Luke 23:26-56; Luke 24:1-35

Luke 23:26-56

26 As they led him off, they made Simon, a man from Cyrene who happened to be coming in from the countryside, carry the cross behind Jesus.

27 A huge crowd of people followed, along with women weeping and carrying on.

28 At one point Jesus turned to the women and said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, don't cry for me. Cry for yourselves and for your children.

29 The time is coming when they'll say, 'Lucky the women who never conceived! Lucky the wombs that never gave birth! Lucky the breasts that never gave milk!'

30 Then they'll start calling to the mountains, 'Fall down on us!' calling to the hills, 'Cover us up!'

31 If people do these things to a live, green tree, can you imagine what they'll do with deadwood?"

32 Two others, both criminals, were taken along with him for execution.

33 When they got to the place called Skull Hill, they crucified him, along with the criminals, one on his right, the other on his left.

34 Jesus prayed, "Father, forgive them; they don't know what they're doing."

35 The people stood there staring at Jesus, and the ringleaders made faces, taunting, "He saved others. Let's see him save himself! The Messiah of God - ha! The Chosen - ha!"

36 The soldiers also came up and poked fun at him, making a game of it. They toasted him with sour wine

37 "So you're King of the Jews! Save yourself!"

38 Printed over him was a sign: this is the king of the jews

39 One of the criminals hanging alongside cursed him: "Some Messiah you are! Save yourself! Save us!"

40 But the other one made him shut up: "Have you no fear of God? You're getting the same as him.

41 We deserve this, but not him - he did nothing to deserve this."

42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you enter your kingdom."

43 He said, "Don't worry, I will. Today you will join me in paradise."

44 By now it was noon. The whole earth became dark, the darkness lasting three hours -

45 a total blackout. The Temple curtain split right down the middle.

46 Jesus called loudly, "Father, I place my life in your hands!" Then he breathed his last.

47 When the captain there saw what happened, he honored God: "This man was innocent! A good man, and innocent!"

48 All who had come around as spectators to watch the show, when they saw what actually happened, were overcome with grief and headed home.

49 Those who knew Jesus well, along with the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a respectful distance and kept vigil.

50 There was a man by the name of Joseph, a member of the Jewish High Council, a man of good heart and good character.

51 He had not gone along with the plans and actions of the council. His hometown was the Jewish village of Arimathea.

52 He lived in alert expectation of the kingdom of God. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

53 Taking him down, he wrapped him in a linen shroud and placed him in a tomb chiseled into the rock, a tomb never yet used.

54 It was the day before Sabbath, the Sabbath just about to begin.

55 The women who had been companions of Jesus from Galilee followed along. They saw the tomb where Jesus' body was placed.

56 Then they went back to prepare burial spices and perfumes. They rested quietly on the Sabbath, as commanded.

Luke 24:1-35

1 At the crack of dawn on Sunday, the women came to the tomb carrying the burial spices they had prepared.

2 They found the entrance stone rolled back from the tomb,

3 so they walked in. But once inside, they couldn't find the body of the Master Jesus.

4 They were puzzled, wondering what to make of this. Then, out of nowhere it seemed, two men, light cascading over them, stood there.

5 The women were awestruck and bowed down in worship. The men said, "Why are you looking for the Living One in a cemetery?

6 He is not here, but raised up. Remember how he told you when you were still back in Galilee

7 that he had to be handed over to sinners, be killed on a cross, and in three days rise up?"

8 Then they remembered Jesus' words.

9 They left the tomb and broke the news of all this to the Eleven and the rest.

10 Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them kept telling these things to the apostles,

11 but the apostles didn't believe a word of it, thought they were making it all up.

12 But Peter jumped to his feet and ran to the tomb. He stooped to look in and saw a few grave clothes, that's all. He walked away puzzled, shaking his head.

13 That same day two of them were walking to the village Emmaus, about seven miles out of Jerusalem.

14 They were deep in conversation, going over all these things that had happened.

15 In the middle of their talk and questions, Jesus came up and walked along with them.

16 But they were not able to recognize who he was.

17 He asked, "What's this you're discussing so intently as you walk along?"

18 Then one of them, his name was Cleopas, said, "Are you the only one in Jerusalem who hasn't heard what's happened during the last few days?"

19 He said, "What has happened?"

20 They said, "The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene. He was a man of God, a prophet, dynamic in work and word, blessed by both God and all the people. Then our high priests and leaders betrayed him, got him sentenced to death, and crucified him.

21 And we had our hopes up that he was the One, the One about to deliver Israel. And it is now the third day since it happened.

22 But now some of our women have completely confused us. Early this morning they were at the tomb

23 and couldn't find his body. They came back with the story that they had seen a vision of angels who said he was alive.

24 Some of our friends went off to the tomb to check and found it empty just as the women said, but they didn't see Jesus."

25 Then he said to them, "So thick-headed! So slow-hearted! Why can't you simply believe all that the prophets said?

26 Don't you see that these things had to happen, that the Messiah had to suffer and only then enter into his glory?"

27 Then he started at the beginning, with the Books of Moses, and went on through all the Prophets, pointing out everything in the Scriptures that referred to him.

28 They came to the edge of the village where they were headed. He acted as if he were going on

29 but they pressed him: "Stay and have supper with us. It's nearly evening; the day is done." So he went in with them.

30 And here is what happened: He sat down at the table with them. Taking the bread, he blessed and broke and gave it to them.

31 At that moment, open-eyed, wide-eyed, they recognized him. And then he disappeared.

32 Back and forth they talked. "Didn't we feel on fire as he conversed with us on the road, as he opened up the Scriptures for us?"

33 They didn't waste a minute. They were up and on their way back to Jerusalem. They found the Eleven and their friends gathered together,

34 talking away: "It's really happened! The Master has been raised up - Simon saw him!"

35 Then the two went over everything that happened on the road and how they recognized him when he broke the bread.