Luke 23:26-43
The Crucifixion of Jesus
26 As the soldiers led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27 A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. 28 Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 Then
“‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!”
and to the hills, “Cover us!”’
31 For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”
36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”
38 There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
The story of Jesus and Him on the cross is an old one...It has been told for two thousand years...It is read about and told often and is a common story, when we think of Jesus, our Savior...
St. Luke writes about the crucifixion...He writes the soldiers led Jesus away and they seized Simon from Cyrene, and made him help Jesus carry His cross...A large number of people followed and watched...The women wept for Him, but He told them "Do not not to weep for Me, but to weep for yourselves and your children...A time will come when they will say, blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore children...Then they will say to the mountains, fall on us, and to the hills, cover us...For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will they do when the tree is dry?"...
Jesus ask the Father to forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing...And the soldiers divided up His clothes, by casting lots...People stood and watched...Rulers sneered at Him...They said "He saved others, let Him save Himself, if He is the Messiah."...A soldier said "If You are King of the Jews, then save Yourself."...A sign was in fact put on the top of His cross that read, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS...There were two criminals being crucified beside Him...One ask Him to remember when He made it to His Kingdom...The other ask "Aren't You the Messiah, save Yourself and us."...
Jesus is the Tree of Life...If we blame, crucify, and think just common thoughts about the blameless and innocent, what should and will we do to the sinner, and sinful nations?...If we will not spare the beautiful green tree full of life and foliage, what should we do to the old, dead, dry, ugly tree with no life?...If we do not listen to the Tree of Life, why listen to anyone, and what shall we do with those trees that produce no fruit?...
Sometimes it seems that the cross becomes a common thing...The cross becomes something we have hanging around our necks, on our necklace...The cross is a common Christian symbol...The cross is all the things, but it also is not common...The cross is not a common thing, that gets old and fades...Nothing is common about our LORD...The story has been heard many times and we let it become commonplace...But there is nothing common about Jesus... Jesus is and was so right when He said we do not know what we are doing...Why would we ever want to crucify our LORD?...What is He guilty of?...We are the ones who produce little fruit...
Jesus on the cross, was and is able to forgive us..Beaten, flogged, tired from carrying His cross, He still has the power, strength, divinity, mercy, and most of all full of grace to forgive us...Jesus would die gracefully and humble for us...There is nothing about this death, and His ability to forgive us that is common...
Jesus died for us...When we think about the cross, we must think about Him on it, dying for us and our sins...He died for our sins...He died for my sins...When we see this mental picture of Him on the cross for us, in our minds, let us think this is what my sins did...