<\/p>
As I\u2019ve suggested in several recent posts, the turning point of Luke\u2019s crucifixion narrative is the \u201cconversion\u201d of the criminal on the cross, and Jesus\u2019 acceptance of Him into His kingdom. Jews and Romans had joined in mockery of Jesus\u2019 claims to be \u201csavior\u201d and \u201cking,\u201d but the criminal entrusts himself to Jesus for his salvation and Jesus promises to bring him into His \u201ckingdom,\u201d His royal \u201cParadise.\u201d <\/p>\n
In Luke\u2019s account, this exchange is immediately followed by a description of the darkening of the sky, the eclipse of the sun, and the rending of the temple veil. Within Luke 23, these events surrounding the crucifixion are structurally parallel to Jesus\u2019 warning to the women about the coming destruction of the city, and thus have an \u201capocalyptic\u201d character to them; darkness and the rending of the veil are proleptic signs of the coming destruction. And these occur after Jesus has accepted the criminal into His kingdom. <\/p>\n
How are we to understand this sequence? Here are some possibilities: 1) Jesus\u2019 acceptance of the criminal foreshadows the open acceptance of Gentiles and other \u201coutcasts\u201d into the church, and that is a prelude to the destruction of the temple. 2) When Jesus accepts the criminal, the temple is somehow rendered redundant or unusable. 3) Jesus\u2019 acceptance of the criminal is a sign against the Jews, who have refused to accept the outcasts that Jesus has been dining with throughout His life. Thus, it is followed by signs of the doom of Israel. 4) Jesus\u2019 acceptance of the criminal is a kind of \u201cprovocation to jealousy\u201d of the Jews and Romans. <\/p>\n
I\u2019m sure there are other, more plausible explanations. <\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As I\u2019ve suggested in several recent posts, the turning point of Luke\u2019s crucifixion narrative is the \u201cconversion\u201d of the criminal on the cross, and Jesus\u2019 acceptance of Him into His kingdom. Jews and Romans had joined in mockery of Jesus\u2019 claims to be \u201csavior\u201d and \u201cking,\u201d but the criminal entrusts himself to Jesus for his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3021,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible-nt-luke"],"yoast_head":"\n