Jesus Loves You. April Fools? Not At All.
4/1/25 Bible Thought
Many people will often use the argument of bad things happening to good people as a case against God—or at the very least, it’s a case against the Christian God who claims to be both all-powerful and loving.
What’s interesting, is that the Scripture isn’t silent on bad things happening to “good” people. In fact, it contains the best example that is rarely considered. At the end of Luke 22, Jesus was arrested, and here in Luke 23 He is taken before Pilate to be condemned.
However, Jesus is consistently found not to be guilty, but guiltless! Both Pilate and Herod conclude that Jesus had no guilt deserving of death (Lk. 23:4,14-15,22). Later, the one thief on the cross believes and declares, “this man has done nothing wrong” (Lk. 23:41b). Even after Jesus’ death the centurion nearby concludes, “Certainly this man was innocent!” (Lk. 23:47). So, why did Jesus suffer so horribly as the murderer went free?
If we turn the page back to Luke 22, Jesus broke bread and drank wine with His disciples in remembrance of the Passover. This is something Jews would do annually in commemoration of their deliverance from Egypt and God sparing their first-borns from the death angel (see Ex. 12-13).
But this Passover celebration wasn’t like the rest. This Passover didn’t look backwards, but forwards to the true Passover Lamb who would be given for us the very next morning (1 Cor. 5:7b; Jn. 1:29). Jesus explained to His disciples that the bread and the cup symbolized His broken body and blood which were given, “for you” (Lk. 22:19-20). Now, the Christian, partaking of the Lord’s Table, looks back at the true and better Passover.
Jesus was the once and for all time sacrifice for our sins. The One who gave His life for us. The guiltless for the guilty. The sinless for the sinner. The innocent for the condemned.
The apostle John recounts Jesus’ own conclusion,
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16).
Jesus gave His life, to give us life eternal. He died for us. While He is suffering on the cross, some cried out, “He saved others; let him save himself” (Lk. 23:35a). What they missed is that true salvation isn’t from temporal suffering, but from eternal death and separation from God in the life to come. A salvation that Jesus alone didn’t need.
One person in the text today gets it though.
A criminal who was likewise bleeding and dying defends the Lord, and cries out in faith, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Lk. 23:42).
Alistair Begg offers a beautiful retelling of this where he imagines a scene in heaven with an angel asking the thief on the cross what he is doing there. He was never baptized, he was never a part of a Bible study, he didn’t understand the doctrine of justification by faith, he was never a member of a church. Why in the world was he there?!
After many questions a final one is asked, “On what basis are you here?”
The thief simply replies, “The man on the middle cross said I can come.”
Truly, this is the case for all of us. The only reason I am heaven-bound today is because the man on the middle cross said I could come.
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21).
Oh, what a Savior!
I’m thankful today that, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost” (1 Tim. 1:15b).
Have you thanked Him lately for His wonderful grace and mercy upon you, the undeserving?