Luke 23:32

‘And there were also two others, evildoers (criminals), led with him to be put to death.'

It would seem that along with Jesus were being led in a similar way two insurrectionists who were also due to die. But here they are called ‘evildoers'. His grave was being made with the wicked (Isaiah 53:9. Possibly Luke also wants us all to identify ourselves with them). These men were sharing in His fate, and by many He was no doubt directly linked with them. Luke is the only one who mentions them at this point, no doubt because they illustrate for him Jesus' words in Luke 22:37. Those confirm that Isaiah 53 is very much in mind here (compare also Luke 24:25; Luke 24:46). So He was reckoned with them for another reason, because through His death He could offer hope to at least one of them, and in the end to ‘many'.

Some have tried to suggest that Luke is short on the atonement, but like many early writers he makes his statements and then leaves people to interpret his inferences. No one who knew the teaching of the early church (Acts 3:14 with 19; Luke 3:26; Luke 4:10 with 12; Luke 4:27; Luke 5:30 with 31; Luke 8:32, note especially the continuing connection with the Servant of the Lord) could be unaware of the implications lying behind these inferences. Yet at the same time he probably wanted the fascination of Jesus to seize the hearts of Gentiles without deterring them by too open a reference to Jewish sacrificial ideas. So it was a delicate balance. (We could add, ‘let him who reads understand'). However, as we have seen above, he really leaves us in no doubt of what he is inferring, and that is that Jesus was offering up through His own death the blood of the new covenant (Luke 22:20), that like the Servant in Isaiah He was being reckoned among the transgressors (Luke 22:37), that He was suffering so that men might be altered in heart and mind and receive remission of sins (Luke 24:46), that He was purchasing His people with His own blood (Acts 20:28). What further witness do we need?