Tears bring consolation not to those who suffer willingly, but to those who suffer unwillingly. Therefore He forbids them to weep for Him, and urges them to turn their attention to the future calamities and to weep over those calamities, when women without pity will boil their own children, and the womb that bore them will, sadly, receive back into itself that which was born from it.
Lk. 23:31. If they do these things with the green tree, what shall be done with the dry?
For if the Romans have done this to Me, a moist tree, fruit-bearing, ever green and ever living by the power of the Godhead, and nourishing all with the fruits of My teaching, what will they not do to you, that is, to the people, a dry tree, deprived of all life-giving righteousness and bearing no fruit? If you had any life-giving power of goodness, perhaps you would have been deemed worthy of at least some mercy; but now, like a dry tree, you will be subjected to burning and destruction.
Lk. 23:32. Led with Him to death were also two criminals.
The devil, wishing to create and instill a bad opinion of the Lord, arranges for two robbers to be crucified with Him. But see how he lost one of them, and how what the devil plotted against the Lord served to His greater glory. For no one ever sought the crosses of the robbers; on the contrary, the whole world longed in expectation for the Cross of the Lord. And from this it is clearly evident that the Lord is not a lawbreaker like the robbers, but the pioneer of all righteousness.
Lk. 23:33. And when they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified Him and the malefactors, one on the right and the other on the left side.
They lead Him to the place of the Skull, where, they say, the forefather was buried, so that where the fall occurred through a tree, there also the restoration was accomplished through a tree.
Lk. 23:34. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
Jesus, displaying extraordinary meekness, prays for them, saying: "Father! forgive them, for they know not what they do." And indeed, this sin would have been forgiven them, had they not after this remained in unbelief.
Lk. 23:34. And they divided His garments, casting lots.
Why do they divide His garments? Perhaps many were in need of them, or perhaps (which is more likely) they did this out of insolence and with the intention of mocking Him. For in their view, what was precious about these garments? Thus, they did this as a form of mockery and insult.
Lk. 23:35. And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also together with them mocked,
For, what must one conclude about the common people, when their rulers were mocking?
Lk. 23:35. Saying: He saved others; let Him save Himself, if He is the Christ, the chosen one of God.
This is the devil speaking through them. Just as on the pinnacle of the temple (Luke 4:9), so also here he says this, envying the salvation through the cross and desiring by every possible cunning to prevent it.
Lk. 23:36. Likewise the soldiers also mocked Him, coming up and offering Him vinegar.
Lk. 23:37. Save Yourself if You are the King of the Jews.
Soldiers offered vinegar to drink, serving Him precisely as a king.
Lk. 23:38. And a superscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Here is yet another cunning device of the devil that turned against himself. Namely, he proclaims the sedition of Jesus in the writings of three languages, so that every passerby would know that He was hanged for claiming to be a king. But the one inventive in evil did not understand that this was a sign that the mightiest of nations, such as the Romans, and the wisest, such as the Greeks, and the most devout, such as the Jews, would enter the Kingdom of Jesus and would preach Him. However, in the commentary on the Gospel of John we have said more and in a loftier manner about this.
Lk. 23:39. One of the hanged malefactors was blaspheming Him and saying: if You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.
Lk. 23:40. But the other, on the contrary, rebuked him and said: do you not even fear God, since you are under the same condemnation?
Lk. 23:41. And we are condemned justly, for we have received what is worthy of our deeds, but He has done nothing wrong.
Lk. 23:42. And he said to Jesus: Remember me, Lord, when You come into Your Kingdom!
How then do the other Evangelists say (Matt. 27:44; Mark 15:32) that both robbers reviled Jesus? At first, probably, both reviled Him; but then one of them, the more prudent one, recognized the goodness and Divinity of Jesus from the words He spoke on behalf of the crucifiers, saying: "Father, forgive them." For these words are not only filled with perfect love for mankind, but also reveal much of His own authority. Jesus did not say: Lord, I beseech Thee, forgive them, but simply and with authority: "Father, forgive them." Instructed by these words, the one who had previously reviled Jesus acknowledges Him as the true King, stops the mouth of the other robber, and says to Jesus: Remember me in Thy Kingdom. What then does the Lord say?