Luke 23:26-49

My thoughts today are of two groups of people, those who formed the “procession” leading to the crucifixion and those Jewish leaders hanging out at the Temple. As for the procession – it was quite a throng. Naturally there are the Roman soldiers charged with this hideous task. There was also a …great multitude of the people and of women (v. 27b) following along, no doubt a mixed bag – Jesus’ followers and those hangers-on who would deride Him. Finally, what I noticed today – the two criminals who were crucified with Jesus (and more Roman soldiers) were also part of this procession: Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with Him. (v. 32) My thoughts go to those two criminals. I see Jesus leading this procession and the criminals following behind. All along the way they are watching and listening to the crowd, those who loved Jesus and those who were taunting Him. I’m wondering if this “second thief” formed his opinion of Jesus’ innocence during this long walk, when he saw the size of the multitude and the devotion of Jesus’ followers. And from that I gather that people watch us – where we hang out, what we do, how we act. Can someone be brought into the Kingdom just based on observation of one person’s behavior? Yes, at least one person – the “second thief”…

As for the Jewish leaders (and others) hanging out at the Temple… They must have already been moved by the three hours of darkness – as I note in the second link below, a really thick darkness that would take them back to the plagues on the Egyptians. I see really dark clouds, like those preceding a storm, but with no storm on the horizon. Then, added to the darkness, the curtain of the Temple is torn in two (Luke 23:45). How shocking would that be!! How did that happen??!! What’s going on here?? Does any of this have to do with that would-be Messiah whose death we have orchestrated? I wonder if lives were changed based on these two events? It certainly must have been an ominous feeling!

See also:

• December 3 (2019) / Luke 23:26-43
• December 7 (2019) / Luke 23:44-49

John 19:1-16

Backtracking – a chronological error… Today’s reading should have been scheduled before yesterday’s. These first 16 verses in John 19 follow completely from the last dozen verses in John 18.

A few days ago I commented on how Luke’s account of Jesus’ trial differed from the other Synoptic writers. One item I mentioned was that in Luke Pilate had said three times that he found no guilt in Jesus. Neither Matthew nor Mark had this comment from Pilate. However in John 18 and John 19 we see Pilate also saying three times, “I find no guilt in Him.” (John 18:38, 19:4, 19:6). Interesting…

Pilate spoke two 3-word sentences that remain with us today, “What is truth?” (v. 18:38a) and “Behold the Man.” (v. 19:5b) This second phrase, Ecce Homo in Latin, became famous from an 1871 painting by Antonio Ciseri. It is striking in its depiction of Pilate and Jesus in the Praetorium surrounded by soldiers and onlookers, with the Jewish crowd looking on from the pavement below and the buildings above. I have inserted a copy of that painting below (following the link to my 2019 comments), including a link where you can download the painting yourself. For us today, in light of everything that transpired in the next three days back then, we can truly say, “Behold the Man.” What Pilate said in jest, we can affirm in love.

See also: November 30 (2019) / John 19:1-16

Matthew 27:27-44

I am struck by the inhumanity, the brutality that we read about in today’s reading. First it’s the soldiers, following the scourging continuing to taunt Jesus with the purple robe and the reed, the crown of thorns, kneeling before Him, spitting, mocking. Then it’s the crowd, the passers-by with their taunts. Finally, and most horribly it’s the Jewish leaders mocking Him. (I comment on this last group in the second link below.) But then I think, “That was then, this is now.” But it’s no different today. Think of Christian persecution, even tortures and murders, especially in the Communist and Muslim worlds. Think of the taunting of American captives by local citizens, again especially in the Muslim world. Yesterday President Biden was right to charge Putin and the Russians with human rights violations. Will anything change? Not likely… Or closer to home, in our own USA, think of the persecution, torture, and murder of gays, of Asians, of African Americans, of Hispanic immigrants. We’re no different. How can people get so angry as to be so brutal? We might ask, “Where is Jesus in all this?” And the answer is, He’s right there, loving both the tortured and the torturers. It will end when He returns. Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus, quickly!

See also:

• November 28 (2019) / Matt. 27:27-31
• December 1 (2019) / Matt. 27:32-44

John 18:28-40

John’s gospel has the most complete account of Jesus before Pilate. In fact, after today’s 13 verses, there are another 16 verses in the next chapter dealing with Jesus and Pilate together. That will be Friday’s reading.

I mentioned a few day ago about Pilate telling the Jewish leaders three times that he could find no fault in Jesus. We hear the same sentence from Pilate again today: I find no guilt in Him. (v. 38b) This long interaction between Jesus and Pilate seems to agree with that difficulty facing Pilate. He kept up his discussion with Jesus so that he could find a reason to either release Jesus or condemn Him to death. In the end he never found a good reason – he just simply pronounced condemnation, just to satisfy the Jewish leaders.

See also: November 27 (2019) / John 18:28-40

Mark 15:1-20

I am not a person who suffers pain well. But as horrible as the crucifixion was, I am equally troubled at the scourging that Jesus received from the Roman cohort. A scourging with a leather whip would have been trouble enough, but these whips (according to my Study Bible) had bits of bone and metal embedded into the leather thongs. In addition to the pain from each lash of the whip, Jesus had to endure the taunting by the soldiers, then a crown of thorns driven into His head. Through all this I can imagine Jesus loving His torturers and praying out His words from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34) Words fail me.

See also:

• November 26 (2019) / Mark 15:1-15
• November 29 (2019) / Mark 15:16-20

Luke 23:1-25

So often the Synoptic gospels are very similar, with even sentences and paragraphs repeated almost verbatim. But today Luke is very different from Matthew (yesterday’s reading) or Mark (tomorrow’s reading) and even John (two days from today). Luke has Jesus appearing before Herod, unlike any of the other writers. All of the other writers have Jesus mocked and flogged, but not Luke. Finally, Luke has Pilate proclaiming Jesus’ innocence three times (vv. 4, 14, 22). Despite those proclamations, Pilate yielded to the crowd and delivered Jesus over to be crucified: But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that He should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted. (vv. 23-24) What a sad, weak leader! But as I note in the second link below, Jesus’ horrible death is our glorious salvation. How can we not be touched by these Gospel accounts…??

See also:

• November 23 (2019) / Luke 23:1-12
• November 25 (2019) / Luke 23:13-25

Matthew 27:1-26

And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself. (v. 5) Through all our reflections and discussions on Judas’ betrayal of Jesus, today’s reading (to me) clarifies Judas’ actions. It looks like Judas was simply a mercenary looking for an opportunity to earn some cash by turning Jesus over, but that he did not anticipate that the Jewish elders would have Jesus killed. Jesus had escaped previous challenges, maybe Judas thought that He would be questioned and challenged and maybe scourged, but then released. When he saw that the Jewish leaders meant to kill Jesus he regretted turning Him over. I see remorse and repentance in Judas’ actions, but then he took another wrong turn taking his life into his own hands. He had not remembered or internalized Jesus’ words at the Last Supper, …for this is my blood of the (new) covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. (Matthew 26:28)

I wince at the thought of Jesus being scourged. How can men do something like that to another man?

See also:

• November 22 (2019) / Matt. 27:1-14
• November 24 (2019) / Matt. 27:15-26

Luke 22:54-71

And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. (v. 61a) This verse has always struck me. Recall from yesterday that Mark had Peter moving from the courtyard to the forecourt (porch), closer to where Jesus was inside. Now being closer, there’s a turn of events that Peter had not anticipated. He is now close enough to Jesus that Jesus can look over and see him. And see him, He did, after the rooster crowed. Jesus looked at him and guilt overwhelmed Peter. How he must have felt, to know that he had wronged Jesus by denying Him and for Jesus to know that and turn to look at him at that very moment. Peter was crushed! The weight of his denial was enormous. Peter …went out and wept bitterly. (v. 62) The guilt was instantaneous, but the regret must have been even more pronounced – he now had to live with that memory, that regret until Jesus’ resurrection three days later. It’s easy to see now why Peter would RUN to the tomb after the report that Jesus was alive! He needed to be washed clean with Jesus’ loving touch. Sin, guilt, repentance, forgiveness. What a lesson we can learn from Peter!

See also: November 20 (2019) / Luke 22:54-71

Mark 14:53-72

Regularly I try to put myself into the story and to visualize the words and actions that I am reading. In today’s reading we have Peter following Jesus …at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he was sitting with the guards and warming himself at the fire. (v.54b) I see Peter’s aggressive personality at work here, first cutting off the high priest’s servant’s ear, then following the crowd discreetly so as to see what would become of his Master, then boldly, brazenly entering the courtyard of the high priest – clearly a “foreigner” in that crowd of temple officers and guards and household servants. Then after being challenged by a servant girl he leaves this crowd and moves closer to Jesus, to the “forecourt” (or porch). I daresay the he moved closer, not to avoid a further challenge, but because he had heard the commotion inside – the verbal abuse and the people in the room slapping and taunting Jesus. I can imagine that he was troubled at Jesus being treated so rudely. His love for Jesus left him unafraid to move closer to Him. Unfortunately the rooster crowing and two more denials and another crowing overwhelmed him and he broke down and soon thereafter departed. I feel sorry for Peter, such a conflicted person…

See also: November 19 (2019) / Mark 14:53-72

Matthew 26:57-75

Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Although you may be thinking that I am quoting from today’s reading, I am actually quoting John 2:19. In today’s verse 61 it’s actually two witnesses who testify to this statement against Jesus. But they were not false witnesses like the others that the Jewish leaders were putting forth: Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put Him to death. (v. 59) These two witnesses spoke truth, words that Jesus had spoken very early in His earthly ministry. When Jesus could not deny that He had spoken these words, it gave the high priest the lead-in to demand that Jesus respond to the Messiah question: And the high priest said to Him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” (v. 63b) Jesus’ reply to this question sealed His fate: Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (v. 64) According to those present He had clearly blasphemed! Unfortunately they did not know that He was speaking truth. Some day we will see that truth played out before our very eyes!! GLORY!!

See also: November 18 (2019) / Matt. 26:57-75