Luke 23:26-43
26 And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. 27 And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. 28 But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ 31 For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
32 Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 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. 34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. 35 And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine 37 and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”
39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
Reflection
The Jewish leaders and the Roman soldiers mock and ridicule Jesus, revealing their sinful and hateful hearts. By contrast, Jesus does not respond the same way, but rather asks the Father to forgive them (Luke 23:34).
A similar contrast can be seen between the two criminals who are crucified with Jesus. They are examples of two different responses to Jesus. One of the criminals rejects and mocks the Lord, just like the other mockers watching Jesus die (v. 39). The other criminal responds with the humility that comes from seeing both his own sinfulness and the purity of Jesus. This criminal’s repentance and his faith in Christ enable him to enter into paradise with Jesus that very same day (vv. 40–43). We are not required to provide a perfect moral track record in order to be accepted into heaven. All that is required is the open acknowledgment of sin and our genuine trust in Christ.
1 Timothy 6:1-10
6: Let all who are under a yoke as slaves regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. 2 Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved.Teach and urge these things. 3 If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, 4 he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, 5 and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. 6 Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
Reflection
Paul warns against anyone who teaches “a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness” (1 Tim. 6:3). Doctrine (teaching) that violates Christ’s teaching will reveal its ugly self in ungodly behavior. Faithful teaching always lines up with the words of Jesus and is consistent with godly living.
However, even godly living can be pursued with the wrong motives; some think “godliness is a means of gain,” which is true as long as we’re not thinking in terms of money (v. 6). Here we have a warning against one of the great dangers in this world: those who desire to be rich, who love money, will depart from the faith. The gospel and greed are mutually exclusive (vv. 9–10): “You cannot serve God and money” (Luke 16:13). Let those who claim the gospel, who revel in grace, and who want to be rich—beware! The greatest riches in the universe are in Christ, and in the gospel that proclaims his grace to us.
Psalm 119:36
36 Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!
Greed is a soul-shriveling and destructive state of heart. Pray for yourself and for those that you know who do not demonstrate a heart of generosity, asking God for the joyful blessing of being loose-handed toward others.