The Last Lament. Luke 23:26-31 When Pilate released Barabbas to the people, one is left to wonder about his thoughts and actions afterward. He might have seen Jesus “delivered to their will” and wondered why he was freed while Jesus was condemned to die. Perhaps he followed the crowd that carried Jesus’ cross and thought, “He is carrying the cross I should have borne to Calvary.” Could it be that Barabbas saw and learned the significance and purpose of Jesus’ substitution for sinners, and the Lord saved him?
The warning that Jesus had given earlier —that following Him would mean taking up the cross —may have helped His disciples better understand what being in the kingdom of God truly involves. Identification with Christ today implies that not only will believers stand out from the crowd, but like Simon of Cyrene, we will be heading in the opposite direction from what is popular and accepted by most people.
On the way to Calvary, the Lord Jesus Christ and the cross He bore revealed the various reactions of different people. Simon, who was from North Africa, had two sons, one of whom, perhaps, was later associated with the assembly at Rome [Rom. 16:13]. The weeping women, two criminals, and the soldiers were all affected in one way or another by the Lord Jesus Christ as He was on the road to Calvary.
Simon of Cyrene was likely a Jew on his way into Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. His two sons, Alexander and Rufus, are mentioned as individuals known to the believers who read the Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of Luke, years after the Lord Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. A single event in a person’s life can have a profoundly transformative impact on their own life and the lives of others. Alexander and Rufus likely often heard from their father Simon about the day he was stopped and turned around to carry the cross after Jesus to “the place called Calvary.”
Every experience can hold meaning, even if we don’t see it at the moment. Conversion transforms our lives here, not just our destiny. This man is never mentioned again in the scriptures, but God, the Holy Spirit, paid attention to him and made sure we understand that bearing a cross after Jesus has lasting effects on our lives as well as on others. Being openly connected with our Lord Jesus Christ is a great privilege and has eternal consequences.
Luke’s Gospel emphasizes the significance of women throughout the entire book. The words of Lord Jesus to them on the road to Calvary served as His final prophecy about the imminent destruction of Jerusalem forty years later. These were “daughters of Jerusalem,” distinct from the “women who followed Him from Galilee ministering unto Him.” Even the residents of the city expressed grief because they understood the horror of crucifixion. These women were unlikely to be present at Pilate’s judgment hall, but they were well aware of what happened there to the innocent Lord Jesus Christ.
The reference to the prophecy of Hosea that Jesus mentioned to the women served as a warning for what was to come. It would be better to be childless than to endure the brutality of the Roman army under Titus's leadership. The Lord Himself was like the “green tree,” and the times they were living in were “green” for Israel compared to the “dry” period ahead. While the evil happening then was severe, it would worsen significantly once He was no longer present. Jerusalem would become like dry wood under God’s judgment for rejecting their Messiah. “His blood” would be on them and their children.
Those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ when His grace is extended to them are given the opportunity to repent and turn to Him in faith, but that offer will not last forever. Payday comes. While there is life, there is hope. The innocent, perfect Substitute who was willing to die for our sins is offered to “whosoever” believes in Him during this “green” time of grace. The “dry” time of judgment for sin is ahead and is real. People say or try to convince themselves that God, who is merciful, will overlook their sins and take them to heaven just the way they are.
Most people underestimate the nature of the Holy God, who cannot look upon sin and does not clear the guilty. Justice requires that sin be paid for. If God is not just, then He is not truly God but just an idea that humans have created to justify their sinful actions. Feeling remorseful about doing wrong does not serve as the payment for wrongdoing. Repentance is not merely a feeling; it is an action where the guilty admit their guilt, turn away from it, and turn to the Lord Jesus Christ by placing their faith in Him as the One who paid the price for their guilt.