Luke 23:39

My Notes

What Does Luke 23:39 Mean?

"And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us." One of the two criminals crucified alongside Jesus MOCKS Him — from his OWN cross. The man who is DYING the same death as Jesus uses his dying breaths to blaspheme. The mockery is: IF You're the Christ, SAVE YOURSELF AND US. The demand treats salvation as a PHYSICAL rescue. The 'if' doubts. The 'save yourself and us' demands proof through escape. The mockery from the cross echoes the mockery from the ground.

The phrase "one of the malefactors which were hanged" (heis de tōn kremasthentōn kakourgōn — one of the suspended/hung criminals) identifies the source as a FELLOW-SUFFERER: this isn't mockery from the crowd or the soldiers or the religious leaders. It's mockery from a man on a CROSS — a man dying the SAME death. The criminal mocks from the same agony. The shared suffering doesn't produce sympathy. It produces contempt.

The "if thou be Christ, save thyself and us" (ouchi sy ei ho Christos? sōson seauton kai hēmas — are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!) is the DEMAND that defines the mockery: the criminal wants physical RESCUE, not spiritual salvation. The 'save' means get-us-off-these-crosses. The demand treats the Messiah as a POWER to be used, not a PERSON to be trusted. The salvation the criminal wants is escape from the cross. The salvation Jesus offers is through the cross.

Reflection Questions

• 1.Which criminal's response is yours — demanding rescue FROM the cross or requesting entry INTO the kingdom?
• 2.What does mockery from a fellow-sufferer teach about shared pain not guaranteeing shared faith?
• 3.How does 'save yourself and us' treat salvation as escape rather than transformation?
• 4.What does the two criminals' opposite responses to the same cross teach about the heart determining the outcome?

Devotional

One of the criminals — from his OWN cross — mocks Jesus: if You're the Christ, SAVE YOURSELF AND US. The man who shares Jesus' death uses his dying breaths to demand that Jesus prevent their dying. The mockery comes from the same agony. The shared cross produces contempt instead of compassion.

The 'one of the malefactors which were hanged' makes the mockery FELLOW-SUFFERING: this isn't the crowd's distant jeering. This is a man hanging on the NEXT CROSS — experiencing the same nails, the same suffocation, the same agony. And his response to shared suffering is MOCKERY. The same situation produces two different responses: this criminal mocks (verse 39). The other repents (verse 42). The cross doesn't determine the response. The HEART does.

The 'if thou be Christ' is the DOUBT that fuels the demand: the 'if' questions Jesus' identity. The demand for rescue TESTS the claim. If You're really the Messiah, PROVE it by getting us down from here. The proof required is ESCAPE — not endurance, not redemption, not spiritual salvation. Just get us off these crosses. The messianic test is physical rescue. The physical rescue is the wrong test.

The OTHER criminal (verse 42 — 'Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom') recognizes what this one doesn't: the kingdom isn't escape FROM the cross. The kingdom comes THROUGH the cross. The one criminal demands rescue. The other requests REMEMBRANCE. The one wants off the cross. The other wants into the kingdom. The same cross. Two opposite responses.

Which criminal's response is yours — demanding rescue or requesting remembrance?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture