LUKE 22

 It was the Passover, and the chief priests and scribes sought how to kill Jesus. Satan had entered Judas, and he approached the religious rulers with a plot to betray Him (away from the multitudes), which they agreed to pay him for.

At the Passover meal, Jesus met with His twelve disciples in the upper room and said He longed to eat with them before He suffered, and that He will "no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."

Then He gave thanks and broke bread, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." He also took the cup, gave thanks, and said, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which i sshed for you."

Then Jesus announced that His betrayer was with them at the table, and they all questioned which one it was. Next, they argued over who will be greatest in heaven, to which Jesus explained that the Gentiles act this way, but not so for His disciples. "Let...he who governs as he who serves." Jesus also told them that He is bestowing a kingdom upon them, and they will sit on thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel. 

Jesus told Peter that He prayed for him because Satan was pursuing him, but Peter said he was ready to die for his Lord; Jesus told him that before the rooster crows, Peter will deny he knows Jesus three times. 

Jesus also told them to prepare for a long journey and what they need, including a sword for protection. 

For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me! And He was numbered with the transgressors. For the things concerning Me have an end. 

Next, they went to the Mount of Olives, and Jesus sat a ways from His disciples to pray, asking His Father to remove the cup from Him; "nevertheless, not my will, but Yours, be done." He was administered to angels to strengthen Him. He was in agony and sweat drops of blood. Then He saw His disciples sleeping, and He told them to pray lest they enter into temptation. 

Judas then showed up with a multitude and betrayed Jesus with a kiss. One of the disciples struck a servant of the high priest with a sword and cut off his ear. But Jesus healed his ear. Jesus pointed out that the multitude came with clubs and spears when He taught in the temple daily and they did not try to seize Him then; but they preferred the cover of darkness. 

They arrested Jesus and took Him to the high priest and Peter followed them. It was then that he was identified as a follower of Jesus by three people and denied the accusations, realizing that he did exactly as the Lord said. Then Peter wept bitterly in sorrow. 

Meanwhile, Jesus was mocked and beat. They blindfolded Him and struck Him and blasphemed Him. They asked Him if He was the Christ, but He knew they would not believe what He said. They asked again, and He said, "You rightly say that I am." And that was enough for them. 

COMMENTARY

Note that Jesus used two of the most delicate elements as symbols of His body and blood. Bread and wine will spoil in a few days. When we eat of these, we remember what He did on the cross.

Some believe that Judas left before the institution of the Lord's Supper, and McGee believes this to be correct. Luke does not give a chronological order of events. During the supper, when Jesus announced that one of them would betray Him, they all knew they were capable of doing so, and questioned who. We are all capable of doing so; if it were not for the Lord to keep us.

And not only were they inclined to betrayal, but they also wanted to know who would be greater in heaven. Jesus set them straight with His example of being a servant. He even took our place on the cross. He served mankind, and He set the table of salvation and invited us. For His apostles, they will sit on thrones and judge the tribes of Israel. 

All believers will have a responsibility in heaven, but it will be according to our works on earth. We are all given talents, abilities, and gifts at the time of salvation, and what we do with these gifts will determine how we are rewarded in heaven. It is not a judgement, nor is it a determinant of salvation. It is a reward for faithfulness with the gifts God bestowed in our care. 

When Jesus prayed that God would remove the cup from Him, it was not that He was afraid to die, but it was the repulsion of the cup He was about to drink, the repulsion of our sin. If we only knew how much so, we would understand the weight of this punishment. 

Jesus died for our eternal liberty. He loved a lost world so much that He went to hell itself to offer mankind salvation. And the world rejects Him. Why? 

After His illegal arrest in the cover of night without a true charge, the religious rulers put Him in the authority of the soldiers who cruelly mistreated Him. In the end, the Sanhedrin wanted Him condemned for admitting to be the Christ. Although, once in Roman hands, the charge was to be changed. How convenient. 

Jesus About to be Struck in Front of Former High Priest Annas - Madrazo, 1803

 

Mark 15

At daybreak, the chief priests, elders, and scribes held a meeting with the council about how to bring charges against Jesus; and they bound Him and brought Him to Pilate, the Roman governor of Jerusalem. Pilate asked Him if He was King of the Jews, which, if Jesus affirmed, would implicate Him in a rebellion against Rome because no one was king except Caesar. And that is exactly what the Sanhedrin was aiming for. 

Jesus did affirm.

Then the chief priests brought many other accusations against Jesus, though He did not defend Himself. Pilate marveled at how Jesus remained silent. 

During the Passover, it is customary for one prisoner to be released, and Pilate asked if the crowd if they wanted him to release Jesus; but the chief priests provoked the crowd to ask for Barabas, a murderer and insurrectionist against Rome. Confused, Pilate asked what they wanted him to do "with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?" And they cried out, "Crucify Him!" When Pilate said that He had done no evil, they cried out the more, "Crucify Him!"

Wanting to pacify the mob, Pilate handed Jesus over to his guards to be crucified. In the hands of the soldiers, Jesus was scourged, beated, mocked, and spat on. They pretended to worship Him, failing to understand that they will truly bow and worship Him when He comes in glory. But I digress.

The guards grabbed a man, Simon a Cyrenian, to help carry the cross for Jesus to Golgotha. There Jesus was given wine with myrrh to drink, but he refused it. Then He was crucified at the third hour (9 AM).

The soldiers divided His garments, fulfilling prophecy. An inscription stating His charge was affixed above His head: THE KING OF THE JEWS. He was crucified between two robbers - who criticised Him - also fulfilling prophecy. People walking past mocked Him saying, "...save Yourself..." The chief priests also mocked, "...He saved others; Himself He cannot save. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe." (Even if He did, they still would not believe!) 

In the sixth hour, darkness covered the land, and at the ninth hour, Jesus cried out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" Someone offered him sour wine. Then He gave up His spirit. At that moment, the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom, and a centurion who stood watching Jesus said, "Truly this Man was the Son of God."

And the women also remained, watching.

Finally, in the evening, Joseph of Arimathea, of the Sanhedrin, courageously went to Pilate (in secret) to ask for Jesus' body, and Pilate was surprised Jesus had died so quickly. Joseph wrapped Jesus' body in fine linen and laid Him in a tomb, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. And the women witnessed where He had been laid. 

COMMENTARY

When I realized that I had to read Mark 15 today, and that it was about the crucifixion of Jesus, I loathed it in my heart because I am very grieved that My Lord had to suffer this way. But I was about to get a lesson when I read the commentary. And thank God I did. 

The first thing McGee address was this: "...we should not come to this chapter with a feeling of defeat or sympathy for the Sufferer. We should walk softly and reverently through these scenes with a heart welling up to God in thanksgiving for providing so great [a] salvation."

It is not our sympathy that the Son of God wants. He wants our faith. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Rom. 10:9-10). He wants the faith of your heart, not the sympathy of your heart.

It is the Crucifixion toward which all creation and the purposes of God were moving from all eternity, for He was the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."

The cross was God's purpose. My regret for my sin sending Jesus to the cross is correct, but my regret to behold My Savior on the cross because it is painful to read is just as wrong as Peter who rebuked Jesus when He told His disciples He was going to die. So I'm going to think about this differently now.

The Sanhedrin had to find a reason to legally dispose of Jesus. Only Rome could carry out the death penalty. The best charge was that Jesus claimed to be king. Pilate, being a lazy politician, was only interested in pacifying the mob. He actually did not take offense to Jesus and was in awe of Him because He did not defend Himself. In other gospels, we are told that Pilate even talked to Jesus privately to get Him to give him reason to override the Jewish religious rulers; but Jesus came for this purpose, and nothing was going to alter the outcome. 

Then Pilate thought he could release Jesus through the tradition of a prisoner release program, but they were set to eliminate Jesus (which Pilate knew was because of their envy over Jesus' popularity). Therefore, they were content to ask for one of the most hardened prisoners, Barabas, whose place Jesus probably took on the cross because Barabas was set to be crucified.

By the way, the chief priests provoked the crowd to call for the crucifixion of Jesus, and they complied. And Pilate handed Jesus over to his soldiers. But remember what McGee said -- to keep this in perspective. Jesus was an innocent man, yes! But He took our place on that cross because of sin, our sin, and we are not innocent. Sin must be judged and punished.

In the hands of the soldiers, Jesus was inhumanely treated, tormented, and tortured. Maybe that was why the soldiers eventually pulled a man out of the crowd to help Jesus bear the cross.

Jesus was on the cross for six hours, and He died not because His body or organs failed. Those crucified in this manner usually lived a while, even days, and that was why they broke the legs of those hanging because it quickened death. But Jesus died quickly because He gave up His spirit. They did not break His bones, which is also a fulfillment of Scripture. 

At the time of His death, the veil in the temple was torn in two, and the very reason was because Jesus is now our way to God. Before His death, the veil separated man from God, and only the priest could enter behind the veil to speak with God for the people. That veil is no longer needed, and we can go directly to Jesus to speak with God. 

credit: Chad Workhoven

 

Mark 8

The miracle of Jesus feeding the multitude happened a second time when the people followed Him for three days into the desert to hear his teaching. Jesus, having compassion on them because He knew they would faint on the way if He had sent them home, asked His disciples how much food they had available, and they said seven loaves and a few fish. He commanded the multitude to sit on the ground, then took the bread, gave thanks, broke it, blessed the fish, and gave these to His disciples to set before the people, and they were filled. Four thousand ate, and seven baskets of leftovers were taken up. 

Afterward, He sent them away and He went over to Dalmanutha, where He was confronted by the Pharisees, asking Him for a sign that they may test Him. He "sighed deeply in His spirit" and told them no sign would be given to this generation, and He left them and went over to the other side of the sea.

On the boat, the disciples realized that they had only one loaf of bread left to eat, and Jesus told them, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." They reasoned among themselves that Jesus warned them because they had no bread. Jesus was aware of their thoughts and He asked them if they still did not understand, if their hearts were hardened, and did they not remember? After all, they were with Him when He fed the multitude.

When they came to Bethsaida, a blind man begged to touch him. Jesus took the man out of the city and spat on his eyes and put hands on him and asked him what he saw. He could partially see. Then Jesus put hands on him again and his sight was fully restored. Then He sent the man home and told him not to tell anyone.

Later, Jesus asked His disciples who did men say He was. Some said John the Baptist, others Elijah, and others say a prophet. Jesus asked them who they thought He was, and Peter, speaking for all, said, "You are the Christ." Jesus warned them to tell no one. 

But now that they knew the truth, He told them that "the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and after three day rise again." However, Peter rebuked him for say such things, and Jesus replied, "Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."

Lastly, Jesus told the people and His disciples:

Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world , and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels. 

COMMENTARY 

Mark wrote about two separate miracles where Jesus fed the multitude. The first miracle, the people were with Jesus for one day; but the second miracle, the people were with Him for three days.

The first, the disciples had to find out how much food was available; the second, they were prepared and told Jesus immediately.

The first, there were five loaves and two fish; the second, there were seven loaves, and a few fish.

The first, the multitude sat on grass; the second, they sat on the ground.

The first, the Lord blessed the loaves; the second, he gave thanks.

The first, twelve baskets of leftovers remained; the second, seven baskets of leftovers. 

The first, five thousand men were present (not including women and children); the second, four thousand.

ABOUT THE LEAVEN

Leaven represents wrong or evil teaching. Leaven is what makes bread taste good; therefore, when a pastor adds a little leaven to his sermon, he is making it palatable to his unsaved church members. Jesus was warning His disciples of the false teaching of the Pharisees.

Also, how soon they forgot about Jesus multiplying the bread and fish. But they did not ask Him, and instead worried. Are we not like them? How soon we forget what Jesus has done for us, over and over again. 

ABOUT THE BLIND MAN

Jesus could have healed the blind man in the easiest way, but by doing it in stages, it represents our spiritual sight. First we are blind and cannot see or understand. When we are saved, and we have a partial sight. Right now we may feel like and believe that we know enough or we know everything; however, that is not the case. When we are with the Lord we will have perfect sight. 

THE GOSPEL

When Jesus finally revealed what would happen to Him on the cross, Peter did not want to believe it, and He rebuked the Lord. Jesus attributed Peter's unbelief with Satan because "Satan denies the value of the death of Jesus," and that was why Jesus came to earth. 

Furthermore, the reason Jesus told His disciples not to reveal this to anyone was because it had not happened, yet. Only when it was completed and was finished on the cross, then they would be able to share the gospel of the cross. 

credit: Bible.com

 

John 19

Pilate scourged Jesus, the soldiers placed a twisted crown of thorns upon His head, and they put a purple robe on Him. They struck Him and said, "Hail, King of the Jews!"

Pilate told the Jewish leaders that he found no fault with Jesus, and he brought Him out to them and said, "Behold, the Man." But they cried out: "Crucify Him!" They told Pilate that Jesus made Himself the Son of God, which is worthy of death. This caused Pilate to be more afraid because the Romans were fearful of divine men with supernatural powers, and he just permitted the beating of someone who could bring a curse upon him. Pilate is suffering with much guilt.

Next, he questioned Jesus again, but Jesus would not speak. Pilate told Him that he had the power to crucify or release Him, but Jesus corrected Pilate and told him that he had no more power unless it was given to him from above, and that the one who delivered Him to Pilate had the greatest sin (which was probably Judas or the high priest because THEY saw the works that Jesus had done; Pilate had not.).

Afterward, Pilate sought all the more to release Jesus, but the Jews aligned themselves with Caesar and said that anyone who made himself king was no friend of Caesar; and THEY were! (Whose side are you on, Pilate?)

Pilate tried one more time to release Jesus: "Shall I crucify your King?" They answered: "We have no king but Caesar!" Then Pilate delivered Jesus to them to be crucified. 

Jesus bore His cross to Golgotha where the soldiers crucified Him, and Pilate had an inscription made (written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin) to be placed above Jesus' head: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Next, the soldiers divided Jesus' garments, that Scripture might be fulfilled. 

Jesus' mother was there by the cross with others, and Jesus commanded John to care for her. When all things were accomplished, Jesus proclaimed, "It is finished," and He gave up His spirit. And because it was Preparation Day before the Passover, the Jews asked for the bodies (there were two others crucified with Jesus) to be taken down from the crosses. The soldiers broke the legs of the two criminals, but Jesus was already dead, and they did not break His bones, that the Scriptures were fulfilled. However, a soldier pierced His side, which was also a fulfilment of Scripture. And one day the Jews will, "look on Him whom they pierced (and grieve)."

Finally, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, both secret followers of Jesus, came and took His body away to be prepared for burial. And they placed Him in a new tomb in the garden. 

COMMENTARY

"The trial of Jesus is one of the greatest miscarriages of Justice."

Pilate scourged Jesus only to pacify the Jews, but it did not work. He was hungry for power and he was intimidated by the religious Jews who indicated that they would report him to the authorities at Rome if he did not do what they wanted. 

In the end, Jesus was led away to be crucified. McGee takes a moment to demonstrate what the Cross means from different vantage points: 

From God: the cross is a propitiation, where God extends mercy to us; "Jesus bore our guilt, and God is satisfied."

From Jesus: the cross is a sacrifice. The Savior made Himself an offering for sin, an act of obedience.

From Believers: the cross is a substitution. He took our place -- the sinless One suffering for the sinner.

From Satan: the cross is triumph but also defeat. The head of Satan is yet to be crushed.

And From the world: the cross is nothing but the brutal murder of a man. This is injustice.

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?

Paul tells us: 

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried , and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures" (1 Cor. 15:3-4). 

from Your Daily Verse

 

John 12

Six days before Passover, Jesus was at the house of His friends, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, the man He raised from the dead. Lazarus was sitting with Him, Martha was serving, and Mary was pouring expensive oil on His feet and wiping them with her hair. She was preparing Him for His burial. 

Judas Iscariot complained that the oil could have been sold for money and the money given to the poor, though he cared not a moment for the poor. Jesus told Judas that Mary had kept the oil to use for this purpose. The poor will always be around, but He they will not always have with them. 

Meanwhile, the chief priests came to the house, too, because they considered killing Lazarus now that many Jews had gone away believing in Jesus on account of His raising Lazarus from the dead. 

The next day a great multitude came to Jerusalem when they heard that Jesus would be there for the Feast, and they used palm branches to welcome Him, crying, "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the lord! The King of Israel!" Jesus rode into the city on a young donkey, fulfilling prophecy: "Behold, your King is coming sitting on a donkey's colt." 

Even the Greeks (Gentiles) inquired of Him and wanted to see Him because they heard about His miracles. Jesus told them, 

...unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in the world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.

Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? Father save Me from this hour? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify You r name.

Then God from heaven said: I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. Those who heard it said it was thunder or an angel. Jesus said the time now was for the judgment of the world and the ruler (Satan) will be cast out.

Though many people saw His works, they could not believe in Him, just as the prophet Isaiah prophesied. Even rulers secretly believed; yet, they cared more about the approval of men and feared being cast out of the synagogue. 

Finally, Jesus cried out:

He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him -- the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. 

COMMENTARY

Jesus' friends planned a dinner party for Him. Mary, who anointed the feet of Jesus, was not the same Mary who was a harlot, though they both wiped Jesus' feet with their hair. 

Judas Iscariot was the treasurer of the disciples, and he did not care about the poor. He was a fraud and a thief, and he only desired to see what money who could take for himself. After Judas expressed that the oil Mary used to wipe Jesus' feet could have been sold and the money given to the poor, Jesus explained that the poor will always be around, and any service that can be done for them should not substitute sitting at His feet because soon He will no longer be with them. Now was the time to know Him. 

Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, fulfilling God's will. The crowds were attracted to Jesus because of the miracles He had performed and the Pharisees were out to kill Him. The very same people who were crying, "Hosanna! Blessed is the King of Israel that comes in the name of the Lord!" could have very well been the same who shouted, "Crucify Him!" the next day. 

The Greeks also heard about Jesus, and they came to see Him. He spoke to them about the cross. He explained the analogy of a grain of wheat and how it must die in the ground before it may produce fruit. His death is like the grain of wheat. He must die first before we may have abundant, eternal life. 

Jesus' hour had come. He would take the sins of the world upon the cross. We cannot comprehend the weight of His suffering. But He came for that purpose and He went willingly. That is why, when we truly understand that His death on the cross was really meant for us, and He did that in our place, it change lives. In His suffering, He glorified God. We can remember this, too, in our own struggles. 

His death is a judgment on the world and Satan. The cross is the victory of Christ! Those who believe will live forever, and those who reject it, will be lost forever. The Jewish rulers rejected Him as Messiah; therefore, He rejected them. Even those who thought they believed in His works, were more concerned with the acceptance of their fellow man. They would not publicly acknowledge Christ as Messiah.

The most dangerous decision you can make is to hear the gospel and still reject Christ as Savior.