“A Cruel Joke?”
Text: Luke 23:1-56
4-13-2025
In the name of Jesus our Savior, dear friends in Christ. Have you ever heard the story about the atheist who was complaining to his Christian neighbor? He said, “You know, it’s not fair! Christians get to celebrate Christmas and Easter, Jews celebrate Passover and Hanukkah, Muslims celebrate Ramadan, but us poor Atheists don’t get a national holiday.” His neighbor thought for a moment and said, “Oh, but you’re wrong. You’ve got April Fool’s Day!”
Now, I realize April 1st was nearly 2 weeks ago, but it’s good for us to remember that April Fool’s Day is not a national holiday. Even so, many people do recognize it by playing practical jokes on their friends and family. They might put their clothes on backwards or other silly things. One joke that my Dad liked to pull was to wake us kids up and say, “You better get your coat and boots on. There must be a foot of snow to shovel outside!” When we looked out the window the grass was green, the sun was shining, and there wasn’t a single snowflake on the ground.
That was just a funny and harmless joke for April Fool’s Day. But it’s not innocent or funny if someone were to mistakenly contact your family to report that you were dead. It wasn’t April 1st but this happened to my parents. My father left for work one day and little did he know that another man named William Meyer had died in a car accident that same morning. My Mom started receiving phone calls from total strangers conveying their condolences. Needless to say, she wasn’t laughing. She was frantic. After calling Dad’s work they tracked him down and verified that he was indeed alive and well. It was a sad and tragic mistake, not a joke.
I just wonder how many of you came to church today and had that same feeling. This is Palm Sunday. It’s supposed to be a joyful, festive celebration, because this is the day Jesus rode triumphantly into Jerusalem on a donkey. The people sang His praises as they waved palm branches and carpeted His path with them. He was hailed as their long-awaited Messiah, the “Son of David.” But then Pastor reads the Gospel lesson and it’s 180 degrees opposite of a fun, happy celebration. Instead, the mood is serious and somber. Jesus is arrested, falsely accused, sentenced to death, crucified, and dies an agonizing death. It makes you wonder if this is the handiwork of a sick April Fool’s prankster. So, is this just some mistake, or even worse, a cruel joke?
No, it’s not a mistake, and it’s certainly not a joke. And yet, as we read the Passion narrative for today, it makes a reasonable person ask the question, “Is this some cruel joke?” Walk through it with me and you’ll see what I mean. First, the Sanhedrin, after judging Jesus to be guilty of blasphemy (falsely, I might add), take Him to Pilate. But when they get there, they accuse Him of “misleading our nation” and opposing the payment of taxes. You’ve got to be joking. The exact opposite was true! They also accused Him of claiming to be a king. Jesus never said that, even though He indeed is our Heavenly King. That’s why He didn’t deny it when Pilate asked Him if it’s true. In John 18, though, Jesus made it clear to the Roman Governor that His kingdom is not of this world.
Pilate could see that Jesus was not a political threat to Rome, so he declared Christ innocent. By all rights, that should have been the end of the matter. But the Jews protested, so Pilate tried a different tactic. Once he heard that Jesus is from Galilee, he sent Him to King Herod. Now that must be a cruel joke. I mean, Pilate didn’t respect Herod at all; he despised him. And yet, off to Herod Jesus goes. Herod must have thought it was an elaborate April Fool’s Joke. In fact, he thought Jesus was a joke. He wanted Christ to do a magic show for him by performing a miracle or two on demand. If Herod had really known much about Jesus, he would’ve realized that’s not how He operated. Jesus wouldn’t even dignify Herod’s questioning with an answer. The king was greatly disappointed so he and his entourage had a hilarious time mocking Jesus before sending Him back to Pilate. Another cruel joke?
Well, once again Pilate declared Jesus innocent and pointed out that Herod also found that He had committed no crime worthy of death. So, he said he’d punish Jesus and release Him. You must be joking! An innocent man gets punished? Why? Well, Pilate figured that this would pacify the Jews and perhaps evoke some sympathy toward Jesus. He was wrong. From the other Gospels we learn that Pilate then tried a tradeoff. He offered the choice of releasing the murderous insurrectionist, Barabbas, or Jesus. Shockingly, they chose Barabbas. Pilate himself must have been wondering if this was some sort of cruel joke. What serious person would make that choice? But no, the Jews weren’t joking and kept demanding Jesus be crucified. There was Pilate, the most powerful man in the region, and he crumbled under the pressure. He knew Jesus was innocent and yet he gave in and condemned Jesus to die. Is that an irony or a cruel joke?
We know from the other 3 Gospels that this wasn’t all that happened. Pilate had Jesus flogged before going to the cross. Now this must be a cruel joke! Flogging was a whipping with a cat of nine tails that literally tore the flesh from His body. To beat a man—an innocent man, mind you—to within an inch of His life just prior to executing Him seems over the top. But then the soldiers also took Jesus back and smashed a crown of thorns on His head and mocked Him as the “king of the Jews.” Those soldiers thought it was a funny joke. Sick, morbid humor if you ask me.
Then Jesus was led out to Golgotha to be executed. The nails were driven through His hands and feet causing excruciating pain. And there, below the cross, are the Jewish leaders who had orchestrated all this, sneering at Him and taunting Him to save Himself. The soldiers joined in on the mocking. And one of the two criminals who was crucified beside Christ mocked Him too. Talk about cruel, sick jokes! As the other crucified criminal pointed out, they were guilty and getting what they deserved. But Jesus was innocent and being executed unjustly.
And then, the Son of God trustingly committed His spirit into the hands of His Heavenly Father and died. There are actually people who believe that this was all a cruel hoax. It’s called the “Swoon Theory” because they believe that Jesus merely passed out, swooned, only looking like He was dead. Then while He lay in the cool tomb for 3 days, supposedly His body recovered. They claim He only appeared to come back to life. You see, they think that Jesus played a cruel, joke on the unsuspecting world. They think He fooled us Christians into believing that He actually died there on the cross for our sins and then rose again by His mighty power. Naturally, they believe all that is laughable. Besides, according to them, sin, punishment, and an eternity in hell is all just a cruel joke that somebody dreamt up a long time ago.
But Christian friends, although everything that happened to Jesus was indeed very, very cruel, it was no joke. Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, really did suffer and die on that Cross. And not only did He suffer and die, but He did so to pay the price for the sins of the whole world. God’s wrath over our sins is real. It’s no joke. Hell is also no joke either. It’s very real. We deserved the punishment and rejection that Jesus endured on our behalf. Had He not done so, we would be lost forever and condemned to an eternity of suffering for those sins. But God’s love and mercy is also no joke. Neither is His forgiveness that He offers through Jesus Christ. That promise of forgiveness and eternal life were sealed when Jesus rose from the grave. It was no hoax and it certainly was not a cruel joke. On the contrary, it is the only hope for us sinners. A joyful hope!
By faith we are able to believe that Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection were real. By faith we are able to believe that He did it for you and for me and for every lost sinner who will trust in Him. By faith we are able to accept these glorious truths and not write them off as a cruel joke. By faith we’re able to believe that God’s grace is poured out in Holy Baptism. By faith we are able to believe that the living Lord Jesus truly is present in the bread and wine of Holy Communion bringing us His forgiveness. It’s no hoax. It’s not a joke. It’s very real!
Jesus was not joking when He said to that criminal on the cross beside Him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” And that’s the same eternal life that He promises to all believers who trust in Him. No joke, and no fooling. May God the Holy Spirit strengthen our faith daily so that we may hold onto that blessed hope of salvation through Jesus Christ our living Lord. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!