An Intense Moment at Golgotha (Luke 23:32-39)

I am going to just jot down pertinent points that interested me and hopefully you will find interest in them also. My approach is going to be a lot like Jules' was Tuesday. So it may not flow very smoothly. (I'm not saying that Jules' didn't flow well....it did.) :)

Gire just mentions, almost in passing, "A stranger was yanked from the sidewalk of gawkers and forced to carry his wood the rest of the way." This was Simon of Cyrene (N. Africa) who as a result of carrying the Cross became a believer. He was the father to Alexander and Rufus who later became quite a leader in the early church. His wife was also a believer.

Even as Christ was led to Calvary Jesus warned the people of their coming persecution. Because Jesus was going to the Cross, the kingdom was being "postponed" and times of tribulation would come on the nation. Why would anyone believe His message today? Really, Jesus' message was being rejected when He was physically present. How much more it would continue to be rejected in the coming years.

Luke did not state, as did Matthew and John, how the events of Jesus' death fulfilled Old Testament Scriptures. Luke's purpose, instead, was to show that Jesus was the forgiving Messiah even as He died. I'm sure you have heard the analogy of Satan accusing us before God but Christ is there defending us. It began on the Cross...look at Luke 23:34, "But Jesus was saying, "Father [address], forgive them [appeal]; for they do not know what they are doing [argument]." And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves."

I think crucifixion probably had its origins among the Persians and Phoenicians, but it was the Romans who made special use of it. No Roman citizen could be crucified, although there were exceptions. My understanding is this mode of capital punishment was reserved for the lowest kinds of criminals, particularly those who promoted insurrection. In Pilate's day, the cross stood for the basest kind of rejection, shame, and suffering. Today, we think of the Cross as a symbol of glory and victory. It was Jesus who made the difference.

It was also required that the criminal wear a placard announcing his crime. The only announcement recorded in the Gospels is the one that Pilate wrote: This is Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews." The chief priests protested the title, but Pilate refused to change it. It was his final thrust against the Jewish religious establishment. He knew that the priests and elders envied Jesus and wanted to destroy Him. Pilate knew that his placard would insult and embarrass them, and I think that is exactly what he wanted.

The fact that this title was written in Aramaic (Hebrew), Greek, and Latin is significant. At least I believe so. For one thing, it shows that our Lord was crucified in a place where many peoples and nations met, in other words, a cosmopolitan place. Hebrew is the language of religion, Greek of philosophy, and Latin of law; and all three combined to crucify the Son of God. But what He did on the Cross, He did for the whole world! What strikes me is Pilate actually wrote a "Gospel tract" when he prepared this title; for one of the thieves discovered that Jesus was King, and he asked entrance into His kingdom. So there was the first Gospel tract put out for people to read!

I know this really doesn't touch on my part but I did want to say one thing about Mary, the mother of Christ. Her silence at the foot of the Cross is significant to me; for if anyone could have rescued Jesus, it was His mother. All she had to do was announce that His claims were false....but she said nothing!! What a testimony to the deity of Christ!

That's it for Tuesday, for me! I'm off to bed.