33When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots to divide his clothing. 35And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” 36The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, 37and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” 39One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” 40But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
Translation: And when they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified him and the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing." And they cast lots to divide his clothing. And the people stood, seeing.
But the rulers were deriding, saying, "He saved others. Let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen." And the soldiers also mocked him, coming (and) offering to him common wine, and saying, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself." There was also an inscription over him, "This one (is) the king of the Jews." And one of the hanging criminals was reviling him: "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us."
But the other answered, rebuking him, saying, "Do you not fear God that you are in the same condemnation, and we indeed justly, for what we receive (is) appropriate to what we did, but this one has done nothing out of place." And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom." And he said to him, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise."
Background and situation: The basic source is Mark--see Mark 15: 22-32 and also Matthew 27: 39-44--to which Luke has introduced some new elements. Important texts to hold in thought are Luke 4: 3-12, 6: 28, 9: 35, Psalm 22, Psalm 69: 21, Isaiah 53: 12, Acts 2: 36, 3: 17.
Text: Among the changes Luke makes to Mark is the use of kakourgo rather than lestai to describe the "criminals." The meanings of kakourgo include "criminals," "malefactors," or even "evil-doers." Lestai, on the other hand, refers to "robbers," "bandits," or even "revolutionaries" or "insurrectionists."
Some argue that, by switching terms from the politically-charged lestai to the broader, but less specific kakourgo, Luke "de-politicizes" Mark on this point. Lestai, after all, could refer to political prisoners, while kakourgo would not. This, however, seems unlikely since Luke doesn't shy away from political statements anywhere else in his gospel.
More likely, Luke is explicitly associating Jesus with criminals. Luke likes to present Jesus as on the same level as the people. In chapter 6, for example, Luke changes the venue for Jesus' "beatitude speech" from Matthew's lofty mountain to a "level place," which is where the common people live and work. Here, Jesus is presented as being on the same level as "criminals"--Isaiah 53: 12: "And he was numbered with the lawless" (which is referenced directly in 22:37). Not only is Jesus with the criminals, but Luke is reminding us also that Jesus himself is being treated as a criminal.
The "Father, forgive them" passage is not present in several of the earliest documents, though is included in Codex Sinaiticus, a number of other early documents, and referenced by some early church fathers. It should be included because of early attestation, and because it fits so well with one of Luke's over-all themes, i.e. forgiveness.
Secondly, it should be included because it balances Jesus' other prayer from the cross in 23:46--"Father, into your hands, I commend my spirit." In both prayers, Jesus prays to his "Father." In the first, right after he is crucified, he makes an appeal on behalf of those who persecute him, as he had encouraged in Luke 6: 28--"pray for those who abuse you." In the second, just before his death, he expresses his solidarity with God.
The passage, along with several others, is instructive for those living in Luke's community. In AD 85, the time of Luke's writing, people who are hauled before "kings and governors," like Jesus was, are to respond as Jesus did. Stand your ground! (23:9) Testify! (21:13) Forgive! (23:34) Luke's most telling example would be Stephen who will make the same plea for forgiveness of enemies as Jesus did (Acts 7: 60).
The "they" to which Jesus refers likely does not (yet) refer to Roman soldiers, since, to this point, no Roman soldiers have been mentioned. It likely refers to the Temple-based Judean leadership. In Acts 2, Luke refers to "Judean leaders, those who were crucifying and mocking him" (v. 36). Still later in Acts, Luke will say that the leadership acted in ignorance (3:17), i.e. did not know what they were doing.
Luke follows Mark with "and they cast lots to divide his clothing," which is a reference to Psalm 22:18. The early Christians understood the death of Jesus in light of Psalm 22, which is the lament of a righteous person who is abused by the people even as he calls out to God.
The scoffing and mockery of vss. 35-36 recalls Psalm 22: 6-7: "But I am a worm, and not human; scorned by others, and despised by the people. All who see me mock at me; they make mouths at me, they shake their heads."
Mockery and derision is a frequent tactic of the powerful to besmirch someone's character. The irritant is brought to heel through derision and character assassination. As Mahatma Gandhi put it, "First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win."
There is one major difference, however, between Luke 23 and Psalm 22. In the Psalm, the sufferer is "despised by the people." That is not so in Luke. "The people stood, seeing," says Luke. (Mark says that "those who passed by derided him" (Mark 15:29). Luke leaves this out.) In Luke, the crowds do not join in the mockery. Luke always has Jesus maintain solidarity with the common people.
But the rulers were deriding, saying, "He saved others. Let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen." And the soldiers also mocked him, coming (and) offering to him common wine, and saying, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself." There was also an inscription over him, "This one (is) the king of the Jews." And one of the hanging criminals was reviling him: "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us."
The mockers include, in this order: (Judean) leaders, (Roman) soldiers, and one criminal. The titles for Jesus in this section are "Christ of God, his chosen one," uttered by the Judean leaders, then "King of the Jews" (twice), uttered by Roman soldiers, then one of the criminals with simply "Christ." The religious authorities and the criminal use a religious title which is framed around the soldiers' use of a political one.
All three urge Jesus to "save himself." Indeed, Jesus as been presented throughout Luke as the Messiah and a bringer of salvation (1: 69, 2: 11--"a Savior, the Messiah," 2: 30--"for mine eyes have seen your salvation"). The Judean leaders mock Jesus by saying that he can't even save himself, let alone anybody else. Jesus, however, is acting consistent with his beliefs such as those expressed earlier in Luke (9:24): "Those who save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life...will save it."
The Roman soldiers mock Jesus with a political title which actually belonged to Herod Antipas, who was Herod the Great's son, Jesus' arch enemy, and Pilate's buddy (23:12). Herod, not Jesus, was "King of the Jews," at least according to the prevailing political reality of the day.
This is the irony of the inscription on the cross. Crucifixion was the punishment dished out to slaves and political agitators. You aspire to leadership among the people? You aspire to change the political order? Take a look at your friend, Jesus. "This is the King of the Jews." See what happens to people who challenge the political leadership?
It was the devil who first challenged Jesus with the words "if you are the son of God" (Luke 4: 3, 9). An identical or similar phrase is used four times from 22:67 to 23:39. In the first, the whole host of the religious authority--"the assembly of the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, gathered together" (22:67)--say, "If you are the Christ, tell us." Then, the "leaders" use the phrase (23:35), then "soldiers" (23:37), and, finally, it is "one of the criminals" (23:39): "Are you not the Christ?"
The Hoosier poet, James Whitcomb Riley, once said that if something walks like a duck and quacks like a duck and swims like a duck, one may reasonably conclude that the object is a duck. In Luke's gospel, if someone uses the words of the devil, and acts out the deeds of the devil, one may reasonably conclude they are in cahoots with the devil. All these mockers--religious leaders, soldiers, criminals--are doing the devil's work.
The offering of "sour wine" (oxos) is an additional detail of derision. Oxos was not sour so much as it was cheap. It was poorer-quality wine which had been watered down, and was a common drink for soldiers and for common people.
Jesus is not offended by drinking "common wine". In fact, given the choice between a $1500 bottle of Margaux 1982 and a cup of oxos, Jesus would probably have preferred the oxos. Nevertheless, the soldiers meant the offering to be satirical, as if to say, "Get a load of Mr. King drinking the rot-gut."
But the other answered, rebuking him, saying, "Do you not fear God that you are in the same condemnation, and we indeed justly, for what we receive (is) appropriate to what we did, but this one has done nothing out of place." And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom." And he said to him, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise."
The other criminal--the "good" one--comes to Jesus' defense, saying that he and the other criminal are getting what they deserve--"and we indeed justly"--but Jesus has done nothing atopon, i.e. unfitting, inappropriate, or out of place. The criminal vouches for Jesus' innocence, as indeed Pontius Pilate himself also had previously (23:4).
This criminal gets it right. All appearances to the contrary, Jesus really is "Christ" and "King," truly does have power to save, and there really is a kingdom. It is interesting that it is this condemned criminal who gets what so many others, including Jesus' own disciples, did not.
This criminal addresses Jesus by simply stating his name, "Jesus," without any other laudatory or satirical titles--no "king of the Jews," no "Christ," no "son of God," just "Jesus." This is an allusion--again, and however subtle--to Jesus as Savior. (The word "Jesus" is really "Yeshua," or "Joshua," which means "he will save.") It's as if the criminal were saying that it is not through his titles that Jesus works, but through his person.
Jesus does "save" someone in this story--the criminal. "Today, you will be with me in paradise." The word paradeiso is Persian in origin and refers to a garden or park. In the period just prior to Jesus, paradeiso was a special place in Sheol for the "righteous dead." In the intertestamental literature, the "righteous dead" were those who had taken up arms against Judah's oppressors and who were crushed for their efforts.
By the time of Jesus, there is reference in Jewish writings of the period indicating that the Messiah would open these gates of Paradise and free these freedom fighters. Thus, paradeiso is an eschatological image associated with the work of the Christ. Today, Jesus and the criminal will be with the "righteous dead" in Paradise. In just a few days, the gates of Paradise will be broken open.
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