05/03/2026
Four Types of People at the Cross
I remember a statement that a preacher once said in a sermon when I was a young man. He said in a repentance voice “ what if you had a representative at the cross” For some reason that had stuck with me for all these years. I just love how some things God lets you ponder on, and then how he shows you the truth of that very thing. For me, it was how we did have a representative at the cross, how I believe each type of person was there.
As I was pondering in the wee hours of the morning, The Holy Spirit was pressing upon me how the number four was in so many parts of the Passover Seder. I begin to think about the four or fourth in so many parts of scripture. The four rivers, at the garden of Eden, The four creatures of Ezekiel, (four faces, four wings, four wheels) A little homework, the number four in the building of the tabernacle. The best one to me is in Daniel 3:25 “He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” And there are four gospels.
I just had to get up and see what the fourth letter in the Hebrew alphabet was, and it was the Dalet.
When we look at the fourth letter, the Dalet, the picture is the Door.
John 10:9 Jesus says: “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
Also the meaning is creation
Colossians 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:”
and Pathway as we see in
John 14:6. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
Let’s continue to look at the Dalet, (ד)
The messiah was to come from the seed of Jacob, the tribe of Judah, as we see in the following scriptures.
Genesis 49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah
Numbers 24:17 I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel,
Isaiah 65:9 And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.
So, I just had to spell Judah (יהודה - Yod, Hey, Vav, Dalet, Hey, notice how the Dalet holds it’s place as the fourth letter.
Then an other piece of scripture came to my remembrance. John 16:28 "I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.”
So what did I do I removed the dalet from Judah, As I sat there in astonishment, seeing what I saw. With out moving any letters, it left the Tetragrammaton (the four-letter name of God) is יהוה (Yod, Hey, Vav, Hey).
All of this is not a coincidence, in the Hebrew language there is not word for coincidence.
Now that we have set the stage for the four types of people at the cross. But there is one more step we have to look at. It is in a parable Yeshua spoke in Mark chapter four, starting in verse 13-20 “And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables? The sower soweth the word. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.”
Here is talking about the four types of people, even when we look at todays corporations, when they have a sales consultant to come in, the first thing they teach is, they are four types of people to sell to. We also see in the Passover the four sons, the wise son, the wicked son, the simple son, and the son who knows not how to ask.
You can find the scripture for each one of these sons in Deuteronomy and Exodus. And how to witness to each of these four types of people. 2Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
Why would God not give us the instruction to reach the lost?
The wise son is found in Deuteronomy 6:20-23 Note the lengthy and detailed question and answer:
And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD our God hath commanded you? Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand: And the LORD shewed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes: And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers.
The wicked son is addressed in the Exodus 12:26-27. Note the aloof terseness of his question and his sarcastic tone: And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD'S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.
The simple son's question, and the appropriate simplistic response, is found in Exodus 13:14. Note the simple exchange: And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the LORD brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bo***ge:
The son with whom the parent must initiate the discussion is addressed in Exodus 13:8: And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the LORD did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt.
It’s all about telling people what God has done for you.
Now that we see the plan has been laid out from the beginning, let’s take a look at the scene of the crucifixion. John who was the disciple to witness the crucifixion, to be the witness to the truth.
John 19:23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.
They took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part, just as in the parable of the sower we read in Mark chapter four. Here we see that each person received the word, But one receives the whole word. They cast lots upon his coat.
Mat 27:54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
I feel that the soldier that made that statement, was the solider that received the whole garment.
Let’s look at all the types of people was there that day.
Now that we have seen the pattern laid out—from the parable of the sower to the four sons of Passover—let us come to the scene of the crucifixion. At the cross of Jesus Christ, humanity was not hidden—it was revealed.
There, in one place, we see four types of people. Not just then… but still today.
1. The Hardened – The Wayside Heart (The Rejecters)
These were the mockers.
They passed by, wagging their heads. The religious leaders scoffed. The soldiers joined in. Even one of the thieves railed against Him.
They heard His words.�They saw His works.�But their hearts were hardened.
Just like the seed by the wayside in Mark 4, the Word never took root.
Truth was spoken… but quickly stolen.
They represent those today who:
Hear the gospel
Dismiss it
And walk away unchanged
They were at the cross… but untouched by it.
2. The Shallow – The Stony Ground (The Moved but Not Changed)
Not everyone there was mocking. Some were watching. Some were stirred. Some may have even felt sorrow or conviction in the moment. But there was no root. Like the stony ground, they received something emotionally—but it did not last. When the moment passed… so did the impact.
They represent those who:
Feel something in the moment
Respond temporarily
But fall away when it costs something
They were moved by the cross… but not transformed by it.
3. The Distracted – The Thorny Ground (The Indifferent)
This is where the garment comes into full view. The soldiers sat at the foot of the cross—not mocking, not weeping… just occupied. They took His garments and divided them into four parts.�But when they came to the coat—seamless, woven from top to bottom—they said:
“Let us not rend it… but cast lots for it.”
While salvation was being accomplished above them…�they were gambling below.
They recognized the value of the garment— but not the value of the One wearing it.
Like the thorny ground:
The cares of life
The pursuit of gain
The distractions of the moment choked out what they could have seen.
They were near the cross… but focused on everything else.
4. The Receptive – The Good Ground (The Redeemed)
But not everyone left empty. There was a thief who turned. In his final moments, he saw what others could not.�Not a defeated man—but a King. “Lord, remember me…” And grace answered.
There were also those who remained—Mary, John, and a few others. They stayed when others left. They stood when others mocked.
This is the good ground:
They receive the Word
They believe
And something changes
They were not just near the cross— they were changed by it.
The Conclusion: The Cross wasn't just a tragic ex*****on; it was the opening of the Door that had been "hidden in plain sight" within the genealogy of Israel for centuries. It is a powerful reminder that while the world often focuses on the "Three" (the three crosses), the "Fourth" (the nature of the heart that receives the work) is what determines our eternity.
There were few people, who were there that believed and knew who Yeshua was, and there were many people who were there, that it took a shaking and darkness to wake them from their spiritual slumber.
Let us ask our self, Which type of person are you?
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