In the story of the journey to the crucifixion (Mk xv, 21; Mt xxvii, 32; Lk xxiii, 26-32), the omission of the names of Rufus and Alexander is probably due (as already said) to the fact that these men were unknown to Matthew and Luke and their readers, and added no weight to the testimony of Simon their father. Luke's extremely vivid touch of Jesus' address to the "Daughters of Jerusalem" can be explained only as a part of his special material for this portion of the life of Jesus.
In the story of the crucifixion (Mk xv, 22-32; Mt xxvii, 33-44; Lk xxiii, 33-43), Luke's words, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do," are omitted in many manuscripts, are bracketed by Westcott and Hort, and are probably a later addition. Matthew corrects Mark, who says a man came with a sponge, saying, "Let him be," etc.; Matthew makes the crowd address the "Let him be" to the man with the sponge.
Luke apparently differs much more than Matthew, from Mark, in his story of the crucifixion, and the events that led up to and followed it. This can be explained by his possession of special sources for these last days of Jesus, and his desire to use material from these sources with his Marcan matter. Transpositions are especially frequent.
In his xxii, 18, e.g., Luke makes a transposition of Mk xiv, 25. This may be taken as typical of his procedure throughout these sections. Mark gives the reference to the approaching betrayal before the institution of the Supper; Luke, after that institution. Mark places the prediction of the denial of Peter after Peter has left the room; Luke, before his leaving. Similar transpositions are made in the story of the rending of the veil. In all, Luke makes some twelve or thirteen such transpositions in Mark's passion narrative. Matthew follows Mark closely, both in matter and in wording.
Comparing Luke's use of Mark in the other parts of his Gospel with his use of him in these last sections, Hawkins[48] finds that "the verbal correspondence with the Marcan source is about twice as great in the Lucan account of the ministry as in the Lucan account of the passion." The amount of actually new material in Luke's passion section is about three times as great as the amount of new material which Luke introduces into any other correspondingly large section of Marcan narrative.