Jesus Is Crucified
Open Your Bible
Luke 23:13-25, Mark 15:16-20, Luke 23:26-43
BY Bailey T. Hurley
In this narrative of Jesus’s last hours, we encounter a slew of hard hearts. Sin has clouded with unjust vengeance the vision of those who once saw Jesus heal the blind and broken. Jesus, who was celebrated with a welcome fit for a victorious general, is now treated as a criminal—more guilty than Barabbas, a known murderer.
The officials treated Jesus as a joke, a troublemaker, a heretic—unable to see true power in humility. When everyone around Him was mocking Him, Jesus was a calm presence, offering mercy: “Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).
Instead of asking for justice and wrath—even as the officials tempted Jesus to ask for God’s help to bring him down from the cross—He goes so far as to ask God to forgive them. Amid pain and persecution, Jesus offers forgiveness.
I’ve experienced what it feels like to have people spread lies about my character and intentions. I have felt them judge me, say hurtful words about me, and wish ill things for me. It’s easy to want God to persecute them instead of offering them forgiveness. Yet the only truly innocent one showed us how we can be merciful when we experience persecution, rejection, and hurt—we pray.
Only through Jesus’s blood can we hold the pain our enemies bring us and God’s free gift of forgiveness simultaneously. With a knowledge of God’s saving grace through Jesus, we can pray for our enemies knowing it is not within our power to offer forgiveness, but God’s. Phew. It takes the pressure off. As we wrestle with our limitations to forgive, we can trust that God can carry us gently through the process of healing and reconciling. When we are the wrongdoer waiting anxiously for someone to accept our apology, we can come to Jesus knowing that he has already canceled out our debt and called us “free.”
Who is Jesus? Jesus is merciful. He has the capacity to have compassion in our pain and extend a hand, offering a second chance to those who “do not know what they are doing.”
56 thoughts on "Jesus Is Crucified"
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Hi all- could you please pray for me to forgive myself for some things in my past? I need to do this in order to heal from some trauma. It’s a process, and I would really appreciate your prayers. Thanks!!
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Forgiveness is the key to release us from despair of betrayal and hurt. May we take the spec out of our own eyes. It’s a reflection how the Lord feels, as the scenes change, rewinding back, we were the ones that betrayed and hurt somebody in our ignorance. And that somebody either forgave us or hated us. What a relief when we were forgiven, and our mistakes were not mentioned or highlighted. What a misery when we were not forgiven and penalized. It’s a choice. Forgiveness is such a costly and gracious gift, revealing strength and maturity of character. Lord, help me with such maturity and grace to bestow forgiveness, and maintain the purity of my heart free from hate, stinking bitterness and anger…for Your Glory.
Praying…
@Taylor and Sarah D: for your small group gathering, may you learn more about God and be influenced by other people’s faith, story and encouragement :)
@Kelly Neo, Cee Gee, Searching: thank you for the many wisdom!
@Changed life: grace to forgive and reconcile with your sister, healing for your sister from such bad breakup.
@Victoria E: how are you feeling? Hope you are well sister.My son’s teacher has finally returned to class after 7 weeks of mysterious absence from illness. Thank you ladies for praying alongside with us for her recovery. Praise Jesus for the power of unity through prayers.
Be blessed dear sisters.
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I guess for me — reading this was a reminder that the behavior we see in people today — has been around since the Bible. I don’t say that to be funny — but people can be animals — relentless in their own justification of what they think is right — even when it’s obviously so wrong. I shouldn’t be surprised these days with the way society treats, in particular, marginalized groups. They treated Jesus the same — and He still forgave them anyway.
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Any time I read the Scripture of where Simon of Cyrene carrying Christ’s cross I think of a song titled, “Watch the Lamb” by Ray Boltz. It’s on YouTube and it’s so unbelievable.
Bailey’s last paragraph just really “caught my eye” and made me think. Forgiveness, God and Christ have the ultimate say so on that. I never thought of it like that but it is sooo true.
BUT GOD…!!! BUT GOD…!!! Sometimes it is so hard to forgive.
Be blessed and know ultimately it’s up to God to grant forgiveness, sisters.
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Reading these scriptures reminds me that we are called to forgive those who hurt us. I try to keep this front and center in my relationship with my sister. We were very close as children, growing up in a dysfunctional home. We are now in our 50s and have never been more distant. She has been through a very painful breakup with a narcissistic man and is working through a lot of trauma. She sees narcissism in everyone, including me. Her comments and judgements have hurt me so much. I pray that I can focus on forgiveness and patience as she works through her issues. This has gone on for three years now. Dear Jesus, help me to forgive as you did and to be willing to draw close when she is ready.
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@ Dorthy. Praying for you and the situation with Finley and her family. May you find rest in your upcoming retreat
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This whole scene just amazes me. I can’t imagine the unspeakble pain and suffering our savior went through. To carry the cross after being beaten, and mocked…I am blown away by our saviors love for us. He carried it to Calvary for us. And on his journey there, he comforted the women lamenting for him, saved the man on the cross beside him and forgave those who did this to him. I am in awe of all of it and so thankful for His sacrifice.
Thank you all for praying for my situation with finances and my car! The good is that I was able to find a part for my car for the mechanic to install vs them building a whole new part. Saved me so much money! My banking situation got solved as well; just had to have some hard conversations because of it. My non confrontational self hated it, but it was a good lesson for me nonetheless.
Taylor- excited for your women’s study; I hope you have a blast tonight!
Michelle P- I hope you enjoy your worship night. I have had the same feelings before about mine and it is amazing on how God meets me there, especially on the nights I don’t feel like going.
Dorothy- praying for Finley and family
Lehua K-I hope things have gone well with the transition in your job. -
28 Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 Then
“ ‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!”
and to the hills, “Cover us!” ’ – Luke 23:28-30
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