A Lenten Devotion for Thursday, March 27
- ontrakk
- Mar 27, 2025
- 1 min read
Luke 23:33
When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left.
In the verses following this one we learn more about the significance of these two criminals who flank Jesus, on their own crosses, for their own crimes. I do not know that this has any importance whatsoever, but it is unbelievable to me that the one criminal, although he is nailed to a cross, knowing he is about to die, (and his comfort level will not be improving as the hours go by in the sun), is still able to be insulting and mean-spirited to Jesus. Regardless of his knowledge of Christ or the man Jesus, that is an amazing lack of empathy.
Holy Lord, I continue to be amazed at how humans have treated humans for so many, many years. One of the criminals recognized Jesus as his Savior, the other did not have a clue, and clearly had been taken over by evil. Help me, Lord, to make a difference. May I help move someone a bit closer to knowing you? May it be so, Lord, I pray. Amen
Becky, transforming
Pic by Kay
Luke 23:43
As I struggled to interpret this story, I decided to see what others were thinking. I don't usually do this. This is what I love most about Transformers--someone writes something that makes me look at a verse in a different way. Tom did that for me this morning. Instead of trying to understand the mind of each of the men hanging with Jesus, Tom has be thinking about who/what they represent. It makes so much sense--the new believer and the one who will not accept, even to death. Thank you, Tom.
Prayer: Gracious God, Thank you for this wonderful group of believers, as we help each other understand your words. AMEN
Thursday, March 27th, 2024 ( 20th day of Lent)
Luke 23:33
And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.
We vaguely know the story of two men crucified with Jesus. One on the right and one on the left. Jesus hung on the middle cross, willing to take the punishment we deserved. On the other crosses hung two criminals condemned to die for their own crimes. Three crosses and three men. These two men were violent, hardened criminals whom Rome considered a threat to their lifestyle. Execution by crucifixion served as a sober treatment for similar behavior from others. upper…
Luke 23:33
Among the many stunning and sobering images of the Passion story, this one has always held great power for me. It is a perverse reversal of the classic image of the man with an angel on one shoulder and a demon on the other, each telling him what he should do. On Calvary’s hill, Jesus is flanked by the whole of humanity. Some will cruelly reject Him even as they face death and are pulled into Hell, eternally separated from God. Some will come to repentance, forgiveness, salvation and eternal life. Hopefully that would come at a time that allows them to share their faith with others, but even deathbed conversions have led to others receiving Christ in…