🙏 Heavenly Father, we return to Your Word today, to finish Your Gospel as recorded by Luke. We thank You for telling us this good news in so many different ways, that no one has any excuse to claim ignorance. Let Your Holy Spirit burn brightly in our hearts to purify us from any remnant of pride that we might still be holding onto, preventing us from humbly submitting ourselves to Your Kingdom – preventing us from drawing nearer to You. We pray this in the name of Our King, Jesus. Amen.
23 Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Messiah, a king.”
3 So Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
“You have said so,” Jesus replied.
4 Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.”
Points to Ponder: We left off with the Jewish elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the law declaring that they needed no more testimony to condemn Jesus. Now they bring Him to Pilate, a Roman ruler. They falsely accuse Him of opposing the payment of taxes to Caesar. They also claim He was ‘subverting their nation’, maybe because of His assertion that He is their Messiah. This is a very twisted perception of His fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. He does not deny being a king to Pilate. And as we see the concepts of human judicial systems play out, it starts with Jewish leaders asserting false accusations and ends with Pilate unwilling to charge Jesus with any unlawful act.
5 But they insisted, “He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here.”
6 On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean. 7 When he learned that Jesus was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.
Points to Ponder: ‘Justice’ always seems to be a moving target when humans disagree on what is good and right – when humans are self-focused and sense a threat to their secure perceptions, they want to blame and punish someone else. (I’m sure Pilate was greatly pleased to ‘pass the buck.’)
8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform a sign of some sort. 9 He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10 The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. 11 Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate. 12 That day Herod and Pilate became friends—before this they had been enemies.
Points to Ponder: Interesting responses by people in the presence of Jesus. Herod was greatly pleased to see Jesus… he had wanted to see Him for a long time. Herod just wanted to see Jesus perform. But Jesus’ silence towards Herod, speaks volumes. Herod reacts to this by having Jesus ridiculed, mocked, and returned to Pilate.
Scripture records here that Herod and Pilate became friends. I’m not sure what to make of this except friends usually have something in common. Their interaction with Jesus was not common. It appears the only thing they had in common was the pressure exerted by the chief priests and the teachers of the law. These Jewish rulers were meant to bring the knowledge of God to the surrounding nations. Instead, they are vehemently hurling bizarre accusations about Jesus to these men. 💔
13 Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, 14 and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. 15 Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. 16 Therefore, I will punish him and then release him.”
Points to Ponder: Pilate repeats their accusation back to them in terms of an offense that could be prosecuted and for the second time declares no basis for their charges. Neither Herod nor Pilate saw guilt in Jesus… But Pilate will punish Him and then release Him. (What?!?!? 🤦♀️ This is obviously a corrupted system of justice.)
18 But the whole crowd shouted, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!” 19 (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)
20 Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. 21 But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
22 For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.”
Points to Ponder: We have seen how crowd mentality can blind many individuals. Here they shout to have Jesus killed and a murderer released in His place. Truly astonishing! Pilate repeats his reasonable argument and his compromised judicial opinion to simply punish Him and then release Him.
23 But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. 24 So Pilate decided to grant their demand. 25 He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.
Points to Ponder: And Pilate caves to the demands of the crowd. There is strength in numbers, but numbers do not always represent what is good or right. Remember the story of the 12 men sent to explore the promised land in Canaan, Numbers 13-14. Who you listen to, matters. Who you surround yourself with, matters. Who you follow, matters.
All these stories are still relevant and they give us a heads-up in our current culture where ‘influencer’ is considered a successful career title.
The Crucifixion of Jesus
26 As the soldiers led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27 A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. 28 Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 Then
“‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!”
and to the hills, “Cover us!”’
31 For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
Points to Ponder: Mysterious language from Jesus here which is why most people like to focus on who Simon from Cyrene was. Was Simon black, a Greek convert to Judaism, or a resettled Jew through Roman conquest? (Cyrene was in what we call Libya today.) Mark’s gospel records Alexander and Rufus as Simon’s sons, and perhaps that same Rufus is the same one that Paul later greets in Romans 16:13. The Bible just doesn’t provide the details. The Cyrenian Jews do play a key role in Acts and the formation of the church in Antioch where the disciples were first called Christians. (Acts 2:10, Acts 6:9, Acts 11:20, Acts 11:26) It is difficult to read the impact of the Jews from Cyrene in Acts without remembering that random selection of Simon by the Roman soldiers to carry the cross of Jesus.
The words of Jesus to the mourning women are packed with compassion, comfort, and warning. There are still people today that just don’t understand why Jesus had to die such a brutal death. But we remember that the crucifixion was prophesied and Jesus willingly submitted to it. He tells the women not to weep for Him, but to weep for themselves and their children! They will see the destruction of Jerusalem soon in 70AD.
What is the wisdom of today? A mother is only as happy as her unhappiest child? Between Jesus’ crucifixion and His return, there is a long line of mother-child relationships that must live through cultural changes… some harder than others. As Christians, we live in the age of the Holy Spirit… the tree is still green. After that silence in heaven for half an hour, Revelation 8:1, woe to anyone still on the earth.
In issuing the warning, Jesus refers back to the Old Testament, Hosea 10:8. These words reach forward as well to Revelation 6:15-17
32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”
36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”
38 There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Points to Ponder: Just notice the people at this scene – Jesus interceding on their behalf asking for their forgiveness. The soldiers, just doing their jobs, and casting lots for his clothes, the extra benefits of their jobs. The rulers sneering at Him and mocking His identity. Two criminals on each side of Him – one hurling insults, one confessing his own sins and recognizing his need for a savior, which Jesus answers graciously. 💖 (As long as you draw breath, it is not too late to confess your sins and cry out to Jesus for salvation – remember this thief on the cross!) And remember what was written above Jesus – THIS IS THE KINGS OF THE JEWS and praise God that the promised kingdom has been open to all of us.
The Death of Jesus
44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, 45 for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.
47 The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” 48 When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. 49 But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
Points to Ponder: How would you respond if the sun stopped shining from noon until 3pm? What would you think if the curtain in your temple, that symbolized the necessary separation of you from the Holiest presence of God suddenly tore in two from the top to the bottom, some 60 feet of tapestry as thick as a man’s hand? Some historians describe ‘a most famous eclipse that had ever occurred as well as an earthquake in Bithynia.’ The witnesses here beat their breasts and went away.
Luke records that Jesus willingly submits His life to The Father, before breathing His last breath. One centurion, a man familiar with rules and authority, praises God and identifies Jesus as a righteous man.
The Burial of Jesus
50 Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, 51 who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God. 52 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. 53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. 54 It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.
55 The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. 56 Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.
Points to Ponder: Joseph of Arimathea, himself a member of the same Council that condemned Jesus, now goes to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus, so that he could bury Him in honor. I am sure there should be more to the conversation between those two men, but Scripture doesn’t record it.
Pilate caved at the crowd mentality led by the Jewish religious leaders. Joseph of Arimathea defies this same group – one he is part of, and is described as a good and upright man.
The women are spending their time in faithful obedience. They too want to honor Jesus with a proper burial. Perhaps, they just want to check on what Joseph did, just in case they need to correct it or add their own spices to it. 🤔
Jesus Has Risen
24 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words.
9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
Points to Ponder: This whole section shows that none of the disciples expected a risen Jesus. The women did not remember until the angels reminded them of Jesus’ own words. When the women return and share what they experienced, the others did not believe them… because their words seem to them like nonsense. Only Peter is recorded here as being intrigued enough to investigate for himself, but still leaves the tomb wondering what had happened.
Without the Holy Spirit interceding, some unbelievers will consider our testimony as nonsense. Some may investigate for themselves. That’s ok, we just keep planting the seeds of truth. We can be like the women and share with others what has happened to us and pray that at least one will investigate for themselves.
On the Road to Emmaus
13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19 “What things?” he asked.
Points to Ponder: Two of whom? Two of Jesus’ followers, with downcast faces, wondering how they are in the presence of someone who doesn’t know about what had happened in these last three days. In classic Jesus-style, the understatement of all Scripture… ‘What things?‘, Jesus asks these disciples. (We are asked to do the same in 1 Peter 3:15.)
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
Points to Ponder: The two disciples give a wonderful summary of the hope they had previously had in Jesus of Nazareth, but the fact that they are walking away from Jerusalem shows that they had lost that hope.
Jesus begins to explain how the Old Testament had always been speaking to this exact event. (See God’s Redemptive Plan post.)
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.
30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
Points to Ponder: The two show great hospitality to Jesus, inviting Him to stay with them. As they share a meal, their eyes are opened and they recognize Jesus. While earlier, they urged Jesus to stay since it was getting late, now they return to Jerusalem at once.
There is a point in a believer’s life where everything changes. Priorities and perceptions change – minds are opened and new understanding develops. I love that these two return to the original group of followers and find out that Jesus had appeared to Peter as well. They hear that story first, then they encourage the others by sharing their story as well. Christianity should never be self-focused, but always focused on the Risen-Jesus, instead.
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.
44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
Points to Ponder: This section shows us: (1) believing faith doesn’t remove all your doubts and fears immediately, you will be helped by meditating on these details about the disciples when they first believed. Then watch how the Holy Spirit transforms them into the fearless apostles that Luke also writes in Acts! (2) Jesus’ resurrected body could physically appear in a room that was locked, (John 20:19) and He could eat – after defeating death! If our imaginations are now captivated by Marvel movies and heroes with superpowers, these fictional stories don’t compare with the hope that is found in the truth of the Gospels! (3) Jesus repeats the fact that HE IS THE FULFILLMENT OF THE OLD TESTAMENT MESSIANIC PROPHESIES. (Google Old Testament prophesies about Jesus and you’ll have many articles to consider… here’s one.)
The Ascension of Jesus
50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.
Points to Ponder: What a beautiful moment in time where these students of Jesus’ earthly ministry and witnesses to His resurrection now also get to witness his ascension into heaven as King – with His hands raised, He blesses them! (This is not the usual ruler/subject posture.) Their response to beginning this new life, understanding that He now reigns and God has fulfilled His Old Testament promises – is to worship Him, return with joy, remaining in the place where they could praise God.
Summary: As we finish Luke’s Gospel, I am drawn to ask, ‘What’s next? Let’s go!!!’ Just like a Marvel movie, I want to see the sequel. The next part, of course, is Acts, but not so fast. Luke has written this Gospel to a Greek, gentile, audience that prized thinking, education, and philosophy. And Luke has portrayed the conversations with Jesus so that you could be drawn in and examine your belief. You are being called into His Kingdom, not forced in, He desires your willing submission to Himself – to the King that faced unjust accusations, cruel taunting, and an inhumane death on a Roman cross – because He loves you. A love that we can’t even understand if we define love by worldly standards.
His resurrection and ascension is all the proof that we need to show that God the Father, accepted the punishment of God the Son, on our behalf. His death paid for our punishment – something we could never do for ourselves. In response, we praise Him. We humbly admit that we have lived our lives all wrong, while we were focused on ourselves. We accept his forgiveness and lay our earthly lives at His feet, in a posture of gratitude and thanksgiving, and open our hearts to being transformed into the images He created us to be.
🙏 Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your Word. Open our eyes and our hearts to submit to Your Spirit. Let us humbly approach you to confess our sinful acts and attitudes and receive Your forgiveness. Let us consider the explosive growth of communication that we’ve seen in history and remember that in Matthew 24:14 Jesus tells us that the end will come… sooner than some are willing to admit or even consider. Fill us anew with Your Spirit to equip us, strengthen and encourage us to complete the works that You have prepared for us to do in advance. We ask this in the name of our King, Jesus. Amen