26 And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. 27 And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. 28 But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ 31 For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
32 Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 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. 35 And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine 37 and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”
39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 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 he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
While Luke doesn’t write about the scourging of Jesus, He was so weak that Simon of Cyrene was seized and made to carry the cross behind Jesus. Despite the loud calls to crucify Jesus, many still followed Him mourning and lamenting over what was happening to Him. Despite His own suffering, Jesus still took time to show compassion for those who followed Him. Once again He spoke of the coming suffering that would befall Jerusalem because of Israel’s rejection of her Messiah. Instead of deliverance, the nation would suffer destruction. In those coming times, the sorrow would be significantly greater for those who had children and the suffering so great they would consider death a relief.
Two criminals were crucified with Jesus, one on either side. Jesus showed incredible forgiveness even in His death. He prayed that the Father would forgive those who crucified Him. They didn’t appreciate the significance of what they were doing. God’s mercy allowed them to escape immediate judgment and provided an opportunity for them to still turn to the very One they crucified for forgiveness when they realised the magnitude of their sin. The soldiers cast lots for his clothing (Psalm 22:18). The rulers continued to mock and insult Jesus. They mocked Him for not saving Himself but He could not because His death was necessary for Him to save us. Above Jesus hung an inscription saying, “This is the King of the Jews.”
Even one of the criminals that hung beside Jesus insulted Him and made the same accusation that if He was indeed the Christ, why didn’t He save Himself—and them. But the other criminal recognised that he hung there legitimately for the crimes he had committed while Jesus hung there for all the crimes He had not. The second criminal truly saw Jesus as the Messiah and called on Him in faith—“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus’ response is beautifully simple, “today you will be with me in paradise.”
Salvation is an incredible gift given to those who don’t deserve it. That second criminal did all anyone can do for salvation, believe that Jesus can and will provide it. Jesus’ answer assures us that there is nothing we can do to earn or keep it because He guaranteed eternity to the criminal who hung there fully deserving his death and with no merit or ability to earn his salvation.
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
The Day of the Lord: Joel 1-2