Luke 23:32 Two other men, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. 33 When they came to the place called The Skull, they nailed him to a stake; and they nailed the criminals to stakes, one on the right and one on the left. 34 Yeshua said, “Father, forgive them; they don’t understand what they are doing.”
They divided up his clothes by throwing dice.[Luke 23:34 Psalm 22:19(18)] 35 The people stood watching, and the rulers sneered at him.[Luke 23:35 Psalm 22:8(7)] “He saved others,” they said, “so if he really is the Messiah, the one chosen by God, let him save himself!” 36 The soldiers too ridiculed him; they came up, offered him vinegar[Luke 23:36 Psalm 69:22(21)] 37 and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 And there was a notice over him which read,
THIS IS
THE KING OF THE JEWS
39 One of the criminals hanging there hurled insults at him. “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other one spoke up and rebuked the first, saying, “Have you no fear of God? You’re getting the same punishment as he is. 41 Ours is only fair; we’re getting what we deserve for what we did. But this man did nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Yeshua, remember me when you come as King.” 43 Yeshua said to him, “Yes! I promise that you will be with me today in Gan-‘Eden.”
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Reflection Questions:
Luke’s whole gospel showed Jesus’ love for all who are outcast and looked down on. That did not stop even when the Romans crucified Jesus—the most painful and humiliating form of execution they could devise. Acceptance and generosity often seem to come more easily
when we are safe and comfortable ourselves. That’s what makes this story so remarkable.
Even from the cross, Jesus’ prayer for the soldiers crucifying him, and his pledge to the man who asked for a place in his kingdom showed clearly that he wanted to extend grace to absolutely everyone. He had not a word of reproof for the thief not having worked all day—he graciously welcomed him home.
• While soldiers rolled dice to see which of them would get Jesus’ clothes, and religious rulers sneered, Jesus asked God to forgive them. They were not seeking forgiveness, and we do not know how many of them Jesus’ generous prayer reached. But what an extraordinary request the crucified thief made! What made him think this man crucified next to him would ever even have a kingdom? Have you ever felt (or known someone who felt) that “I’ve done too much—waited too long—I can’t turn to God now?” What does the thief’s request and Jesus’ response say to that attitude? Have you ever felt “unforgivable”? Can you accept that Jesus is willing to forgive you, no matter what you’ve done that needs forgiveness?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, your cross was all about forgiveness—and your actions made it plain that forgiveness was (and is) much, much more than just some religious theory. Thank you that every day I, like the thief crucified next to you, can trust in your forgiving heart. Amen.
Family Activity: God’s love is for all people. Consider ways your family can include others and let them know they are welcome in God’s family. You might invite a family or some friends to your home for a celebration of God’s love. Design colorful placemats, prepare a simple and fun meal and sing songs of praise to God! Maybe you would like to visit someone who is lonely or make cards for them. Name some of the gifts God has given you and plan a way to use them to share
God’s love. Pray that God would help you celebrate, give thanks for and spread God’s love.
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Insights from Camryn Coffelt
Camryn Coffelt is a senior in high school and a leader in Ministry As a Career Track and rezlife student ministries.To me this passage represents the struggle between easy choices and hard choices. The verses remind me of the choices we all have to make in our daily life to do the wrong thing or right thing. Teenagers especially have a hard time with these choices. We have our friends, our classmates and society telling us that we should be doing things that are “fun and carefree” and that will get us popularity points. Often it feels as though the message is, “Do them. Making those decisions is easy.” Like it might’ve seemed easy for Jesus to take the pain away that he was feeling and not have to go through any of the torture he endured. He was tempted. We are all tempted by the hard choices in life.
The hard choices teenagers have to make are often the ones where we say no. Saying no is extremely hard. You want to fit in, be cool and show those who judge you that you are worthy of their acceptance. It is a challenge to say no to things that are seen as cool, as things you should do to fit in. I’ve personally had a struggle with allowing people into my life that probably shouldn’t be in my life. People can be very fake and make you think they are such a great person, but the desire to be accepted by them can really hurt you. Saying yes to temptation seems really easy and saying no seems really hard. Many times we fall short and give into temptation. But saying no to temptation is the right choice. Jesus demonstrated that for us when he carried our sins on the cross and took the all the guilt and shame away for us in an incredible act of love.
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Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer
Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
•Tracie Wright and family on the death of her father Elven Stoddard, 9/23
•Bob Herndon and family on the death of his father Eugene “Gene” Herndon, 9/20
•Bill Gapske and family on the death of his sister Barbara Glenn, 9/20
• Jennifer Guttu and family on the death of her brother Rick Glenn, 9/20
•Vicki Meeks and family on the death of her brother Ron Malone 9/20
• Lisa Passmore and family on the death of her father Richard Pennington, 9/19
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The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
913.897.0120
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