Luke 23:33
And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.
They came to Calvary outside Jerusalem's gate where felons were executed, and there Jesus, after bearing the cruel cross and falling fainting beneath it, was nailed through hands and feet and crucified with two malefactors, one on His right and the other on His left, His cross set in the center as if He were the greatest criminal. His suffering without the gate fulfilled that He would sanctify the people with His own blood and be numbered with transgressors, bearing the sins of the whole world and made a curse to redeem from the curse of the law. Though He could have come down by divine power, He would not save Himself but prayed for His enemies, and that refusal makes pardon and favor with God possible. The two criminals show the two classes of all mankind poisoned by sin: those who look to Him lifted up and believe, like the penitent thief who acknowledged Him as Lord and asked to be remembered in His kingdom, are pardoned and live forever, while those who refuse like the hardened thief die without hope. Calvary reveals His great love at great cost and shows the law He died to save from remains an unchanging standard of righteousness, so that rejecting it joins His crucifiers and crucifies Him afresh.
Calvary Setting and Events
The place called Calvary lay outside the gate and boundaries of Jerusalem where felons and murderers were executed, near the sheep gate through which sacrificial animals had been led. Jesus was led from the judgment hall and Pilate's court and house to Calvary to be crucified, followed by a vast multitude after news of His condemnation spread throughout Jerusalem. People of all classes and all ranks flocked toward the place of crucifixion, and disciples and believers from the city and the surrounding region joined the throng because the priests and rulers were bound by promise not to molest His followers if He Himself were delivered to them.
On the way He bore on His bruised and bleeding shoulders the cruel cross that had been prepared for Barabbas. He bore His burden only a few rods before from loss of blood and excessive weariness and pain He fell fainting to the ground beneath the heavy cross. His mother looked on longing to place a supporting hand beneath His wounded head and bathe His brow, but she was denied that privilege. Two malefactors who were companions of Barabbas and appointed to suffer death at the same time with Him had crosses placed on them and prepared for them, and they were crucified with Him, one on His right hand and the other on His left.
At the place of execution He was bound to the cross and stretched upon wood and nailed through His hands and feet. His hands, which had always given blessings and had often been reached out to heal the suffering, were stretched upon the cross, and with hammer and nails spikes were driven through the tender flesh to fasten Him to the wood. He hung there in agony for hours, and the sun hid its light during the scene. He submitted willingly and made no resistance, while the two thieves resisted, wrestled in the hands of those who stretched them upon their crosses, and had to be forced onto their crosses.
At Calvary He hung alone amid rage, abuse, mockery, taunts, grief and terror, with priests, rulers, scribes, Pharisees and the mob venting rage and frenzy upon the dying Saviour and urging Him to prove His divinity by coming down from the cross. Satan with his angels in human form was present at the cross, cooperating with priests and rulers and leading religious rulers and the ignorant mob in satanic frenzy. Though the voice of God had proclaimed Him Son at the baptism and at the transfiguration and again just before His betrayal, now heaven was silent with no testimony in His favor. He heard every taunt.
His mother watched with agonizing suspense, hoping He who had given life to the dead would work a miracle to save Himself from being crucified. She still wondered whether He would use His divine power to save Himself, and endured bitter grief and disappointment and the question whether she must give up faith that He was the true Messiah, the Son of God, as she saw His shame and suffering without being able to minister to Him. At last the heart-stricken disciples bore her fainting form away from the cruel scene. By direction of the priests and rulers His cross stood at the center to present Him as the greatest criminal and as though chief of sinners, and though innocent He was condemned as a malefactor by an unrighteous tribunal.
Redemption Taught and Applied
Dying outside the gate as substitute fulfilled that He might sanctify the people with His own blood by suffering without the gate. Numbered with transgressors between two thieves by the direction of priests and rulers who meant to present Him as the greatest criminal, His placement fulfilled Scripture without their knowing it. Near the sheep gate through which sacrificial animals had been led, His death fulfilled what those sacrifices had pointed to as the great sacrifice for the sins of the world.
As substitute He bore the sins of the whole world and was made a curse to redeem His people from the curse of the law. His suffering outside Jerusalem connects with the banishment of Adam and Eve from Eden for transgression of the law of God.
Though mocked and urged to prove divinity by coming down, and though He heard every taunt and could have used divine power to save Himself, He chose not to save Himself and did not resist. As He suffered He prayed for His enemies to be forgiven, and because He would not save Himself the sinner has hope of pardon and favor with God.
The two criminals' differing responses represent two classes of mankind, for all have been poisoned by sin like those bitten by fiery serpents in the wilderness. Those who look to Jesus lifted on the cross and believe will live forever, as the penitent thief who acknowledged Him as Lord and asked to be remembered in His kingdom was accepted and pardoned. Those who refuse to look and believe, as the hardened thief did, will die without hope. His pardon of the penitent thief kindled a light that would reach the whole earth from His cross standing at the center of a world lying in sin.
His death at Calvary was the sacrifice required to redeem humanity from the penalty of transgressing God's law, and the need for that sacrifice shows the law is unchanging. God's moral law remains a changeless standard of righteousness which Christ lived and died to save people from its penalty. Those who reject God's law identify themselves with those who crucified Christ and crucify Him afresh.
The scene supplies the figure that God's law has been treated as though nailed to the cross and crucified between two thieves. This is a figure for the law being wronged and needing vindication. Those who make the law void will share the grief of those who pierced Christ when they see Him in glory.
Calvary reveals His love for the human race and how much He loves humanity. The blood-stained cross is a sign of great love calling people to show love for God by keeping His commandments. His hanging in agony for hours while the sun hid its light shows the great cost of what He gave up for humanity.
His suffering was endured to show the way of self-denial and to bring divine help for salvation. That cost makes the self-denial required of followers small by comparison. His suffering is reason not to place on people burdens God would have released. On a cross rather than a throne, with malefactors at right and left instead of honored disciples, nearness to Him is gained through sharing His suffering rather than preference or favoritism.
His being lifted up and dying as a malefactor, though hopes of eternal life centered in Him, is the taking away of the Bridegroom bringing days of trial and temptation when the Comforter's presence is not clearly discerned. Then there is cause to mourn and fast, with faith tried and hope and courage failing. Opposed by Jewish priests and rulers pressuring the Roman governor to carry out their will, His crucifixion stands as God's Word triumphing over human power used to support evil. It was witnessed by angels and foretold by Him with His resurrection on the third day. It came through rejection by His own nation and condemnation as a malefactor, contrary to expectation of a temporal kingdom.