Read the Passage: Luke 23:26–56

Listen to the Redeemed Mind Podcast: Luke 23:26-56

Cross (23:26–43)

Luke 23:36 records that as Jesus was carrying His cross to the place where He would die, a man named Simon of Cyrene was conscripted to help carry the heavy wooden cross. It is interesting that all three of the Synoptic Gospels mention Simon; however, each does so without giving much information about the man. Cyrene was a city in northern Africa, so it is possible that Simon was in Jerusalem for the Passover celebration. Mark records that Simon was “the Father of Alexander and Rufus” (Mark 15:21). A man named Rufus is later greeted as Paul wrote to the church in Rome (cf. Rom. 16:13). Many believe that Simon became a believer soon after Jesus’ death, and that later his son Rufus became a Christian, too. Luke 23:27–31 reports Christ’s interaction with some women who were following Him, who may have been professional mourners. Jesus then prophesied that times of mourning and lamenting would increase after His death.

In Luke 23:32 we learn about the two criminals who were crucified with Jesus. As was previously noted, these men were likely companions of Barabbas. While on the cross, Jesus prayed for forgiveness for those who were present (cf. Luke 23:34). This prayer is one of three of the last seven sayings of Christ that Luke records. This prayer shows the compassion and mercy of God—even as the rulers (cf. Luke 23:35), the soldiers (cf. Luke 23:36), and the criminals (cf. Luke 23:39) mocked Jesus as He died. Luke 23:38 reveals that Pilate had identified Jesus’ crime with the inscription, “This is the King of the Jews” (Luke 23:38), which was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Only John reports that the chief priests objected to this inscription (cf. John 19:21–22); yet Pilate refused to change the wording on the placard, perhaps to spite the religious leaders for their manipulation of Him.

Luke 23:19 reports that “one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed” Jesus as He died. Matthew 27:44 and Mark 15:32 record that initially both of the criminals were mocking Christ. Thus, it seems that when Jesus and the two criminals were first hung on their crosses, both men insulted Christ. Yet, as the six hours that Jesus was on the cross drew onward, only one of the criminals continued to blaspheme Him. The other criminal, however, eventually rebuked the blasphemer (cf. Luke 23:40), admitted his guilt (cf. Luke 23:41a), and declared Jesus’ to be innocent (cf. Luke 23:41b). Observe that this is the third time in this chapter that Christ is proclaimed to be innocent (cf. Luke 23:4, 15, 22, 41). The thief then prayed to Jesus for mercy and was assured by Christ of his salvation. Note that the term “paradise” is used three times in the New Testament to refer to heaven (cf. Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 12:4; Rev. 2:7).

Death (23:44–49)

Luke 23:44–49 narrates the actual death of Christ. Here we learn that Jesus died “about the sixth hour” (Luke 23:44), which would have been about 3:00 p.m. Luke records several events that took place at this time: first, there was darkness on the earth for three hours; second, the veil of the temple was torn in two; third, Christ quoted Ps. 31:5 and committed His spirit to God; fourth, an attending centurion declared that Jesus was a righteous man; and fifth, the crowd beat their breasts as a sign of mourning. Events that Luke omitted from his narrative include a great earthquake (cf. Matt. 27:51) and the appearance of resurrected saints in Jerusalem (cf. Matt. 27:52). Luke does mention the presence of certain women who were followers of Jesus, whom both Matthew and Mark identify as Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the less, and Salome who was the mother of James and John.

Burial (23:50–56)

The burial of Jesus is recorded in Luke 23:50–56. Here we read that Joseph of Arimathea requested to bury the body of Jesus. This would have occurred late on Friday afternoon. It is interesting that Joseph is mentioned by all four Gospel writers, but only in the context of Christ’s burial. From comparing the Gospel accounts, we learn the following about Joseph: he was rich (cf. Matt. 27:57), he was a secret disciple of Jesus (cf. John 19:38), he was member of the Sanhedrin (cf. Mark 15:43), and as a good and just man, he had not consented to the council’s decision to crucify Christ (cf. Luke 23:51). Having been given permission to bury Jesus, Joseph hastily prepared Christ’s body for burial and laid Jesus in his own tomb. John notes that Joseph was aided by Nicodemus (cf. John 19:39). While no Gospel writer notes this, these events were a fulfillment of Isa. 53:9.

Application Questions:

1. What parallels can you draw between the observance of Passover during the Passion Week, and the death of Christ?
2. What is the significance of Simon of Cyrene in this text? What is the significance of Jesus’ prophecy to the mourners?
3. Why did even the criminals mock Jesus as He died? What affect did Jesus’ prayer have upon those for whom He prayed?
4. What happened during his few hours on the cross to transform the thief from a blasphemer to a believer?
5. Why does no one Gospel writer include all of the events that accompanied Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection?