Luke 23:26-49 The Lord's Crucifixion
Intro: a Palm Sunday to welcome the king, yet the crucified king (38).
The crucified king is in control (unlike the secular film about the passion), because it’s all under God’s plan.
1. Mixed events at His crucifixion
. a group of morning women (27)
. the mocking soldier and ruler (35-37)
. the insulting and supporting criminal (33, 39-43)
. the concluding words from the centurion
. and the believers who stood at a distance, powerless
2. All in God’s hand
. the judging God (23:28-29)
. predicted death among the criminals, the casting lots for his clothes (Isa 53:12; Ps 22:18), the mocking from the rulers and soldiers (Ps 22:7)
. the suffering of the servant king (Isa 53:7)
. the display of God’s power (44-45)
4. Beyond ordinary people’s perception, God is at work to carry out His own plan.
Today is the Palm Sunday, a day to remember the glorious time when Jesus entered Jerusalem as a king. At that moment, Jesus rode on a donkey to enter the city gate. People were excited about his coming. They put palm leaves and clothes onto the ground, and sang “Hosanna, Hosanna” to receive their Messiah king, the promised one in the Old Testament. However, this kind of glory only lasted a short while. On the next Thursday night, all things changed. Eventually Jesus the king was put to death on a cross on the next Friday, crucified with despise, mock, and public shame. Recently there was a secular movie focusing on what Jesus has suffered during the passion, and I believe many of us know about it. But are the details of Jesus’ suffering worthy for us to pay much attention? Is blood and cruelty the message God wants us to know from Jesus’ crucifixion? According to today’s passage in Luke, it is not. Here the Bible does not tell us too much about the details of human cruelty, nor anything appealing to our sympathy, but instead it tries to tell us what God wants us to know: He is at work. How do we know God is at work? Firstly, Jesus was in control. No matter what had happened, they could not stop Jesus to do what he wanted. Regardless of all the sufferings, the humiliation, mocking and cruel treatments, our Messiah king was readily to accomplish his glorious task which the heavenly Father has given Him: to die on the cross for the sins of many, in order to save those who believe in Him. Secondly, the passage also tells us that there was an upper hand leading all the events happening step by step, yes, it is God’s hand to let everything happened according to His own plan. God is at work. So let us go into details about the second point, to see how God’s hand leading all the events about the crucifixion.
In the passage there are a number of mixed events. Besides Jesus’ words and his crucifixion, we can see there were a crowd of people following Jesus’ path to the crucifying place, and among them there were a group of mourning women (27). Then in V.33, there were two criminals crucified together with Jesus. And then the rulers and soldiers appeared in V.35-37, they all mocked Jesus. After that, at the time of Jesus’ death, there was an unusual weather change and a miracle in the temple (44-45). And finally, after Jesus’ death, the passage sums up the various responses of the observers: the centurion saying that Jesus was a righteous man (47), and the crowd left the place with great sorrow (48), leaving behind the disciples alone in the scene, watching powerlessly (49). The thing is, what does the Bible want to tell us through those events? Does the Bible just tell us the historical record of Jesus’ crucifixion, or is there any other message carried out through those historical events? I believe the latter is the right way to read the passage.
Let us look at the mourning women first. Here Jesus’ words in V.28 reminds us who God is.《28-29》 Jesus’ words turn our focus from human emotion to God’s judgment. About Jesus’ death we cannot stay on the mood of sympathy and forget that God has the authority to punish. Our God is a righteous God, and He has the power over history to make His righteousness known. When the women were still overwhelmed with human emotion, they were reminded to acknowledge God’s working. He is at work in human history.
After Jesus’ reminder, we can see how things happened according to the prophecies in the Old Testament. Firstly ,we can see Jesus was put to death among the criminals, which had been said in Isa 53:12 《He poured out His life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors.》 Then we can also see people casting lots for Jesus’ clothes, which had been said in Ps 22:18 《They divide my garments among them, and cast lots for my clothing.》And again, there is the mocking from both the rulers and soldiers, which had been said in Ps 22:7 《All who see me mock me, they hurl insults, shaking their heads, saying: “He trusts in the Lord; let the Lord rescue him.》 And perhaps the most moving prophecy is in Isa. 53:7,《He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.》 This description is exactly what Jesus did throughout the whole passion. God had inspired prophets to write down those words well beforehand, and at the moment of Jesus’ passion, they became the evidences of God’s working in history. He will fulfill what He has promised through the prophets. God is at work.
And now there is another evidence of God’s working is in V.44. God works in the nature. Today a lot of people think that every natural event is governed by natural law, and nothing else, but this is not what the Bible tells us. It tells us that God has the power to control and intervene in the nature. He has full control on the whole world. Here the sun stops shining even though in the midday, and the whole earth is in darkness. God uses the natural appearance to show us his mourn over Jesus’ death. And again, in V.45, there is a miracle in the temple, that the curtain separating the Most Holy place from ordinary people is torn into two. There is no more separation between God’s dwelling place and human, because Jesus’ death has provided us the way to come to the heavenly Father. Again, God tells us that He is at work through this miracle.
What is our response to God’s works in Jesus’ passion? Are we amazed at His wonderful works? Is our faith in Jesus strengthened? Or are we still the same as those people who responded “naturally” to Jesus’ death? Look at V.47-49. The centurion can only recognize Jesus as a righteous man, only not worthy for the shameful death. And ordinary people mourn for Jesus with deep sympathy, only seeing His death as a tragedy. And even the disciples stand far away, watching powerlessly on the loss of their Lord. When people plot, plan, and work out their own plans, when people despise Jesus, mock and torture Him, when people mourn, regret, or watch powerlessly on the crucifixion, we know all those natural ways of thinking and actions have missed the point. All of them don’t understand God’s own plan, that through His Son’s death, there is the salvation for the world. But in today passage there is a strong statement in V.38 telling the world that those people are wrong. Here is the statement: “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS”, the promised one, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, now dies on the cross.
The crucified king is in control (unlike the secular film about the passion), because it’s all under God’s plan.
1. Mixed events at His crucifixion
. a group of morning women (27)
. the mocking soldier and ruler (35-37)
. the insulting and supporting criminal (33, 39-43)
. the concluding words from the centurion
. and the believers who stood at a distance, powerless
2. All in God’s hand
. the judging God (23:28-29)
. predicted death among the criminals, the casting lots for his clothes (Isa 53:12; Ps 22:18), the mocking from the rulers and soldiers (Ps 22:7)
. the suffering of the servant king (Isa 53:7)
. the display of God’s power (44-45)
4. Beyond ordinary people’s perception, God is at work to carry out His own plan.
Today is the Palm Sunday, a day to remember the glorious time when Jesus entered Jerusalem as a king. At that moment, Jesus rode on a donkey to enter the city gate. People were excited about his coming. They put palm leaves and clothes onto the ground, and sang “Hosanna, Hosanna” to receive their Messiah king, the promised one in the Old Testament. However, this kind of glory only lasted a short while. On the next Thursday night, all things changed. Eventually Jesus the king was put to death on a cross on the next Friday, crucified with despise, mock, and public shame. Recently there was a secular movie focusing on what Jesus has suffered during the passion, and I believe many of us know about it. But are the details of Jesus’ suffering worthy for us to pay much attention? Is blood and cruelty the message God wants us to know from Jesus’ crucifixion? According to today’s passage in Luke, it is not. Here the Bible does not tell us too much about the details of human cruelty, nor anything appealing to our sympathy, but instead it tries to tell us what God wants us to know: He is at work. How do we know God is at work? Firstly, Jesus was in control. No matter what had happened, they could not stop Jesus to do what he wanted. Regardless of all the sufferings, the humiliation, mocking and cruel treatments, our Messiah king was readily to accomplish his glorious task which the heavenly Father has given Him: to die on the cross for the sins of many, in order to save those who believe in Him. Secondly, the passage also tells us that there was an upper hand leading all the events happening step by step, yes, it is God’s hand to let everything happened according to His own plan. God is at work. So let us go into details about the second point, to see how God’s hand leading all the events about the crucifixion.
In the passage there are a number of mixed events. Besides Jesus’ words and his crucifixion, we can see there were a crowd of people following Jesus’ path to the crucifying place, and among them there were a group of mourning women (27). Then in V.33, there were two criminals crucified together with Jesus. And then the rulers and soldiers appeared in V.35-37, they all mocked Jesus. After that, at the time of Jesus’ death, there was an unusual weather change and a miracle in the temple (44-45). And finally, after Jesus’ death, the passage sums up the various responses of the observers: the centurion saying that Jesus was a righteous man (47), and the crowd left the place with great sorrow (48), leaving behind the disciples alone in the scene, watching powerlessly (49). The thing is, what does the Bible want to tell us through those events? Does the Bible just tell us the historical record of Jesus’ crucifixion, or is there any other message carried out through those historical events? I believe the latter is the right way to read the passage.
Let us look at the mourning women first. Here Jesus’ words in V.28 reminds us who God is.《28-29》 Jesus’ words turn our focus from human emotion to God’s judgment. About Jesus’ death we cannot stay on the mood of sympathy and forget that God has the authority to punish. Our God is a righteous God, and He has the power over history to make His righteousness known. When the women were still overwhelmed with human emotion, they were reminded to acknowledge God’s working. He is at work in human history.
After Jesus’ reminder, we can see how things happened according to the prophecies in the Old Testament. Firstly ,we can see Jesus was put to death among the criminals, which had been said in Isa 53:12 《He poured out His life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors.》 Then we can also see people casting lots for Jesus’ clothes, which had been said in Ps 22:18 《They divide my garments among them, and cast lots for my clothing.》And again, there is the mocking from both the rulers and soldiers, which had been said in Ps 22:7 《All who see me mock me, they hurl insults, shaking their heads, saying: “He trusts in the Lord; let the Lord rescue him.》 And perhaps the most moving prophecy is in Isa. 53:7,《He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.》 This description is exactly what Jesus did throughout the whole passion. God had inspired prophets to write down those words well beforehand, and at the moment of Jesus’ passion, they became the evidences of God’s working in history. He will fulfill what He has promised through the prophets. God is at work.
And now there is another evidence of God’s working is in V.44. God works in the nature. Today a lot of people think that every natural event is governed by natural law, and nothing else, but this is not what the Bible tells us. It tells us that God has the power to control and intervene in the nature. He has full control on the whole world. Here the sun stops shining even though in the midday, and the whole earth is in darkness. God uses the natural appearance to show us his mourn over Jesus’ death. And again, in V.45, there is a miracle in the temple, that the curtain separating the Most Holy place from ordinary people is torn into two. There is no more separation between God’s dwelling place and human, because Jesus’ death has provided us the way to come to the heavenly Father. Again, God tells us that He is at work through this miracle.
What is our response to God’s works in Jesus’ passion? Are we amazed at His wonderful works? Is our faith in Jesus strengthened? Or are we still the same as those people who responded “naturally” to Jesus’ death? Look at V.47-49. The centurion can only recognize Jesus as a righteous man, only not worthy for the shameful death. And ordinary people mourn for Jesus with deep sympathy, only seeing His death as a tragedy. And even the disciples stand far away, watching powerlessly on the loss of their Lord. When people plot, plan, and work out their own plans, when people despise Jesus, mock and torture Him, when people mourn, regret, or watch powerlessly on the crucifixion, we know all those natural ways of thinking and actions have missed the point. All of them don’t understand God’s own plan, that through His Son’s death, there is the salvation for the world. But in today passage there is a strong statement in V.38 telling the world that those people are wrong. Here is the statement: “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS”, the promised one, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, now dies on the cross.
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