The Road to Faith (Luke 23-24)

In Sermons, The Whole Story, Year 2024 by harvest.admin

Resource by Eric Weiner

This whole year we’ve been saying the Bible is telling one story that leads to Jesus. And do you know why we’ve been saying that? Because it’s true, but also because Jesus says it about himself. 

This is actually on the opening flap of our Bible Reading Plan – [Lk. 24:44] – Jesus says to his disciples, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

The Law, the Prophets, the Psalms is just Jesus’s way of saying the whole Bible is about him and is fulfilled in his life, death, and resurrection. 

Now, I know, for some of us the death and resurrection of Jesus probably sounds like a fantasy made up by a group of religious fanatics. 

BUT I want you to know that could not be further from the truth and the reason why I say that with such confidence is because the gospel accounts tell us Jesus’s disciples initially felt the same way you do. 

When Jesus’s disciples witnessed the events of the Cross, they mourned. And when they heard the reports that Jesus’s tomb was empty, the idea that he was somehow alive sounded crazy to them. 

And we’re going to get into all of that as we consider the events of the cross and the resurrection through the eyes of two sets of people who had front row seats to the whole thing. 

First, we’re going to look at the Cross from the eyes of the criminals beside Jesus at Calvary. Two men who lived similar lives, but who respond to the Cross in radically different ways. 

Then we’re going to look at the Resurrection from the eyes of the disciples on the road to Emmaus who were confused in their understanding about Jesus. 

What we’ll learn from both stories is what it means to overcome unbelief with true faith in the risen Jesus. See, true faith is not born out of facts alone. It’s not enough to “believe the right things.” That doesn’t adequately characterize the road to faith. 

In fact, Paul describes the condition of unbelief as someone who’s mind is closed off to the truth. He tells us in 2 Corinthians 3:14 that people can actually read the Scriptures in a state of unbelief because there’s a “veil (that) remains unlifted” and he says “only through Christ [can it be] taken away.” 

See – Faith comes only through God opening our minds to the truth about Jesus in his life, death, and resurrection. 

So, let’s dive into these stories to see just how that happens. 

At the beginning of Luke 23, we learn that Pontius Pilate gives into the pressures of the angry mob and orders Jesus’s execution. So, Jesus is led away to be crucified…

[32] – Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 

Now – based on other places where this word for criminals is used it’s most likely talking about freedom fighters. These would’ve been men who were working to free Israel by overthrowing Rome, which is what the Jews wanted Jesus to do as their King. When they realized that’s not what Jesus intended to do they got rid of him.

And let’s be clear. The people got Jesus wrong because they got the Scriptures wrong. That’s why it’s so important to know the truth. 

[33] –  And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. 

On the day Jesus died, three crosses were put into the ground at Golgotha. Three men died. But because of the innocent sacrifice made by the man on the middle cross, though we die, through faith in him, yet shall we live (John 11:25). Let’s first consider the One at the center of it all: 

1. The Beauty of the Cross

From the beginning we’ve said that God made everything and said it was very good. But in the Garden, Adam and Eve traded the truth about God for a lie and chose a life of sin. 

From that moment on, every one of us has experienced a life of separation from God, but from that moment on God promised it wouldn’t always be this way. 

And so the Bible is telling the story about everything God has done and will do to bring sinful people back into fellowship with Him.  

That’s how we knew that one day God would send a Savior to put sin to death once for all. 

Have you ever wondered why Jesus had to die? Jesus says it was necessary according to the Scriptures. Why? Because it was God’s will to reconcile sinners to himself in Christ. 

See, when put under the Law of God we all stand condemned. Not a single one of us can claim innocence before a holy God.

In every way that you compromise with God, that you cheat him and others, that you lift yourself up or tear others down, all the ways you crave life and find purpose outside of God’s will – both publicly and privately – is sin. And the Bible says the wages of sin is death. So in order to satisfy the legal requirements, Jesus, our spotless lamb, died in our place to settle our debt and to take our shame. 

The prophet Isaiah says he was pierced for our transgressions and that by his wounds we are healed. It’s like the song says:

Because the sinless Savior died

My sinful soul is counted free

For God the Just is satisfied

To look on Him and pardon me

But see, it doesn’t go far enough to say that Jesus died for us. He died instead of us. And until that reality sinks in you’ll struggle to see just how beautiful the Cross is. 

2. The dividing line between faith and unbelief. 

[39] – One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 

When we look at the men crucified on either side of Jesus, one of the startling realities is that there’s not that much separating them. 

They probably grew up around the same places, had similar families; went to the same schools. 

Considering that both men had been sentenced to death by crucifixion, neither of them could claim the moral high ground. Both had committed crimes against the state. 

We see in Luke that one of them rejects Jesus while the other repents, but in Matthew, both men are shown mocking Jesus and who could blame them (Matt. 27:44)?

It’s the prevailing logic of the day, but honestly, it’s always been that way. People don’t dream of being conquered. They don’t celebrate being humiliated. In fact, today we think that humility is a sign of virtue, but that’s just an example of Christian influence. In ancient times, it would have been insulting to call someone humble. A sign of weakness. 

Nobody cheers for the perennial loser. There is an American football team whose fans are known for wearing brown paper bags over their heads because they’re so bad and cheering for the team that always loses is a miserable experience. Let’s face it, every culture thinks a dying Savior makes no sense.

And look at this, the religious leaders, the Romans, and the rebels are not three categories of people I would ever expect to get along, but they all find fellowship at the Cross in mocking Jesus. 

But a voice that mocks Jesus is symptomatic of an even deeper problem. People reject Jesus as Savior because of the sin of unbelief. 

Both criminals have it, even as they’re watching the Savior of the world die to save them. Let’s look at the heart of unbelief.

First, unbelief is a matter of false belief. Unbelief doesn’t mean no belief. Unbelief is a stubborn commitment to a wrong belief about God. 

Notice in v.39 that the first criminal doesn’t deny that there’s a Messiah. He actually has a fixed definition for understanding who Jesus is. He expects the Messiah to be a great Warrior King like David. Someone who will set his people free through military strength. He has a dogmatic belief about the Messiah. He’s just wrong.

That’s why he’s railing at Jesus. He’s like, “What are you doing here? The Messiah I worship wouldn’t get humiliated like this. Not my king.” 

Second, unbelief means putting your trust in self above Savior. We’re all prone to this because ultimately, we want to set the terms. The sin of unbelief says, “I can only believe in a God who agrees with me. I will only accept God if he does things according to what I think is right.” 

That’s what the criminal does when he says, “Save yourself and us.” Jesus can only be good if he saves me from this earthly torture. 

And how many of us do that to God? We make God a means for our ends. We say, “God, you have to fit my paradigm for who you’re supposed to be otherwise I don’t need you.” 

That often gets reflected in our prayer life or becomes the reason why we don’t pray. We ask God to rescue us from our uncomfortable circumstances and instead of delivering us he says, “But I’ll be with you.” And we say, no thanks God. I don’t think you’re listening because that’s not what I told you to do. I said, “I want you to get me out of this. Not to stay with me in it.” 

Forget it. I’ll just figure something else out. How many of us have that attitude toward God?

Sometimes people, in their unbelief, will decry the meaninglessness of prayer. They’ll say prayer doesn’t work. 

Now, anybody can pray to God but prayer will always be seen as ineffective by the person who doesn’t surrender their will to His. 

In one sense, prayer is asking God to fulfill all of his purposes. It teaches you a life of surrender. And in another sense, prayer is about communing with the Lord. Both trusting and communing with God are vital to a life of faith. But the person with a heart of unbelief wants neither. So, prayer is seen as a waste of time. 

[40] –  But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And [Jesus] said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Just a few moments ago this guy had joined in with the mocking voices. Now he’s professing faith. Where’d his faith come from? 

Let me start by pointing out 3 components that characterize his conversion: 

  1. He admits his sinful condition. He goes so far as to point out the error of their ways. Remember, these guys are freedom fighters. They probably thought they had a just cause. But, that’s not what he says. He admits that he deserves the punishment he’s received. 
  2. He recognizes the truth about God in Christ. He points to Jesus’s innocence. He knows that Jesus is dying on a borrowed cross meant for someone else. He acknowledges that Jesus is suffering in the place of others for sins he did not commit. 
  3. He lets Jesus define the terms for salvation. He says, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 

He doesn’t set the terms for faith in Jesus. He relinquishes his terms and trusts Jesus with all the rest. The other guy is saying, “Jesus, if you’re really God, then prove it.” But this guy is saying, “Jesus, even on the Cross I believe all authority in heaven and on earth belong to you. My life is in your hands.” He didn’t have a PhD in theology, but he’s literally staring at a dying Savior and saying, “I still believe there’s joy and life on the other side of this.” He’s not asking for carnal relief. He’s turned his heart toward the greater reward – eternal life with God. And he has the audacity to ask Jesus for it. 

And Jesus grants his request! Those are the seeds of faith born in this sinner’s heart. But it’s such a drastic change. How does that happen? 

Because the will of God is able to overcome the sin of unbelief. The Father wills salvation for sinners. And what the Father willed the Son accomplishes on the Cross. And what the Son accomplished the Spirit now applies in the hearts of men. God has done everything necessary to save you. 

Put from another angle: Praying the will of the Father is effective. 

Watch this: The only explanation we have from the passage of his newfound faith is in verse 34. Jesus prays, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” 

The fact that this guy responds in faith is evidence of the Father’s kindness in answering Jesus’s prayer. 

And as unjust and humiliating as the Cross looks, the faith of the criminal is proof that Jesus really has opened the way to salvation by forgiving our sins. Church, your prayers don’t fall on deaf ears. If God can birth faith in the criminal on the cross, he can do it for anyone at any time. 

Of course, the crowds of people didn’t get it. They watched in sadness as Jesus died and was buried. 

But then, on the first day of the week (24:1) the women find the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. Two angels are sitting there like, why are you so surprised? Jesus told you this was coming. Didn’t you believe him? And so they run back to share the news with the other disciples.

[Lk. 24:10] – Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 

Now, earlier I said Jesus’s disciples responded to the news of his resurrection just like any of us would. That word for idle tale other translators use nonsense. IOW, they thought these women had lost their minds. 

Some of the disciples run to the tomb to see for themselves. But some of them leave. Let’s pick up with the story in…[13] – That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. 

So immediately after Jesus’s death and resurrection, two of Jesus’s disciples leave Jerusalem for a village called Emmaus. And along the way they’re still trying to understand what happened. It makes no sense to them. And as they’re discussing these things, Jesus appears in his resurrected body, but they have no idea who he is. And he just kinda inserts himself into the conversation. He’s like, “What are we talking about?” 

Let’s think about this: First, these guys are contemporaries of Jesus. They saw him. They heard him. They could’ve seen some of Jesus’s miracles firsthand. 

These guys were in Jerusalem the day Jesus died. They talked with some of his closest friends. They heard the reports from the women. They could have gone to look at the empty tomb themselves. How many of us – at that point – would have said, “That’s enough for me. I believe in the resurrection”? Some of us. But not all of us. 

Maybe we’d say, “I’d still want to see the resurrected body with my own eyes.” Or maybe today we’d say, “God give me a sign and then I’ll believe you. Just make it obvious to me.” 

Now put yourself in these guys’ sandals. They’re staring the resurrected Jesus in the face, but they still don’t recognize him. They’re sad. Why?

Because even though these guys could probably pass a Bible test, a heart of unbelief can’t spot a Savior even when he’s standing right in front of you. The only reason why you’d be sad in light of the resurrection is because you don’t believe it. They don’t believe it. 

[18] – Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 And [Jesus] said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 

Listen to their description of Jesus. A mighty prophet who did great things and showed incredible understanding about the things of God. A man we trusted would lead us to a better life. But he was condemned to death and crucified. We thought he would be our Redeemer. 

What are they missing? They missed the resurrection. Jesus is alive. It doesn’t matter if they sound close. They got Jesus wrong. 

If any of us are going to overcome our unbelief, we need to acknowledge that our understanding of Jesus is wrong. We need to open our minds to the truth. Meaning, we need to allow our understanding of Jesus to be corrected and reformed by the truth of God’s Word.  

[22] – Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”

For us, “amazed” has a positive connotation. When a friend says, “I got the job” we’ll say that’s amazing! Or, I can’t believe it! But it’s just exaggeration because we can. But when these guys say they were amazed they’re saying we didn’t believe them. We thought they were crazy. 

And their lack of faith isn’t because they lacked knowledge. As we saw with the criminals, unbelief is a matter of the heart, and when you’re in a state of unbelief, you resist the truth. That’s why skeptics often want to put the burden of proof on God. But these disciples can’t do that. 

Maybe you’re here this morning and you’re genuinely seeking God. That’s amazing! You have questions, and honest questions deserve honest answers. But at some point, when all the questions fade, the problem isn’t that your questions can’t be satisfied. The problem is that at the root is a heart that doesn’t want to believe. 

We could ask these disciples on the road to Emmaus, “What evidence do you still need?” But it’s not the lack of evidence, it’s a heart that’s either unwilling to trust God or confused about the truth, which is why Jesus calls them foolish and slow of heart. In this case, they’re the ones who sound crazy.  

[26] – Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. 28 So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29 but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 

So, how do we overcome a heart of unbelief? (1) By having God open our minds to the truth of His Word and (2) by insisting on fellowship with Jesus through His church. 

Hearing the Word is vital, but deeper understanding comes through a life of fellowshiping with his church. It’s not that Christians have access to some hidden knowledge, but we’ve come to a knowledge of the truth because God has made himself known. Maybe you’re still wondering, “Well, why hasn’t God made himself known to me?”

That’s a great question. Let me answer like this:

First, God has made his love known to the world in Jesus. That’s what the Cross is all about. 

That’s why when Jesus asks the disciples what they’re talking about they say: “Are you the only person in Jerusalem who doesn’t know what just happened?”

The Cross of Christ was a public event. Everybody in and around Jerusalem was talking about it. But it wasn’t just public to Jerusalem. It’s been made known for all to see. 

Second, [27] – “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” That Christ must suffer and rise becomes the key to understanding everything else. Jesus opened the Scriptures to them. He showed them how God was reconciling sinners to Himself in Christ. 

And we have these same Scriptures available today to help us know and grow in the truth. 

Third, the disciples came to understand the truth by Jesus opening up their minds to the Scriptures. You say, “But Jesus isn’t with us anymore.” But he is. Through his Spirit and through His people. God has chosen to make his presence known through his church. Right after this story, Jesus also appears to the apostles.

Jesus taught his disciples to understand the Scriptures in this way and the Church has preserved and passed down this understanding of the Word for over 2,000 years. 

And so listen, if you truly desire to know the truth, you’ll prioritize fellowship with his people. Get into smaller groups with other Christians and spend time opening up the Bible together. 

Discipleship happens in relationship. That’s by design. God didn’t intend for us to walk in faith alone. That means you should be pursuing and building these kinds of relationships as part of your own discipleship and also because you have a responsibility to present others as mature in Christ.

Fourth, I encourage you to pray for the Spirit to pull away the veil. In your heart and in the hearts of others still walking in unbelief. Ask God to melt our hearts of unbelief by the power of his Spirit and that we would repent and trust in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of sins.

Today, you’ve had the opportunity to have your mind opened to the truth. You’ve heard the reports about Jesus’s death and resurrection. The question now is what are you going to do about it? As you go to Intermark or Hari Hari Datang or Quans what are you going to do with the claims about Jesus?

When the disciples first believed, [33] And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Their reaction was to run back to Jerusalem. But you have to understand that being identified with Jesus at this point was risky. But they were willing to run back into the danger not because there was nothing to fear but because the resurrection was true and that changes everything. 

They now had a responsibility as witnesses of Jesus’s resurrection power to carry this message of hope to the world. It’s the power of God to save and it’s a message too great to keep to ourselves. 

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