WHY THREE CROSSES?

QUESTION: WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF JESUS BEING CRUCIFIED BETWEEN TWO NOTORIOUS SINNERS?

^“And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, ¹⁸ where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center.” (John 19:17-18)

God’s Word makes very clear the purpose for which Jesus came into the world. “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” (1 Timothy 1:15)

And so, it is only reasonable to understand that when on the cross He was between two such sinners, one who would recognize Him as Savior and the other who would not. The scene becomes a microcosm of His world wide appeal, some would believe in Him, many would not. Both thieves disbelieved when hung next to Him, but in the minutes that passed, one turned from rejection to acceptance. Jesus promised him entrance into Paradise that very day. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”

Also, when it came time for the Roman authorities to verify the deaths of all three, they broke the legs of two of them, but Jesus, already dead, did not have His legs broken, thus fulfilling the Old Testament prophecy (Psalm 34:20) mentioned in John 19:32,33….“Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. ³³ But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.” He is God! Therefore, He had power to lay down His life and to take it up again. He of His own volition dismissed His spirit, thereby affirming His deity. This amazingly so and in complete contrast to the two between whom He was crucified.

Dick Christen   

DO BELIEVE IN THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST...

DO BELIEVE IN THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST

In John 20:24-31 we have an account of Thomas, a man who, at first, didn’t believe in Jesus’ resurrection.

Seeing and Believing

²⁴ Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵ The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”
So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
²⁶ And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” ²⁷ Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”
²⁸ And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
²⁹ Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
That You May Believe
³⁰ And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; ³¹ but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

1.  NOTICE THOMAS’ CONDITION OF UNBELIEF (vv. 24, 25)

There is:

DISINTEREST – “Now Thomas was not with them…”

DISREGARD – “We have seen the Lord…Unless I see”

DISBELIEF – “I will not believe”

2.  NOTICE THOMAS’ TRANSITION TO BELIEF (vv. 26,26)

THE PRESENCE OF JESUS – “Jesus came…”

THE POWER OF JESUS – “…the doors being shut…”

THE PEACE OF JESUS – “Peace to you!”

THE PERSONAL ATTENTION OF JESUS – “Then He said to him…”

THE POINTED COMMAND OF JESUS – “Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

3.  NOTICE THOMAS’ EXPRESSION OF BELIEF (v. 28)

“My Lord and my God!” (This is so very personal, Thomas using the pronoun “my”)

-dr. dick christen