Luke 23:27-5627And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him. 28But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. 29For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck. 30Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. 31For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry? 32And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death. 33And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. 34Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. 35And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God. 36And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar, 37And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself. 38And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 39And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. 40But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. 44And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. 45And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. 46And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost. 47Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man. 48And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts, and returned. 49And all his acquaintance, and the women that followed him from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these things. 50And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just: 51(The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) he was of Arimathea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God. 52This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. 53And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid. 54And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on. 55And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. 56And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment. (Luke 23:27‑56)
A great company of people followed when the soldiers took Jesus from the judgment hall to a bare hill outside the city of Jerusalem where the cross was to be set up. The men who hated Jesus had said not to take Him on the feast day “lest there be an uproar of the people”; and they hurried through the trial in the night and went to Pilate very early in the morning that the many people would not know.
Yet it was witnessed by those of Galilee, Jerusalem, and many other places, for, after all, it was a feast day, the first day of unleavened bread when all the Jewish people were to meet in the temple to praise God (Lev. 23:6,76And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. 7In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. (Leviticus 23:6‑7)). But there could have been no rejoicing, for it was the saddest day of all time, when the One Who came to do good to all was nailed on a cross to die.
Pilate made it very plain who it was that hung on the center cross that day: he had a board or scroll fastened above with the name “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” It was written in Hebrew for the Jews to read, in Latin for the Romans, and in Greek for those of that language.
The men who had wanted Jesus put to death, stood about His cross to ridicule Him as He suffered; they said, “He saved others, let Him save Himself.” The soldiers also ridiculed that He was a king and said, “If Thou be the king of the Jews, save Thyself.”
There were two men, who had done wrong, crucified the same time, each on a cross beside Jesus; even one of those men spoke angrily to Him to save Himself and them, if He were the Christ (Messiah). But the other man said that was wrong, that they deserved to die, but that Jesus had “done nothing amiss.”
That man must have known the promise of a King from God. By the words and presence of Jesus that day, he believed Him the Holy One who would yet rule, and he said, “Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom.”
Jesus answered him, “Verily, I say unto you, (meaning, what is to be told is with authority and sure), Today shalt thou be with Me in paradise.”
That was far more than the man asked, his soul would that day be with the Lord in the place of joy, not to wait for His kingdom on earth, for Jesus was more than the King, He was the Saviour of mens’ souls, and the Lord of glory.
The last three hours that Jesus was on the cross there was darkness over all the land; then He called with a loud voice, “Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit.”
Jesus had given up His life Himself when His work of suffering for mens’ sins was finished. That work no one could see, but was the perfect sacrifice known to God. We can believe the Lord’s words as the thief and others did that day, and wonder at His love to be crucified for us.
There was one man, named Joseph, who was in the council, but who believed Jesus the Messiah; he went to Pilate and obtained permission to take down the body of Jesus: and wrapping with linen, placed Him in a new tomb.
ML 03/17/1946