| International Sunday School Lessons |
Lesson for June 7, 1942
The Day of Suffering
Part 2
(Christ’s Words on the Cross)
Mark 15:33, 34; Luke 23:33-46
GOLDEN TEXT: “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.”—Isaiah 53:5
PILATE seemed to realize that even though Jesus acknowledged that He was born to be a king He was not a potential enemy of the Roman Empire; at least not for the time being, so he was for releasing Him. But the Master’s accusers would not have it that way; and it would be hard for Pilate to explain to the emperor that he had not taken proper action against one who had been proved to be a rival to the throne.
Finally Pilate yielded to the demands of the mob, and in today’s lesson we find Jesus hanging upon the cross, with a malefactor being crucified on either side of Him. In Hebrews 12:3 the apostle speaks of the “contradiction of sinners” against Jesus, and at no time during His earthly ministry is this more vividly exemplified than when he was dying between those two thieves.
The people and the rulers who stood watching derided Jesus, saying “He hath saved others, let Him save Himself.” The implication of this was that if He had really saved others, as had been claimed for Him, He would now be able to save Himself, and the fact that He didn’t save Himself was proof that He had been a fraud. This was a part of the “contradiction of sinners” that was heaped upon Him.
The soldiers also mocked Him, saying “If Thou be the King of the Jews, save Thyself.” Here again the Master’s failure to do what was requested proved still further to the minds of His accusers that He was not really what He claimed to be. He was “contradicted” indeed, but made no effort to justify Himself before His enemies. His life, His reputation, His all, had been placed upon the altar, and He was willing to leave it there.
One of the malefactors being crucified beside the Master also railed Him, but the other, apparently with a faint glimmer of hope that this man really was a King, and in some unexplainable way would one day come into a Kingdom, asked to be remembered when that time came—“Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy Kingdom.”
It isn’t necessary to suppose that the thief had any real knowledge of the divine plan relating to the Messianic Kingdom; although if he were a Jew he would certainly know of the Messianic hope. He heard and saw enough there at Mount Calvary to realize that Jesus claimed to be the Messiah of the Jews. If He were a Jew he would also know of the Jewish hope of a resurrection from the dead. Putting these bits of knowledge together he could easily imagine the possibility that even though certain death apparently awaited the Master, yet this might not necessarily mean that He was not the Messiah. However much the thief may have known, his request was a proper one, and one that could be honored when the due time came.
A faulty use of punctuation has obscured the real meaning of Jesus’ reply to the thief. Jesus didn’t promise the thief that they would be in paradise together that day. What He did say was, that in spite of what was transpiring that day the thief’s request would be honored, and therefore He would be blessed in paradise—“Verily I say unto thee, Today, shalt thou be with Me in paradise.”
Through a misunderstanding of the Scriptures concerning paradise as well as the Messianic Kingdom hope, many fail to realize that the purpose of the thousand years reign of the Messiah is to restore the earthly paradise that was lost as a result of our first parent’s transgression of the Creator’s law. When the thief asked to be remembered in the Kingdom, it meant the receiving of blessings of paradise restored by that Kingdom.
Though Jesus’ death seemed contrary to His claim of Kingship, yet in reality it was a necessary part of the divine arrangements for the providing of Kingdom blessings. When the crowd shouted, “He hath saved others, let Him save Himself,” they little realized that by His refusal to save Himself He was providing salvation, not only for them, but for all mankind.
This divine purpose in Jesus’ death is brought out in the Golden Text. He did not die for His own sins; for He had none. He died rather for the sins of others. He could have been a King without this, but His subjects would have been dying subjects, just as they have been under all the kings of the past. In addition to being the King of kings, Jesus was to be the “Everlasting Father,” that is, the One who would, during His reign, give everlasting life to the people. He died as man’s Redeemer in order that He might have the right thus to regenerate the race, as well as to be the King of the new world.
QUESTIONS:
In what way was the “contradiction of sinners” against Jesus manifested in His experiences while hanging upon the cross?
What prompted the thief to ask Jesus to remember him in His Kingdom?
Why was it necessary for Jesus to die?