Lessons Into Luke: Lesson 19

FACTS AND THOUGHTS

LESSON NINETEEN - DEATH

(Luke Chapter Twenty-three)



BEFORE PILATE (23:1-25.)



Chapter Twenty-three of the Gospel by Luke continues where Chapter Twenty-two leaves off. The Council of the Jews, apparently meeting in the house of Annas the high priest, had considered Jesus to be worthy of death by reason of blasphemy, that The Son of Man had declared Himself to be the Son of God.



But the Jewish leaders had to obtain the order of the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate; and the supposed theological reason to condemn Jesus, i.e. blasphemy, was not a reason for the Romans to condemn Him. So to Pilate they lined up false accusations against Jesus. They accused him: first, of sedition (inciting a large part of the populace to revolt against Rome), second, Himself refusing to pay taxes to Caesar, and third, claiming to be Messiah a King. For the first charge they had no evidence; for the second, they offered a direct lie; and as for the third, they totally misinterpreted the words of Jesus about a coming kingdom.



When Pilate asked Jesus about being a king, Jesus freely acknowledged His rank. Now Luke does not give the complete conversation between Pilate and Jesus. The Fourth Gospel, by John, amplifies to show that Jesus made clear that His kingdom was "not of this world." So Pilate reported to the Jews that he found no basis for condemning Jesus. And when the Jews insisted, claiming that the campaign of Jesus had been from Galilee to Jerusalem, Pilate seized on the excuse to dodge the issue by sending Jesus to Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee.



Luke alone tells of the trial before Herod. To the vehemently expressed charges of the chief priests and the questions of Herod Jesus answered nothing. So all Herod could do was to mock Jesus, dressing Him up in fancy clothes (as a king might wear,) and sent Him back to Pilate. So Pilate's first ploy failed. It was a moral issue, and Pilate could not evade his responsibility.



In like manner, when a moral issue comes before any of us, we cannot hope to evade our responsibility by passing our duty to others.



Upon examination again Pilate found no cause for condemnation, and so reported his decision to acquit, saying to the Jewish leaders, "I will therefore chastise Him, and release Him." (If Jesus was not guilty, why should Pilate have Him whipped?)



But the chief priests demanded that Pilate release, not Jesus but Barabbas, an acknowledged murderer and insurrectionist. A total of three times Pilate demurred, but when they insisted, Pilate gave in and ordered the execution.



In all of this recital, except for the trial by Herod, Luke is most brief, and his story must be filled out by reference to the other Gospel records.



TO GOLGOTHA (23:26-38.)



On the way to the place of crucifixion, Luke makes brief reference to the fact that another, one Simon of Cyrene, was compelled to carry the Lord's cross. But then Luke, alone of the Gospel writers, tells of the wailing of the women along the way, and of the response of Jesus to them.



He predicted such dire troubles upon the land that they, the women, should weep, not for Him but for themselves and their children. Better they should not have borne offspring. They will cry for the mountains and hills to cover them. This was probably the coming judgment of retribution for the crucifixion upon Jerusalem, to be carried out one generation, forty years, later, by the same Roman authority which was carrying out this execution.



Next, Luke touches upon the act of crucifixion, but tells of the response of The Son of Man. He uttered a prayer, not for Himself but for the ones carrying out the action (evidently the soldiers). He prayed, "Father, forgive them: for they know not what they do."



It was not the place of Jesus to forgive. That would have been only grounds for further mocking. For Luke tells that even the soldiers engaged in mocking Him. (23:36.) But He prayed His Father to forgive. When anyone unjustly treats us, can we pray for God to forgive him? If Jesus, The Son of Man, could so pray, and if we are part of the New Creation in Him, is it not incumbent upon us so to react to those who mistreat us?



Pilate ordered the inscription, the formal basis for the condemnation, to be placed above the cross. Luke has only the barest of text: "This is the king of the Jews." Putting the text of all four Gospels together, probably the total inscription read: "This is (Luke) Jesus (Matthew, Luke) of Nazareth (John) the king of the Jews (Matthew, Mark, Luke.)" John tells us that the chief priests objected to this statement, but Pilate finally found a wee bit of moral backbone, replying, "What I have written I have written." Oh, that he had exhibited this stubbornness earlier! But then, are there times when we in retrospect look back on our failures to stand up for the right, and desire to become courageous when it is too late?



THE SECOND WORD FROM THE CROSS (23:39-43.)



The second statement of Jesus from the cross came about in conversation with one of the men being crucified with Him. Luke alone tells of the incident. When one of the malefactors railed on Jesus, the other turned on him in condemnation, then turned to Jesus with the words, "Jesus, remember me when Thou comest in Thy kingdom." To him Jesus replied, "Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise."



This is one of only three times when Paradise is mentioned in the New Testament. The word, meaning "enclosure" or "park," comes from a Persian origin, apparently referring to the parks of Persian kings. In II Corinthians 12:2-4 it seems to have been equated by the Apostle Paul with "the third heaven," (evidently referring to the Divine Headquarters) and the things spoken there were forbidden to men.



Again in Revelation 2:7, Jesus, speaking to the messenger of the Ephesian assembly, promised to give to the one overcoming "to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God." To speak of Paradise as an "enclosure" or "park" (see previous paragraph) and to refer to the tree of life as being in it reminds us of the Garden of Eden, described in Genesis 2:8-9. Evidently the Garden of Eden (either the original Garden or its true counterpart in heaven) still exists, and is a blessing to come.



But the important thing for us to notice is that Jesus promised the repentant malefactor that he would be not only "in Paradise," but that he would be "with Me." To receive and to enjoy eternal life ("eat of the tree of life") is to experience and enjoy complete and continuous fellowship with The Son of Man. Have you committed yourself in faith to Him? (See John 17:3.)



THE FINAL WORD AND THE END (23:44-49.)



Luke tells us practically nothing of the long hours of suffering on the cross, nor of the other words of Jesus (a total of seven in all.) He does speak of three hours of darkness with the sun failing to give light. But he does repeat the final words of surrender of Jesus, as The Son of Man yielded up His life to His Father: "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." Even in death, Jesus was quoting Scripture, in this case Psalm 31:5. Is this a challenge to us to learn the Scriptures better, so that we can refer to them for help in times of crisis, even of death itself?



And simultaneously with the Death came the tearing of the huge curtain draped across the front of the temple. Evidently the front of the temple was visible from the place of crucifixion, for the Roman centurion, the official witness to the execution, remarked upon both simultaneous events by glorifying God, declaring, "Certainly this was a righteous man." (23:45,47.)

Matthew adds that the centurion also said, "Truly this was the Son of God."
(Matthew 27:54.)



Notice three things said about The Son of Man, all related to His words from the cross: (1) He was forgiving (vs. 34); (2) He promised eternal life (in Paradise. Vs. 43); and (3) He was "a righteous man" (vs. 47.) And He died!



And all who saw these things were "smiting their breasts," evidently sensing that something terrible had happened, but without seeming at this point to know why. But all who had known Jesus, and the women who had followed Him, stood at a distance, watching. (vss.48-49.)




ENTOMBMENT (23:50-56.)



We are told of one Joseph, from the city of Arimathaea, who was (1) a good man (vs 50); a righteous man (vs. 50); and "looking for the kingdom of God." (vs. 51.) Two more things were said of him.



First, he was a councillor. (Vs. 50.) Evidently he was a member of the Sanhedrin, the very council which, early that morning, had all agreed that Jesus must die and took Him to Pilate. (22:66-23:1.) But Luke tells us that Joseph "had not consented" (23:51.) Either Joseph had not been informed of or invited to that meeting, or perhaps he had walked out of the council in silent protest. John tells us that Joseph was a "secret believer," and that he feared the others. (John 19:38.)



Joseph went to Pilate, asked for the body of Jesus, took it down from the cross, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid it in a new tomb. Matthew tells us it was his own tomb. John tells us that Joseph was assisted by Nicodemus (John 19:39.) Because it was getting close to six of the clock, when the Sabbath would begin, they rolled a stone over the tomb. Meanwhile, some women from Galilee, who were watching, went home to prepare spices and ointments for a proper burial, which had to wait until after the sabbath would be over.



Thus was fulfilled the words of the prophet Isaiah, who some eight hundred years before had written, "And they made his grave with the wicked" (that is, the two malefactors); "and with a rich man in his death" (that is, in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathaea.) Thus The Son of Man brought to a judicial death the end of the race of Adam, who had "brought sin into the world."



In the next and final lesson, we shall consider the Resurrection, whereby The Son of Man, as the Last Adam, became the Progenitor of a new race of mankind, even the New Creation of God in Himself.



QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW, STUDY, AND DISCUSSION



1. Review of preceding text: In the preceding discussion, what fact or facts did you find most helpful. Discuss.



The following questions are based on Luke Chapter Twenty-four:

2. An important line of evidence for the truth of the Resurrection is the initial reaction and response of people to the evidence. What was the initial reaction of (1) the women; (2) the disciples; (3) Peter? Discuss this significance.



3. Cleopas and his companion were discouraged because of the death of Jesus, whom they called (1) a prophet; (2) a speaker of great words; (3) a performer of mighty deeds; and (4) their expected Redeemer. So why did the unknown Stranger call them "fools"? Do you see an important lesson here?



4. When Jesus appeared to the company (Vss 36-43), He gave numerous points of evidence to prove that His Resurrection was genuine. List those points of evidence.



5. Jesus referred the disciples to the Scriptures and "opened their minds" to understand. Have you had experience(s) of having your mind opened to new truths as you read and study the Scriptures? Discuss.



6. Verses 46-49 would seem to be Luke's version of the Great Commission. In verse 46 it is "the Christ" (the Messiah), i.e., His relationship to the Jews; then a preaching to "all the nations" (i.e., all the Gentiles); there were official "witnesses" (to His resurrection); and there was the promise of the Holy Spirit. Meditate on, and discuss, our part: the proclamation of "repentance and remission of sins in His name."



7. Try to memorize Luke 24:25-27.










--- Norman L. MacLeod Jr.

INDEX