Sunday, May 22, 2022

Malefactor Rebuking Malefactor - Luke 23:40

Luke the beloved physician wrote when Jesus was hanging on the cross, He said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God. And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar, and saying, If you be the king of the Jews, save yourself. And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If you be the Christ, save yourself and us”, and in chapter twenty-three and verse forty of his book Luke shared how another malefactor, “answering rebuked him, saying, do you not fear God?” where we read:

But the other answering rebuked him, saying,

Do not you fear God, seeing you are in the same condemnation?

The verse reads, “But the other answering rebuked him, saying, ... Luke began with the words, “But the other answering or “however, nonetheless, notwithstanding and moreover the criminal who was hung on a cross on the other side of Jesus responded and began to speak” “rebuked him” which means “faulted, chided, reproved, admonished and censured severely the first criminal”, “saying” or “uttering, declaring and proclaiming” the following words. Luke shared how the “other criminal” who was crucified with Jesus began to “reprove and censure” the first “malefactor” with the next words.

The verse goes on to say, “... Do not you fear God, seeing you are in the same condemnation?” Luke continued with the words “Do not you fear God” which means “are you, other criminal, in no way afraid, seized with alarm and reverence the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit”, “seeing you are in the same condemnation” or “because and since you, other criminal, exist in the selfsame judgment, punishment, penal judgment and sentence”. Luke shared how the “second criminal” began to chastise the first by questioning whether He was in awe of and afraid of God because they were being hung on the cross with the same sentence as Jesus.

When we consider Luke's words in this verse, we see how the “other malefactor” began to “chastise” the first because He was “railing” on Jesus. He questioned whether the first malefactor was afraid of God since they received the “same” sentence as Jesus. In other words, this man began to be sorry for what He did, and the first was not. Jesus Christ came to the world to die for the sins of all mankind, and every person who believes and trusts in Him as their personal “Savior and Lord” will be forgiven of their sins and receive everlasting life with God. Let all who consider these things – believe.

Next time Luke shares how the second malefactor says, “this man has done nothing amiss”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites,
http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".







 

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