Luke 23:33
"And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left."
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He was fully and freely identified with sinners, for such he came to save.
In no way did the Lord resent being placed among such men at Calvary. The quotation from Isaiah 53:12 may literally be translated, ‘He let himself be numbered with the transgressors.’
He was totally content with his position; he would not have had it otherwise. He knew that his place among these bandits was willed by his Father and his Father’s will was his will. These criminals, placed there by God, were appropriate company at this time for his Son.
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Numbered with the transgressors! There is comfort and hope for the greatest sinner who repents. Let God’s people bow humbly before the cross and marvel at the fact that any should find mercy.
Let each one say, ‘Why me?’ Is there any reason apart from the grace of God?
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Not the proud and arrogant thought, but, as Amy Carmichael puts it, ‘most reverent thought’ befits the sinner before the cross. As we stand in thought before that cross our emotions are mixed. How dreadful and yet how wondrous is this place!
More thoughts from Chapter 12
