Luke 23: The Rough Wood and What Hung on It
I spent an afternoon last summer milling rough oak that had been sitting in a shed for a year. The boards had twisted and cupped, and I had to plane them down past the cracks before I could square an edge. The waste pile was bigger than the usable lumber.
It takes work to make something usable out of rough wood. I thought about that when I read Luke 23 this week. The chapter is all rough timber: Pilate and Herod and the crowd and the soldiers and the cross itself. And through all of it, a man who stayed square when everything around him was twisted.
What Does Jesus Mean by Paradise in Luke 23
Pilate found no fault in him and said it three times. Herod mocked him and sent him back. Pilate tried to release him. The crowd shouted for Barabbas. When Pilate asked what evil the man had done, they shouted louder: Crucify him. Crucify him.
The pressure must have been immense. A governor trying to do the right thing in a room full of people who wanted blood eventually caved and delivered Jesus to their will.
Then Simon of Cyrene was compelled to carry the cross. A large crowd followed, including women who mourned. Jesus turned to them and said something I keep sitting with.
Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.
He was walking to his death and he told the women to save their tears for themselves. That is worth remembering.
Lessons From the Thief on the Cross in Luke 23
Two malefactors were led with him to be put to death. When they came to the place called Calvary, they crucified him along with the malefactors on either side.
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.
One of the malefactors railed on him. The other rebuked the first. He said to Jesus: Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. Jesus said unto him:
Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
A dying man on a cross with nothing to offer and nothing to lose turned to the Lord and was promised paradise. No baptism or temple recommend or service record. Just a heart that recognized who Jesus was and asked to be remembered.
I have been sitting with that all week. The thief did not have time to make things right or go back and apologize or fix what he broke. He had time for one thing: he looked at the man dying next to him and said remember me.
That was enough.
I think about how often I assume I need to be more prepared before I turn to the Lord. Have I read enough. Have I repented enough. Did I do enough. The thief did not ask those questions. He was in the middle of failing and dying and he just asked.
Meaning of the Veil of the Temple Being Rent Luke 23
It was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. The sun was darkened. The veil of the temple was rent in the middle.
Jesus cried with a loud voice and said:
Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
The centurion saw what happened and glorified God, saying: Certainly this was a righteous man. The people who had gathered for the spectacle smote their breasts and went away.
The veil of the temple was a heavy curtain that separated the holy place from the most holy place. Only the high priest could go past it, once a year, with blood. When it tore from top to bottom at the moment Jesus died, the message was clear: the barrier was gone and the way was open.
I wrote about the aftermath of this in Luke 24: The Walk, the Meal, the Burning Heart. The three days between the tearing of the veil and the empty tomb are the hardest part of the story.
How To Forgive People Who Do Not Apologize
Jesus said: Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. He said it while the soldiers were driving nails through his hands. They never asked for forgiveness. They did not apologize and they were not sorry. He forgave them anyway.
That is the standard. Forgiveness because of who he is, not because the other person earned it or asked for it. He was making forgiveness possible for everyone, including the people who did not want it.
I have had to forgive people who never apologized. I suspect most of us have. The example from the cross is that you do it because that is what love does. It does not wait for the other person to be ready.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the significance of the temple veil being rent when Jesus died?
It symbolized that the separation between God and humanity was removed. The veil was torn from top to bottom by God, not from the bottom by a person. The way into the presence of God was now open to everyone through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Why did Jesus tell the women not to weep for him?
He knew the suffering they would face. The destruction of Jerusalem was coming within a generation. He wanted them to see that the real tragedy was ahead, not on the cross. They needed to prepare their hearts for what was coming.
Does the promise to the thief mean works are not required for salvation?
The thief could not do any works because he was nailed to a cross. But he exercised faith and repented in the moment he had left. His faith was real and his repentance was sincere. That is what mattered. The principle is that sincere turning to Christ is always accepted, no matter how late.
Who carried the cross for Jesus in Luke 23?
A man named Simon of Cyrene was compelled to carry it. He was coming in from the country when the soldiers grabbed him and put the cross on him. He carried it behind Jesus. Simon never volunteered for the task, but he carried it anyway.
What did Jesus say right before he died in Luke 23?
He said: Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. It was an act of trust and surrender. He did not die because death took him. He gave his spirit back to the Father when the work was finished.
I stood in the garage looking at that pile of rough oak shavings on the floor. The usable boards were stacked against the wall. The waste was in a bucket. It takes work to make something usable out of rough wood.
Luke 23 is rough wood. But the man on the cross stayed square. He forgave the people who did not ask for it. He promised paradise to a dying criminal. He gave his spirit back to the Father. And three days later, the rough wood was empty and the tomb was not.
— D.