The Sanhedrin has just declared Jesus guilty of blasphemy which deserves death, but they do not have the authority to execute someone, only the occupying Romans do, so they take him to Pilate, the Roman governor. Once there (presumably) they realise that the accusation of blasphemy will not wash with this unbelieving Gentile, so they accuse Jesus of undermining the Jewish nation, of opposing paying taxes to Rome and of claiming to be the Messiah.

The first two were patently untrue and could not be substantiated so Pilate doesn't even bother with them. Instead he asks Jesus if he is the King of the Jews and gets a positive answer, but this doesn't bother Pilate – there had been other rebel leaders and this one doesn't look like a challenge – and Pilate had probably heard all about Jesus from his own people anyway.

As soon as Pilate hears Jesus came from Galilee he sees a way out and sends him to the Jewish governor of Galilee , Herod, who happens to be in town, probably for the Passover feast. Herod can't get anywhere with Jesus and so after abusing him they send him back to Pilate. Neither Pilate nor Herod could find a just cause to condemn Jesus, because he is innocent! Yet the farce continues with the religious leaders determined to get rid of this thorn in their side.

D. Application:

1. Gentile & Jewish authorities declared Jesus innocent.

2. He was innocent, yet we killed him. This is our sin.

Chapter: Luke 23

Passage: Luke 23:13-25

A. Find Out:

1. Who did Pilate speak to and what did he tell them? v.13-15

2. What did he say he was going to do? v.16

3. But what response did he get? v.17-19

4. Yet what did he do and what response came? v.20,21

5. What did he declare yet again? v.22

6. Yet what happened? v.23-25

B. Think:

1. What 3 groups of people are standing against Pilate?

2. What was Pilate's clear judgement?

3. Yet what was the outcome?

C. Comment:

These verses may be some of the most shameful in history. Jesus has come back from Herod and so Pilate now speaks to the religious leaders, the secular leaders of Israel , and the general crowd that has gathered there. Every aspect of Judaism is represented here! Pilate wants them to know that they have no grounds to put Jesus to death. He repeats this a number of times. He is quite clear about this.

The whole crowd will have nothing to do with this. They seek to make use of a local law that said that at Passover the governor had the prerogative to release and pardon one prisoner being held. The crowd call for Barabbas, a revolutionary murderer to be released instead, and then chant for Jesus to be crucified. Three times Pilate appeals to them – this is a sign of his sureness of the wrongness of what is happening, but eventually, for the sake of expediency, Pilate gives way and agrees to their demands: Barabbas will be released and Jesus will be crucified.

What a clear travesty of Justice. Jew and Gentile together are guilty of the greatest travesty of justice in history! The account is so clear – he is innocent, yet at the demand of the leaders of the land, Jesus is going to be executed by one of the most horrible forms of execution ever devised. This is purely because the leaders are fearful of this man who shows up their deadness. This man IS life and they are going to extinguish it!

D. Application:

1. Let's be perfectly clear – Jesus was totally innocent.

2. Jesus died as a spotless lamb for your Sin. Thank and praise him.

Chapter: Luke 23

Passage: Luke 23:26-34

A. Find Out:

1. Who carried Jesus' cross? v.26

2. Who followed Jesus doing what? v.27

3. What did Jesus tell them to do? v.28

4. Why? v.29,30

5. Who were crucified with Jesus? v.32,33

6. What did Jesus pray? v.34

B. Think:

1. What do many in the crowd obviously feel about Jesus?

2. How does Jesus twice express his concern in this passage?

3. How does this show Jesus awareness of God's purposes?

C. Comment:

The bare facts of what happened are these: Jesus is taken off to be crucified, because he is obviously weak from being beaten and being up all night, they get another to carry his cross, many follow him weeping, he is taken to the place of execution and crucified there alongside two thieves who are also being executed. This simple account omits Jesus' words which reveal his awareness of much bigger issues.

First, in his words to the weeping women, he is giving them a warning of what will yet happen to Jerusalem – it was destroyed in AD70. He wants them to be aware and be prepared. On that day there will be anguish when mothers will wish they'd never had children who were now suffering all that was happening.

Next, as he prays on the cross, he is aware that the greatest injustice of history is being acted out which, if God's justice was to be upheld, would result in the destruction of everyone involved in it. As we pray, we should be speaking out God's will, and that is exactly what Jesus is doing. This is a sinful act by mankind, yet one which the trinity had planned long back, using man's sinfulness. It deserved the judgement of heaven but was in fact the judgment of heaven being brought on itself. God took our punishment. That was what this staggering event was all about. How incredible.

D. Application:

1. Even in the midst of trial Jesus is concerned for people.

2. Nothing can hold back the love of God being expressed!

Chapter: Luke 23

Passage: Luke 23:35-43

A. Find Out:

1. What did the rulers say? v.35

2. What did the soldiers do and say? v.36,37

3. What notice was put above Jesus? v.38

4. What did one of the two thieves say? v.39

5. What did the other say? v.40-42

6. What was Jesus' answer to him? v.43

B. Think:

1. How did different people abuse Jesus on the Cross?

2. How was there one person different from the rest?

3. How was he rewarded?

C. Comment:

Jesus is hanging on the Cross enduring the most excruciating physical agony and now to that is added the put-downs of the various people there. First there are the rulers, those in authority in Judaism who has put him there. Having taken the brunt of his teaching that showed them up badly, they now get their own back and taunt him. Then there are the hardened soldiers who see death regularly and they too mock him for his inability to do anything.

Finally there is the criminal who is also hanging there who, in his agony, lashes out at Jesus for his inability to help them. Yes, that is what comes out with these three sets of people: the inability of Jesus to do anything about his situation. When we see Jesus in the Gospels, completely in control of his circumstances, fulfilling God's will, it makes the contrast here even more awful. This is a self imposed inability to change what is happening. He willingly took this terrible experience for you and me.

Then there is the second criminal, who shows us that circumstances do NOT dictate how we must act. He faces the truth about himself and believes in Jesus, and is thus accepted by Jesus. He is an example of a “death-bed” conversion. How wonderful. It just required an open heart and salvation was immediately there! It didn't require action, just belief. That was enough.

D. Application:

1. Do we let circumstances dictate and deny truth?

2. Will we use circumstances to soften our hearts to face the truth?

Chapter: Luke 23

Passage: Luke 23:44-49

A. Find Out:

1. What time was it and what happened in the sky? v.44

2. What happened in the temple? v.45

3. What did Jesus cry out and then what happened? v.46

4. What did the on looking Centurion declare? v.47

5. What did the general onlookers do? v.48

6. But what did the women with Jesus do? v.49

B. Think:

1. What manifestations, according to Luke, accompanied the Cross?

2. How did Jesus' last words even have effect?

3. What are you feeling at this point in the Gospel?

C. Comment:

The Jewish day was reckoned from our 6.00am so at midday the sky turned black. Presumably thick clouds covered the sky and for three hours, accompanying Jesus' last hours, the scene was one of utter gloom. Other Gospel writers record other things happening but Luke limits himself to noting that the very thick curtain in the temple was torn in two.

As his Gospel started with supernatural events so it draws to a close with more such events. The sky is unnaturally dark and an invisible hand opens the way into the Holy of Holies in the temple, the innermost place where God was said to reside. The open curtain perhaps indicates that the way is now open to God, through Jesus' death on the cross. Alternatively the open curtain shows there is no sign of God. This is a moment when the Son of God is being excluded from his world and the Father is not there for him! He has to walk this path alone. This is a most poignant picture.

Jesus, still in complete control, releases his life to death. There is no out-of-control anguish in this. It is a total control thing. The centurion who is overseeing the executions is impressed by the remarkable way that Jesus dies. Even in his death, Jesus speaks into someone's life. The on-looking crowd acknowledge it is all over and leave, suddenly aware of the awfulness of what is happening they beat their breasts.

D. Application:

1. He is gone. Without him the world is empty. How terrible.

2. Humanly this is the end. We threw God out of His world.

Chapter: Luke 23

Passage: Luke 23:50-56

A. Find Out:

1. Who was Joseph? v.50

2. How was he different from the other leaders? v.51

3. What did he do? v.52,53

4. When was all this happening? v.54

5. Who was watching what was happening? v.55

6. What did they do and why? v.56

B. Think:

1. What sort of man was Joseph?

2. What did he ensure happened?

3. What problem was there about it all?

C. Comment:

Jesus is dead! Of that there was no question. These Roman executioners knew their job and it was more than their lives were worth to allow there any mishaps – especially with the body of this Galilean trouble maker who has prophesied resurrection! Normally the bodies from crucifixions would be put in common graves but, amazingly, a member of the Sanhedrin steps in and asks the governor for the body.

Obviously not all the leaders had been in agreement about Jesus death, and Joseph, who comes from Arimathea is clearly a righteous and godly man. His voice had not been able to prevail in all that had happened previously but at least now he can do the decent thing and give Jesus a proper burial. Matthew's Gospel tells us that it was Joseph's own tomb that had been recently cut into the rock. For such a burial the body would be wrapped up and have spices and perfumes poured all over it.

However, there is a problem – time is running out. The Jewish day ended at 6.00pm. Jesus had died at 3.00pm and therefore there was very little time left in the day to take the body down, transport it to the grave and properly prepare it – because in 3 hours time the Passover Sabbath started when no work should be done. Thus they put Jesus in the tomb with some of the work yet to be done after Sabbath. A stone is placed over the entrance. The scene is set. Watch this space!

D. Application:

1. Apparently unimportant events often have major repercussions.

2. In our daily lives, all events are significant. Think on that.

RECAP: "Trials & Crucifixion" - Luke 23

SUMMARY :

In this third group of 7 studies we have seen:

- Jesus before the Sanhedrin (22:66-71)

- Jesus before Pilate (23:1-6)

- Jesus before Herod (23:7-12)

- Jesus before Pilate again ( 23:13 -25)

- Jesus led off to be crucified ( 23:26 -32)

- Jesus on the cross ( 23:33 -49)

- Jesus crucified (v.33-34)

- Jesus mocked (v.35-39)

- Jesus & the penitent thief (v.40-43)

- Jesus' death (v.44-49)

- Jesus' burial ( 23:50 -56)

COMMENT :

This Part is a chapter of shame for the human race. If an alien came and read this part of history they would wonder what sort of creatures we were. Apart from Jesus and the penitent thief, everyone in this Part comes over badly. Those who are supposed to uphold the Law abused it in the worst of ways. Truth was cast aside as group after group mocked, derided, beat, or simply turned their backs on this helpless Jesus. His only ‘sin'? To have been good! No, more than that, for being vulnerable. If God had come as a mighty conqueror this would never have happened, but instead he came as a vulnerable human being who was no match for the might of Judaism or of Rome !

LESSONS?

1. The sinfulness of mankind will stop at nothing.

2. The love of God will stop at nothing.

PRAY :

Be silent before the Lord as you contemplate the awfulness of this passage of scripture.

PART 3 : "Resurrection"

Luke's reports of Jesus' resurrection accounts are some of the most human of the Gospels. There is confusion and unbelief and only eventually, rejoicing. The impossible is not understandable. Watch for it.