Morning Light – Luke 23 Part 2: Jesus is Crucified

Jesus is Crucified. In part 2 of Luke 23, Jesus is taken to Calvary and crucified between two criminals. The people gather around Him mocking while Jesus intercedes for His executioners all the while. As the grim matter continues, darkness settles upon the scene as though the sun refuses to shine its light on the shameful events taking place. In all of this, Jesus is carrying our sin debt in utmost agony that we might be freed from the captivity of our iniquity and the eternal consequences of everlasting torment in flames forever.

[Luk 23:27-56 KJV] 27 And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him. 28 But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. 29 For, 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. 30 Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. 31 For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry? 32 And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death. 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 the other on the left. 34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. 35 And 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. 36 And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar, 37 And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself. 38 And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. 40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. 44 And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. 45 And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. 46 And 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. 47 Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man. 48 And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts, and returned. 49 And all his acquaintance, and the women that followed him from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these things. 50 And, 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 Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God. 52 This [man] went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. 53 And 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. 54 And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on. 55 And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. 56 And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.

The curtain fell on the first part of our chapter with Jesus falling under the weight of the cross and Simon, a Cyrene being compelled to carry the timber to the place of execution. Along with the crowd that jeered and heaped scorn on Jesus, there is also mentioned that there was a significant number that followed bewailing what is taking place. The 11 remaining apostles however and sadly were not among them. To a man, they all forsook Him and fled. John followed afar off with a linen sheet cast around his body, Peter went so far as the courtyard of His trial but denied Him when questioned by the rabble.

We picture Jesus, bloodied and weak, one hand on Simon’s arm as the burly Cyrene carried the timber toward the Place of the Skull. Jesus turns to the crowd, and fixing His gaze on the lamenting women says, “weep not for me – weep for yourselves…” In the tombs of the Puritans and the Quakers of centuries past, this phrase is often found on the markers of departed saints. As Jesus so aptly expresses – “if they have done these things in a green tree, what shall be done in a dry season?” The coming centuries known as the Dark Ages would bear out the dim hopes of man ever doing anything other than shaming himself before the Creator.

There were also along with Jesus two other malefactors who were crucified, flayed alive with Him, one on the right hand, and one on the left. As they threw Jesus’ body on the tree, His breath coming in great gasps of pain, He is heard to pray as the mallet drives the spikes through His feet and hands – “Father forgive them, they know not what they do…” The soldiers are oblivious and set about gambling for His clothes, stripped from His naked form, for they were valuable to them, not to be discarded as they no doubt did with the rags torn from the two thieves. These quality garments were no doubt testimony to the love of the wealthy women who supported Jesus, or perhaps Zacchaeus or some other wealthy publican, showering Jesus with love and gifts insisting that He take of the very best they had to offer.

As the soldiers cast the dice, as the two thieves writhed on the timbers, in agony – cursing and crying out. The rulers of the Jews cast dispersions upon Jesus in the hearing of the people. “He saved others – let Him save Himself if He is who He says He is…” Have you ever prayed, “God, if you are who you say you are…?” What a testament that God in heaven restrained His hand when certainly with one word from on high the angels would have descended from on high and wiped mankind off the face of the earth in a moment of time – to rescue Heaven’s Darling from the offense perpetrated upon Him among His very own kinsmen. The soldiers note the bristling crowd and joining in the fun they offered Jesus vinegar to drink, saying, “if you are a king – save yourself…” To which Jesus uttered not a word. A superscription scrawled on a sign above Jesus’ battered brow read, “This is the King of the Jews” and certainly Jesus in His earthly lineage hung there – a son of David unimpeachably deserving of the throne over the very people that spat their curses at Him at this moment. What a dread price the Jews would pay in the centuries to come. Having sown to the wind they will indeed reap the whirlwind of their rejection of their Messiah.

One of the thieves stirred from his blinding pain screams at Jesus “if you are the Christ, then save yourself and save us…” Not knowing that Jesus was doing exactly that. What is taking place at this moment? He is saving this man. He is saving you, and He is saving me. The other thief rebukes the man, leaning forward on the nails that pierce his him, wincing from the pain and crying out, “do you have no fear of God?” He knew he was suffering the just recompense of his crimes, but in Jesus, he saw something of cosmic consequence, and looking on Him said: “Lord remember me when you come into your kingdom…” Jesus’ reply gives us the very first Christian convert and the very first martyr. Surely when Steven was ushered from his own martyrdom and death a few months later – it was this thief who met him along with the resurrected Christ and welcomed him to his eternal reward.

About the sixth hour, darkness settles over all this scene. The sun itself refused to cast its light on the suffering of the pre-existent son of God who had stoked its furnaces in the beginning of time. The veil of the Temple tears itself apart, showing that for at least four centuries, the glory of the Lord had long departed. Back at the hill of execution, Jesus’ body is wracked in spasms of pain, and He cries out – “Father into thy hands I commend My Spirit…” and having thus said He gives up the ghost. What a Savior. What a work has been wrought for you and me that we might call ourselves Christians and followers of a resurrected Lord.

The centurion in charge of the execution squad pauses in his supervision of the grisly death task and realizes that something very different has occurred. He looks into the lifeless face of Jesus and declares, “surely this is a righteous man, surely this is the son of God…” No one had ever died with the composure and grace demonstrated by the Galilean. Tradition would tell us that this man would go on to take his place as a follower of the way and lay his own life down in martyrdom to the very Christ that he himself had participated in brutalizing and killing. The people watching are suddenly somber. Their jeers die in their throat. Their gallows humor ceases, and for one transfixed moment, they have a sense that they have brought upon themselves the blood guiltiness of a crime more horrendous than any other human act in history past or history to come. The killing fields of Cambodia pale before the atrocity of this day. The 11 million that died at the hands of Nazi Germany are a mere footnote in the dread shadow of this awful moment. They beat their breasts and depart in a single file from the scene, not knowing what tomorrow will hold for them.

From a distance, a man named Joseph of Arimathea goes to Pilate and with a bribe arranges for the body of Jesus to be turned over to his care. He lays the broken, lifeless frame into his own tomb, and the women who had yet to leave the scene take spices and ointments to prepare the body. The scene leaves us spent. Our minds struggle to grasp the enormity of what has happened. All of human history from this day forward and this day looking back will be reckoned from this one moment when Heaven’s best paid the price for man’s worst. We are undone. We wait not knowing that on the third day, all the world would be reborn to hope beyond comprehension – opening the heavens for you and me and all those of like precious faith.