Carol J German

Imagine for a minute a large crowd gathering on a hill. They came to watch three men die. It must have been a horrific scene as three lives were taking their last breaths. Two were criminals who knew their guilt. The other was guilt-free, yet He found Himself gasping for air. A great injustice was taking place that satisfied uninterested hearts.

While the three men hung on crosses, the activity surrounding them was disrespectful, to say the least. Soldiers gambled over clothing. Who doesn’t want to make a profit? They also mocked the dying men, especially the innocent one. Spiritual leaders scoffed at the one that was placed dead center. Wouldn’t you think they would act like ministers and show love and compassion to those dying and to everyone standing around to watch? One criminal told Jesus to prove that He was the Messiah by saving Himself, then save him and the other guy, too, while He’s at it.

What you see from this scene that is told in Luke 23:26-43 are hearts that are uninterested in who Jesus is. They are unresponsive to what He has to offer. You will find many scenarios in the Bible that reflect hearts that are uninterested. Many of them know that Jesus is more than a mere mortal. They have heard His words and seen first hand how He heals sickness and delivers demons, yet they remain unchanged.

The other criminal, on the other hand, spoke up. “Don’t you fear God? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” He then told Jesus, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your Kingdom.” A guilty man had a heart that chose to see the beauty of Christ and why He came. The scriptures do not tell us, but I believe that this man, if he could have been taken down from the cross and lived longer, he would have walked a whole new way. He would have walked in obedience and followed the ways of His Lord and Savior.

A guilty man’s heart desired to be changed from the inside out by the Savior of the world. He chose to be interested in Christ.

Read on in Luke 23 and see another man who may or may not be interested in what he just experienced. The Bible does not say. Read verses 44-49. When the Roman officer who oversaw the execution heard Jesus’ final words, “Father, I entrust My Spirit into Your hands,” he worshipped God. “Surely this man was innocent.” Did he believe and see like the second criminal did?

You also read that people returned home in deep sorrow. I wonder how they responded to what they saw, and what they knew of Jesus from the past three years of His ministry? Were there hearts interested or not?

Go farther with verses 50-56 in Luke 23 and read about a man with a heart posture that was interested. His name is Joseph. The religious leaders that enacted the execution of Jesus was a part of what is called the High Council. Joseph was a part of this group, yet he was the only one who didn’t agree with killing Jesus.

A reality for every believer who follows in the steps of Christ walking obediently, you will stand alone.

He was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come; see verse 51. He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. He cared for Jesus’ body and laid Him in a new tomb. I would think he used his own money if there was a cost. He gave out of his own resources to care for the Savior of the world.

There were women that followed Jesus all the way from Galilee. They witnessed His death. They continued to follow to see where Jesus would be buried. They returned home to prepare spices and ointments for His body. They would have gone to the tomb to carry out the process for burial but they had to wait, for the Sabbath was upon them. So they “rested as required by the law,” see verse 56.

This waiting time had a purpose. Continue reading in Luke and see what happened after their waiting time. What you will read is the whole reason why you can change the posture of your heart and become very interested in Christ. Because of what Jesus chose to do, you (and I) can follow the LIVING GOD! There is no other god in this world that can boast this.

When you follow Jesus, you can become confident knowing that you can entrust your life into the hands of God.

Always remember there are many people who sit in the presence of Christ and remain uninterested. God wants you and everyone ever born to follow whole-heartedly with His Son. In Luke 10:25-28, Jesus was asked the question, “What should I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus asked him what does the scriptures say and he quoted Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18 which says, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus replied, “Right! Do this and you will live!”

Do what God is asking of you and live. He will not disappoint your interested heart.