The Second Smartest Man in Israel - Luke 23:39-43

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup

The communion meditation today is based on a passage of Scripture from the New Testament, Luke 23:39-43. In this passage of Scripture, Jesus is defended by one of the criminals hanging on the cross together with Him. In Him, we see ourselves and welcome the same response from Jesus as we put our faith in Him. As we partake of the bread and drink the fruit of the vine from the cup, we remember His sacrifice for us. All Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV) and are used with permission.

As you listen to the episode today, my hope is that you will be encouraged from the time spent meditating on what Jesus has done for you. You are a special person; the one Jesus died to save!

Transcript

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup. The title of my communion meditation today is "The Second Smartest Man in Israel." I read from Luke 23:39-43 (NIV). All Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV) and are used with permission.

39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

This story really sums up how people react to Jesus. They are either for Him or against Him. One criminal mocks Him. He joins with others who cast insults at Jesus including the chief priests, the teachers of the Law and the elders (Matthew 27:41). One criminal defends Him. He is joined by Jesus' mother and her sister, Mary, the wife of Clopas, Mary Magdalene, and a lone apostle, John (John 19:25-27). I marvel at the defending criminal's faith for several reasons. First, he believes Jesus is innocent; He is not guilty of blasphemy or any other offense. Second, he believes the sign posted above Jesus' head, "This is the King of the Jews," is true. And thirdly, despite the fact that Jesus is hanging on a cross and will die that day, he believes Jesus will live on and asks to be a subject in His kingdom. This criminal has a profound level understanding of who Jesus is and what He came to do, perhaps even more so than the apostles who were still asking questions about His kingdom after the resurrection. Next to Jesus, he may have been the second smartest man in Israel. Even though he is a condemned criminal, Jesus forgives Him and adds him to his kingdom. Mary Magdalene, overhearing this conversation, would agree. No sinner is too far gone that he or she cannot find forgiveness from Jesus. As we assemble together this morning to remember Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, we have much in common with the criminal. We have publicly acknowledged Jesus by confessing that Jesus is the Son of God even though it may not have been a popular decision among our family and friends. We have come to Him for forgiveness of our past sins and have confidence that our King lives and has added us to His kingdom. Contrary to popular opinion is this dark world and like the criminal, we are the smart ones. As we partake of the bread and drink the fruit of the vine in the cup, we remember our Savior, Jesus. Let us pray.

Abba, Father. Today we bless and set aside this bread and the fruit of the vine in this cup to remember Your Son, Jesus. We know that the bread represents His body that was nailed to the cross, and the fruit of the vine represents His blood that He shed for us. As we pour out the wine from the cup, we are reminded of how Jesus poured out His own blood that our sins might be forgiven. Abba, Father. Our faith is affirmed today as we read the story of the two criminals. We are like the criminal who defended Jesus. We, too, believe that Jesus is the Son of God and have confessed that belief before the assembly of our brothers and sisters when we accepted Him as Lord and Savior. We, too, believe He has the power to forgive our sins. We, too, believe Jesus is alive, even though He died, and is waiting for the command from the Father to return for us and take us home with Him. Though we face the certainty of our death one day, we live in hope of the resurrection of the dead because of Jesus. As we partake of the bread and drink the fruit of the vine from the cup, we remember His sacrifice for us. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Today, Jesus invites you to partake of His supper. I read from Matthew 26:26-28 (NIV).

26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” Let us partake of the bread.

27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many." Let us partake of the cup.

And the assembly of believers said, "Amen!"

Until next time, from Numbers 6:24-26, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

Artist's Note: If you have questions about the Lord's Supper, I invite you to visit my website, https://eatthisbreaddrinkthiscup.com, for a brief overview. The Eat This Bread Drink This Cup podcast is listed in most podcast directories, and I invite you to add my podcast to your favorites and be notified of new posts. There is a written transcript that accompanies each podcast, and you are free to use the transcript in accordance with US copyright law. My prayer is that you will benefit personally from this time with Jesus and encourage others to observe the Lord's Supper. In these trying times, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus!