church

INI
Fourth Midweek Lenten Services
March 11, 2010
Ascension Lutheran Church, Tacoma WA
Paul Naumann, Pastor

Lenten Shadow and Light:
TWO CHANCE ACQUAINTANCES
Matthew 27:26, 32

Grace be unto you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ, Amen. The two texts that we'll consider this evening both
come from the 27th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. The first is verse 26:

Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he
delivered him to be crucified.

The second text is verse 32:

And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they
compelled to bear his cross. Here end our texts.

In Christ Jesus, with Whom we wish to become better acquainted during this
Passion Season, Dear Fellow-Redeemed,

One day a young gas-station attendant was driving his pickup down a lonely
stretch of highway in the desert southwest. He came upon a dusty-looking man
hitch-hiking by the side of the road. Being a friendly sort of guy, he stopped and
gave the man a ride to the next town. He didn’t give the brief incident much
thought. Not until later, that is -- when he found out that the stranger had died
and left him an enormous amount of money. The stranger's name? Howard
Hughes - the famous multi-billionaire!

You've probably heard a few stories like that. Stories about obscure small-town
people who, by sheer chance, became acquainted with someone very important.
Our text this morning is about two such people. Two men who would have
been completely forgotten by the history books. -- except for the fact that
chance circumstances tied them to the death of the most famous person in
history - Jesus Christ! Return with me now to those hours of Jesus' passion, as
we contrast --

TWO CHANCE ACQUAINTANCES

I. - A guilty criminal who was set free
II. - An innocent bystander who carried the cross

We Americans are a people who love justice. Nothing seems to make us angrier
than to see a guilty criminal go free. It’s fifteen years ago now that a famous
athlete and movie star went on trial for murder in California. Police had
conclusive forensic evidence that placed him at the scene of one of the most
gruesome crimes in that state’s history. The evidence seemed overwhelming and
conclusive. And yet, after just a short time spent deliberating, the jury came
back with a verdict of acquittal. Many considered this verdict to be a terrible
injustice - that such a man, clearly implicated in so savage a crime, should walk
away scot free. But tonight I'd like you to consider a worse injustice. The case
of the arch-criminal Barabbas!

The scene is the public square outside the Imperial Courtroom of Pontius
Pilate. Although it's barely eight o'clock in the morning, the heat is beginning to
build in the dusty square. An angry crowd has gathered, whipped into an
emotional rage by the Jewish elders. They have blood-lust in their eyes, and
only one thought in their minds - a thought put there by the elders - Jesus of
Nazareth must die! Any charge will do, so Jesus is indicted on the trumped-up
charge of rebellion against the government. It's all the same to the mob, as long
as it gets them what they want. "Crucify Him!," they scream, over and over.
"Crucify Him, crucify Him!"

Meanwhile, in a nearby prison building, a criminal lies in chains. His name is
Barabbas, and he really is guilty of rebellion. Mark tells us, "And there was one
named Barabbas, who was chained with his fellow insurrectionists; they had
committed murder in the insurrection." Mark 15:6. A very rough character, this
Barabbas! He's a hardened criminal, who's used revolt against the Romans as an
excuse for the worst crime of all - murder. He's already been tried and
convicted. Everybody knows about Barabbas - he's as guilty as the day is long!

Back in the courtyard, Pilate is feeling the pressure. He knows Jesus is
innocent, but he can't quiet the screaming crowd. So he tries a desperate
gamble. "Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the
multitude one prisoner whom they wished. And they had then a notorious
prisoner called Barabbas. Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate
said to them, 'Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who
is called Christ'" Instead of letting them choose anyone, Pilate gives them a
choice between two. Surely they wouldn't allow the terrible criminal Barabbas
to go free. Given this choice, they simply had to let Jesus go! "The governor
answered and said to them, 'Which of the two do you want me to release to
you?' They said, 'Barabbas!' Pilate said to them, 'What then shall I do with Jesus
who is called Christ?' They all said to him, 'Let Him be crucified!' …Then he
released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him
to be crucified.'"

And so it happened. The height of injustice. The innocent Jesus is sentenced to
death, and the guilty criminal Barabbas walks free! Imagine the scene as
Barabbas sits in his cell, mulling over the death sentence that he so richly
deserves. All of a sudden the guard appears, unlocks his chains and points him
toward the door! Amazed, he wanders out into the sunlight, squinting against
the glare. An incredulous smile begins to play at the corners of his lips - he's
barely able to believe the good news! --He must have asked people why he had
been released. He must have been curious about the innocent Man who was
condemned in his place. I think Barabbas must have been drawn to Calvary. I
can see him standing there, gazing in wonderment at the cross, staring
open-mouthed at the Man who was taking the brunt of the punishment that
should have been his!

Are we "gazing in wonderment at the cross" this Lenten Season? We should be
- because we're just like Barabbas in many ways! For one thing, we were all
death-row criminals. Yes we were! Because in God's book, any sin - the
smallest sin - brings with it an automatic sentence of death. God says plainly,
"Be ye perfect, for I the Lord thy God am perfect," and "The soul that sinneth,
it shall die!" And you and I are guilty of many sins - not all of them small! We
richly deserved to be bound in chains in everlasting darkness -- and yet, here we
find ourselves walking free in the warm sunlight of God's favor. What happened
to our death sentence? I’ll tell you what happened to it – it was transferred,
from us to Jesus! Paul tells us, "There is therefore now no condemnation to
those who are in Christ Jesus." Rom 8:1. For Jesus’ sake, we’ve been set free!
No further accusations can be brought against us. Even in our American legal
system, a person can't be tried twice for the same crime. God's justice is far
greater. Since He has declared us not guilty for Jesus’ sake, you and I are
immune from further prosecution. Sin and Satan have lost their power! Paul
says, "Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God justifies. Who is
he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is
even at the right hand of God." Rom 8:33-34.

And that brings us to our second example for the evening. Justice did a
different kind of turnaround in the case of Simon of Cyrene. He was truly a
"chance acquaintance" of Jesus. He had nothing to do with Jesus' trial, and he
hadn't been part of that angry mob screaming for His blood. Simon was just an
innocent bystander who was all of a sudden thrust into the middle of the most
important event in history!

Cyrene was a city in northern Africa which had a large population of Jews.
Those who could afford it would try to make the yearly pilgrimage to Jerusalem
for the most important Jewish festival, the Passover. Simon was probably just
such a pilgrim: a pious Jew, just minding his own business. He had probably
found a place to stay somewhere outside the city (Jerusalem was very crowded
at that time of year. It just so happened that he was on his way into town, just
as the soldiers and the angry crowd were taking Jesus out. Mark tells us, "Now
they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and
Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear the cross."
They didn't give Simon a choice - they forced him to pick up the cross where
the exhausted Jesus had stumbled under its weight. Simon was probably like a
lot of people in our day - he didn't want to get involved! He had nothing to do
with Jesus -- perhaps he never even heard of Him. But like it or not, he was
involved now! Suddenly he found himself turned around 180 degrees. Instead of
a quiet walk to the Temple, now he was part of the dreadful death-march of
Jesus of Nazareth.

Well, Simon must have asked a few questions of his own. After he delivered
his grim burden to the top of Calvary, he must have wanted to know Who this
bloody, beaten Man was. What terrible crime had He committed to earn this
awful death? Someone may have sneered to Simon, "Why, He claims to the
Christ - the promised Messiah! But just look at Him now!" And Simon did get a
good look at Jesus. An innocent man, suffering terrible pain, and the cruel jokes
of the crowd, without a word of complaint. And then Simon's life really made a
turn. There's good evidence in the Bible that Simon later came to faith in Jesus!
Simon came to believe that that Man on the cross really was the promised
Messiah, and that His suffering had a purpose - to free the world from the guilt
of sin!

This chance acquaintance on a street of Jerusalem changed Simon's whole life.
And the same kind of change is still happening in our world today. It's
happened to you, and it's happened to me. When a person makes the
acquaintance of Jesus Christ, things change! Sin isn't any longer the driving
force in your life - God is!

Slavery has been abolished in this country for almost 150 years now. Or has it?
The Bible tells us that every human being is a slave - either to sin or to God.
Most of those around us are slaves to their own lust and greed and pride -- But
you've become acquainted with Christ, by the grace of God, and that makes you
a different kind of slave. Paul says, "But now having been set free from sin, and
having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end,
everlasting life." Like Barabbas, God has freed you from the dark dungeon of
sin. Like Simon, God has taken hold of your life and turned you around 180
degrees. Now you're going a different direction; now you're bearing the cross of
Christ. Jesus Himself urges us, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him
deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save
his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." This is
what freedom and life are all about! Freedom from the tyranny of sin, and the
abundant life of faith. Plus, the promise of never-ending life at the end of the
line. Truly, the turning to faith is a good turning, and the cross of Christ is an
easy burden to bear!

Being “in the black” means different things to different people. I was a
volunteer firefighter years ago, and I’ll never forget the advice I got at my first
grass fire from an old veteran of the department. He said if you’re going to park
the fire truck, always park it “in the black.” That is, in an area where the fire
has already been. It’s a safety zone, because no matter how the wind shifts, the
fire can never come back over a place that's already burnt. “Park it in the
black.” My Christian friends, during this Lenten season, the best spiritual advice
I can give you is to “park it in the black!” Park it at the cross of Jesus Christ, for
that cross is our safety zone. There at the cross the judgement of God upon sin
fell, once and for all. It fell upon our Savior, and it can never come again!
Anyone who takes his stand at that cross can never be condemned, for he is in
God's safety zone! God grant that, during this Lenten Season and throughout
our lives, we may make our stand right there, under the cross of our Savior! In
His blessed Name, AMEN.