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Luke 23:26-43 - The Way to the Cross, Forgiveness, and Paradise

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The preceding trial ends with Pilate releasing Barabbas and delivering Jesus “to their will” (Luke 23:25). Now that will leads Him toward crucifixion. Yet Luke gives the scene a word that exposes how little His enemies understand: “save.” Rulers, soldiers, and one criminal insist that the Savior must save Himself. Jesus reveals another kind of kingship. He remains among the condemned, prays for His enemies, and brings a guilty man into Paradise.

The whole passage turns on that contrast. Simon is placed behind Jesus under the Cross. The women’s tears are turned toward repentance. The innocent Lord is numbered with criminals. Then, while nearly every visible sign appears to deny His kingship, one condemned man recognizes the King. Salvation here is not Christ’s escape from suffering. It is communion with Christ through the mercy of the crucified Lord.

Simon, the Daughters, and the Road of Judgment (Luke 23:26-31)

26 Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.

27 And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him. 28 But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!’ 30 Then they will begin ‘to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” ’ 31 For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?”

Luke tells us neither what Simon felt nor whether his heart changed. He tells us where Simon was placed: he bore the Cross “after Jesus.” Earlier, Christ had said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). On the road to Calvary, that teaching takes visible form. Simon does not walk beside Christ as another savior. He follows behind the Savior, carrying what has been laid upon him.

The detail can console anyone whose obedience began with a burden he did not choose. An unwanted burden may become a place of discipleship when it is borne behind Christ, in prayer and fidelity, rather than turned into a claim that we must rescue everyone ourselves. But Simon’s coercion does not make coercion holy. Abuse and preventable violence should never be renamed “your cross” in order to keep a wounded person silent. Christian cross-bearing is life behind Jesus, under His lordship and with the help of His Church.

The women mourn and lament, and Jesus turns toward them. His warning does not mock their compassion. He teaches them to see more than the suffering immediately before their eyes. The city that did not recognize the time of its visitation now faces the catastrophe over which Jesus had already wept (Luke 19:41-44; 21:20-24). Their tears must therefore include repentance: “weep for yourselves and for your children.” Grief before the Cross becomes spiritually truthful when it also sees the sin from which Christ came to save us.

The words about barrenness reverse the ordinary language of blessing because the coming days will be dreadful. They describe calamity; they do not call infertility a virtue or shame women who long for children. Nor may the warning against Jerusalem be turned into contempt for Jewish people. Jesus speaks as Israel’s Messiah grieving over His city, and His word brings every hearer, from every people, beneath the judgment and mercy of the Cross.

Language insight: behind Jesus, fresh wood, dry wood

The phrase translated “after Jesus” is opisthen tou Iēsou (ὄπισθεν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ), literally “behind Jesus.” The position matters more than speculation about Simon’s feelings. A disciple belongs behind Christ: close enough to follow, humble enough to know who saves.

In verse 31, “green” translates hygros (ὑγρός), meaning moist or fresh, in contrast with xēros (ξηρός), dry. Fresh wood does not burn as dry wood does, so the image intensifies the warning. Read within the scene, it may point from what is being done to the innocent Christ in the present to the severity of judgment upon hardened sin. The adjectives themselves do not assign every detail of the image. Their sure force is urgency: if this is happening now, the daughters of Jerusalem must not postpone repentance.

Crucified with Criminals and Praying for His Enemies (Luke 23:32-34)

32 There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. 33 And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.

34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots.

Luke carefully distinguishes Jesus from the two “others, criminals.” The men beside Him bear real guilt; Jesus has repeatedly been declared innocent. Yet the Innocent One accepts a place among the guilty, fulfilling the word He had applied to Himself at the supper: “He was numbered with the transgressors” (Luke 22:37; Isaiah 53:12). He does not save from a protected distance. He enters the shame of condemned humanity and makes the place of execution the place where mercy is spoken.

His prayer begins with “Father.” The nails, mockery, and divided garments do not break the Son’s communion with the Father or turn His heart toward vengeance. “Forgive them” is intercession while the evil is still being committed. Christ neither calls the act harmless nor lets the act dictate His own love. Human violence is exposed as sin, and divine mercy is revealed as deeper than the hatred directed against Him.

That distinction matters whenever this verse is taught to someone who has been wounded. Christ’s prayer gives the sufferer words with which to place both the evil and the enemy before the Father. It does not demand the denial of danger, the abandonment of justice, or restored trust without repentance. Forgiveness, accountability, safety, and reconciliation are related, but they are not interchangeable. The crucified Lord teaches us to refuse hatred while remaining truthful about what evil has done.

Luke then places the dividing of the garments beside Christ’s prayer. While He intercedes, others treat His clothing as spoil and cast lots, echoing Psalm 22:18. Their indifference does not interrupt His mercy. The Son continues to pray in the very hour when sinners show how little they understand.

Language insight: mercy addressed to the Father

“Father, forgive them” begins Pater, aphes autois (Πάτερ, ἄφες αὐτοῖς). The imperative aphes, from aphiēmi (ἀφίημι), asks the Father to forgive or release. Luke’s wording makes forgiveness an act of prayer, not a vague feeling. Christ brings His enemies’ need for forgiveness before the Father.

Gems from the Fathers 💎: Mercy that calls for repentance

St. John Chrysostom reads this prayer as Christ’s own fulfillment of enemy-love. Even those who crucified the Lord and treated Him with contempt saw Him “continue to treat with kindness,” for He prayed to the Father, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.”1 Mercy is not an idea spoken after the danger has passed. It is the life of Christ revealed from the Cross.

Chrysostom also protects this mercy from becoming permission to remain unchanged. Speaking directly about the crucifiers, he writes, “If they repented, it was forgiven.”2 Christ’s intercession opens the door of mercy; repentance receives that mercy as a changed life. St. Paul, once a persecutor, is Chrysostom’s proof that an enemy may become a servant of the Gospel.

The King Who Will Not Save Himself (Luke 23:35-38)

35 And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.”

36 The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, 37 and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.”

38 And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

The people look on; the rulers sneer; the soldiers mock. Different voices converge on the same test: “save Yourself.” The rulers even begin with a true statement, “He saved others,” but they use it to demand the wrong proof. They imagine saving power as self-preservation displayed before an audience. If He is Christ and King, they argue, He must use power for Himself.

Luke repeats forms of the same Greek verb, sōzō (σῴζω), in verses 35, 37, and 39: He “saved” others; let Him “save” Himself; “save” Yourself and us. The repetition joins the taunts into one temptation. Yet the answer is given by what Jesus does, not by a counterargument. He remains. His kingship is revealed in self-giving fidelity, and His saving power will soon be seen in the promise He speaks to the repentant criminal.

The titles in the mockery are also true: “the Christ,” “the chosen of God,” and “the King of the Jews.” The speakers intend contempt, but Luke lets their words bear witness against their intention. The inscription above Jesus names His kingship while the scene overturns the world’s idea of a king. No soldiers defend Him and no visible victory silences His enemies. Still, He exercises royal authority: He intercedes for sinners and, in the next scene, grants Paradise.

This exposes a familiar corruption of faith. We may call Christ powerful while quietly deciding that His power must protect our comfort, reputation, plans, or success. Then every costly obedience begins to look like failure. The crucified King frees us from the need to prove ourselves by escape. His victory is already at work in love that remains faithful to the Father and gives itself for others.

The Two Criminals and Paradise Today (Luke 23:39-43)

39 Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”

40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

The first criminal carries the rulers’ demand into the final scene: “save Yourself and us.” Luke calls his speech blasphemy. The man asks for rescue but offers no confession, and the narrative gives us no permission to invent what lies within him. The second criminal answers by turning the whole conversation toward God: “Do you not even fear God?” Fear of God breaks the closed circle in which pain, escape, and accusation are the only realities.

His repentance is exact. He acknowledges the judgment upon his own deeds: “we indeed justly.” He confesses the innocence of Jesus: “this Man has done nothing wrong.” Then he addresses the crucified Jesus as Lord and trusts that He has a Kingdom. The visible scene offers him no ordinary evidence of royal power. Faith recognizes the King beneath the mockery because it has stopped defending itself and begun telling the truth before God.

The words “we indeed justly” are this man’s voluntary confession of his own guilt. They give no one authority to declare that every prisoner, condemned person, sufferer, or victim deserves what has happened. His confession is powerful precisely because he speaks for himself. Repentance names one’s own sin without borrowing the verse to condemn another person.

His prayer is only “remember me.” He cannot repair his past from the Cross, offer a long record of service, or bargain for release. He entrusts himself to the royal remembrance of Jesus. This is why his prayer remains so precious to a sinner whose excuses have failed: its hope rests entirely in the One addressed.

Jesus gives more than the man asks. The thief asks to be remembered when Christ comes into His Kingdom; Christ answers, “today.” The thief asks for remembrance; Christ promises, “with Me.” Paradise is therefore centered on communion with the Lord. The gift is not merely a better location after death. It is the presence of the crucified King, given immediately to the repentant sinner.

Language insight: remembrance answered with presence

The surface phrases make the generosity of the answer plain: mnēsthēti mou (μνήσθητί μου), “remember me,” is answered by sēmeron met’ emou (σήμερον μετ’ ἐμοῦ), “today with Me.” Luke has used “today” at decisive moments of fulfillment and salvation (Luke 4:21; 19:9). Here, at the apparent triumph of death, Christ again makes salvation present. The heart of Paradise is contained in two words: “with Me.”

Gems from the Fathers 💎: The speed of grace

St. Cyril of Jerusalem hears both humility and hope in the robber’s plea. He paraphrases the man’s confession: “I say not, remember my works, for of these I am afraid.”3 The thief brings no achievement to display. He brings the truth about his deeds and faith in the King beside him.

Cyril then marvels that Christ’s answer outruns the request: “The request reached unto a distant time; but the grace was very speedy.”4 Cyril reads the Cross as the Tree by which Christ opens the Paradise lost through the tree of disobedience. This is the Church’s theological contemplation of the saving Cross, not a dictionary meaning hidden inside the word “Paradise.” It reveals why the promise is possible: the King brings the robber where He Himself is going.

The thief gives hope against despair, never a plan for postponing repentance. He turns when the opportunity is given. He fears God, abandons excuse, confesses Christ, and asks for mercy. No sinner should say, “It is too late to turn to Christ.” No watchful Christian should say, “I can safely wait.”

The Church’s Voice in Worship ⛪

In the St. Mary Ottawa English Katameros witness, Luke 23:26-44 is the Good Friday Sixth Hour Gospel. This study’s whole passage is contained within that larger reading, which continues one verse further into the darkness over the land. It should therefore be described as contained in the Sixth Hour Gospel, not as a separate Luke 23:26-43 lectionary row.5

The liturgical range keeps the words of Paradise within the solemnity of the Crucifixion. At the Sixth Hour, the Church hears Simon walking behind Jesus, the warning to Jerusalem, the prayer for forgiveness, the mockery of the King, the thief’s confession, the promise “with Me,” and then the darkness. Worship teaches us to remain at the Cross long enough for grief to become repentance, for mockery to be answered by faith, and for a condemned man’s prayer to become our own.

Spiritual Fruit 🍇

  1. Remain behind the Savior when a burden was not your choice. Simon’s place is “behind Jesus.” When work, family duty, illness, or hidden service feels laid upon you, resist both self-pity and the fantasy that you must save everyone. Pray simply, “Lord Jesus, keep me behind You; carry me as I carry what obedience requires.” If another person is using the language of the cross to excuse coercion or abuse, seek truthful help. Christ’s lordship never requires calling evil good.

  2. Repent before calamity makes delay impossible. “Weep for yourselves and for your children” is a warning about approaching judgment. Jesus calls the daughters, and every hearer with them, to turn while time remains rather than wait until consequences close in. Bring one delayed act of repentance into the light today by making the restitution you already know is due. The warning neither shames women who cannot bear children, nor lays parents’ guilt on their children, nor makes calamity proof of a sufferer’s personal guilt.

  3. Bring injury to the Father without surrendering truth. Christ prays, “Father, forgive them,” while the sin is still visible. When you have been harmed, you may pray for freedom from hatred without pretending trust has been restored or accountability no longer matters. Ask the Father to guard your heart, protect those in danger, bring the wrongdoer to repentance, and show you the next truthful act. Mercy can refuse revenge while still seeking justice and safety.

  4. Refuse the demand to prove power by saving yourself. The rulers and soldiers measure kingship by escape. The same temptation appears when service becomes reputation management, when family love is withheld because it costs too much, or when obedience is abandoned as soon as it looks unsuccessful. Look again at the crucified King. He frees us to choose faithful love over self-display because salvation rests in Him, not in our ability to appear invulnerable.

  5. Pray “remember me” without excuse and without despair. The repentant thief names his guilt, confesses Christ’s innocence and Kingdom, and asks for mercy. Make his words part of evening prayer and preparation for confession, especially when shame says that you should hide from God. Christ’s answer is greater than the prayer: “today,” “with Me,” “in Paradise.” Repentance does not earn His presence; it opens the heart to receive the mercy He gives.

Footnotes

  1. St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on Matthew, Homily 60, on Christ continuing to treat His crucifiers with kindness and praying for them, https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf110.iii.LVII.html#iii.LVII-p56. ↩

  2. St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on First Corinthians, Homily 7, on Luke 23:34 and forgiveness received through repentance, https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf112.iv.viii.html#iv.viii-p24. ↩

  3. St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures 13.30, on the robber’s humble plea for remembrance, https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf207.ii.xvii.html#ii.xvii-p159. ↩

  4. St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures 13.31, on the speed of grace and the Cross opening Paradise, https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf207.ii.xvii.html#ii.xvii-p163. ↩

  5. St. Mary Ottawa English Katameros, Holy Pascha, p. 595, Good Friday Sixth Hour Gospel: Luke 23:26-44. The cited evidence establishes this witness and range; it does not claim documentary uniformity across every Coptic edition or jurisdiction. ↩

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