V 32, 33
There were two others with him, criminals who were being led away to execution; and when they reached the place called The Skull, they crucified him there, and the criminals with him, one on his right and the other on his left.

The Skull: NLT footnote: Sometimes rendered Calvary, which comes from the Latin word for 'skull'
New Bible Commentary p 1018.  The place called the Skull (Aramaic Golgotha) was probably near the present Church of the Holy Sepulchre on the north of the city.

Crucifixion was a Roman punishment - more a form of torture than of execution, for it could take days to die this way. (New Lion Encyclopaedia of the Bible - ed. Drane J. p 190)

Crucifixion was such a terrible form of execution that even the Romans were not allowed to use it for their own citizens.  Jesus knew what was in store for him, but he allowed himself to be taken and put to death in this most horrible way.  The picture of Christ on the cross is so familiar through paintings, sculpture and icons that we tend to lose sight of what a terrible and degrading death it was and just what Jesus went through in terms of physical agony.

V 34.
Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing.'

What an incredible prayer!  In the midst of all that agony, Jesus asked for forgiveness for his torturers.  When we think about it, this is entirely consistent with what he taught. In Matthew 5: 44 (NIV), Jesus told his disciples: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. In Matthew 6: 14, 15 (NIV) he said: For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. In Matthew 18: 21 - 35 we read a story Jesus told to the disciples in reply to a question from Peter about how often we should forgive other people when they hurt us.

Obviously, God considers forgiving others extremely important - so important that Jesus taught us about it even from the cross.

Quest Study Bible note, p 1461.  Jesus desired forgiveness, not only for those who crucified him, but for everyone.  Jesus' death was caused by the sins of the world, so in a sense we are all responsible.  God's forgiveness is extended to everyone, even those who were responsible for the crucifixion.  Still, no-one is forgiven against his or her own will, for each one must respond to God's call to repent and turn to him to be forgiven.

V 35.
They divided his clothes among them by casting lots.
NLT. And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.

In Psalm 22: 16 - 18 (NIV), David wrote:
Dogs have surrounded me;
a band of evil men has encircled me,
they have pierced my hands and my feet.
I can count all my bones;
people stare and gloat over me.
They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing.
Quest Study Bible note p 746. God used David's prophetic allusions to foreshadow Christ being nailed to the cross.

New Bible Commentary, p 1017.  The division of the dead man's clothes among the executioners was a recognised custom;  it may have been specially recorded because Christians saw a correspondence to Psalm 22: 18

In Matthew 27: 46, Jesus' last words from the cross are recorded to be those of the opening words of Psalm 22

V 36 - 39
The people stood looking on, and their rulers jeered at him: 'He saved others: now let him save himself, if this is God's  Messiah, his Chosen.' The soldiers joined in the mockery and came forward offering him their sour wine. 'If you are the king of the Jews,' they said, 'save yourself.' There was an inscription above his head which ran:  'This is the king of the Jews.'  One of the criminals who hung there taunted him: 'Are you not the Messiah?  Save yourself, and us.'

Not only did Jesus have to suffer excruciating physical agony, but also rejection and ridicule from those who were watching him die.  Whatever form of physical pain or emotional hurts we experience, we know that Jesus understand just what it feels like!  His was much worse than anything we experience. (unless we experience torture and ridicule as he did)

Sour wine: Wine vinegar was a cheap drink used by soldiers - they were 'toasting ' him in mockery.

New Bible Commentary, p 1018.  Meanwhile the rulers sneered at Jesus with unconscious irony;  the Christian reader knows that it was in fact his death which decisively showed that Jesus was the Christ and the Saviour.  The soldiers also joined in the mockery, making use of the words in the titulus or charge-sheet, nailed to the cross.  Even one of teh criminals repeated the same taunt.

V 40 - 42
But the other rebuked him: 'Have you no fear of God? You are under the same sentence as he.  For us it is plain justice;  we are paying the price for our misdeeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.' And he said, ' Jesus, remember me when you come to your throne.'
NIV, NLT : when you come into your kingdom

I wonder how much the second criminal knew about the life of Jesus. He seemed to understnad that Jesus was an innocent man. If he had heard or seen Jesus at some earlier time, it obviously hadn't had any life-changing effect on him then.  But now, when he was suffering as Jesus wasand he could see how Jesus acted under such duress, he was touched enough to understand the difference between himself and Jesus - and he understood his own guilt.  Now he was close to Jesus, he understood who he was - and he asked for mercy from the Lord of all creation.

New Bible Commentary, p 1018.  Only Luke tells how the other criminal, perhaps after taunting Jesus at first, uttered a confession of his own sin and of Jesus' innocence.  His last-minute faith was accepted and he was promised a place in Paradise with the justified instead of in Sheol with the condemned.

V 43.
He answered, 'I tell you this: today you shall be with me in Paradise.'
NLT. And Jesus replied, "I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.

The repentant criminal was given immediate assurance.  It is this assurance of forgiveness at the last moments of the criminal's life which lets us know that it is truly faith in Christ that gives us eternal life, and nothing that we do in our lives.  No amount of good behaviour or loving deeds of kindness assures us a place alongside Jesus, but faith in him does.  (Of course, once we have accepted Christ as Lord of our lives and have received forgiveness, we are expected to live our lives as closely as we are able to his standards of loving others and being obedient to God's will.)

It tells me, too, that I have no right to make any judgements about other people - as to whether they have died 'in sin' or forgiven.  If this criminal could be forgiven at the last moments of his life, so can others.  It is the place of Jeus to make such judgements, not mine!