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Luke 23:26-43

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26As the soldiers 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.

27A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him.

28Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children.

29For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’

30Then “‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!”  and to the hills, “Cover us!”’

31For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

32Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed.

33When 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.

34Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

35The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”

36The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar

37and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”

38There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews.

39One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

40But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?

41We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

42Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

43Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

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1)       According to verse 26 why did the soldiers, as they led Jesus away, seize Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country?

o   They

§  Put the cross on him.

§  And made him carry it behind Jesus.

 

2)       Why did the soldiers force Simon to carry the cross, given that the person who was going to be crucified normally carried it?

o   Flogging was routinely done prior to every Roman execution.

o   Jesus might have been so weakened by the flogging.

o   That

o   He was not able to carry the cross himself.

 

3)       According to verse 27 who followed Jesus?

o   A large number of people followed Jesus, including women who

§  Mourned.

§  And wailed for him.

 

4)       According to verse 28 what did Jesus do in response to the women’s weeping for him?

o   Jesus told the Daughters of Jerusalem not to weep

§  For him.

§  But for themselves.

§  And for their children.

 

5)       According to what Jesus said in verse 29 why did he tell the Daughters of Jerusalem not to weep for him but for themselves and for their children?

o   For the time would come.

o   When

o   The Daughters of Jerusalem would say that blessed are

§  The childless women.

§  The wombs that never bore.

§  And the breasts that never nursed!

 

6)       How did people consider childless women in terms of God’s blessing in those days in the Jewish culture?

o   People considered childless women to be missing God’s blessing.

 

7)       Why would the Daughters of Jerusalem say that childless women are blessed?

o   It is because

§  The children of the Daughters of Jerusalem would be completely slaughtered by the Romans.

§  When

§  They put down a Jewish rebellion in the city in 70 A.D.

o   The atrocity was so horrendous.

o   That

o   Childlessness would appear to be a blessing.

 

8)       According to what Jesus said in verse 30 what would children of the Daughters of Jerusalem say in utter desperation?

o   They would say

§  To the mountains, “Fall on us!”

§  And to the hills, “Cover us!”

 

9)       Why would children of the Daughters of Jerusalem say such things?

o   The atrocity by the Romans would be so horrendous.

o   That

o   It would have been better to be crushed by

§  The mountains.

§  And the hills.

 

10)   What did Jesus mean by saying, “If people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

o   Jesus is innocent.

o   Yet

o   The Romans had him crucified.

o   How much more severely would the Romans deal with the rebellious children of the Daughters of Jerusalem!

 

11)   According to verse 32 who were also led out with Jesus to be executed?

o   Two other men, both criminals, were also led out.

 

12)   According to verse 33 what happened when the soldiers came to the place called the Skull?

o   They crucified Jesus there, along with the criminals—

§  One on his right.

§  The other on his left.

 

13)   According to verse 34 what did Jesus say to the Father when the soldiers were dividing up his clothes by casting lots?

o   Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

 

14)   According to verse 35 how did the rulers sneer at the incongruity of Jesus’ claiming to be God’s Chosen Messiah or Christ who saved others and the trouble he was in?

o   He saved others.

o   Let him save himself.

 

15)   According to verses 36 and 37 how did the soldiers mock Jesus?

o   They mocked Jesus

§  By offering him wine vinegar as though offering it to a king.

§  And by challenging him to save himself.

§  If

§  He was the king of the Jews.

 

16)   According to verse 38 what did the written notice above Jesus say?

o   It read: this is the king of the jews.

 

17)   According to verse 39 what insults did one of the criminals who hung there hurl at Jesus?

o   He challenged Jesus to save

§  Himself.

§  And those crucified along with him.

o   If

o   He were the Messiah or the Christ.

 

18)   According to verses 40 and 41 how did the other criminal rebuke the criminal who hurled insults at Jesus?

o   He rebuked the criminal who hurled insults at Jesus

§  That

§  He should fear God.

§  Since

§  He was under the same sentence.

§  And that

§  They were punished justly.

§  For

§  They were getting what their deeds deserve.

§  But that Jesus had done nothing wrong.

 

19)   What was it that was missing from those who mocked Jesus but that was present in the criminal who stated that Jesus had done nothing wrong?

o   He had a sense of

§  Right.

§  And wrong.

o   That was missing from those who mocked Jesus.

 

20)   According to verse 42 what did the criminal who came to Jesus’ defense ask Jesus to do for him?

o   He asked Jesus to remember him.

o   When

o   He came into his kingdom.

 

21)   According to what Jesus said in verse 43 what was going to happen that day?

o   That criminal who came to Jesus’ defense would be with him in paradise.

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Luke 23:26-43

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