Luke 23:26-56 Taking each other's burdens, Caring for others, Seen as evil, Forgiving wrongdoers, Receiving insults...

When Brothers and Sisters Carry Our Burdens for Us

“As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.“

Sometimes, during our Christian voyage, other brothers and sisters in the Lord will carry our Cross for us. In Galatians 6:2 it says, “Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” The event where Simon of Cyrene carried Christ’s Cross for Him reminds me of the verse in Galatians.

There are times in our life when our Cross must be carried by some of the other children of the Lord because, like Jesus, we will find ourself falling under its heaviness. When the burdens really become too much to handle, God sends other people to take care of them for us for a while.

Thinking About Other People’s Sorrows in the Midst of Our Own Trials

“A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. Jesus turned and said to them, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. For the time will come when you will say, 'Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!' Then " 'they will say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!" 'For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?"

Jesus was in the midst of torment, His suffering was beyond description, nevertheless, He cared about others rather than for Himself. He went through this whole ordeal, the torture and the Crucifixion that is, for us and while He was going through it, He cared about those who suffered around Him.

We are called as well to take care of other people even in the midst of our own sufferings. As a matter of fact, we must really learn to forget ourself by giving our sufferings over to the Lord and keep taking care of other people even when these cause us great pain. This is the Christian life, this is the Cross.

Being Numbered Among the Wicked (or seen as evil)

“Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left.“

“It is written: 'And he was numbered with the transgressors'; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment." (Luke 22:37) Jesus was numbered among the transgressors, the criminals. If His enemies saw Him as evil, our enemies will see us as evil too. “It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!” (Jesus in Matthew 10:25)

It’s hard to understand why some unbelievers see us as evil. It’s quite obvious when we behave properly, when we do good – for us it’s clear as spring water anyways – however, for them it isn’t. Some non-believers are so blind that they can’t see righteousness even if it’s right under their nose! Instead, they will perceive evil and wrongdoing where there is righteousness and goodness. Consequently, they will accuse us of all sorts of things we never did and everything gone wrong will be our fault. This is the work of the evil one and persecution for our being righteous.

Forgiving our Wrongdoers out of Compassion for Them

“Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.”

I imagine that when Jesus prayed that to His Father that His heart was filled with compassion towards His wrongdoers. It’s true, His enemies did not know what they were doing and that was quite a pity. In the end, they were worst off than Jesus could ever be.

When someone wrongs us, we ought to have the same merciful attitude as Jesus’. People will wrong us, both inside and outside the Church and everytime it’ll happen, our wrongdoers are going to be the ones to pity, not us.

The devil blinds people in order to attack Christians.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)

Christians who wrong other Christians are still slaves to Satan in certain areas of their life, even if they belong to God and are covered by the grace of Christ. It’s not pleasant to not be totally free in Christ and a pity.

Receiving Insults for Who We Are and For What We Did Good

“The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One." The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself." There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

Jesus was laughed at because of Who He is. The people laughed at His Person, His Being and insulted Him without even knowing Who He was. In reality, Jesus was mocked at because of who the people thought He was.

As Christians, we will be judged wrongly and mocked at as well. Some people will hurl insults at us thinking we’re total nuts, insane or plain stupid; they will fail to see our great, wonderful Heavenly Father and that what we share He did in our lives, He can do in theirs as well, if they so wish.

Even people in Church will laugh at us and judge us wrongly. This too, shouldn’t come as a surprise to a Christian.

Being Recognized and Accepted by the Outcasts

“One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

Jesus was crucified between two criminals. Criminals, like prostitutes and tax collectors, were outcasts of society in Jesus’ time. Of course, we know that one of those criminals rejected Him openly, however the other criminal recognized Him as Who He was.

Jesus was the Friend of the outcasts of society. There are many outcasts who obviously reject the Message of the Gospel when it is presented to them and who refuse to come to Christ however, they are the category of people who are most likely to convert. Jesus said the following to the religious authorities: "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.” (Matthew 21:31,32)

It seems that the outcasts are more readily disposed to hear the Gospel Message and accept it than other people because they have so reached their wits’ end and are so completely helpless. What is there left for them but to throw themselves at the feet of Jesus and welcome His love for them?

As Christians, we carry the love of Christ within us. Suffering people often come to Christians to get some help and/or speak to a compassionate listening ear. They know they are most likely to be more well received by loving Christians than by unbelievers…

Part of the Cross is to take care of the outcasts of society; it is one of our callings and a privilege.

Giving our Lives So that Others Might Find Freedom in Him

“It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last.”

If Jesus gave His life for us, it’s to free us; He went at great lengths to do this for us. Nothing could stop Him. His whole life was given over for us and for the world up until His death where He literally gave it so we could have abundant life here on earth and eternal life in the hereafter. What greater love can there be than this?

We are also to be dead unto ourselves so as to serve both God and man. “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

The Cross means to forget about ourselves. We should be ready to serve our neighbour and brothers and sisters in the Lord anytime, like good soldiers on the watch. The sacrifice of our time and energies must have, as their purpose, to relieve suffering and bring people to true freedom from themselves (and anything which enslaves them) through Jesus-Christ. That’s what Jesus did while on earth… always bringing freedom to people, always easing some pain.

Being Recognized for Who We Were at Our Death

“The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, "Surely this was a righteous man." When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.”

“Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea and he was waiting for the kingdom of God. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.”

Part of the Cross is that we may never be recognized during our lifetime; however, we may be recognized truly for who we were after our death! We can see the reactions of the centurion and the nearby witnesses ‘Surely this was a righteous man’; they repented, honoured and respected Him after Christ gave up His life…

Luke 23:1-25 - Falsely Accused, Mocked, Ridiculed, Seen as Evil; Friendly People Who Don't Believe

Being Falsely Accused, Mocked, Ridiculed and Seen as Evil

“Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, "We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ, a king." So Pilate asked Jesus, "Are you the king of the Jews?" "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, "I find no basis for a charge against this man."

“But they insisted, "He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here."On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean. When he learned that Jesus was under Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.”

“When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform some miracle. He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate. That day Herod and Pilate became friends—before this they had been enemies.”

“Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, and said to them, "You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. Therefore, I will punish him and then release him."

“With one voice they cried out, "Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!" (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.) Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. But they kept shouting, "Crucify him! Crucify him!"

“For the third time he spoke to them: "Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him."

“But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. So Pilate decided to grant their demand. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.”

Jesus was falsely accused of actions He never did; worst, the people and religious authorities accused Him by twisting His words.

He was mocked and ridiculed as if He were a fool for claiming that He is the King of the Jews. Herod and his soldiers probably thought He was stupid.

He was also belittled by Herod with his numerous questions. The latter was ‘happy’ to finally meet Him, not for Who He is because he was too blind to see Who was in front of him, but because he certainly thought that Jesus was some freak and he wanted a freak show. “…he hoped to see him perform some miracle.”

Herod was very cruel to Jesus but nevertheless, he didn’t find anything wrong with Him; neither did Pilate by the way. Pilate pleaded with the religious authorities and the people because he didn’t want to release Jesus to them to be crucified, however they didn’t want to hear anything; in their eyes Jesus was evil and a dangerous rebel and had to be done away with! Therefore, Pilate gave in and because of this, Jesus was treated like a criminal!

Like Jesus, there are times when we will be accused of wrongdoing when we didn’t do anything wrong and of being evil when all we were doing all along were good actions. Our words will also be twisted and used against us in certain circumstances.

Other times, people will mock and ridicule us for being a Christian; they will even think we’re stupid for believing in such things. We’ll be thought of as being completely weird because of our faith. Some non-believers will even assist at Christian services in order to have a ‘good show’, especially if the gifts of the Holy Spirit are manifested… Christianity is seen by many as ‘a good joke’.

People who have a certain power to protect us against evil will sometimes abandon us and let us into the hands of the enemy because they prefer their popularity to our security.

Unfortunately, all this evil can happen to us outside of the Church as well as inside the Church.

Friendly People Who are Blind to the Truth

On a positive note, there are some people who will examine us and discover that we’re all right. They won’t mind us being Christians; after all we’re not doing anything wrong. As a matter of fact, some may think that we’re good people. After all, we’re entitled to our own beliefs and opinions. These people might go as far as defending us if we’re being unjustly insulted and attacked.

What hurts is that even if they accept us, these same people don’t recognize who we really are as Christians. They know we have certain beliefs and live a certain lifestyle; they actually see us as pious, religious people who do good to those who surround us but they can’t perceive the dept of who we are. They are blind to the personal relationship we have with God and to the complete transformation that the Lord has done in our lives. They don’t realize that they can also have what we have. As Christians we certainly appreciate their friendship and respect but we so long for them to meet the same Lord that we have; that they may see that His goodness is for them as well as for us. Sadly, many of these wonderful and friendly people will never see Christ for Who He is and that is a Cross for us to carry.

Luke 22:63-71 - Mocked, Ridiculed, Not Being Recognized

Mocked and Ridiculed

“The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him. They blindfolded him and demanded, "Prophesy! Who hit you?" And they said many other insulting things to him.”

Jesus was laughed at and we Christians too, are being laughed at by most of the world and by those who don’t understand what our faith is all about.

Our Lord wasn’t very popular and in our world, Christianity is far from being popular at all! God’s love and grace are ridiculed as well as His gifts.

I see people everywhere mocking Jesus, God and the children of God. Parodies and bed jokes are made against Christianity and the gifts God gives to men.

Just in the above verses, we see not only Jesus being mocked but the gift of prophesy. Jesus was mocked by people who didn’t understand Who He was and the gift of prophesy was ridiculed because it wasn’t understood.

If one wants to become a Christian in order to be popular, he or she will be very disappointed. Christianity is the Cross and the disciples of Christ will automatically be subjected to ridicule, mockery, rejection and misunderstanding.

Not Being Recognized for Who We Are

“At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. "If you are the Christ," they said, "tell us." Jesus answered, "If I tell you, you will not believe me, and if I asked you, you would not answer. But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God." They all asked, "Are you then the Son of God?"He replied, "You are right in saying I am."

Then they said, "Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips."

The elders and the chief priests questioned Jesus on His identity but they couldn’t recognize Him for Who He was. When asked the question ‘Are you then the Son of God?’ and He answered ‘You are right in saying I am’, they still didn’t get it! They didn’t realize that He said ‘I am’!

It’s really frustrating sometimes when people know that we’re a Christian but can’t realize the dept behind our identity. We’re not just a Christian and they, something else. It’s not just an identity; it’s rather much more profound than that…

Luke 22:54-62 – Being Disowned by Friends

“Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. But when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, "This man was with him." But he denied it. "Woman, I don't know him," he said. A little later someone else saw him and said, "You also are one of them." 
"Man, I am not!" Peter replied. About an hour later another asserted, "Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean." Peter replied, "Man, I don't know what you're talking about!" Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly.”

Sometimes when certain situations are really really hard, some people who know us including our closest friends, might not only give up on us but completely disown us!

«Oh nooooo I don’t know who he (or she) is….»

«No, this person was never my friend, just an acquaintance»

The people who disown us when we most need them do it out of embarrassement over us. It causes them shame to say they are or were ever our friend because we only represent negativeness to them. They are embarassed to say that we are or were their friend in front of others because we aren’t cool or strong enough at this point.

The Lord may be working in our heart and soul transforming us during a very difficult period, but our disowners don’t see it and give up on us, denying they ever knew us. Instead of praising God for the work being done by the Lord on our souls, they run away and deny us! It’s horrible. Jesus went through it, so will His disciples.

Peter denied knowing Jesus three times to the people who recognized him as one of His disciples because he was embarrassed at what was happening to Jesus at that moment. Things weren’t supposed to be happening this way; the Messiah was supposed to be a strong, mighty and respected king! Peter was too embarrassed to associate with Him while He was being arrested, tried, questioned, humiliated…

God was in the process of realising His great act of Redemption for mankind but Peter couldn’t see nor understand that which is why he decided to despise Him instead of standing by Him; He just appeared as being too weak and was a disappointment for him.

Disownement: let’s carry that Cross with dignity and forgive those who are guilty of such an offense against us.

Luke 22:47-53 - Enduring Hypocrisy, More Betrayal, Blessing our Enemies, Accused Wrongly

Enduring Hypocrisy and More Betrayal

“While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus asked him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"

A kiss is an expression of affection. However, Judas betrayed Jesus and had Him arrested by greeting Him with a kiss, which was highly hypocritical and deceptive. Indeed, what hypocrisy! In this situation, Judas probably greeted Jesus in the same manner in which he had always done so as a friend, but this time, it was to betray Him! A sign of affection became a sign of betrayal.

Once in a while, very good friends will turn their backs on us completely, so completely as a matter of fact that they will even go as far as to cause us great harm. This is very very painful but it’s part of the Cross.

We may find ourselves having to endure hypocrisy from what used to be good friends but also from other people such as our enemies and the enemies of God as well as family members and anyone else we know. We need patience to put up with the foolishness of others; by the way, in our case, it works out our patience. How many times did Jesus have to put up with others’ foolishness during His life?

Doing Good to those Who Harm Us

“When Jesus' followers saw what was going to happen, they said, "Lord, should we strike with our swords?" And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. But Jesus answered, "No more of this!" And he touched the man's ear and healed him.”

This passage has always amazed me in that Jesus healed the ear of one of His enemies. He gave us an example on how we are to do good to our enemies and not harm them.

Yes, right in the midst of harm and persecution, we are to do good to our enemies and bless them. “But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:44,45a)

For mere human beings such as us, that is very hard to do. Most of the time we’d rather revenge ourselves against our wrongdoers rather then do them good. By ourselves, this is impossible, but with God’s grace, it is possible. We must ask Him to fill us with His unconditional love.

The whole process hurts because it goes totally against our human nature but we are not to do our own will but God’s Will. We must submit to His Will no matter how much it hurts; it ‘s all part of the Cross.

Finding Ourselves Accused or Arrested for Righteousness’ Sake

“Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour—when darkness reigns."

The perfect Son of Man was arrested like a criminal, as if He were a wrongdoer. Throughout history, Christians have often been seen as wrongdoers to the point of being persecuted and arrested, even martyred themselves.

As Christians, we are often looked upon as ‘weird’ by the people of this world who don’t understand. The disciples of the Lord are often accused by non-Christians of being intolerant to their way of life and thinking. On the other hand, if not non-Christians, religious people will sometimes accuse, even arrest true Christians because they refuse to submit to their way of thinking or set of rules.

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” (Isaiah 5:20) This passage in Isaiah is an accurate reflection of what is going on.