Remember Me

And the people stood by, looking on. And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One.” The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, offering Him sour wine, and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!” Now there was also an inscription above Him, “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour, because the sun was obscured; and the veil of the temple was torn in two. And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT.” Having said this, He breathed His last. Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he began praising God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent.” And all the crowds who came together for this spectacle, when they observed what had happened, began to return, beating their breasts. And all His acquaintances and the women who accompanied Him from Galilee were standing at a distance, seeing these things. Luke 23:35-49


Mocking. Humiliation. The crowd was watching as our Lord hung there, bruised and scourged, bloody and injured. The rulers (ranking temple authorities) chimed in, childishly, chanting that He should save Himself, if He was the Messiah. Interestingly, I saw a letter to the editor in today's newspaper expressing the same kind of ridicule for the plan of God for His Messiah. Suggesting that if God were able to prevent this awful punishment, He would have, as any father would do. Just more deliberate blindness to the grace provision of God. Using insults as a cloak of armor against the truth they are unwilling to receive. The soldiers, too, in offering Him sour wine (as a comfort, we think, for His pain and thirst; and perhaps to relax the victim's muscles, so that his breathing would be hampered), also jeered and challenged His power. The inscription above Him announced: "THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS." Luke doesn't give us the details, but other gospel writers tell us it was written and placed there by Pilate. He, who found no guilt in Jesus.

Wouldn't you know? One of the criminals hanging beside Him also began to blaspheme. "If you are the Messiah, save yourself and us!" The other one, though, protested. We are guilty as charged. He is innocent. Why are you not afraid to say such things? And then: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom!" Now, that is faith. That is "deathbed" confession of faith. And the Messiah honored that expression of faith with the promise: "this day you will be with Me in Paradise." Paradise was the abode of the believing dead. The thief was born again as he hung on that Roman cross, dying beside the Messiah. Hallelujah! What a Savior.

At the sixth hour (noon), the sun was obscured. A deep darkness covered the earth for three hours, while the Son of God received in His sinless person the cup of the wrath of God. This was the accumulated sins of the entire human race, from Adam to the last man who will ever live. The heavy veil in the temple was torn down the middle, opening the way to the Holy of Holies. The sin barrier between man and God was now removed. Jesus' atonement removed it. What happened after the atonement was completed was entirely in the control of God the Son. Nobody killed Him. He cried out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit My Spirit." Then He breathed His last. It was done. Finished. The penalty was entirely paid.

The crowd was stunned. The centurion praised God and said "this man was righteous." The bystanders and supporters of Jesus stood in quiet mourning, not understanding what just happened here. Our Lord has died. What do we do now?