Monday, August 12, 2024

The Knowing Wicked (Matt. 27:38)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/12/2024 9:33 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                         Focus:  The Knowing Wicked”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                    Reference:  Matthew 27:38

 

            Message of the verse:  “At that time two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and the one on the left.”

 

            Yesterday morning I finished looking at the ninth Spiritual Diary on “The Ignorant Wicked,” and now today I want to look at “The Knowing Wicked.”  This small group is seen in this 38th verse of Matthew chapter 28 and they are composed of as the two robbers.  MacArthur writes “Robbers translates lestes, which denotes a brigand who plunders as he steals.  These men were not petty thieves or even common robbers, but cruel bandits who took pleasure in tormenting, abusing, and often killing their victims.  It is possible they were associates of Barabbas, who had probably been destined for the middle cross between them before he was released and Jesus took his place.  They were not patriots who plundered the Romans to help secure the freedom of their country but hardened criminals whose only loyalty was to themselves.  They were as great a threat to their own countrymen as to the Romans.”  Now that we have a better idea of who these two men were, and as MacArthur stated it is possible that the third one could have been Barabbas who would have been worse than these two were for he was to occupy the middle cross where the worst of the worst was put there.  We know that Jesus was in the middle, but certainly not the worst of the worst, for He certainly was the best of the best, and as He was going through great suffering and now being crucified in the middle of these two robbers He was actually dying for them, but as we will see only one of them will take advantage of that.  Another thought I have about Jesus being on the middle cross is that while there the Father would cause the earth around that area to become totally dark so that no one would be able to see the punishment that Jesus would go through as He took sin, all sin upon Him which makes being in the middle appropriate. 

 

            We cannot know for sure but these two robbers were probably Jewish or at least lived in the Jewish society of Palestine.  By living there they would have at least had some knowledge of Judaism and the Jewish Messiah.  They likely would have known something about who Jesus of Nazareth was and the fact that He and His followers claimed He was the predicted Messiah.  So therefore their rejection of Jesus was more serious than that of the soldiers.

 

            Like those soldiers they must have hand knowing that the charges against Him were groundless charges of the Jewish religious leaders and the numerous exonerations by Pilate.  Matthew shows that these men were not content to ignore Jesus as Matthew points out in verse 44 “The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words. 

 

            It is not known why these robbers had great hatred of Jesus.  They apparently were not driven by religious concerns, and Jesus had certainly done them no harm.  However their naturally wicked hearts somehow recognized His life as a righteous judgment on their sinfulness, and they now joined the jeering crowds and the religious leaders in their mocking of Jesus.  Now I have mentioned that one of these robbers would realize that Jesus was His Savior and Lord as he puts his trust in Him for salvation.  Now I want to look at the account from Luke’s gospel as he describes the following “39 One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, "Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!" 40 But the other answered, and rebuking him said, "Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 “And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." 42 And he was saying, "Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!" 43 And He said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.’”  I guess that this is one of the reasons that we have four gospels in the Bible.

 

            MacArthur concludes this section by writing “Like those of many people today, the lives of the two robbers resolved around material possessions and fleshly satisfaction.  They had as little concern for religion, common morality, and justice as did the pagan Roman soldiers.  Having a greater love for the things of the world than the things of God, they used their dying breath to vent their pet-up anger on the only one who could give them hope.”

 

            I have to say that I like Luke’s writings describing these two robbers than Matthews.

 

8/12/2024 10:10 AM

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