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Simon of Cyrene, a Jewish visitor to Jerusalem, was forced to carry the beam of the cross, the stake itself being already in position (v.26). Simon thus represents everyone who takes up the cross and follows Jesus.
Jesus warned the weeping women of the fate that awaited the Jewish nation. The meaning of 23:31 is not clear. It may mean, “If crucifixion is the fate of the innocent Jesus (the green tree), what will be the fate of people who are guilty (the dry tree)?”
Jesus was crucified at the place called the Skull (“Golgotha” is based on the Aramaic and “Calvary” on the Latin for “skull”). Luke records three sayings of Jesus from the cross. The first is his prayer for the forgiveness of his enemies (v.34). The second is his promise that the dying thief will be with him that day in paradise (v.43). And in the third he commits his spirit to God (v.46; see Ps 31:5). The first and the last of these sayings were echoed by Stephen when he was stoned to death (Ac 7:59-60). The other saying promises life immediately after death.
The reactions of the onlookers to the crucifixion were varied. The rulers sneered at Jesus. The soldiers mocked him. One of the criminals crucified with him hurled insults at him. But the women mourned and wailed for him. The other thief asked Jesus to remember him. The centurion at the foot of the cross recognized him as a righteous man and praised God for him. And his friends stood at a distance.
The darkness over the land from the sixth to the ninth hours (12:00-3:00 p.m.) symbolized the activity of the power of evil (vv.44-45). But the tearing of the temple curtain symbolized the possibility of a new and direct relationship to God. The curtain was the barrier that separated people from the Holy of Holies, the most sacred part of the temple. The high priest entered there only once a year, on the Day of Atonement. But now the barrier was removed.
This story is told in such a way as to show that Jesus' death was in accordance with the Jewish Scriptures. The casting of lots, the offering of vinegar, and the centurion’s words of praise all suggest that this was a time of fulfillment (vv.34, 36, 47; see Ps 22:18; 69:21; Isa 53:11).
The account of Jesus' death ends with the description of his burial (vv.50-56) by Joseph of Arimathea, a sympathetic member of the Sanhedrin. As a child Jesus was taken into the arms of Simeon, who was “waiting for the consolation of Israel” (2:25). After Jesus' death his body was laid in the tomb by Joseph of Arimathea, who was waiting for the kingdom of God (v.51).