Sunday Morning Bible Study, Luke 23.... 9-26-21
Lets pray..
We ask these things in Jesus name..
Amen
Our Lord Jesus was condemned as a blasphemer in the Jewish spiritual court, but it held no weight in a Roman court.. for, when they had condemned him, they knew they did not have the power to put him to death, and therefore took another course.# I. They accused him before Pilate. The whole multitude of them arose, when they saw they could go no further with him in their court, and led him to Pilate, though it was no judgment day with no scheduled sessions; and they demanded justice against him, not as a blasphemer (that was no Roman crime ), but as one disaffected to the Roman government, which they in their hearts did not look upon as any crime at all, or, if it was one, they themselves were much more chargeable with it than he was; only it would serve the turn and answer the purpose of their malice: and it is observable that that which was the pretended crime, for which they employed the Roman powers to destroy Christ, was the real crime for which the Roman powers not long after destroyed them also.
There is a mountain that is highly significant, a mount, and this is the place that Jesus is moving toward in this chapter, and where the chapter will end for Us. It is the holy mount known as Mount Moriah or the Temple Mount or sometimes referred to as Mount Zion. It goes by several names and It has significance throughout the Bible.
For Abraham, God told him, "Go to the land of Moriah to a mount that I will show you, and there you will sacrifice your son." So this became a very significant place to the Jews,
Later in that area the temple will be built. It will be David who will approach a man who has a threshing floor on part of this mount, and he seeks to buy it, because he wants to build a temple for the Lord there. Solomon will actually build the temple, using David’s resources, on that mount.
But this is also a mount where the Romans executed people, a place of crucifixion, a place of public shame and execution.
Now, as has been depicted in history, during the time of the New Testament, that the Romans executed people outside of the city walls.
Today the top of that ridge called Moriah, 777 feet above sea level, is the site of an ancient cemetery and it dates back to the days of Jesus. About 237 meters.. It was not like Apo at around 9000 feet or about 836 meters, similar to the Rocky mountains in the states and Canada…..So to give you context Mount Moriah was a raised place north of the Temple of Jerusalem and outside of the city walls… A raised area visible to all…
Jesus, was also sacrificed in that place. And it is this Mount moriah that we are moving to in Luke, chapter 23.
So we're going to beginning with verse 1. As we approach verse 1 of chapter 23, we are entering into phase two of the trials of Jesus.
We're entering into the secular phase, the civil phase, the Roman phase of his trials.
Jesus had six separate trials. He was on trial six separate times:
Annas the high priest, Caiaphas (Ky a Fas )the high priest, the entire Sanhedrin. That took place early in the morning. Then after that they brought Jesus to Pontius Pilate. That's chapter 23, verse 1. And then we have trial number four, before Pontius Pilate; trial number five, before Herod Antipas, because Jesus is Galilean; trial number six, back before Pontius Pilate who finally gives the orders of execution.
So we are now in the secular phase. Early in the morning, probably around 6:00 a.m., the Jewish council, the Sanhedrin brings the prisoner, the bound prisoner who's been unjustly and illegally tried, who's been already beaten up, before Pontius Pilate at his residence.
And his residence was on the northwest portion of the temple area in what is called Antonia Fortress, the huge castle-like residence very fortified where the governor lived. The Roman 10th Legion was housed in the Antonia Fortress. Legions were composed of about 6,000 soldiers and perhaps 2,500 to 3,000 support staff. Most Roman forts were literally small cities within the larger city.
"Then the whole multitude of them arose and led him to Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, 'We have found this fellow perverting the nation.' What this really means is “subverting” the nation…..
"'And forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ, a King.' "
Luke is the only one of the gospel writers that actually specifies the charges that they bring to Pilate concerning Jesus.
The charges are threefold.
Accusation number one: "This fellow is subverting the nation." Is that a true or a false charge? It's a false charge. Jesus wasn't a reactionary. He wasn't a revolutionary. He wasn't trying to overthrow the government. He wasn't trying to institute a theocratic kingdom at that time. None of that was true. He said, "Don't think that I have come to overturn the Law or the Prophets. I didn't come to destroy the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfil the Law and the Prophets."
Second accusation: "He is forbidding people to pay taxes." Is this a true charge or a false charge? False
charge. Jesus clearly said, "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesars, and render to God the things that are God's," so it's a false charge.
Ah, but the third charge, now thisone is true, :
"saying that he himself is Christ or the Messiah.
They asked him, "Are you then a King?" And Pilate will ask him that. And he will say, "You have said rightly, I am a king." But he will also say, and it's recorded in John 18, "My kingdom is not of this world.
If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight, and deliver me from the hand and the accusation of the Jews, but my kingdom is not of this world." Pilate didn't get it, but Jesus did claim to be a King. He is King over the hearts of men. The kingdom of God
right now does not come by outward observation. It will one day, however.
"And Pilate asked him, saying, 'Are you the King of the Jews?' "Now you see that question? That question is recorded in all four gospels.
Pilate was Roman. Caesar was king. The kingdom was the Roman Empire. Rome ruled by force; It was the iron fist of Rome… "And he answered and said to him, 'It is as you say.' So Pilate said to the
chief priests and the crowd, 'I find no fault in this Man.' But they were the more fierce, saying, 'He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place' "; (that is, Jerusalem. ) Jesus stirred up the people, as will Peter, as will John, as will the others.
"When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked if the Man were a Galilean." Pilate knew right away this is a religious squabble. He doesn't want to get caught in the middle of a religious squabble. He's already gotten in trouble with Tiberius Caesar for mishandling two religious squabbles of the Jews in past history. He doesn't want another one. So he's looking for an out. He says, "This guy's free. He's faultless. These charges can't be sustained. Pilate says ” I find no fault in him." And attempts to dismiss the whole issue…
And so they go,
"Well, they said “he's stirring up the people from Galilee down south." Then a light comes on and Pilate questions "Galilee? He's from Galilee?" Now watch what he does. "And as soon as he knew that he belonged to Herod's jurisdiction"---that's Galilee. Herod Antipas was the tetrarch of Galilee. So Pilate was done with the problem..( or so he thought)
Pilate sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at the time. Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad."
He's secular. He's Roman. He doesn't know Judaism. He hates Judaism. He hates Judea.
Herod Antipas from the Herod family has strong Jewish connections however..
You will find Herod sympathetic in the Bible toward Jewish causes. But, the Jews hated him, Herod the Great, the father of Harod Antipas who built the temple for them even though he wasn't Jewish. His mother was an Arab; Herod the Great's mother was an Arab. So he was sympathetic toward Jewish causes and had some
kind of relationship toward Judaism, but he was very immoral. He was a scoundrel. He helped the Jews out, but he really used the Jewish nation to line his pocket, so he was hated.
But Pilate contends that, because of his family history, "He ( Harod) knows more about Judaism than he does , so he sent him away to be Judged by Herod… Again Pilate thought this was a problem solved for Herod would make a decision and he would be accountable to Tiberius Ceaser not himself…
"Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad." The bible says….
"For he had desired for a long time to see him, because he had heard many things about him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by him." Ah, okay, now we know why he wants to see Jesus, not for his message, but for his tricks, his pure entertainment value.
It's not because of the message of salvation, the message of repentance, but for the miracles.
He was seeking to see a miracle. He had heard he was a miracle worker.
Also, he had heard about Jesus and the rumor was, "This is John the Baptist raised from the dead." That always bugged him, because he was the guy who had his head chopped off…..
We believe that haunted him. So he wanted to see Jesus. And what I find interesting is this is the only time in recorded history that Jesus ever meets Herod. When he preached He skirted the area of Tiberias. There's never a record in the Bible of him going to Tiberias , where Herod Antipas would have lived. He wasn't there at all; Jesus never went there.
In fact, if you remember, when somebody came to him and said, "Herod has been asking about you," he said, " And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. Another words” Go tell that fox that I'm busy.
Now this is also the only account of Jesus being tried when he refuses to participate.. Jesus says nothing to Herod... He doesn't say is a word to him. "Then he questioned him," verse 9, "with many words, but he answered him nothing."
It is note-worthy that John had already preached to him on many occasions. Herod heard the message through John, the stern, austere message of repentance, the message levelled at him because he had taken his brother's wife unlawfully, was living in sin. But Herod did not change with that message .Instead he listened to his illegal wife and caved in under the pressure… He was manipulated into ordering the execution of John by her.. For this act he would die a horrible death in exile….
But Jesus doesn't say one single word as he faced the powerful Herod. "And the chief priests and the scribes," those were the people that were with Herod at the time, "stood and vehemently accused him. Then Herod, with his men of war," that's his security detail, "treated Jesus with contempt and mocked him, arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him back to Pilate.
That very day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for previously they had been at enmity ( hostility) with each other.. There is nothing that binds people together like a common enemy…and they bonded over Jesus…..
That's not a good basis for a friendship, is it? Not for any of us.. Because it is built on negativity…. It is much different than friendships which are born through positive fellowship… So the problem has been shoved right back to Pilate’s plate…But he believes he can strike a compromise and be done with it…
Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, said to them,
'You have brought this man to me, as one who misleads the people. And indeed, having examined
him in your presence, I have found no fault in this man concerning those things of which
you accuse him; no, neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by him,' " this prisoner. Here comes the compromise…." 'I will therefore chastise
him and release him' (for it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast)."This is the final call on what's going to happen with Jesus. Pilate twice now says,
He hasn't done anything deserving of death. He should go free." But he wants to placate the Jewish leaders, who obviously hate Jesus, so he decides to have the victim victimized, to have him chastised, to have him whipped…. Pilate says Jesus is innocent but we will whip him then let him go ( if he survives )
To just get an idea of the gravity of the situation……There were, in Roman days, three levels of being flogged.
The whip was called a flagellum..It had a wooden handle with 
leather strips, pieces of bone, or metal tied to the end of it I will post pictures with my notes after on our website…
leather strips, pieces of bone, or metal tied to the end of it I will post pictures with my notes after on our website…
So that when the lictor, he's called---the guy who whips the prisoners. There would be 2 lictors ..one would be positioned on each side of the prisoner.
The prisoner's arms would be stretched overhead so his back was taut like a drum, or over a pillar so he would be kind of lurched over it. Both ways were used. And the lictors, one on either side, would deliver diagonal blows to the victim. Initially leaving diamond cuts on the back…The flagellum, because it has bits of metal and bone, would not bounce off his skin, but would essentially grab. So the whip went down and it stuck into the flesh, and then the lictor would pull back on it to release and tear the flesh out.
And there were three levels of this, and the Romans had names for each. It was a specially prescribed kind of a punishment.
Level number one was called fustigatio.
Fustigatio was sort of a light beating. You get a few of these things and then you're done. It's sort of a warning.
Level number two was flagellatio, named after the flagellum.
This was more severe. This is if you have committed some notorious crime, and Rome wants to send
a strong message to others. That's where the person was brutalized.
The third level was calledThe verberatio.
The verberatio was the most vicious of all, and it was usually reserved for those who would also receive capital punishment for their crime. If they were going to die, they would go through the verberatio.
And that is where typically the Roman lictors would keep going until either they are too exhausted to whip anymore, or they are told to stop by the person in charge. Now, according to the records that we have in history, all of these were horrible, and some victims, especially of the second and third level, died in the process.
They never even made it to the execution. They died right there on the spot. And that You can, according to Eusebius the church historian, sometimes actually see into the kidneys of a victim before they stopped. They would take that much flesh out in these beatings.
Remember when Paul was put to death. It was said that he would not be crucified because he was a Roman citizen….But understand that although Paul was beheaded instead of being crucified he would still go through this process and need to endure the verberatio which was reserved for the condemned…
It was a brutal beating that Jesus went through. That's the idea if he was chastised. It would have been level 1 or 2…
But notice verse 17, "It was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast." Now he's thinking
it's going to be Jesus. We’ll chastise him that will appease the people and then let him go. Twice he said, "He's without fault." So after the beating, he's going bring him back. He's letting him go.
"And they all cried out at once, saying, 'Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas'---who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder." He deserved to die on a cross, and crucifixion was reserved for (a) non-Romans, and (b) those who were guilty of insurrection or murder. Well, you know the story, Barabbas gets released and Jesus goes to the cross.
Jesus literally dies in the place of Barabbas. If ever one person on earth could say "Jesus died for me. Jesus died in my place," it was Barabbas. But, let me tell you about Barabbas. From One of the church historians who lived in the third century. He was from North Africa. His name is Origen.
He said his name, his full name was Jesus Barabbas. So you have Jesus Barabbas or Jesus called the Christ. The word Barabbas means "son of a father." So you see what the choice is for the crowd? "
Verse 20, "Pilate, therefore, wishing to release
Jesus, again called out to them. But they shouted, saying, 'Crucify him, crucify him!'
And then he said to them the third time"---he really wants to get Jesus released it sounds
like. "'Why, what evil has he done? I have found no reason for death in him. I will therefore
chastise him and let him go.' But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that
He be crucified. And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed." It's one of the saddest texts in all of Scripture.
The voices of the crowd prevailed. Prevailed over what? Prevailed over all the other voices.
You see, Pilate has heard many, many voices that day. First of all, he heard the voice
of his wife, according to Matthew's gospel. His wife came to him as Jesus was brought
to him and said , "Pilate, have nothing to do with this righteous man. I've been troubled this day by dreams about him." It's the voice of his wife: "Have nothing to do with him. Let him go." The second was
the voice of his own conscience saying, "He's innocent. He's innocent. He's innocent." Three
times he tried to let him go. So, we have the voice of his wife; he had his own conscience
telling him he's innocent; third, he had the voice Jesus.
You put all the Gospels together, Jesus tells him of a kingdom, tells him of truth, that he can know truth, that there's a kingdom beyond the kingdom of Rome. So he has the voice of his wife, the voice of his conscience, and the voice of Christ. But the voices of the people prevailed this day.
We have to be on guard daily lest The voices of the crowd persuade you wrongly, saying "This is more popular. Go our way.. “
There are so many prevailing voices in this world that can drown out the voice of good counsel like a husband or wife or Godly friend, the voice of our conscience telling us, "I know it's right," and the voice of God speaking in his Word. Between Pilate and Jesus the voices of the people prevailed.
But here's what you got to ask yourself. If you're ever tempted to go along with the crowd
because of the pressure, and you want the popularity of the crowd rather than doing
what's right---"cause everybody's doing that, so I should do that, because I want to be
popular with them" or fit in better or take the easy way---just ask yourself this question: Where is that crowd that I am so anxious to please and so anxious to conform to, where are they going? Where will this path lead me?
Didn't Jesus say on the Sermon on the Mount "Enter into the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter therein. But narrow is the gate, and difficult is the way that leads to eternal life, and few find it."
The voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed. And he released to them the one they requested, who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison; but he delivered Jesus to their will. Now as they led him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian." You know where Cyrene is? North Africa, Libya.
He's a bystander. He's part of the Jewish Diaspora, they are called, scattered Jews around the world. He has come a long distance, because it is the hope of every Jew around the world at least once to celebrate Passover in Jerusalem. He's there for the feast and suddenly he's conscripted by the Romans to carry the upper part of the cross that the victim carried ….Many people followed him, and women who also mourned and lamented him. Jesus, turning
to them, said"---and, again, Luke is the only one that records this meeting---
" 'Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.' "
For indeed the days are coming when they will say, "Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which have never nursed!"
And they will begin "to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us!' and to the hills, 'Cover us!'
they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. And Jesus said"---
'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.' And they divided his garments and cast lots. And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered,
saying, 'He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ, the chosen of God.'
"The soldiers also mocked him, coming and offering him sour wine, and saying, 'If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself.' And an inscription was written over him in the letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS."
Just to recap a bit….
(The cross) was characterized by an upright post and a horizontal crossbar, and it had several variations. It was customary for the condemned man to carry his own cross from the flogging post to the site of crucifixion outside the city walls. He was usually naked, unless this was prohibited by local customs. Since the weight of the entire cross was probably well over 300 lb. (136 kg), only the crossbar was carried. The crossbar, weighing 75 to 125 lb. (34 to 57 kg), was placed across the nape of the victim’s neck and balanced along both shoulders. Usually, the outstretched arms then were tied to the crossbar. The processional to the site of crucifixion was led by a complete Roman military guard, headed by a centurion. One of the soldiers carried a sign on which the condemned man’s name and crime were displayed. Later, the sign would be attached to the top of the cross. The Roman guard would not leave the victim until they were sure of his death.
So, an inscription.
And Matthew, Mark, verse 38, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all talk about this inscription at the cross
"THIS IS
JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS."
So this was his crime. The king of the Jews… The only thing that was true in the charges was the thing which was place above the head of Jesus.. That he was king..Christ the king…
Then one of the criminals who was next to Jesus blasphemed him, saying, 'If you are the Christ, save yourself and us.' But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, 'Do you not even fear God, seeing that you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we received the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.'
"And then he said to Jesus, 'Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' And Jesus
said is to him, 'Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.'
Jesus was put on the cross about nine in the morning; he died around three in the afternoon. While he was on the cross,
He uttered seven statements while on the cross:
Before twelve noon he made 3. His first statement recorded here: "Father, forgive them, they don't know what they do."
When we pray like this for our enemies, we make the "promise of forgiveness" to God, not to the person who wronged us. We can't make the promise to them, because they will not repent. But by making the promise to God, we keep our hearts free from the cancer of resentment and keep ourselves ready to forgive.
Second statement: "Today you will be with me in paradise."
Third statement was to Mary and his disciple…
When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, 'Dear woman, here is your son,' 27 and to the disciple, 'Here is your mother.' From that time on, this disciple took her into his home." (John 19:25-27)
Those three sayings were from nine to twelve. From twelve noon to three o'clock darkness went over all the land. When the darkness broke, Jesus gave three sayings one after another and then he died.
He said, "I thirst." "It is finished," one word in Greek,
"Tetelestai!"
" the fourth saying, I missed that. As soon as the darkness broke he cried, "Eloi, Eloi,
lama sabachthani?" "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?
And then, finally, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit
"Now it was about," verse 44, "the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth
until the ninth hour. The sun was darkened, and the veil in the temple was torn in two."
The Temple veil was the thickness of a man's hand embroidered with figures of cherubim like those Ezekiel saw guarding God's Throne. It was A brocade curtain (a rich fabric woven with a raised pattern, typically with gold or silver thread, divided the Holy of Holies from the lesser Holy place. The Holy of Holies was located in the western most end of the Temple building; being a perfect cube in shape: 20 cubits by 20 cubits by 20 cubits. It is said that it took 300 priests to hang it… The veil equals 30 feet or or 9.14 meters by 9.14 meters …
The veil was also a picture of death whereby we enter the Presence of God. Scripture says, when Jesus died, the veil was torn from top to bottom.
When Jesus was born, the sky was lit with the glory of God. The glory of the Lord shone around them.
This day was the darkness of wickedness. They were trying to extinguish the Light of the World. Jesus says “I am the light of the world”… And they tried to put that light out….
According to the Jewish Talmud darkness is a judgment reserved by God for unusual wickedness.
So those Jewish scholars knowing that this was, this darkness was pregnant with meaning:
darkness of secrecy, darkness of wickedness, a darkness of judgment. "
The veil signified a divider between gentiles and Jews.. non jews were not to pass beyond the veil.. The message was Keep Out ! Beyond this point you had , courts of the women, courts of men. If you were a woman, you couldn't go into the court of men. If you were a Gentile, you couldn't go into the court of the women or the court of the men. It was all sectioned off. The message was, "Don't come any closer.
Keep out.
It is also said that the Veil , called the "curtain", in several Bible translations, the veil separated the holy place from the inner holy of holies inside the tent of meeting. It hid a holy God, who dwelt above the mercy seat on the ark of the covenant, from sinful people on the outside.. This is quite the opposite from what Jesus taught since he love the sinner.. He embraced them.. He reminded even the disciples that no one is without sin….
But now Jesus died. He paid the price for our sins. God ripped the veil. You
know what he's saying? "Come in. Come in. Don't stay out. Now you can come in no matter
who you are. You can come all the way into the Holy of Holies."You are welcome….
On your own, read Hebrews, chapter 10, around verse 19, 20,
21, 22. We'll apply all this. "And when Jesus cried out," verse 46, "with a loud voice," He gives the seventh saying on the cross, "'Father, "into your hands I commit my spirit."
'Having said this, He breathed his last." "Father, I commit myself into your hands."
Think of what that means. For the last twelve hours he has been in the hands of enemies, the hands of people who were malicious toward him. Jesus said, “The Son of Man will go as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for him if he had never been born.
"Father, I'm coming home, into your hands I commit my spirit." Three days later he'll rise from the dead. Forty days after that he will ascend to the right hand of the throne of glory.
"So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God verse 48 “And when all the people who had gathered for this spectacle saw what had happened, they returned home beating their breasts. 49But all those who knew Jesus, including the women who had followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching these things.…”
And behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man."
This is Joseph of Arimathea. "He had not consented to their decision and deed.
"He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. And he took it down, wrapped it in linen, laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain. And the day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near." According to Matthew, Joseph of Arimathea was a disciple. According to John, Joseph of Arimathea was a secret disciple. And according to Luke, he was a righteous or a just man. And the Bible doesn't hand out that title to anybody. So here you have somebody who was of the ruling order of the Sanhedrin, a prominent member of the council of the Jews, who believed in Jesus secretly.
Now, in this moment, the fruit of his faith comes from the root of his faith. Which is, in defiance of the Sabbath and Jewish traditions in terms of handling the dead, He had faith. He believed in Him. He was getting ready for a three-day return. "And the women who had come with him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how the body was laid. And they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.
So taking the body off the cross and burying it defiles a person. You know that touching a dead person defiles a person. And it is Passover and the Sabbath is coming up. And so in handling the body of Jesus, they would have been ceremonially defiled. In defiance of the old law they laid Jesus to rest.. And they took Jesus and they handled him with love and handled him with beautiful honor.
That's why Jesus did what we read this morning, to forgive us, to save us, to be the ultimate sacrifice just like Jesus, son of a Father, Barabbas, Jesus, Son of the Father died in his place. And guess what? He died in our place. He died in your place, so you don't have to perish eternally. You can live forever. How do you do that? You gotta join a churchband give a lot of money and go through rituals and ceremonies? No. You put your trust in the One who did the work. You put your truth in him. Through faith you shall receive eternal life…. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life. John 3 :16 The gospel of John is directly ahead of us…. ,“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Lets open the meeting so that everyone can have an opportunity to speak this morning…
Closing prayer
Heavenly Father, we are so grateful, so thankful for the gospel. Truly it is good news. And our hearts break because many over the years have misrepresented the good news and made it sound more like bad news. And yet the truth is we have to be aware of the bad news before we can ever accept the good news. The bad news is we have all sinned. The bad news is we are all under judgment. The bad news is there will be a day of reckoning. The bad news is we all deserve eternal damnation.
The good news is we don't have to do that. We can turn from sin, that's repentance, and turn to Jesus, that's faith, and that's good news. I pray for anyone here or who will listen or read…who may have not done that yet or who needs to come running back home to Jesus Christ as Savior…. I pray for the living and souls of the dead that for all you may show mercy.
Show us the straight gate Lord and keep us on the right path. Help us more fully understand the price that was paid for us and why this occurred 2000 years ago. Keep in our minds the meaning of Love and hope and faith as we trust in you…
We are thankful for all of the blessings that you have bestowed upon us. Help us to use your gifts in a way that would manifest the light of Christ in our lives.. Be with us and guide us daily. Help us pray always and if we do not speak to you we ask that you speak to us and remind us that you are with us always…
We ask these things in Jesus’ name….
And that is where typically the Roman lictors would keep going until either they are too exhausted to whip anymore, or they are told to stop by the person in charge. Now, according to the records that we have in history, all of these were horrible, and some victims, especially of the second and third level, died in the process.
They never even made it to the execution. They died right there on the spot. And that You can, according to Eusebius the church historian, sometimes actually see into the kidneys of a victim before they stopped. They would take that much flesh out in these beatings.
Remember when Paul was put to death. It was said that he would not be crucified because he was a Roman citizen….But understand that although Paul was beheaded instead of being crucified he would still go through this process and need to endure the verberatio which was reserved for the condemned…
It was a brutal beating that Jesus went through. That's the idea if he was chastised. It would have been level 1 or 2…
But notice verse 17, "It was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast." Now he's thinking
it's going to be Jesus. We’ll chastise him that will appease the people and then let him go. Twice he said, "He's without fault." So after the beating, he's going bring him back. He's letting him go.
"And they all cried out at once, saying, 'Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas'---who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder." He deserved to die on a cross, and crucifixion was reserved for (a) non-Romans, and (b) those who were guilty of insurrection or murder. Well, you know the story, Barabbas gets released and Jesus goes to the cross.
Jesus literally dies in the place of Barabbas. If ever one person on earth could say "Jesus died for me. Jesus died in my place," it was Barabbas. But, let me tell you about Barabbas. From One of the church historians who lived in the third century. He was from North Africa. His name is Origen.
He said his name, his full name was Jesus Barabbas. So you have Jesus Barabbas or Jesus called the Christ. The word Barabbas means "son of a father." So you see what the choice is for the crowd? "
Verse 20, "Pilate, therefore, wishing to release
Jesus, again called out to them. But they shouted, saying, 'Crucify him, crucify him!'
And then he said to them the third time"---he really wants to get Jesus released it sounds
like. "'Why, what evil has he done? I have found no reason for death in him. I will therefore
chastise him and let him go.' But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that
He be crucified. And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed." It's one of the saddest texts in all of Scripture.
The voices of the crowd prevailed. Prevailed over what? Prevailed over all the other voices.
You see, Pilate has heard many, many voices that day. First of all, he heard the voice
of his wife, according to Matthew's gospel. His wife came to him as Jesus was brought
to him and said , "Pilate, have nothing to do with this righteous man. I've been troubled this day by dreams about him." It's the voice of his wife: "Have nothing to do with him. Let him go." The second was
the voice of his own conscience saying, "He's innocent. He's innocent. He's innocent." Three
times he tried to let him go. So, we have the voice of his wife; he had his own conscience
telling him he's innocent; third, he had the voice Jesus.
You put all the Gospels together, Jesus tells him of a kingdom, tells him of truth, that he can know truth, that there's a kingdom beyond the kingdom of Rome. So he has the voice of his wife, the voice of his conscience, and the voice of Christ. But the voices of the people prevailed this day.
We have to be on guard daily lest The voices of the crowd persuade you wrongly, saying "This is more popular. Go our way.. “
There are so many prevailing voices in this world that can drown out the voice of good counsel like a husband or wife or Godly friend, the voice of our conscience telling us, "I know it's right," and the voice of God speaking in his Word. Between Pilate and Jesus the voices of the people prevailed.
But here's what you got to ask yourself. If you're ever tempted to go along with the crowd
because of the pressure, and you want the popularity of the crowd rather than doing
what's right---"cause everybody's doing that, so I should do that, because I want to be
popular with them" or fit in better or take the easy way---just ask yourself this question: Where is that crowd that I am so anxious to please and so anxious to conform to, where are they going? Where will this path lead me?
Didn't Jesus say on the Sermon on the Mount "Enter into the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter therein. But narrow is the gate, and difficult is the way that leads to eternal life, and few find it."
The voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed. And he released to them the one they requested, who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison; but he delivered Jesus to their will. Now as they led him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian." You know where Cyrene is? North Africa, Libya.
He's a bystander. He's part of the Jewish Diaspora, they are called, scattered Jews around the world. He has come a long distance, because it is the hope of every Jew around the world at least once to celebrate Passover in Jerusalem. He's there for the feast and suddenly he's conscripted by the Romans to carry the upper part of the cross that the victim carried ….Many people followed him, and women who also mourned and lamented him. Jesus, turning
to them, said"---and, again, Luke is the only one that records this meeting---
" 'Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.' "
For indeed the days are coming when they will say, "Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which have never nursed!"
And they will begin "to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us!' and to the hills, 'Cover us!'
they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. And Jesus said"---
'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.' And they divided his garments and cast lots. And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered,
saying, 'He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ, the chosen of God.'
"The soldiers also mocked him, coming and offering him sour wine, and saying, 'If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself.' And an inscription was written over him in the letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS."
Just to recap a bit….
(The cross) was characterized by an upright post and a horizontal crossbar, and it had several variations. It was customary for the condemned man to carry his own cross from the flogging post to the site of crucifixion outside the city walls. He was usually naked, unless this was prohibited by local customs. Since the weight of the entire cross was probably well over 300 lb. (136 kg), only the crossbar was carried. The crossbar, weighing 75 to 125 lb. (34 to 57 kg), was placed across the nape of the victim’s neck and balanced along both shoulders. Usually, the outstretched arms then were tied to the crossbar. The processional to the site of crucifixion was led by a complete Roman military guard, headed by a centurion. One of the soldiers carried a sign on which the condemned man’s name and crime were displayed. Later, the sign would be attached to the top of the cross. The Roman guard would not leave the victim until they were sure of his death.
So, an inscription.
And Matthew, Mark, verse 38, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all talk about this inscription at the cross
"THIS IS
JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS."
So this was his crime. The king of the Jews… The only thing that was true in the charges was the thing which was place above the head of Jesus.. That he was king..Christ the king…
Then one of the criminals who was next to Jesus blasphemed him, saying, 'If you are the Christ, save yourself and us.' But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, 'Do you not even fear God, seeing that you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we received the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.'
"And then he said to Jesus, 'Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' And Jesus
said is to him, 'Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.'
Jesus was put on the cross about nine in the morning; he died around three in the afternoon. While he was on the cross,
He uttered seven statements while on the cross:
Before twelve noon he made 3. His first statement recorded here: "Father, forgive them, they don't know what they do."
When we pray like this for our enemies, we make the "promise of forgiveness" to God, not to the person who wronged us. We can't make the promise to them, because they will not repent. But by making the promise to God, we keep our hearts free from the cancer of resentment and keep ourselves ready to forgive.
Second statement: "Today you will be with me in paradise."
Third statement was to Mary and his disciple…
When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, 'Dear woman, here is your son,' 27 and to the disciple, 'Here is your mother.' From that time on, this disciple took her into his home." (John 19:25-27)
Those three sayings were from nine to twelve. From twelve noon to three o'clock darkness went over all the land. When the darkness broke, Jesus gave three sayings one after another and then he died.
He said, "I thirst." "It is finished," one word in Greek,
"Tetelestai!"
" the fourth saying, I missed that. As soon as the darkness broke he cried, "Eloi, Eloi,
lama sabachthani?" "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?
And then, finally, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit
"Now it was about," verse 44, "the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth
until the ninth hour. The sun was darkened, and the veil in the temple was torn in two."
The Temple veil was the thickness of a man's hand embroidered with figures of cherubim like those Ezekiel saw guarding God's Throne. It was A brocade curtain (a rich fabric woven with a raised pattern, typically with gold or silver thread, divided the Holy of Holies from the lesser Holy place. The Holy of Holies was located in the western most end of the Temple building; being a perfect cube in shape: 20 cubits by 20 cubits by 20 cubits. It is said that it took 300 priests to hang it… The veil equals 30 feet or or 9.14 meters by 9.14 meters …
The veil was also a picture of death whereby we enter the Presence of God. Scripture says, when Jesus died, the veil was torn from top to bottom.
When Jesus was born, the sky was lit with the glory of God. The glory of the Lord shone around them.
This day was the darkness of wickedness. They were trying to extinguish the Light of the World. Jesus says “I am the light of the world”… And they tried to put that light out….
According to the Jewish Talmud darkness is a judgment reserved by God for unusual wickedness.
So those Jewish scholars knowing that this was, this darkness was pregnant with meaning:
darkness of secrecy, darkness of wickedness, a darkness of judgment. "
The veil signified a divider between gentiles and Jews.. non jews were not to pass beyond the veil.. The message was Keep Out ! Beyond this point you had , courts of the women, courts of men. If you were a woman, you couldn't go into the court of men. If you were a Gentile, you couldn't go into the court of the women or the court of the men. It was all sectioned off. The message was, "Don't come any closer.
Keep out.
It is also said that the Veil , called the "curtain", in several Bible translations, the veil separated the holy place from the inner holy of holies inside the tent of meeting. It hid a holy God, who dwelt above the mercy seat on the ark of the covenant, from sinful people on the outside.. This is quite the opposite from what Jesus taught since he love the sinner.. He embraced them.. He reminded even the disciples that no one is without sin….
But now Jesus died. He paid the price for our sins. God ripped the veil. You
know what he's saying? "Come in. Come in. Don't stay out. Now you can come in no matter
who you are. You can come all the way into the Holy of Holies."You are welcome….
On your own, read Hebrews, chapter 10, around verse 19, 20,
21, 22. We'll apply all this. "And when Jesus cried out," verse 46, "with a loud voice," He gives the seventh saying on the cross, "'Father, "into your hands I commit my spirit."
'Having said this, He breathed his last." "Father, I commit myself into your hands."
Think of what that means. For the last twelve hours he has been in the hands of enemies, the hands of people who were malicious toward him. Jesus said, “The Son of Man will go as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for him if he had never been born.
"Father, I'm coming home, into your hands I commit my spirit." Three days later he'll rise from the dead. Forty days after that he will ascend to the right hand of the throne of glory.
"So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God verse 48 “And when all the people who had gathered for this spectacle saw what had happened, they returned home beating their breasts. 49But all those who knew Jesus, including the women who had followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching these things.…”
And behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man."
This is Joseph of Arimathea. "He had not consented to their decision and deed.
"He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. And he took it down, wrapped it in linen, laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain. And the day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near." According to Matthew, Joseph of Arimathea was a disciple. According to John, Joseph of Arimathea was a secret disciple. And according to Luke, he was a righteous or a just man. And the Bible doesn't hand out that title to anybody. So here you have somebody who was of the ruling order of the Sanhedrin, a prominent member of the council of the Jews, who believed in Jesus secretly.
Now, in this moment, the fruit of his faith comes from the root of his faith. Which is, in defiance of the Sabbath and Jewish traditions in terms of handling the dead, He had faith. He believed in Him. He was getting ready for a three-day return. "And the women who had come with him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how the body was laid. And they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.
So taking the body off the cross and burying it defiles a person. You know that touching a dead person defiles a person. And it is Passover and the Sabbath is coming up. And so in handling the body of Jesus, they would have been ceremonially defiled. In defiance of the old law they laid Jesus to rest.. And they took Jesus and they handled him with love and handled him with beautiful honor.
That's why Jesus did what we read this morning, to forgive us, to save us, to be the ultimate sacrifice just like Jesus, son of a Father, Barabbas, Jesus, Son of the Father died in his place. And guess what? He died in our place. He died in your place, so you don't have to perish eternally. You can live forever. How do you do that? You gotta join a churchband give a lot of money and go through rituals and ceremonies? No. You put your trust in the One who did the work. You put your truth in him. Through faith you shall receive eternal life…. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life. John 3 :16 The gospel of John is directly ahead of us…. ,“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Lets open the meeting so that everyone can have an opportunity to speak this morning…
Closing prayer
Heavenly Father, we are so grateful, so thankful for the gospel. Truly it is good news. And our hearts break because many over the years have misrepresented the good news and made it sound more like bad news. And yet the truth is we have to be aware of the bad news before we can ever accept the good news. The bad news is we have all sinned. The bad news is we are all under judgment. The bad news is there will be a day of reckoning. The bad news is we all deserve eternal damnation.
The good news is we don't have to do that. We can turn from sin, that's repentance, and turn to Jesus, that's faith, and that's good news. I pray for anyone here or who will listen or read…who may have not done that yet or who needs to come running back home to Jesus Christ as Savior…. I pray for the living and souls of the dead that for all you may show mercy.
Show us the straight gate Lord and keep us on the right path. Help us more fully understand the price that was paid for us and why this occurred 2000 years ago. Keep in our minds the meaning of Love and hope and faith as we trust in you…
We are thankful for all of the blessings that you have bestowed upon us. Help us to use your gifts in a way that would manifest the light of Christ in our lives.. Be with us and guide us daily. Help us pray always and if we do not speak to you we ask that you speak to us and remind us that you are with us always…
We ask these things in Jesus’ name….
Amen
Comments
Post a Comment