Verses 1-3. The whole multitude of them arose and led Him to Pilate that the Gentile power might carry out their base and murderous intentions. They pour out false accusations in the ears of Pilate. To all of which Jesus made no reply except when asked if He was a king, He confessed, “Thou sayest it.”
Verses 4-25. Pilate said, “I find no fault in this man.” But this only stirred up the fire that burned against Him the more fiercely. When Pilate heard that He was a Galileean, he sent Him to Herod, who was glad to see this wonderful man, of whose miracles he had heard, but the Lord took no notice of him. The chief priests continued vehemently accusing Him. Herod and his men of war set Him at naught, and mocked Him; arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him to Pilate and these two enemies became friends over Him that day. Pilate called together His accusers and told them that neither Herod nor he could find any fault in Him. “I will therefore chastise Him and release Him.” It was a law to release a criminal to the Jews at their feast, but with one voice they cried out, “Away with this Man, and release unto us Barabbas,” who had been guilty of sedition and murder.
Pilate tries again, Nit they cried, “Crucify Him, crucify Him.” Again, the third time, Pilate asserts the innocence of Jesus, but they were instant with loud voices requiring that He might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. Open-eyed, flagrant injustice to please men: priests, whose business it should have been to defend the weak, were His accusers. The judge knowingly condemns the innocent, and plows up His back with the Roman scourge. The murderer is preferred before the Saviour. “He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth” (Isa: 53:7). “They compassed Me about also with words of hatred; and fought against Me without a cause. For My love they are My adversaries: but I give Myself unto prayer. And they have rewarded Me evil for good, and hatred for My love.” Psa. 109:3-53They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause. 4For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer. 5And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love. (Psalm 109:3‑5).
Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required: the murderer whom they desired is released, and Jesus is delivered to their will. Verse 26. They laid hold of one Simon, a Cyrenian, whom they compelled to bear the cross after Jesus, an old writer says, “The decreed burden of every saint.” We trust he got blessing through it.
Verses 27-31. There followed Him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented Him. But Jesus turning unto them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For, behold, the days are earning, in the which they shall say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.’ Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us;’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do these things in the green tree, what shall be done in the dry?” It would be for them judgment for their rejection of Him, and wrath to the uttermost they brought upon themselves (Luke 1.9:41-44; 21:22-24; 1 Thess. 2:1616Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost. (1 Thessalonians 2:16)). Yet His heart breathed out forgiving grace through all.
Verse 33. And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand and another on the left. “He was numbered with the transgressors.”
Verses 34, 35. Then said Jesus, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” And Peter’s address in Acts 3 is in answer to this prayer. (See also Matt. 5:4444But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; (Matthew 5:44)). It was all the love and the obedience the Father delighted in. It was a bright light shining amid the darkness of man, blinded by the enemy. The soldiers gambled over His clothes. The people stood beholding. The rulers also with them derided Him. He was the song of the drunkards. They say, “He saved others, let Him save Himself, if He be Christ, the chosen of God.” Yes, He saved others, they had to own that. But Himself He could not save; love’s stream too deeply flowed.
Verses 36-38. And the soldiers also mocked Him, coming to Him, and offering vinegar, and saying, “If Thou be the King of the Jews, save Thyself.” And there above His head the inscription was written, “This is the King of the Jews,” in three languages, so that all might read it.
Verses 39-41. And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on Him, saying, “If thou be Christ, save Thyself and us.” The two were railing on Him shortly before, but with one a change has come, and he answers the railer, “Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? and we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this Man hath done nothing amiss.” Here grace is seen doing its work in the man’s soul. Its first evidence is: he takes the place of a sinner against God and condemns himself and others before God; and second evidence is: he justified God and declares that this Man hath done nothing amiss. He before all declares the Lord’s generation (or character, Isa. 53:88He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. (Isaiah 53:8)). And then his faith turns to the Lord to find its answer there, nor can the Lord ever disappoint faith in Him. Nay, it will find far more than it sought, for God delights to give.
Verses 42, 43. And he said unto Jesus, “Lord, remember me when Thou comest in Thy Kingdom.” This was both the boldness and the confidence of faith! Great boldness, for had he not reviled the Lord a little while ago, and what could he expect if the Lord gave him what he deserved? And great confidence, for he had read aright in Jesus’ name and prayer, the grace that delighted to forgive the guilty, then this poor man owned Jesus as Lord and King, and marvels that he should so own Him at the very time when He was a dying man. He owned Him as the mighty Son of God, who would rise from the dead, and in the future appointed time of the Father, come back to set up the Kingdom, and he boldly asked to be remembered then. Yes, surely he will have a place with Him then, but the Lord has something now for him to enjoy before the Kingdom comes. And Jesus said unto him, “Verily, I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with Me in Paradise.” Here we get the truth unfolded, that when the believer dies, he is with the Lord, and that when Jesus died, that very day He was absent from the body, He was present with the Father in Paradise, which means a garden of delights, pleasures forevermore. There is no thought in Scripture of Jesus going to prison. Where Jesus’ spirit was, there also was the thief, “With Me.” That would surely be the joy of Paradise. And how different this is from waiting for an earthly kingdom to come; yet the earthly kingdom will come, but all the saints who die will have the heavenly kingdom.
That day, when everything was finished, Jesus said, “Father, into Thy hands I commit My Spirit,” and then gave up His Spirit. And the soldiers brake the legs of the thieves, to kill them quickly, sending the one, as far as we know, to eternal woe; and the other to be with Him whose precious blood had fitted him for that place. “The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin.” And no other preparation was needed for this thief. It was on the ground of the work He was accomplishing on the cross that the Saviour could take the thief to Paradise with Him that day. Jesus rose from the dead, and is now a man ascended and glorified, but the thief’s dust still is on earth, awaiting his part in the resurrection of life with many others who have died in faith, and who cannot be perfected in glory, till we, with all the heavenly saints, are perfected also. (Heb. 11:4040God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. (Hebrews 11:40)). What joy to the poor guilty, yet forgiven, sinner to be with the Lord Jesus. What grace that can say to a sinner like that, I want you with Me in Paradise! It was truth, comforting the Saviour as well as the sinner.
Verses 44-46. It was about the sixth hour, and darkness was over the earth until the ninth hour. It was during this period that Jesus was forsaken of God, the work of atonement was wrought, and much more not mentioned in this gospel took place. Here it mentions the vail of the temple was rent in the midst. It is God declaring all is done. He can come in righteousness and bring sinners into His own immediate presence. “Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” The work of the Lord Jesus on the cross tells of holiness that must judge sin, and of love that provided One to meet the claims of God in atonement. His loud voice proclaimed His finished work, God has raised Him from the dead, and He has entered in, our forerunner.
The vail is rent—our souls draw near
Unto a throne of grace;
The merits of the Lord appear
They fill the holy place.
Verse 47. The Centurion, when he saw what was done, glorified God, saying, “Certainly this was a righteous man.” Well, we may see that Centurion along with other Centurions (as Matt. 8 and Acts 10), who were godly men and believed on Jesus, when we meet the Lord on the cloud, with us praising and adoring the One he saw put to death by the Jews under Pilate’s instructions.
Verses 48, 49. With what mingled feelings the people would return to their abodes that day, for many had not in heart consented to His murder. Joseph of Arimathea was one of this kind.
Verses 50-53. He comes forward, went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Isaiah 53:99And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. (Isaiah 53:9) in the New Translation reads, “And (men) appointed His grave with the wicked, but He was with the rich in His death, because He had done no violence, neither was there guile in His mouth.” So he and Nicodemus, two counselors, took the body down and wrapped it in new fine linen, and laid it in a new sepulcher, hewn out of the rock, wherein never man was laid. Thus again men’s plans were defeated, so that no felon’s grave held His body, and in going into death, He had the holy confidence given in Psalm 16, “Thou wilt not leave My soul in Sheol (separate from the body), neither wilt Thou suffer Thine holy One to see corruption.” So decay was not allowed to touch the body of the Son of God. Soon the time came when He was shown the path of life, and He was saved out of death in answer to His prayer (Heb. 5:77Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; (Hebrews 5:7)).
Verses 55, 56. The women also watched where the body was laid, and with what time was left before the Sabbath, prepared spices and ointments (though never used, how precious this would be to the Lord), and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment. They did not yet understand that all this was set aside and shadowed in the rending of the wail. May we know in our souls the liberty it gives us from all laws and ordinances, as now dead with Christ, and risen with Christ.