Luke 23:26–43

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.

1.         Early Friday morning, Jesus is being taken to be crucified, and being weakened by being beaten, cannot carry the crossbeam, and a man named Simon is made to carry that part of the T shaped cross.

2.         A large crowd is following the procession and Jesus speaks to them. And it is a ‘lament,’        as Jesus speaks of a great time of sadness and devastation to come. This would be some 40 years in the future, the destruction of Jerusalem and the deaths of hundreds of thousands.

3.         Two other convicts were to be crucified alongside Jesus at the Skull or Cranium in Greek. The first of seven words Jesus speaks while on the cross, is a request to the Father to forgive those who are responsible for crucifying Him.

4.         The soldiers rolled dice to see who would get Jesus clothes, exactly as prophesied in Isaiah. And all the while the ruler and soldiers mocked Him.

5.         Luke tells us of the inscription on a piece of wood that would be attached above Jesus’ head on the cross that stated the reason for the execution, which was common practice.

6.         One of the two criminals railed at Jesus while the other did just the opposite; he knew Jesus had done nothing wrong and said so. This man acknowledged who Jesus was and asked Him to remember him when He came in His kingdom.