Today’s passage: Luke 23:26-43
Helpful thoughts:
- Cyrene is a city in modern day Libya. Simon and his family may have known very little about Jesus when they came to Jerusalem. But they knew Jesus as their savior and followed Him afterward. (Mark 15:21, Romans 16:13)
- In Jesus’ instruction to the “Daughters of Jerusalem” (Israel), he quoted from Hosea 10:8. As the capitals in Israel had fallen before, Rome was about to destroy Jerusalem.
- The mockery of Jesus was centered around the idea that He was the King of the Jews. For example:
- The wine was not given as an act of kindness. They were being the king’s cup bearers.
- The criminals crucified on either side were representing his court.
Questions to consider:
- How many types of responses do we see in this passage to who Jesus is? How do they represent the way the world looks at Him still today?
- How did Jesus respond to those who were actively crucifying Him? What did He ask for the Father to do for them? On what grounds did Jesus ask for mercy for these people? How could we apply this today?
- One thief believed and was saved, the other rejected Christ. What did the man who was saved say that articulated what he had come to believe? How does this one paragraph beautifully communicate the gospel message?