CRUCIFIXION AND DEATH OF JESUS

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Listen to Luke's account of the crucifixion and the death of Jesus. 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. A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. Jesus turned and said to them, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. 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!' Then "'they will say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!"' For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?"  
Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 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. Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 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."
 
The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself." There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
 
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!" But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus answered him, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise."
 
It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last.
 
The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, "Surely this was a righteous man." When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

So, we've heard the story of Jesus' crucifixion and His resulting death so many times. But I think these events require a simple explanation in order to understand why Jesus had to die in the first place.

You see, it's like this. Every one of us has something innate, built-in to our psyche. We just know deep down, inside that we must pay for whatever we do wrong or don't do right. There must be a payment. So, I feel guilty whenever I do anything wrong. That sense of guilt can only be satisfied when I pay for it, like when I do some compensation or penance that makes up for this wrong.

This payment concept is inherent in the sacrificial system that God established with Moses. A most vivid illustration of this is the Passover. Each family was required to kill a lamb, putting the blood of the lamb over the door of their home. When the death angel saw the blood of the lamb, it passed over that home. The lamb was sacrificed as a payment. The lamb died, so that the families might live. The lamb paid the price of death so that the family didn't have to die.

This same concept is what the entire sacrificial system is all about. A lamb or some other kind of animal was sacrificed to pay for certain sins. This occurred frequently for the Jewish family-daily, weekly monthly and annually. In the minds of the Jewish people the sacrifice of an animal substituted as a payment for the one who offered the sacrifice. The greatest payment ever received through the sacrificial system was a year's payment for their sins. Once the sacrifice has been made successfully by the high priest, then the people were absolved of their sins for one more year. This annual sacrifice is called Yom Kippur.

Then the Lord through His prophets made it clear that He was going to send His lamb some day to be the ultimate payment for any and all things that anyone has done wrong. This lamb was God's Messiah who was to die for the sins of the whole world. This is why John the Baptist, when recognizing Jesus, said, "Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." He knew Jesus was God's lamb.

You see, Jesus died as your lamb-the lamb of God, so that you don't have to pay for anything any longer. You don't have to feel guilty, because your account is all paid up.

There is only one catch to it all. You must personally identify with the lamb by placing your hands on the lamb sacrifice. This was the way to put personal trust in the payment. Well, today you must place your personal trust in God's lamb sacrifice for your sins-for all you ever did wrong or for whatever you will do wrong. Jesus has truly paid it all!

And, just as the Passover feast is a celebration of freedom from the bondage of slavery in Egypt, you can be eternally free. There are two verses in Acts that say it all: "Therefore, my brothers and sisters, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses" (Acts 13:38-39).

Do you get it? Through Jesus' death you have FORGIVENESS of sins (all you do wrong), so that you don't have to pay any longer. In fact, you can't make any payment that satisfies. And, through Jesus' death you have FREEDOM from it all, IF YOU BELIEVE IN JESUS, THE LAMB OF GOD. Forgiveness and freedom form the bottom line of the crucifixion and death of Jesus. So, Jesus' death is not some religious or theological belief; it's the spiritual and psychological dynamic that every human being needs to find true satisfaction. Do you know what that means for you personally?

PETER DENIES JESUS

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Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. And when some there had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, "This man was with him." 
But he denied it. "Woman, I don't know him," he said.
 
A little later someone else saw him and said, "You also are one of them." "Man, I am not!" Peter replied. About an hour later another asserted, "Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean."
Peter replied, "Man, I don't know what you're talking about!" Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Jesus has just been arrested by temple troops in the Garden of Gethsemane and his disciples have fled for their lives. Peter has just had a traumatic experience attempting to chop a man's head off, missed and sliced off his ear, only to have Jesus heal the ear completely. It is a real night of terror for Jesus and His disciples in Jerusalem.

The temple troops took Jesus over to the house of Caiaphas, the high priest. The high priest was usually selected from among the Sadducees, however the selection process may have been actually performed by Herod at this time. So, he was Herod's appointment.

Peter went along with the soldiers and tried to blend in with the little crowd of curious people. This in itself is quite courageous. He had followed Jesus for over 3 years and he was sticking with him, even at a distance. He's got to be scared personally for what might happen to him, too.

Fear overcame him as he was discovered by the servant girl and he quickly denied being one of Jesus' band of men. Later he was recognized by another person and Peter again blurts out that he is not one of Jesus' people. Finally, about an hour or so later as it was turning closer to morning Peter was recognized as a Galilean which he quickly turned into the third denial. And, just as he denies Jesus for the third time, the rooster crows and Jesus is able to see Peter, looking straight at him.

Talk about "I told you so!"; this had to be most debilitating to Peter. This is the Peter who claimed he was willing to go to prison or death for Jesus. This is why Peter quietly leaves the compound weeping bitterly. He is overwhelmed with guilt and shame.

Have you ever caught yourself in this kind of situation? Have you ever denied that you are a follower of Jesus either by your words or your actions? The lessons here are many and here are a few:

FIRST-Don't ever think you are above being a coward when it comes to identifying yourself with Jesus. This is why we must humbly follow after Him and humbly deal with one another.

SECOND-Prayer does matter in preparing our hearts for difficult times. Peter had just left a night of a little praying and a lot of nodding off.

THIRD-Fear and faith can't coexist easily. It's too easy to give into our fears. I like the saying, "When fear knocks, I must send faith over to answer the door."

FOURTH-Jesus is always looking. This use to scare me to death, when I was sure that Jesus was mad at me. Now, I understand that His look, though sometimes disappointed in me, is still filled with unconditional love, concern and forgiveness for me. More than anything else Jesus wants me to "get it" and "get through it."

ABOVE ALL I think this scene in Peter's life is indicative of our own lives as we move in and out of highly stressful and fearful moments. The most devastating thing of all is the look on Jesus' face when I screw up. When my parents gave me that disappointed look, that was worse than any spanking or grounding ever. I never wanted to disappoint them. And when I did, that's what hurt me the most. It's the same way with our relationship with Jesus. We don't want to disappoint Him, but we do. But OH THAT LOOK ON HIS FACE.

I am comforted by a passage in II Timothy that says, "And when we are faithless and deny Him, He remains faithful." Now that's why Jesus is worthy of our faith and trust and worship. HE REMAINS FAITHFUL!

JESUS BETRAYED AND ARRESTED

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Right away after the field trip on prayer, Jesus is encountered in the garden, betrayed by Judas and arrested.
 
While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus asked him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?" When Jesus' followers saw what was going to happen, they said, "Lord, should we strike with our swords?" And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.
But Jesus answered, "No more of this!" And he touched the man's ear and healed him. Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour-when darkness reigns."

Well, Judas leads the way, signaling the officials of Jesus' identity and sealing it with a kiss. NOTE who didn't make the prayer meeting with Jesus and the other disciples there on the Mount of Olives.

When the disciples saw the impending conflict, they asked Jesus if this was the time to use their swords. And, while they were asking this of Jesus, one of them pulled out his sword and cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest. Can you guess who the impetuous disciple was? If you guessed Peter, you are right. John is the only gospel that identifies him. This is characteristic of Peter's personality of shooting first and asking questions later.

NOTE Jesus stops the violence and supernaturally puts the ear back on the victim's head. He healed him right there in front of all to see. I love it that right in the midst of being arrested Jesus pulls off an incredible, almost matter of fact, miracle.

ONE MORE THING: Jesus said to these official leaders, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs?" You see, in the same way that the disciples saw Jesus as a political revolutionary these officials viewed Jesus as a powerful, political threat as well.

They were all missing the point. In fact, I believe most miss the point today. Jesus is not a powerful, political revolutionary out to overthrow any community, society or government. He is a revolutionary alright, but that revolution is transformational in nature-turning a person's heart inside out and turning his world upside down. This revolution has nothing to do with conservative versus liberal or democrat versus republican or Christian versus non-Christian. It has everything to do with supernaturally changing the hearts of men and women-anywhere the message of Jesus and the Kingdom are exposed.

This revolution is experiencing incredible growth world-wide. Nothing can stop it. Once that seed of the good news of the Kingdom has been sown, you never know where it will take root and grow into a fully fruitful plant. The revolution doesn't need flashing billboards. It doesn't need a Madison Avenue kind of marketing strategy. In fact, the revolution doesn't need any massive promotional strategy at all. The revolution that Jesus is talking about spreads one by one and two by two. The revolution doesn't require any money or fund-raising programs; it's a free, word of mouth campaign that cannot be stopped. The revolution of Jesus and His Kingdom cannot be easily defined or put into a nice little box for convenience. It's gloriously out of control in every culture on planet earth. The most exciting thing I can share with you today is: THE REVOLUTION IS STILL ON! Just watch what Jesus is doing around you and join the movement. You'll never regret it!

PRAYER ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES

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According to my records this is lesson 100 in the gospel of Luke. Luke is a great author and has given us more than anyone else about Jesus. I hope you are enjoying it as much as I am. I am learning so much as we go through this.
NOW we come to another intentional act of preparation. This time it's not physical and financial preparation, but personal and inner preparation before facing the onslaught of things to come. Jesus leads them on a field trip, maybe the most significant trip ever. Let's see what happened.  
Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

This field trip is very instructive to us on the practice of prayer. It's not exhaustive, but very insightful. Let's list out step by step what Jesus is teaching about prayer

FIRST-Pray that you will not fall into temptation. Jesus has warned them over and over that life is going to change and it will not necessarily change for the better, but for the worse. Here He urges them to pray in order that they will not fall into the trap of the evil one in the days ahead. This is true for us today, too.

SECOND-"As usual" indicates that this was a common practice-a habit. Do you have a habit of praying-talking and listening to the Lord? If Jesus felt the need to do so, what does that mean about you?


FOURTH-Jesus knelt down. There is no formula per se on how to pray, but it is interesting to note what Jesus did. I think there's something very special and meaningful about kneeling down to pray. Try it some time!

FIFTH-Jesus expressed His deepest desires-His wants. "Father, if you are willing to take this cup from me" indicates that Jesus would rather not go through with this. There is nothing wrong with expressing your deepest desires. Tell God what you really want to happen. Open up your heart to Him fully.

SIXTH-Jesus moves from "wants" to "not my will, but your will be done." Once you have expressed your deepest desires, moving to submit your will to God's will is the only way to go. This is the ultimate act of dependence upon the God of gods-for Him to have His way in your life right now.

SEVENTH-Jesus was strengthened by an angel. You may not see an angel in the process, but you will discover a new strength given to you as you practice praying in this way.

NOTE what happens next. When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. "Why are you sleeping?" he asked them. "Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation."

Can you see yourself in the disciples? I can see you there-and me. Here they are facing the greatest temptation or trial they will ever face, yet that isn't bothering them nearly as much as their tiredness.

It's the ever-present battle between the temporal and the eternal. The temporal doesn't matter that much. The eternal is the most important of all. That age-old verse comes to mind:

ONLY ONE LIFE; TWILL SOON BE PAST. ONLY WHAT'S DONE FOR CHRIST WILL LAST.

YOU MUST PREP FOR MINISTRY

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This is a short passage here in Luke 22:35-38, but it is filled with a practical insight for us today. Earlier in the writings of Luke Jesus tells the disciples not to take along a purse, a bag or sandals. In other words, "Don't worry about taking these provisions along with you while on your mission."
I can't tell you how many times I've heard on "Christian" radio a variety of preachers say that you don't need to worry about your wallet or coat or sandals and that is what God requires to be working most effectively for Him. There are even preachers that say to their audiences to not even pay their bills, but to give that money to God and God will pay those bills.

The problem with this approach is the same problem that many have in teaching a balance in the Scriptures. People tend to not read far enough. When you read further in the text, you will always find the balance and the truth of it all. When you stop too soon, you will always have an imbalanced perspective on whatever the subject may be,

This is exactly what we have in this paragraph. We have the rest of the story. Jesus did say earlier to His disciples to not worry about taking along their normal provisions. That was because Jesus was walking along with them-eating with them, sleeping with them and ministering alongside them. NOW in this paragraph Jesus is saying that they are about to embark on a new game-plan.

Jesus is going to be leaving them and NOW they will need to make provisions for themselves. Just as it was the right thing to not be concerned with those everyday provisions when Jesus was with them; it is NOW the right thing to make sure you take along your provisions. He even suggests that the disciples protect themselves by carrying a sword. Let's check it out:
 
Then Jesus asked them, "When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?" "Nothing," they answered. He said to them, "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. It is written: 'And he was numbered with the transgressors'; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment." The disciples said, "See, Lord, here are two swords." "That is enough," he replied.

So, what's this saying to us today? I think the basic thing that is needed for disciples today is a good dose of common sense. While Jesus was traveling with the disciples there was no need to be concerned about the basic needs of life.

But the times were about to change dramatically. For us there may be times when needs are met without much concern at all and there are times that you must work very hard to make things work. In either case, your preparation is necessary. Here's the principle: The Lord gave you five senses plus "horse" and "common", therefore use them all in living your life for Jesus. It's a real partnership. You do the possible by faith that God will do the impossible.