To The Metal

³⁹ Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, ^[a]“If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”

⁴⁰ But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? ⁴¹ And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴² Then he said ^[b]to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

⁴³ And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

Luke 23:39-43

“If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”  The criminal who blasphemed our Lord here was so close to salvation but simply could not see past his own pain and anger.  Jesus IS the Christ, and He was sacrificing Himself to save everyone, which He demonstrates in the following verses of this chapter.

After the outburst from the first criminal, the “thief on the cross” revealed the conviction within himself by acknowledging who Jesus is.  The thief confessed that he was worthy of this punishment, but that Jesus was innocent.  He then made a simple request of Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

While we still have breath, we still have time to turn to Jesus.  The thief on the cross, who we all were before we accepted Jesus into our hearts, was faced in that moment with his mortality.  He saw both an eternity apart from God, and an eternity in the presence of God before him.  He chose to humble himself, exalt Christ, and physically turn to Jesus through the pain of the cross.

By making that decision in his final moments, he was guaranteed salvation and eternal life.  “Assuredly I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise.”  Praise the Lord!

^34 [a]Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

And they divided His garments and cast lots. ³⁵ And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.”

³⁶ The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, ³⁷ and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.”

³⁸ And an inscription also was ^[b]written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew:

THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Luke 23:34-38

Much of Psalm 22 plays out here, as prophetic as ever through the suffering and mocking of our Lord.  “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS” said the inscription over His head.  Written in Latin for the Romans, Hebrew for the Jews, and Greek for everyone else.  The inscription made sure all knew who the Romans were crucifying that day.

Where were the Jews who had been blessing “He who comes in the name of the Lord” just days earlier?  Now they stood aside and ridiculed Him.  “He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him” – Psalm 22:8.  They cast lots for His clothes, mocked Him, spat upon Him.  They ridiculed the very King of The Universe who they would praise on the Sabbath.

They sat back in fear of man, pride, and darkness as the sin of the world was poured out upon He who was blameless and knew no sin.  They truly did not know what they were doing… This society who had prayed and looked forward to the Messiah’s arrival now let Him bleed out and suffocate on a cross amongst criminals.

⁶ But I am a worm, and no man;
A reproach of men, and despised by the people.
⁷ All those who see Me ridicule Me;
They ^[b]shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
⁸ “He ^[c]trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him;
Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”

⁹ But You are He who took Me out of the womb;
You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts.
¹⁰ I was cast upon You from birth.
From My mother’s womb
You have been My God.
¹¹ Be not far from Me,
For trouble is near;
For there is none to help.

¹² Many bulls have surrounded Me;
Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me.
¹³ They ^[d]gape at Me with their mouths,
Like a raging and roaring lion.

¹⁴ I am poured out like water,
And all My bones are out of joint;
My heart is like wax;
It has melted ^[e]within Me.
¹⁵ My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
And My tongue clings to My jaws;
You have brought Me to the dust of death.

¹⁶ For dogs have surrounded Me;
The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me.
They^[f] pierced My hands and My feet;
¹⁷ I can count all My bones.
They look and stare at Me.
¹⁸ They divide My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots.

Psalm 22:6-18

32 There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. 33 And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. 34 [a]Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

Luke 23:32-34

Jesus is crucified with two criminals, accepting the punishment for all of our sin at once. Even from the cross on that day upon Calvary, he continued to lead us. Back in Luke 6:27-28, Jesus taught us to love our enemies, do good for those who hate us, bless those who curse us, and pray for those who spitefully use us.

27 “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.

Luke 6:27-28

Even on this day He taught. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” He openly asked God to forgive everyone responsible for where He was there and then, as he took on all of our sin. He loved us, did good for us, blessed us, and prayed for us. He was dying to save the very souls that hung Him on the cross and none of them even knew it.

Within all that pain and torture, He remained focused on the Father, and because of that we have salvation through Him.

²⁶ Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.

²⁷ And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him. ²⁸ But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. ²⁹ For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which 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 in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?”

Luke 23:26-31

After the mocking, beating, and scourging, a bloodied and physically broken Jesus makes His way to Calvary for crucifixion.  The Romans called upon Simon of Cyrene to aid Christ in carrying the cross.  I see Matthew 11:28-30 here, a physical cross likely was not a light burden, but God always provides when we need Him and Jesus certainly needed the Father at this time.

²⁸ Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am ^[a]gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30

It was also a clear representation of what it truly means to bear your cross and follow Christ.

As the crowd followed, a group of women grieved for Him, mourning and lamenting.  Here Jesus broke the silence that had persisted until now.  I can take His statement two ways, first being a prophetic view of our modern world where in fact women are prided on not bearing children, focusing on career instead of family, and elevated for supporting the murder of offspring.

A mountain falling upon us all would be a mercy for what our society has allowed.

The second way I see it was also prophetic but focused on Israel.  Jesus Christ was walking the earth, the Messiah had come to Jerusalem.  The kingdom was at hand, the wood was green, times were good – then still the Romans and the Sanhedrin crucified the Messiah in these good times.  In the years ahead, the children of that generation would suffer greatly, so much so they might consider those women who never bore children to see them suffer – blessed.

A mountain falling upon them would have been a mercy.

So He said “do not weep” for Him, weep for those subject to the darkness that would be coming for Israel in the years ahead, when the wood is dry. I also wonder if “the wood” here was a literal reference to the wood of the cross he bore.

¹³ Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, ¹⁴ said to them, “You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people. And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him; ¹⁵ no, neither did Herod, for ^[a]I sent you back to him; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him. ¹⁶ I will therefore chastise Him and release Him” ¹⁷ (for^[b] it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast).

¹⁸ And they all cried out at once, saying, “Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas”— ¹⁹ who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder.

²⁰ Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus, again called out to them. ²¹ But they shouted, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”

²² Then he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him. I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go.”

²³ But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified. And the voices of these men ^[c]and of the chief priests prevailed. ²⁴ So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested. ²⁵ And he released ^[d]to them the one they requested, who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison; but he delivered Jesus to their will.

Luke 23:13-25

Taking the place of Barabbas.  Jesus was returned to Pilate, who saw now fault in Him, no crime worthy of death.  Three times Pilate offered to chastise and release Jesus, and each time the crowd refused and became more fervent in their desire to see Him crucified.

In modern definitions, to chastise is a severe rebuke or reprimand.  In the days where Jesus walked the earth, it was a severe punishment by beating, whipping, scourging.  Led by the Sanhedrin and  people present, chastisement simply wasn’t enough to satisfy their bloodlust.  They wanted Christ crucified so badly, they chose to free a murderer in his place, Barabbas.

This made me think of the thief on the cross, later in this very chapter.  If not for Christ taking the place of Barabbas, if not for the crowd unknowingly fulfilling prophecy by setting a murderer free and crucifying Jesus – that thief would have been damned along with the rest of us. 

Instead he would be joining Jesus in paradise after his final breath because in his final moments, he turned to Christ.

⁶ When Pilate heard ^[a]of Galilee, he asked if the Man were a Galilean. ⁷ And as soon as he knew that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time. ⁸ Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him. ⁹ Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him nothing. ¹⁰ And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him. ¹¹ Then Herod, with his ^[b]men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate. ¹² That very day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for previously they had been at enmity with each other.

Luke 23:6-12

Jesus faces Herod.  Realizing that Jesus was under the jurisdiction of Galilee, Pilate passed the buck to Herod, the same man who had John the Baptist executed.  Herod was eager to meet Jesus, thinking He might entertain with a miracle like some sort of sideshow act.

As Herod questioned, then began to mock Christ, Jesus remained silent.  He was turning the other cheek and taking on the sin of Herod as well as His accusers.  Through this trial, Herod saw no guilt in Jesus worthy of death.  He dressed Christ in a “gorgeous” robe (perhaps an attempted appeal to vanity?) and sent Him back to Pilate.

Curiously the author points out here that Pilate and Herod, once at enmity, were now friends due to the shared interaction with Jesus.

Then the whole multitude of them arose and led Him to Pilate. ² And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this fellow perverting ^[a]the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.”

³ Then Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

He answered him and said, “It is as you say.”

⁴ So Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no fault in this Man.”

⁵ But they were the more fierce, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place.”

Luke 23:1-5

Jesus handed over to Pontius Pilate.  SO many lies, so much false witness by the Sanhedrin here.  They walk over the law to enforce their own law and protect their power at the cost of their own salvation.  Pilate correctly saw nothing of fault in Jesus.  Whether he truly felt as such or this was merely to pass the buck is not clear in this verse.

The Sanhedrin focused on crimes against the state, as that was their audience, still firmly holding on to any loophole they could find to distance them from the final result of these trials.  Jesus was not perverting the nation, forbidding to pay taxes, or claiming to be King (on his own) but he did not argue the point when Pilate inquired specifically if He was King of the Jews.

Again, Pilate saw no guilt in Christ here.  This further incited the accusers, so much so they actually told the truth (which was no crime).  Did Christ stir up the people and teach?  Absolutely He did, more so than the Sanhedrin could have ever hoped under their own worldly authority. 

Jesus delivered salvation under the authority of God which completely usurped the power of the Sanhedrin and rendered them impotent.

⁶⁶ As soon as it was day, the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, came together and led Him into their council, saying, ⁶⁷ “If You are the Christ, tell us.”

But He said to them, “If I tell you, you will by no means believe. ⁶⁸ And if I ^[a]also ask you, you will by no means answer ^[b]Me or let Me go. ⁶⁹ Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God.”

⁷⁰ Then they all said, “Are You then the Son of God?”

So He said to them, “You rightly say that I am.”

⁷¹ And they said, “What further testimony do we need? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth.”

Luke 22:66-71

Jesus faces the Sanhedrin.  Emboldened by His arrest and captivity, the Sanhedrin confronts and accuses Jesus yet again.  No more pretense or trick questions here, what they ask now they already know the answers to but deny the truth.  Is Jesus the Christ?  Yes.  Would that truth change them, make them believe, or let Him go?  Of course not.

Their love of power far exceeded any fear of God here.  They had seen and heard of all His signs and wonders, they saw, actively allowed, and aided in the fulfillment of prophecy… but all their wicked and hardened hearts desired was that last confession that Jesus is the Son of God.  Then they could find comfort in their legalism as it justified their crime.