PREVIOUS CHAPTER - NEXT CHAPTER - HELP - GR VIDEOS - GR YOUTUBE - TWITTER - SD1 YOUTUBE CHAPTER 23 Lu 23:1-5. JESUS BEFORE PILATE. (See on Mr 15:1-5; and Joh 18:28-19:22.) Lu 23:6-12. JESUS BEFORE HEROD. (See Mr 15:6.)
7. sent him to Herod--hoping thus to escape the dilemma of an unjust
condemnation or an unpopular release.
8. some miracle--Fine sport thou expectedst, as the Philistines with Samson (Jud 16:25), O coarse, crafty, cruel tyrant! But thou hast been baulked before (see on Lu 13:31-33), and shalt be again. 9. answered . . . nothing--(See Mt 7:6). 10. stood and vehemently accused him--no doubt both of treason before the king, and of blasphemy, for the king was a Jew.
11. his men of war--his bodyguard.
Lu 23:13-38. JESUS AGAIN BEFORE PILATE--DELIVERED UP--LED AWAY TO BE CRUCIFIED. (See on Mr 15:6-15; and Joh 19:2-17).
26. Cyrenian--of Cyrene, in Libya, on the north coast of Africa,
where were many Jews who had a synagogue at Jerusalem
(Ac 6:9,
and see
Ac 2:10).
He was "the father of Alexander and Rufus"
(Mr 15:21),
probably better known afterwards than himself, as disciples. (See
Ro 16:13).
27-31. women--not the precious Galilean women (Lu 23:49), but part of the crowd. 28. not for me, &c.--noble spirit of compassion, rising above His own dread endurances, in tender commiseration of sufferings yet in the distance and far lighter, but without His supports and consolations! 30. mountains . . . hills, &c.-- (Ho 10:8), flying hither and thither as they did in despair for shelter, during the siege; a very slight premonition of cries of another and more awful kind (Isa 2:10, 19, 21; Re 6:16, 17).
31. green tree--that naturally resists the fire.
Lu 23:32-38, 44-46. CRUCIFIXION AND DEATH OF THE LORD JESUS. (See on Joh 19:17-30). Lu 23:39-43. THE TWO THIEVES. 39. railed on him--catching up the universal derision, but with a turn of his own. Jesus, "reviled, reviles not again"; but another voice from the cross shall nobly wipe out this dishonor and turn it to the unspeakable glory of the dying Redeemer.
40. Dost not thou--"thou" is emphatic: "Let others jeer, but dost
thou?"
41. we . . . justly, &c.--He owns the worst of his crimes and
deserts, and would fain shame his fellow into the same.
42. said unto Jesus, &c.--Observe here (1) The "kingdom" referred to was one beyond the grave; for it is inconceivable that he should have expected Him to come down from the cross to erect any temporal kingdom. (2) This he calls Christ's own (Thy) kingdom. (3) As such, he sees in Christ the absolute right to dispose of that kingdom to whom He pleased. (4) He does not presume to ask a place in that kingdom, though that is what he means, but with a humility quite affecting, just says, "Lord, remember me when," &c. Yet was there mighty faith in that word. If Christ will but "think upon him" (Ne 5:19), at that august moment when He "cometh into His kingdom," it will do. "Only assure me that then Thou wilt not forget such a wretch as I, that once hung by Thy side, and I am content." Now contrast with this bright act of faith the darkness even of the apostles' minds, who could hardly be got to believe that their Master would die at all, who now were almost despairing of Him, and who when dead had almost buried their hopes in His grave. Consider, too, the man's previous disadvantages and bad life. And then mark how his faith comes out--not in protestations, "Lord, I cannot doubt, I am firmly persuaded that Thou art Lord of a kingdom, that death cannot disannul Thy title nor impede the assumption of it in due time," &c.--but as having no shadow of doubt, and rising above it as a question altogether, he just says, "Lord, remember me when Thou comest," &c. Was ever faith like this exhibited upon earth? It looks as if the brightest crown had been reserved for the Saviour's head at His darkest moment!
43. Jesus said, &c.--The dying Redeemer speaks as if He Himself
viewed it in this light. It was a "song in the night." It ministered
cheer to His spirit in the midnight gloom that now enwrapt it.
Lu 23:47-56. SIGNS AND CIRCUMSTANCES FOLLOWING HIS DEATH--HIS BURIAL. (See on Mt 27:51-56; Mt 27:62-66; and Joh 19:31-42). GOTO NEXT CHAPTER - D. J-F-B INDEX & SEARCH
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