The only parts of this section of Luke's Gospel that are unique are Jesus' prayer for His enemies (v. 34), the dialogue with the criminals (vv. 39-43), and Jesus' prayer of self-sacrifice to the Father (v. 46). Thus Luke presented Jesus as the forgiving Savior even in His death.
23:33 Luke alone called the site of Jesus' crucifixion "the place called the skull"(Gr. kranion) rather than referring to it by its Aramaic name, Golgotha, and then translating it. This was undoubtedly an accommodation to his Gentile readers. The name of the place was obviously appropriate to the occasion. Jesus' central position among the three symbolized His centrality in the event and His proximity to all sinners.
23:34 In contrast to the hate and rejection expressed in crucifixion, Jesus manifested love and forgiveness for those who crucified Him. He prayed for them basing His petition for mercy on their ignorance even though at the same time they were stealing His garments in fulfillment of prophecy (Ps. 22:18). Luke's inclusion of Jesus' prayer for His executioners harmonizes with his emphasis on Jesus offering grace and forgiveness to sinners (cf. 7:40-43; 19:10). If Jesus had had any sins of His own to confess, this would have been the time to do so. He did not, so He prayed for other sinners instead. Stephen followed Jesus' good example here when he died at the hands of his persecutors (Acts 7:60). Luke may have wanted his readers to see Jesus' act as a good model for disciples.
23:35 The Jewish people (Gr. laos) stood by looking on in fulfillment of prophecy (Ps. 21:8). Perhaps Luke wrote that even the rulers sneered at Jesus because they of all the people should have been the most compassionate toward someone in Jesus' position. Instead they mocked His apparent impotence. They may have meant "saved"(Gr. esosen) in the sense of physical deliverance, or they may have meant it ironically, meaning that He claimed to save people spiritually. Both meanings could have been in their minds. The title "God's Chosen One"reflects what Jesus claimed that He was and what the Father had acknowledged Jesus to be at the Transfiguration (9:35; cf. Isa. 42:1; 1 Pet. 2:4).
23:36-38 The Roman soldiers also taunted Jesus. Their offer of sour wine was a mock relief for His sufferings (Ps. 69:21; cf. Matt. 27:34). If they had wanted to relieve Him, they should have given Him something refreshing rather than revolting. Their words also expressed ridicule for His title that they had nailed above His head on Pilate's order (John 19:19-22).
This is another incident that only Luke recorded. It reflects his interest in needy people receiving salvation from Jesus. This is such a dominent theme in Luke's Gospel that one commentator concluded that this incident is the core of Luke's crucifixion narrative.507The attitudes of the two criminals crucified with Jesus represent the two attitudes that lead to condemnation and salvation. The incident is also another testimony to Jesus' innocence, and it presents Him as the Savior even as He was dying.
23:39 The first criminal (robber, Matt. 27:35; Mark 15:27) joined the mockery of others around the cross by implying Jesus' inability to save Himself and His fellow sufferers. He was bitterly sarcastic of Jesus.508His verbal abuse constituted blasphemy (Gr. eblasphemei). Blasphemy is essentially impious irreverence and defamation. Obviously this man did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah. Luke may have intended this criminal's action as a warning to his readers not to do the same thing. Refusing to take Jesus' claims seriously constitutes blasphemy of Him.
23:40-41 Matthew and Mark wrote that both criminals railed at Jesus (Matt. 27:44; Mark 15:32). Luke focused on the repentance of the second one. This man did believe that Jesus was the Messiah (v. 42). He therefore viewed the blasphemy of his compatriot as worthy of divine judgment on top of human condemnation. He admitted His own guilt (cf. 18:13-14) and did not try to excuse His acts. He went further and even defended Jesus' innocence.
23:42 His request that Jesus remember him was a call for salvation. He claimed nothing deserving of Jesus' mercy but simply asked for grace in spite of His guilt. It anticipated a distant time when Jesus would return, raise the righteous dead, and establish His kingdom on the earth. The man's view of Messiah was that He was divine, not just a present political deliverer. Evidently this man had heard Jesus' teachings about the kingdom.
". . . the second criminal is a perceptive person who contrasts sharply with the imperceptive people who are calling on Jesus to save himself. . . .
"The criminal is the last person who turns to Jesus for help during Jesus' ministry; he is also the one person who understands and accepts the path which Jesus must follow to fulfill God's purpose: through death to enthronement at God's right hand."509
23:43 The man received more from Jesus than he expected, as is always true in salvation. Jesus prefaced His solemn promise with a guarantee of its validity. The thief would not have to wait for the kingdom to be with Jesus. He would be with Him in the place of righteous departed spirits that very day when they both died.
Paradise and Abraham's bosom (16:22-26) are the same place. The word "paradise"has come into English from Greek but originally from Persian. It describes a beautiful garden or delightful park such as the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:8). Symbolically it represents future bliss (cf. Isa. 51:3; Rev. 2:7). Essentially the paradise that lies ahead of believers is paradisiacal because God is there (cf. 2 Cor. 12:4). Jesus presented fellowship with Himself as the best part of salvation, as it is.
". . . Jesus acts as the Messiah who has the kingly right to open the doors of paradise to those who come into fellowship with him."510
When Jesus suffered on the cross, He experienced separation from the Father, which is spiritual death. Having died physically His body went into the grave for three days. His spirit went to paradise, namely into the Father's presence where the spirits of the righteous dead abide until their reunion with their bodies at their resurrection. When Jesus arose, the Father reunited His spirit with His then immortal body.
The Apostles Creed says that when Jesus died He descended into hell. This idea evidently originated because Jesus said that He would spend three days and three nights in the heart of the earth when He died (Matt. 12:40). The ancients viewed Sheol (the Old Testament term) and Hades (the New Testament term) as in the heart of the earth or at least as under the surface of the earth. The formulators of the Apostles Creed apparently confused the temporary destiny of Jesus' spirit (i.e., His immaterial part) with the temporary destiny of His body (i.e., His material part). There is no clear biblical statement that Jesus' spirit went to hell after His death. On the contrary Jesus here affirmed that His spirit would go to paradise (i.e., God's presence) when He died.
Note also that Jesus promised the thief that he would go to paradise simply because of his faith in Jesus. This is one of the clearest examples in Scripture that salvation is not a reward for meritorious works but is a gift of God (Eph. 2:8-9). The thief did not have to do anything more to qualify for heaven. Indeed he could have done nothing more. People who believe that some works are necessary for salvation usually explain this instance of salvation as an exception to the rule. However, it is consistent with the teaching of Scripture elsewhere that salvation comes to a person solely in response to believing faith in Jesus Christ.
Luke included three things in this heart of the death scene. He gave two evidences of God's displeasure with people for rejecting His Son. He recorded Jesus' prayer of trust in the Father, and he noted three immediate reactions to Jesus' death.
23:44-45 Luke arranged these unusual occurrences to show God's displeasure with humankind for rejecting His Son.511The sixth and ninth hours were noon and 3:00 p.m. respectively. Darkness obscuring the sun represented judgment obscuring the beneficent light of God's countenance (cf. Isa. 5:30; 60:2; Joel 2:30-31; Amos 5:18, 20; Zeph. 1:14-18; Luke 22:53; Acts 2:20; 2 Pet. 2:17; Rev. 6:12-17). Evidently this was a local rather than a universal phenomenon.
Luke moved the tearing of the temple veil up in his narrative whereas Matthew and Mark placed it after Jesus' death as a consequence of that event. It symbolizes the opening of the way into God's presence that Jesus' death affected in those Gospels. However in Luke the reader sees it as a sign of God's wrath. Specifically it seems to represent God's judgment on Judaism for rejecting the Messiah. It was a portent of the judgment coming on Jerusalem that Jesus had predicted.
23:46 Luke next recorded Jesus' death. This was Jesus' final prayer to His Father.
In this prayer Jesus offered Himself to God as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. Jesus voluntarily laid His life down; no one took it from Him (John 10:15-18; cf. John 15:13). His words were similar to those that many Jews used in prayer before they went to sleep at night (cf. Ps. 31:5).512They expressed Jesus' trust in God as well as His commitment to Him. The strength with which Jesus cried out showed His physical strength but more important the significance of His declaration. Jesus sovereignly controlled His circumstances to the end of His life.
23:47-49 The centurion who was responsible for carrying out the crucifixion added his testimony to the others who recognized Jesus' innocence. His witness constituted praise of God because it harmonized with God's assessment of His Son. Praising God is a reaction to God's power and mercy that Luke often noted in this Gospel (2:20; et al.). The reaction of the general public (Gr. ochloi, a mixed group) was to smite their breasts with their hands in typical ancient oriental fashion. This symbolized their grief at the tragedy of Jesus' crucifixion (cf. 18:13). Jesus' acquaintances, including several females, stood at a distance watching. The reference to these women prepares for the following events. The implication is that they, too, marvelled at the tragedy but stood aloof (cf. Ps. 38:11).
These reactions confirm that Jesus did indeed die as a real man. He was not a demigod who merely appeared to die. Note also that Luke presented these witnesses in a receding order from the cross (v. 46). The effect is to lead the reader to step back from the cosmic epicenter of history gradually.
Luke stressed Jesus' innocence in a number of ways that the other Gospel writers did not. He recorded that Pilate declared Him innocent three times (vv. 4, 14, 22). He also noted Herod's testimony to Jesus' innocence (v. 15). He contrasted Jesus' innocence with Barabbas' guilt (v. 25). He recorded the thief's testimony to Jesus' innocence (v. 41). He also included the centurion's confession of Jesus' innocence (v. 47). Finally he noted the reaction of the crowd that showed many of them believed He was innocent (v. 48).513Obviously Luke wanted to convince his readers that Jesus died as an innocent man, not as a sinner.
