THE "OTHERS" CRUCIFIED WITH THE LORD
Bro. Arlou Gulles Requiroso S.B.G.
Mislead by tradition and the
ignorance of Scripture on the part of medieval painters, it is the general
belief that only two were crucified with the Lord. But Scripture does not say
so. It states that there were two "thieves" (Gr. lestai = robbers,
Matt. 27:38. Mark 15:27); and that there were two "malefactors" (Gr.
kakouryoi, Luke 23:32).
It is also recorded that both the robbers reviled
Him (Matt. 27:44. Mark 15:32); while in Luke 23:39 only one of the malefactors
"railed on Him", and "the other rebuked him" for so doing
(v. 40). If there were only two, this is a real discrepancy; and there is
another, for the two malefactors were "led with Him to be put to death"
(Luke 23:32), and when they were come to Calvary, "they" then and
there "crucified Him and the malefactors, one on the right hand and the
other on the left" (v. 33).
But the other discrepancy is according to Matthew,
that after the parting of the garments, and after "sitting down they
watched Him there", that "THEN" were there two robbers crucified
with Him, one on the right hand and the other on the left" (Matt. 27:38.
Mark 15:27). The two malefactors had already been "led with Him" and
were therefore crucified "with Him", and before the two robbers were
brought.
The first two (malefactors) who were "led
with Him" were placed one on either side. When the other two (robbers)
were brought, much later, they were also similarly placed; so that there were
two (one of each) on either side, and the Lord in the midst. The malefactors
were therefore the nearer, and being on the inside they could speak to each
other better, and the one with the Lord, as recorded (Luke 23:39-43).
John's record confirms this, for he speaks only of
place, and not of time. He speaks, generally of the
fact : "where they crucified Him, and with
Him others, two on this side, and that side, and Jesus in the midst" (John
19:8). In Rev. 22:2 we have the same expression in the Greek (enteuthen kai
enteuthen), which is accurately rendered "on either side". So it
should be rendered here: "and with Him others, on either side".
But John further states (19:32, 33) : "then
came the soldiers and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was
crucified with Him. But when they came (Gr. = having come) to Jesus, and saw
that He was dead already, they brake not His legs." Had there been only
two (one on either side) the soldiers would not have come to the Lord, but
would have passed Him, and then turned back again. But they came to Him after
they had broken the legs of the first two.
There are two words used of the "other"
and "others" in John 19:32 and Luke 23:32 (See Ap. 124. 1). In the
former passage we read, "they brake the legs of the first and of the
other." Here the Greek is allos which is the other (the second) of the two
when there are more (see Matt. 10:23; 25:16, 17, 20; 27:61; 28:1. John 18:15,
16; 20:2, 4, 8. and Rev. 17:10).
In the latter passage (Luke 23:32) the word is
heteros = different (See Ap. 124. 2) : "and others also, two were being
led with Him." These were different (*1) from Him with Whom they were led,
not different from one another; for they were "in the same
condemnation", and "justly", while He had "done nothing
amiss" (vv. 40, 41).
From this evidence, therefore, it is clear that
there were four "others" crucified with the Lord; and thus, on the
one hand, there are no "discrepancies", as alleged; while, on the
other hand, every word and every expression, in the Greek, gets (and gives) its
own exact va 473 lue, and its full significance.
To show that we are not without evidence, even
from tradition, we may state that there is a "Calvary" to be seen at
Ploubezere near Lannion, in the Cotes-du-Nord,
"In the Roman Catholic church ... the altar
slab or "table" alone is consecrated, and in sign of this are cut in
its upper surface five Greek crosses, one in the center and one in each corner
... but the history of the origin and development of this practice is not fully
worked out" (Encycl. Brit., 11th (Cambridge) ed., vol. i, pp. 762, 763).
This practice may possibly be explained by the subject of this Appendix.
(*1) Cp. Matt. 6:21, 24; 8:21; 11:3. Luke 5:7;
6:6; 7:41; 9:56; 14:31; 16:13, 18; 17:34, 35; 18:10; 28:40.
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