What does Luke 23:48 mean?

It's not unusual for people to get caught in a crowd, carried along in something they don't understand. Passover in Jerusalem is busy—perhaps hundreds of thousands of Jews visit from all over the Roman Empire. Many likely have never heard of Jesus of Nazareth. They just know that a man is hanging on a cross. Above His head is a sign reading "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews" (John 19:19). The chief priests, scribes, and elders are mocking Him, saying that if He is the Christ of God, He should be able to rescue Himself from the cross (Luke 23:35). Faced with the immediate scene, it's to be expected the crowd would join in with verbal abuse as a stranger slowly died.

When He dies, however, everything changes. For one, it's been dark for three hours. But with His last breath, a series of supernatural events occur that can only be the work of God (Matthew 27:51–53). Even the centurion declares Jesus' innocence and the soldiers cry, "Truly this was the Son of God!" (Luke 23:47; Matthew 27:54).

It's impossible to say if these are the same people who mocked Jesus. Hundreds of people have passed Him during the six hours He spent on the cross, and undoubtedly some mourned Him even then. Whoever they are, these people respond correctly. Ther nation is complicit in the murder of an innocent man; all sinners deserve God's judgment (Romans 6:23). They mourn the death as they express their own regret.