Sermon draft: The King Who Dies to Save
Main passage: Luke 23:33–46
Big idea: At the cross, Jesus the innocent King bears shame and death so that sinners may be forgiven, welcomed into his kingdom, and brought to God.
Introduction
Good Friday asks us to look steadily at the cross. We do not hurry past it to Easter morning. We remember the suffering and death of Jesus—not as a tragedy without meaning, but as the saving work of God.
Luke takes us to a place called “The Skull.” There Jesus is crucified between two criminals. People watch. Leaders mock. Soldiers taunt. One criminal joins in. And while all this happens, Jesus speaks words of mercy and entrusts himself to his Father.
The cross exposes the depth of human sin, but it also reveals the depth of God’s love. Here we see the King who does not save himself, because he has come to save others.
1. The mocked King asks the Father for mercy
Luke tells us that Jesus was crucified between two criminals. He was not merely surrounded by suffering; he was treated as a criminal himself. Above him, an inscription declared, “This is the King of the Jews” (Luke 23:38, ESV). The words were meant to mock him, but they announced a truth his mockers could not understand.
The rulers sneered: “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” The soldiers echoed the taunt. One of the criminals joined them: “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” (Luke 23:35–39, ESV).
They believed that a king who was truly powerful would escape the cross. But Jesus’ mission was not to avoid suffering. He came to give himself for sinners. He could have called down judgment; instead, he prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34, ESV).
That prayer does not mean the people’s actions were harmless or that sin does not matter. The cross tells us the opposite: sin is so serious that the Son of God suffers and dies. Yet Jesus asks for mercy for those who are doing this to him. Even in agony, his heart is turned toward the guilty.
We can picture the contrast: the crowd is busy dividing Jesus’ clothing, while Jesus is praying for his enemies. The hands that are nailed to the cross are not raised in revenge. His words are a plea for forgiveness.
This is not an example of a merely noble death. Jesus is doing what he came to do. The apostle Peter says, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24, ESV). At the cross, Jesus bears the judgment our sin deserves, so that forgiveness can be offered to us as a gift of grace.
So we should not stand at a safe distance and say, “Those people were cruel.” The cross asks us to tell the truth about ourselves. We have all sinned against God. We may not have driven the nails, but our sin is part of why Jesus came to die. And his mercy is offered to sinners like us.
Good Friday is not an invitation to pretend we are innocent. It is an invitation to bring our guilt into the light and ask for the forgiveness Jesus prayed to give.
2. The dying King welcomes a sinner
The two criminals beside Jesus face the same scene, but they respond differently. One mocks him. The other rebukes his companion: “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong” (Luke 23:40–41, ESV).
The second criminal speaks with remarkable clarity. He admits his guilt. He recognizes Jesus’ innocence. Then he asks, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Luke 23:42, ESV).
He has no time to repair his life or prove his worth. He cannot offer Jesus a record of good works. He cannot leave the cross and begin again. He has only a plea and a trust: Jesus, remember me. He believes that the mocked man beside him is a King whose kingdom will outlast death.
Jesus answers him with a promise: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43, ESV).
What grace! The criminal asks to be remembered someday, and Jesus promises that he will be with him today. The man cannot earn this welcome. He receives it by turning to Jesus in faith.
This is the heart of the gospel. We are not saved because we have made ourselves worthy of God. We are saved by grace through faith in Christ. Jesus does not say, “You have suffered enough, so now you deserve paradise.” He gives the promise because of who he is and because of what he is accomplishing at the cross.
This scene is especially precious because it leaves no room for boasting. The criminal’s hope is not in his achievements but in Jesus. His future rests on the mercy of the King.
Perhaps you come to this service carrying shame, regret, or the feeling that you have gone too far for God to receive you. Look at the man beside Jesus. He comes with nothing to offer except his need. And Jesus welcomes him.
That does not make sin small. It makes Jesus’ mercy great. The invitation of the gospel is not, “Make yourself good enough, and then come.” It is, “Come to Christ as a sinner, trust him, and receive the life he gives.”
3. The Son gives himself into the Father’s hands
Luke describes a darkness that comes over the land. The sun’s light fails, and the curtain of the temple is torn in two. Then Jesus cries out with a loud voice: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” Having said this, he breathes his last (Luke 23:44–46, ESV).
The darkness gives the hour a solemn weight. The death of Jesus is not an ordinary death, and the cross is not an accident. The torn curtain points to a decisive change: through Jesus’ death, access to God is opened. The barrier of sin cannot be overcome by our effort, but Jesus gives himself to make peace with God possible.
At the end, Jesus’ words are not a cry of despair. He addresses God as “Father” and entrusts himself to him. His life is not taken from him as though his mission had failed. He gives himself in obedience and trust. The Son who came to do the Father’s will completes his work in death.
There is still mystery here. We should not pretend that the cross is easy to understand or that grief can be hurried away. Jesus truly suffered. He truly died. His friends would have to face the silence of the tomb. Good Friday lets us feel the weight of that reality.
But Jesus’ final words also show us where hope rests. Not in our control. Not in our ability to explain every sorrow. Not in the promise that we will never suffer. Hope rests in the Father to whom Jesus entrusted himself—and in the Son who died and rose again.
For those who belong to Christ, death is not the final authority. The King who died is the King who rose. The cross does not cancel grief, but it does tell us that grief and death will not have the last word.
Conclusion
At the cross we see three truths we cannot afford to lose. Jesus is the King who prays for the guilty. He is the King who welcomes the sinner who trusts him. And he is the Son who gives himself into the Father’s hands.
The cross shows us both the seriousness of our sin and the astonishing mercy of God. Jesus does not save himself because he is saving others. He bears our sin so that forgiveness can be offered freely. He dies so that those who trust in him may be with him.
Call to response
So, what should we do with the cross?
If you have never trusted Jesus, do not wait until you feel worthy. You will not make yourself worthy. Acknowledge your sin, turn from it, and trust Jesus Christ—crucified and risen—for forgiveness and new life. You may come with the simple plea of the criminal: “Jesus, remember me.” He is able to save.
And if you already belong to Christ, come again to the foot of the cross. Let go of boasting, bitterness, and the burden of trying to earn God’s love. Receive the mercy Christ has purchased. Entrust yourself to the Father, even in the darkness, because Jesus has gone before you.
Closing prayer
Father, we thank you for the love of Jesus, who gave himself for sinners. Forgive us for our sin, and help us trust not in our goodness but in Christ alone. Teach us to receive your mercy, to forgive as we have been forgiven, and to entrust our lives to you. Keep our eyes on Jesus, who died and rose again, and give us hope in him. In his name we pray. Amen.