saying, 'He trusts in God, and God will save him now, if he will; he said, I am the Son of God'. 8, the prophecy of the Messiah's sufferings had a clear fulfillment.
As I said before, he was humiliated by the robber who ran with him. It is said that “the robbers who were crucified with him also cursed in the same way” (verse 44), but if even the robbers who were criticized by everyone began to swear at Jesus, we can fully guess what the disgrace Jesus would have felt at that time. We must realize that because of Jesus, who suffered all reproaches without even the slightest bit of humiliation, we have been freed from all the shame of our sins and received salvation.
'He was despised and rejected by men, and despised, and we have no respect for him. Therefore we are healed' (Isaiah 53:3, 5).
I have clearly realized once again that the disgrace that the Lord suffered on the cross that I have seen so far was a shame and an insult to me because of my sin. From now on, I will avoid sin that causes shame and pain, and give glory to the Lord of life with all my heart. I bless you all who give back honor.