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Comments on the Lessons

The Isaiah reading is the account of the obedient response of the Servant who is confident of the Lord's help in difficulty. In the passage from Deuteronomy we hear the voice of a messenger who is informed of the result of God's deliberation and hurries to hand it on. The poem depends on hymnlike language originally found in the cult. There is consensus on the Philippians reading. The Gospel readings are near consensus, with one including all verses of chapters 22 and 23. This is one of the longest readings in the lectionary and when read in full gives a moving account of Jesus' passion from the conspiracy through his trial, crucifixion and burial. (Note: the worship leader may want to invite one or more readers to alternate reading sections of the Gospel passage with the preacher to increase interest in the hearing of the passage.)

Commentary
Isaiah 50:4-9a (C)

This third Servant Song of Isaiah is a song of faith sung by those who have learned the meaning of Israel's tragic history through prophecy. It expresses the experience of the Israelites in exile, those who have ears to hear, who submit with understanding to the humiliation of the Exile and who wait expectantly for God's coming act of redemption, an act which they are confident is near at hand. Hebrew thought moved easily from the individual to the group, even as Americans refer to Uncle Sam as an individual representing the people of the whole nation. This Song seems to have been composed by an Israelite to be sung by faithful exiles as an act of trust and belief. Notice that it is intensely individual in character. It probably was used in worship in which the individual exile would embody in himself or herself the experience of Israel. By singing the song in the assembly the Israelite identifies with the "servant."

Of all the Deutero-Isaiah servant songs this is probably the easiest to understand. It has been generally accepted as an individual lament in form. But it can more accurately be called an individual psalm of confidence. Verses 7ff are a broad development of the main two motifs of the psalm: (1) the confession of confidence in God, and (2) the certainty of being answered. But verses 4-5a have nothing to do with an individual lament. Notice that the one who confesses unshakable confidence in God in verses 5b-9 is the same one who is commissioned with an office of the Word. So verses 4-9 are the confession of confidence spoken by one who is mediator of the Word.

Verse 4 and the first clause of verse 5 are the utterance of a person whose being is governed by hearing and speaking. This person is like a disciple, meaning that both hearing and speaking have their source in God. God opens the disciple's ears to hear. God tells the disciple what to speak. The Servant has been awakened and aroused in order to hear God's position to hear the word. Thus the people Israel, like the Servant, must be aroused before she can hear the Word that applies to her case.

In verses 4-5b we have the call of one who in verses 5b-9 attests his faith in the office committed to him. Notice that the Servant is entirely unable to exercise any control over the reception and transmission of a Word that has no establishment in which it is at home. This is the chief characteristic of the prophetic office here. A second distinctive feature of the prophetic office is that God's servant is here described as God's "disciple." The fact that God's servant is God's disciple is the most important feature in the picture of the Servant here.

The Servant who is attacked and defamed because of his task develops in this song for the first time a new approach: he assents to and accepts this suffering. The Servant believes God himself wills his suffering and its acceptance. Notice the glaring contradiction between verse 6 and verse 7. "Shame" and "ashamed" appear. God makes the servant's face like a flint. The power of his resistance derives from his acceptance of the blows and shameful treatment which he meets. Note that it is this complete acceptance and it alone that enables him to make his face hard as flint rock.

Verses 8-9 provide for the Servant the certainty God is on his side. This certainty is expressed in a forceful way, by using terms taken from the legal process. We can only understand this by seeing it from his opponent's point of view. In their eyes, the contest is already decided and the Servant's case is lost since he has admitted defeat by accepting the blows and acts of shame. The Servant summons those who oppose him, however. These are the people who smite him and shame him and spit upon him. He calls them into God's law court, for he is convinced that God justifies him and that no one can condemn him.

In verse 9 the Servant declares and asks, "Behold, the Lord God helps me; who will declare me guilty?" He believes that those who mock and smite him will perish. But the question of whether there is the slightest possibility of any justification or rehabilitation for the Servant according to verses 4-9 is left open. The question points forward to the final servant song.

Deuteronomy 32:36-39 (L)
In this passage we hear the prophetic message of salvation from a messenger who is informed of the result of God's deliberation and hurries to pass it on to others. Note that he speaks of God in the third person. The parallelism of "vindicate" and "have compassion" in verse 36 is significant. The terms are synonymous and deal with the question of a legal act of deliverance.

God turns in favor to his people, but in doing so he also humbles them. God reproaches the people about their idols (vv. 37-38) to whom they gave both their trust and sacrifices. But the failure of these false gods can already be seen in human history: "let them rise up and help you, let them be your protection." Thus God taunts the people for having gone after false, impotent gods.

This failure of the gods sweeps the poem on to the real apex of the message: God's testimony to his own all-sufficient being. There are close parallels to verse 39a in Second Isaiah 43:11, and in 39b in 1 Samuel 2:6. The poem depends on hymnlike language which was derived from the cult.

In verse 39 there is no notion of an awakening from physical death, since according to thought in early Israel a person entered the domain of death even in sickness or in captivity, or any other life-threatening situation.

In verses 39-43 God announces the resolve formed during his deliberations in verses 26-35. God will slay the godless nations in a warlike action. He swears by his everlasting life that he will destroy them. God and God alone controls the fortunes of earth.

Philippians 2:5-11
This is the "Kenosis passage," so called because of the Greek word for emptying in verse 7. The central thrust of this passage is the example of Christ. The disciples are to live with one another after the example of Christ, in and with whom they dwell. This is one of the greatest and most moving passages Paul ever wrote about Jesus. The heart of this passage is summed up in Paul's letter to the Corinthians: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor." (2 Corinthians 8:9)

Earlier Paul had pleaded with the Philippians to live in unity and harmony, to put away their personal ambitions, pride, desire for privilege and prestige. Here Paul holds up the example of Jesus, whose humility and self-emptying marked his life of service to others. In order to better understand what Paul is saying here, we need to look at the meaning of the key Greek words he uses.

In verse 6 Paul says that Jesus, in his very essence, was in the form of God. The essence is that which cannot be changed, the very innate and unalterable characteristics of a person. Two words in Greek can mean "form" in English: morphe, and schema. Morphe is the essential form of something, while schema is the outward form which changes from time to time. Throughout her life a woman may change from being a baby, to a child, to a young woman, an adult woman and an older woman. Her morphe remains the same while her schema is continually changing. The key point is that the morphe doesn't change, while the schema does. In verse 6 the word which Paul uses for Jesus being in the form of God is morphe. So Jesus is, in his essence an unalterable form, God.

Then Paul goes on in the same verse to say that Jesus did not count equality with God something to be grasped. The word for "grasped" in Greek can mean snatch, or clutch. While Jesus did not need to snatch at equality (since he was by essence equal with God), he did not clutch at equality. He did not refuse to let it go, but gave it up willingly.

Jesus emptied himself, taking the form of a servant. (v. 7) The word Paul uses for form here is morphe which, as we saw earlier, means essence or essential form. Jesus becomes really human. He became like human beings, being "made in the likeness of men." (v. 7, KJV) The word for made emphasizes the full identity of Christ with the race of human beings. Hebrews says of Jesus that "in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren." (Hebrews 2:17)

"And being found in fashion as a man" (v. 8) is a statement in which Paul uses the word for "form" which means shape, appearance, that which changes, in contrast to the essence. Here Paul is writing from the point of view of those who saw Christ as he lived on earth. The mystery of his essence, his morphe, was hidden from them. They saw him as a man like themselves, subject to human suffering and fraility.

"He humbled himself" (v. 8) indicates he laid aside all the heavenly privileges that were his. He became obedient to death, even death on a cross, which took his humility to the utmost limit. The emphasis is on the word "obedient."

Note the two pictures which Paul draws side by side and contrasts. One is of Jesus in his original glory as the Pre-existent Christ, of the same nature with God, so near to God. On the other hand Christ is pictured as he chose to be, emptying himself, changing the form of God for that of man, and being obedient even to death on the Cross.

But then Paul holds up a third picture of Jesus for us, the exalted Christ. "Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name." (v. 9) The name held special meaning for people in Paul's day. The person was thought to somehow be present in the name. A soldier took his oath in the name of Caesar and in doing so became Caesar's man. And a Christian was baptized in "the name of Jesus" and thus gave his loyalty to Jesus and gained his protection. Paul is saying that the new name given Christ in his exaltation with its active power came from divine authority. This transcendent name given to Christ is none other than "Lord," as Paul will say in verse 11.

Jesus was exalted at the Resurrection. His exaltation will be fully acknowledged at the Parousia when Christ returns in glory. This passage is modeled on Isaiah 45:23, which describes the purpose of God as that of bringing all nations to obedience to him. The triumph described is the manifestation of messianic lordship. This is attained as a result of the Incarnation. The whole work of Jesus, his whole life and aim, is not his own glory but rather the glory of God the Father. The one aim of Jesus was to point people to God. As the universe gives glory to God, it thereby achieves the goal of its creation and redemption.

Scholars generally agree that we have in this passage of verses 5-11 an early hymn which Paul has incorporated in his letter. Although it may have been composed by Paul, the hymn has ideas and terms not characteristic of Paul, and it lacks other concepts which are central to Paul's theology. Therefore this may well be a pre-Pauline hymn used here because of its pertinence to the issues with which Paul is dealing. Some would divide the hymn into six strophes of six lines each.

Luke 22:14--23:56 (C)
Luke 22:1--23:56 (L)
The theme of chapters 22-23 is Jesus' death, commonly called the Passion. Note that verses 1-13 give the setting, conspiracy of Judas, and the preparation for the Last Supper and so are technically not part of the Passion story, which begins with verse 14 when Jesus sat at table with the apostles to eat the Last Supper.

There are several ways in which the Passion story may be outlined. One is as follows:

I. The Meaning of Messiah's Death 22:1--23:25
1. The plot to kill Jesus, 22:1-6
2. The Last Supper, verses 7-38
3. The Prayer in the Garden, verses 39-46
4. Jesus' betrayal by Judas, verses 47-53
5. Peter's denial, verses 54-62
6. Jesus' trial, 22:63--23:25

II. The Glorification of Jesus the Messiah 23:26--24:53
1. The way of the cross, 23:26-31
2. Jesus' crucifixion, 23:32-49
3. The burial of Jesus, verses 50-56 (concludes our pericope)

Another outline is the following:

1. Table fellowship farewells, 22:1-38
2. A model for martyrs, 22:39--23:25
3. Innocent and obedient 23:26-56a

A third possible outline would be the following:

I. The Upper Room 22:1-38
1. Preparations for the Passover, verses 1-13
2. The Last Supper, verses 14-23
3. Jesus' farewell discourses, verses 24-38

II. The Last Night 22:39-65
1. On the Mount of Olives, verses 39-53
2. In the Guardroom, verses 54-65

III. The Trial of Jesus 22:66--23:25
1. Trial before the Sanhedrin, verses 66-71
2. Trial before Pilate, 23:1-5
3. Trial before Herod, 23:6-12 (unique to Luke)
4. The sentence, verses 13-25

IV. At Calvary
1. Jesus addresses daughters of Jerusalem, verses 26-31
2. The crucifixion, verses 32-38
3. The two criminals, verses 39-43
4. Jesus' death and burial, verses 44-56

The preacher would benefit from reading these two chapters several times in different translations and examining the movement in the whole Passion story and in various sections. Getting an overview from several perspectives can enable the preacher to re-live the events of the Passion story and become engaged with Scripture on an experiential level, through the imagination, led by the Spirit. This will prepare the preacher to select the particular passage from this larger section which will be the basis for the sermon. Or several sermons may be developed from these two chapters for messages during Holy Week.

We will follow the third suggested outline of the two chapters in commenting on the Passion.

I. The Upper Room 22:1-38

1. Preparations for the Passover. (vv. 1-13) Luke bases his account on Mark 14:1-11 but omits the story of the anointing at Bethany. Luke is in error in identifying the feast of Unleavened Bread with the Passover in verse 1. They are two different festivals. The feast of Unleavened Bread follows immediately after the Passover and lasts seven days. Luke says the feast drew near, while Mark says it was two days before the Passover and the feast of Unleavened Bread. Luke thinks of a longer ministry in Jerusalem.

A distinctive aspect of Luke's narrative is the assertion that "then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot ..." Ever since Jesus' temptation in the wilderness, Satan has been under attack (as indicated in 10:18 and 11:14-28). Now Satan resumes his attack on Jesus in an effort to defeat Messiah's mission. Reflect on the parallel between this crisis and earlier temptations of Jesus. In each former temptation Jesus is under great persistent pressure to desert or pervert his mission as Messiah. He stands alone and abandoned in the attack. To have given in to Satan would have been to destroy the meaning of his mission as Servant. In the temptation Satan seeks to entice Jesus, but now in the Passion he threatens. Satan tempts Jesus to preserve his life, to yield to the appeal of a political kingdom instead of a kingdom of heaven, and to make a grandstand bid for messiahship.

Luke seems to have regarded Satan as in some sense "absent" during the pre-resurrection mission, but now his return indicates a new epoch of temptation is about to occur. Now Satan tempts but Judas is responsible for yielding to Satan's devices. Why did Judas betray Jesus? Some have suggested it was because of covetousness, since he kept the money chest and stole from it. Others think he was disillusioned with Jesus' non-political notion of messiahship. T. W. Manson has suggested that Judas was only trying to force a showdown and thereby an immediate establishment of the kingdom of God. The latter is not suggested by Scripture, though it is appealing.

In verse 5 we read that the chief priests and officials were glad that Judas was willing to betray Jesus for money. They welcomed the opportunity to seize Jesus while alone without arousing the pilgrims sympathetic to his cause.

Next Jesus arranges for the observance of Passover, sending Peter and John ahead to a prearranged person and place. A man carrying a water jar will meet them and lead them to the house where they will celebrate Pass-over. In a society where normally only women carried water, a man doing so would be obvious. They went with him to the guest room, a large room furnished, and there made ready. When this writer was in Jerusalem he was shown a room, supposedly on the site of this Upper Room, which visitors are told resembles the Upper Room. To prepare for the meal they had to slaughter and roast the lamb, and get the unleavened bread, bitter herbs and wine for the meal. The secret instructions are evidently an effort to avoid detection by Jewish authorities. Two reasons are suggested: either he was already under threat of arrest, or he is preparing to observe Passover at an illegal time. The Passover celebrated two events: (1) deliverance from bondage in Egypt, and (2) the coming messianic deliverance. Passover was followed by the feast of Unleavened Bread. Since the Jewish day began at sundown, the evening Passover meal coincided with the beginning of the feast of Unleavened Bread. The whole eight-day festival was sometimes considered one "holy day" and called by either title. Matthew, Mark and Luke identify the Last Supper before Jesus' arrest with the passover meal. But in the fourth Gospel John alters the chronology to achieve a theological goal and puts the passover sacrifice and meal on the same day, synchronizing the crucifixion with the passover sacrifice. John pictures Jesus as "our paschal lamb." We are told that in the first century the Sadducees, the Qumran sect and other groups followed an unofficial calendar in which the passover meal always occurred on Tuesday evening. If John's Friday Passover (really on our Thursday eveningafter sundown when Friday had begun for Jews) represents the official calendar, then the Synoptic gospels may be indicating that Jesus celebrated Passover on the earlier unauthorized date. A few Christian traditions date the Last Supper on Tuesday, and in the Fourth Gospel the Last Supper has some marks of a Passover meal.

2. The Last Supper, verses 14-23. The Last Supper is Luke's seventh dinner scene. Note the structure: preparation, passover meal and its interpretation, and the attached "teaching words." We are told that residents of Jerusalem had a religious obligation to provide rooms for pilgrims for celebrating the passover, in exchange for the lambskin of the sacrificed lamb. Thus pilgrims could celebrate within the city itself. It began after dark and followed a fixed order:

1. After the first cup of wine the passover story was related and Psalms 113, and 114 were sung
2. The second cup and main meal followed
3. After supper the third cup, "the cup of blessing" (blessing or thanking God) was taken and the second half of the passover hymn was sung from Psalms 115-118.
4. The fourth cup of wine was drunk to celebrate God's kingdom, and this concluded the liturgy.

There is a longer text of the Last Supper in 19b-20, which is the most discussed textual problem in Luke. Some modern translations such as the RSV and NEB have removed it from their texts. However the second edition of the RSV New Testament of 1971, on which this commentary is based, includes it in the main text, with a notation that some authorities omit some or all of 19b-20. While it is not within the scope of this Workbook to go into detail here, the preacher is referred to a critical commentary such as the one by E. E. Ellis. This writer accepts the longer text as being in all probability what Luke wrote.

In verse 19 Jesus says, "This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." This writer takes the elements of bread and wine to be the preached word made visible. The thrust is not the substance of the elements of bread and wine, but their use as a proclamation of a past event and Jesus' real presence in the Body of believers. Christ's death is preached rather than his dying being re-enacted. The supper is primarily an anticipation of the messianic banquet. The elements of the supper look forward to the coming of the kingdom with joy in the future. But this cannot take place until Jesus' mission is accomplished in his death. This is dramatically anticipated in the breaking of the bread. For the disciples to share in this meal with Jesus makes them participants in the fate of Jesus as well as guaranteeing their presence in the messianic meal yet to come. Jesus asks the disciples to repeat the meal in his personal memory. He says that his death is the seal of the new covenant, verse 20. (Cf 1 Corinthians 11:23-25) The view of Jesus' death reflected in his words about "new covenant," "in my blood" and "given for you" points to the new covenant foretold by Jeremiah in Jeremiah 31:31-34, where God says he will make a new covenant with Israel. Jesus says the new covenant will be sealed by his blood, echoing the covenant which the Lord has made with you. (v. 8) The phrase "given for you" should not be taken as referring to an atoning sacrifice. The word for "given" can be used with reference to sacrifice, or can be used of martyrdom. "For you" can be used of a martyr's death. Luke's dominant thrust is that Jesus' death is that of martyrdom. Jesus is saying that his martyrdom will have beneficial effects for the disciples, which is exactly what he said in the remarks about a new covenant. This meal is to be repeated, since the foundational event (Jesus' martyrdom) in the community's life must not be forgotten.

3. Jesus'farewell discourses, verses 24-38. Luke makes Jesus' teaching words a part of the supper scene and in them Luke pictures Jesus, the serving Lord, as an example for his followers. Luke or the source from which he drew this account divides the Last Supper into three parts: (1) Jesus' vow to abstain from future Passovers, (2) his interpretation of the bread and wine, and (3) his prophecy of the betrayal.

There is a similar teaching to verses 24-27 in Luke 9:46-50, in which Jesus stresses the reversal of values in the kingdom: the greatest is to become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. This is in sharp contrast to the kings of the Gentiles who exercise lordship over others. Jesus says he is among them as one who serves, a teaching which he dramatized in the washing of the disciples' feet. (John 13:3-20)

In verse 28 the perfect tense is used ("have continued with me in my trials") to indicate that the trials continue throughout the mission of the church. In verse 30 Jesus refers to eating and drinking at his table in his kingdom. The Qumran sect had an anticipated messianic banquet. Those who continue faithful with Jesus will also participate in the last judgment, thus promising ultimate vindication for those who follow him. Israel here points to the true Israel, the redeemed. Jesus thus claims as its rightful king the nation God will give him.

A second promise occurs in verses 31-34. This serves as both prediction and exhortation: Jesus predicts the attack of Satan on the disciples (indicated by the plural "you" in verse 31) as Jesus speaks to Peter as their representative, and Jesus exhorts Peter to strengthen his brethren. Jesus prays to protect them from the power of Satan, foreshadowing the risen Christ's continuing intercession in heaven for his disciples. Jesus' intercessory praying strengthens and comforts his followers now and it has through the ages.

The exhortation in verses 35-38 closes the farewell speech, and is based on a prediction. The prediction is that the conditions of Jesus' suffering and death apply also to his followers: "And he was reckoned with transgressors." (v. 37) He was treated as a criminal and executed as one. So Jesus warns them to be prepared for hardship and self-sacrifice in following him. In verses 36-37 Jesus tells those who have a purse to take it, and likewise a bag, and the person without a sword to buy one. They take this literally, and in verse 38 say, "Look, Lord, here are two swords." The persecuted church militant and the Gentile mission which is to follow soon will require a purse, bag and sword. Jesus' command to sell their coats and buy swords is an example of Jesus' fondness for violent metaphor, but the disciples, like pedants through the ages, took it literally. Jesus' words, "it is enough," do not mean he is satisfied with the disciples' military preparedness but is rather a sad dismissal of the subject. Frustrated, Jesus breaks off the conversation with "Enough of this." (v. 38)

II. The Last Night verses 39-65

1. On the Mount of Olives, verses 39-53. Jesus began to be overwhelmed with bewilderment and doubt. He and the eleven disciples have gone from the city under the paschal moon and crossed the ravine of the Kidron. Jesus spends the night in successive spasms of anguished prayer. Jesus tore himself away from the disciples about a stone's throw and knelt down and prayed, "Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup [of suffering and death] from me; nevertheless, not my will but thine be done." (v. 44) While the usual position for praying for a Jew was standing, the position of kneeling may reflect Jesus' humility and urgency in praying. Here is the true humanity of Jesus revealed in the agony of prayer and struggle with obedience to the will of the Father. This is no play-acting by a purely divine being who knows how it is all going to come out, but rather the struggle of one who faces the horrors of death as we face death, but knew even more fully the destructive power of death. There was an agony of doubt in Jesus' struggle, as he questioned whether or not it was the will of God for him now to die, and turn over the cause of the Kingdom to persons who were so unprepared for leading it.

Jesus warns them about entering into temptation, which seems to mean to succumb to its power and thus be destroyed. Temptation and trials will be an abiding factor in the life of Christians until the End. So now the Christian lives between the Cross and the Parousia, amidst temptations, and prays as Jesus commanded, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (or The Evil One)."

Note that verses 43-44 are absent from a number of important MSS, and in the opinion of some scholars they do not reflect a genuine extra-canonical tradition, although they are not Lucan. More recent studies agree they belong here, although the RSV (1971 NT edition) places them in the margin. Jesus felt himself and the disciples to be confronted both by the same spiritual forces of evil he had wrestled with since his baptism, and also by the angel from heaven which strengthened him. His great agony is revealed by his sweat, which became like great drops of blood falling down upon the ground. This points up the humanity of Jesus in the struggle with temptation to disobey the will of his Father at this critical moment in his life and mission.

Then comes the betrayal (vv. 47-53), when Judas leads the crowd out to arrest Jesus. Judas drew near to kiss Jesus, evidently the way of identifying him in the dim moonlight. Mark says the arrest was carried out by a hired mob armed with knives and cudgels. Luke says some of the temple dignitaries and officials must have been present, probably in the background. The crowd had expected resistance - and rightly so, since the discipies were prepared to defend Jesus (and they would have, had he not told them to let events take their course). One drew his sword and cut off the right ear of the slave of the high priest. But Jesus touched his ear and healed him, saying, "No more of this!" Jesus is pictured by Luke as one who does not sanction physical violence as a means of avoiding martyrdom. Thus violence as a self-defense is renounced. While Jesus approved sword-bearing (v. 36), he is not like the Zealots who would use physical force for establishing the Kingdom of God. Rather, Jesus submits to the way of suffering love and death on the Cross.

In verses 52-53 Jesus points out that this is no arrest of a common criminal and that the forces of law and order do their work out in the open. They did not lay hands on him when he was with them in the temple day after day. But darkness is the realm of Satan and those who carry out Satan's business keep Satan's hours.

2. In the guardroom (vv. 54-65). Luke describes Jesus being kept under guard in the high priest's house until the Sanhedrin could be called together. During the long night of waiting the guards amused themselves by taunting Jesus, and Peter denied his Master. Only Luke, among the Synoptic Gospels, explains what happens. The men holding Jesus mocked him and beat him, and blindfolded him. The baited him: "Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?" And they said many other things to revile Jesus.

Peter denies Jesus, but at least he was near Jesus while the other disciples had fled. (Mark 14:50) First, a maid accused Peter of being with Jesus, but he denied it, saying "Woman, I do not know him." Note the contrast of boastful, impetuous Peter, and the lowly servant maid. Then a little later someone else saw Peter and said, "You also are one of them," but Peter said, "I am not." In this instance, Peter denies his discipleship. Then about an hour later another person insisted, "Certainly this man also was with him; for he is a Galilean." But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are saying. " And immediately, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed. Luke seems to see a progression of denial: first Peter denies associating with Jesus, then denies associating with the disciples, and third, he makes an absolute denial, saying he does not know what they are talking about. Only Luke includes the most dramatic note of the whole story: "And the Lord turned and looked at Peter." And Peter recalled Jesus' prediction that he would deny him three times before the cock crowed. The reaction of Peter was to go out and weep bitterly.

III. The Trial of Jesus 22:66--23:25

1. Trial before the Sanhedrin (vv. 66-71). The trial before the Sanhedrin did not follow the rules of a regular trial. Jesus' fate had already been decided at an earlier meeting, so the purpose of this session was to build up a case to submit to Pilate. Scholars are not agreed on whether or not the Sanhedrin at this time in history had the right to execute the death sentence without the consent of the procurator. In this case, even if they had this right they did not intend to use it. They preferred having the Romans bear the brunt of whatever blame might come from the execution of Jesus.

Notice that Luke omits the preliminary investigation recorded by Mark. They got right to the heart of the matter with the question, "If you are the Christ (Messiah) tell us." While Jesus at first declines to answer, he said to them in an ambiguous fashion, "If I tell you, you will not believe; and if I ask you, you will not answer. But from now on the Son of man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God." (vv. 67-69)

Jesus is evasive in his answers, both here and later in volume 70, where he answers, "That is what you say." In being evasive, Jesus is following general cultural norms of that day. Martyrdom was not to be sought. Seneca and other pagan teachers said things like, "Avoid the lust for death." Jewish teachers also warned against over-eagerness for martyrdom as a kind of self-annihilation. They said that under duress evasion was acceptable. And early Christians followed the same examples of evasion. Thus Jesus had no lust for death, but rather submitted himself to the Father's will. Should this lead to martyrdom, then this is the Father's will, and so be it. It was a pattern which the disciples might follow.

Jesus prefers the title "Son of man," less ambiguous a term than "Messiah," and he sees that the court is in no mood to discuss definitions of Messiah. He reminds the Council that the Son of man is to receive God's authority to rule and to judge. Appreciate the irony: members of the Sanhedrin think they are sitting in judgment on Jesus, while in fact the roles are reversed! Jesus is the judge, and from this time forward, the nation Israel is on trial before the heavenly court. Jesus' veiled answer is taken as an assent to their question about his being the Christ (Messiah). This is all they need to develop their charge against him.

2. Trial before Pilate (23:1-5). The charge is shaped to sound like treason: "We found this man perverting our nation, and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ a king." (v. 2) Understand that no Roman court would recognize a charge of blasphemy, so Jesus' evasive answer must be translated into political terms. There is a desperate irony in the three accusations lodged against Jesus: (1) that he is an insurgent leader, who has been (2) inciting people to disaffection against Rome, and (3) laying claim to royal status. Those accusing him know that it is precisely because Jesus refused to be this kind of Messiah that his own nation has rejected him! Thus the charge is a deliberate distortion of the truth, inverted for their purposes. They say he stirs up people throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to Jerusalem. They mention Galilee specifically since it was a hotbed of revolutionary activity. By implication they bear false witness against Jesus, an action with which the disciples will have to live in the future.

Pilate asks Jesus, "Are you the King of the Jews?" and Jesus answered in the evasive manner mentioned earlier, "You have said so." Pilate told the chief priests and multitudes, "I find no crime in this man." Three times Pilate declares that Jesus is innocent: verse 4, verse 14, verse 22. What should have been one final judgment by Pilate, one which would have released Jesus, becomes an argument, and then (for Pilate) a losing argument with the chief priests and multitude. Consider the fact that Pilate's decline and fall begins when he hears that Jesus is from Galilee and tries to shift the responsibility to Herod. From this point on he has lost the case.

3. Trial before Herod (23:6-12). This story is peculiar to Luke and serves three possible functions: (1) It provides a second official witness to the innocence of Jesus and thus satisfies the law of Deuteronomy 19:15. (2) It may serve to fulfill Psalm 2:1ff. The Gospel of Luke regards Herod and Pilate with favor because of their judgment on Jesus' innocence, but Acts 4:25-27 regard them with hostility and see them as involved in Jesus' death. (3) It may be that 23:12 indicates that the Jewish ruler (Herod) is reconciled to the Gentile (Pilate) on the very day when Jesus' blood will be shed.

But the point Luke seems to stress in verses 6-12 is the innocence of Jesus, since both Herod and Pilate found him innocent. Luke places great emphasis on the innocence of Jesus and holds him up as a model for disciples. Luke might have written these words from 1 Peter: "For it is better to suffer for doing right, if that should be God's will, than for doing wrong. For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God ..." (1 Peter 3:17-18)

4. Jesus' sentence by Pilate (verses 13-25). Luke continues to stress the innocence of Jesus in this fourth and final trial. Appreciate the stance of Pilate, who appears more as an advocate who pleads Jesus' case than he does a judge who presides over an official hearing. Pilate says that since neither he nor Herod found Jesus guilty, he will chastise him and release him. (vv. 14-16) Chastisement was a light beating coupled with a severe warning. Pilate, in effect, was promising to give Jesus a suspended sentence. But the chief priests, the rulers (but not the Pharisees), and the people were urgent and with loud cries, demanding that Jesus be crucified. (v. 23) At the same time they cry out for the release of Barabbas, a man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder. (v. 25) Reflect on the irony of this cry and Pilate's submission to the crowd's demands: those who cry for Jesus' death, accusing him of sedition, are the same ones who cry for the release of one guilty of an insurrection and of murder. (v. 19) Here is injustice compounded as Pilate releases Barabbas but sentences Jesus to crucifixion - although neither he nor Herod found Jesus guilty of anything!

Luke portrays the progression of Jesus toward death in a way intended to show his disciples things relating to their lives as well. While Christians may be innocent, they will be given over to the will of their opponents and their vindication comes only after suffering or death, as Luke later records in his history in Acts 16:19-39 and Acts 7. Thus it is important for Christians to pray and to continue to pray in order not to yield to the temptation to renounce Christ. While martyrdom is not to be sought after, neither is violence to be used in an attempt to escape it. Christians may expect false witnesses, and they may, like their Master, find themselves charged with the the very thing their accusers are guilty of themselves. Jesus is their role model and source of inspiration and strength, that they may be faithful to the end.

IV. At Calvary (23:26-56)

1. Jesus speaks to the daughters ofJerusalem on the way to the cross (vv. 26-31). Luke stresses this procession more than Matthew or Mark do. Simon of Cyrene represents the true disciple who takes up the cross, literally, and follows Jesus. Simon carries the cross bar of the cross to which Jesus soon will be nailed.

Consult Zechariah 12:10 for the background of the wailing women to whom Jesus speaks. For Jews, the act of mourning the dead had religious merit. It may be that the act of bewailing condemned criminals was derived from this. While the wailing women probably included some disciples, they were primarily sincere religious women earnest for salvation. But Jesus speaks to them to urge them not to weep for him but for themselves. He wants their conversion, not their pity. Jesus says that when Jerusalem's destruction comes, which is sealed by its rejection of Jesus, then the childless ones will be most fortunate, for they will not have to see their children suffer. Take notice of the quote from Hosea 10:8, which is a call to mountains to fall on them. The saying about green and dry wood is from a proverb. The point it makes is probably that if the innocent Jesus ("green wood") meets such a fate, what will be the fate of guilty Jerusalem ("dry wood")? Her punishment will be even greater! This proverb is an echo of Old Testament passages in which a nation's human resources are compared to a great forest which is about to be consumed by the forest fire of divine judgment. Israel's rejection of God's Son has already kindled the fires of Roman impatience, and if that can consume one who is declared innocent by Roman justice ("green wood") then what must the guilty ("dry wood") expect?

2. The crucifixion (vv. 32-38). The central event in Luke's story of the crucifixion (vv. 32-49) is a prophecy of Messiah's exaltation. (vv. 42-43) Luke, like John, seems to view the death-resurrection-exaltation of Jesus as a single event of redemption. Reflect on it as a story of the eighth day of creation, when God creates the new messianic age. While the pericope of chapters 22-23 ends with Jesus' death and burial, the preacher will want to include the Resurrection and Exaltation in every message taken from this pericope. Understand that each of the resurrection episodes in Luke opens with a time reference to the "eighth day." This symbolizes Jesus' resurrection as the beginning of a new creation.

Luke's account does not include the Aramaic word "Golgotha" but gives its translation, "The Skull." Only Luke includes the saying from the cross, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." There is a parallel in Acts 7:60. This account of the crucifixion consists of:
a. The setting (v. 321)
b. A contrast of the attitude of the spectators and that of Jesus (vv. 34-43)
c. The signs and reactions which accompany Jesus' death (vv. 44-49)

While most of these incidents are found in Mark also, Luke is using another source and rearranges them into a thematic form.

3. The two criminals (vv. 39-43). While the religious rulers, the soldiers, and one criminal, all ridicule the notion that this poor man being executed on a cross could be the Messiah, one criminal takes Jesus' side, and says, "Jesus, remember me." Jesus gives the messianic peace to him, assuring him that on that day he will be with him in paradise. This single incident is the core of the account, since the criminal represents the kind of person Jesus came to save. With the word "today" Jesus shifts the focus of the request from the coming kingdom of God to his present exaltation. So at Jesus' resurrection he is exalted to Paradise. Jesus' words "forgive ... Paradise" bracket the central segment of this story and set forth the two main purposes of his mission: Jesus' prayer is answered by his death, which brings forgiveness of sins (Act 2:38) and the promise assures a deliverance from death.

The conversion of the criminal fits into Luke's emphasis on Jesus' bringing forgiveness to the outcasts of society. Consider that the conversion and its confirmation by Jesus occur before Jesus dies. This means that it is none other than Jesus who lives, either in his earthly life or after his resurrection, and who grants forgiveness. Luke, note carefully, has no doctrine suggesting that forgiveness is made available through the death of Jesus (as do Paul and others). Rather, Luke sees forgiveness mediated by the Jesus who lived and who lives. For Luke the Passion story is a rejection story, much like that of Stephen and Paul, in which Jesus dies as a martyr. His blood seals a new covenant but not an atoning sacrifice. For the atonement, we must look to the other Gospels.

Paradise was the lodging place of the righteous dead prior to resurrection (according to the Jewish thought of that time). It was like "Abraham's bosom."

4. Jesus' death and burial (vv. 44-56). From the sixth hour (noon), there was darkness until the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.). Luke says there was darkness while the sun's light failed, and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Some early readers of the text assumed this meant an eclipse, but at Passover time when the moon is full an eclipse of the sun is an impossible feat. Luke is stressing the fact that supernatural events occurred, including the rending of the curtain. The temple curtain separated the holy place from the Holy of Holies. It was made of expensive woven materials imported from Babylon. The Holy of Holies was the place of God's presence and was concealed by one of thirteen curtains. The curtain nearest the Holy of Holies appears to be the one torn in two. Only the high priest was permitted to enter the Holy of Holies and he only once a year in order to make an atonement for the sins of the people. The meaning of this action may be: (1) the entry to God's dwelling place is now open by the access provided by Jesus' death, and (2) God has now left the temple, splitting the curtain in two. Thus, the death of Jesus means judgment on Israel. [See Hebrews 6:19; 9:3; 10:20, where there are references to Messiah's atoning death and resurrection.] (3) It may also mean that temple rites are no longer necessary for true worship of God.

The phrase, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" is not found in Luke, nor is there mention of Elijah (as Mark and Matthew report). Instead, Luke includes, "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!" (See Psalm 31:5.) While it may seem unnatural for Jesus to cry out with a loud voice, some scholars have noted that this occurred at the very time of the trumpet call to prayer in the evening. Jesus' prayer suggests that at his death his Spirit returned to God from whence it came. The prayer was one used by a Jewish child in going to bed, like, "Now I lay me down to sleep ..." Jesus made it a more lovely prayer by beginning it with "Father ..."

When the centurion saw Jesus had died, he praised God and said, "Certainly this man was innocent!" This confirms the verdict of both Pilate and Herod, and underscores Luke's insistence on the innocence of Jesus. All the multitude who had come out to see the crucifixion returned home beating their breasts. But Jesus' acquaintances and the women stood at a distance and saw these things. This probably included the disciples. They all witnessed the death of Jesus so that they might become witnesses of his resurrection.

Jews were known for giving special care to their dead. The acts of Joseph and the women express this care. Joseph of Arimathea wanted to give Jesus a decent burial, even at his own risk. Joseph took down Jesus' body, wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a rock-hewn tomb which had never been used before. It was his own family tomb. He gave Jesus' body initial embalming, another act of love. The women delayed their ministrations until after the Sabbath. It is probable that the wrapping with linen included an initial anointing, as the spices were spread on the shroud when it was wound about the body. John 19:40 gives a more elaborate account and reflects current Jewish burial customs. "Preparation" was a technical term for the Friday of Passover week.

Theological Reflections

Isaiah records part of the third Servant Song in which the Servant brings God's comfort to his fellow Israelites (the weary, v. 4). The Servant expresses complete confidence that God will vindicate him. The Deuteronomy passage foretells the time when the Lord will vindicate his people by overthrowing the wicked nations. God is sovereign in all things according to Isaiah, and there is no God besides Israel's God. Paul writes to the Philippians the famous "Kenosis passage" in which he describes the self-emptying of Christ in coming to earth in the form of a servant, born in the likeness of human beings. Paul points to his death on the cross in obedience to God and the exaltation of Jesus above every name as Lord. Luke records the events of Jesus' Passion from the conspiracy to his burial. Luke's emphasis is on the innocence of Jesus and on Jesus' death as a martyr and example for Christians to follow. There is a theme in these passages of God's power and vindication of his cause.

Homiletical Moves

Isaiah 50:4-9a (C)
Isaiah 50:4-7 (RC)
Behold, the Lord Helps Me!

1. The Lord teaches the Servant who obeys
2. The Servant is shamed and oppressed for his work
3. The Servant is not confounded, but sets his face like a flint
4. God helps the Servant, so that none can declare him guilty
5. The opponents of the Servant will be destroyed
6. God calls us to be faithful in spite of persecution, and he promises to help us by the Spirit

Deuteronomy 32:36-39 (L)
The Lord Vindicates and Has Compassion on His People

1. The Lord taunts those who have worshiped false gods and tells the unfaithful to let their gods be their protection
2. But God declares that he is the only true God who kills and makes alive and will have compassion on his servants
3. God has vindicated us and shown compassion by Christ's death on the Cross
4. Let us turn from false gods to trust in the God revealed in Christ on the Cross, the God of suffering love

Philippians 2:5-11
Jesus Christ Is Lord

1. Follow the example of Jesus who did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped
2. He humbled himself and took the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of human beings
3. He became obedient to death on a cross
4. God has highly exalted him and made him Lord
5. Let us confess Jesus Christ as our Lord and live in humble obedience to him

This Preacher's Preference

Luke 22:39-46
Jesus Prays, "Thy Will Be Done"

Because of the length of the pericope, the preacher is urged to select one section for each sermon, although a sermon could be developed on the whole Passion story. The decision of Jesus in the Garden to submit to the will of the Father and allow himself to be crucified is at the heart of the Passion story. The sermon may deal with Jesus' obedience to the Father, and our call to obedience (which we cannot fulfill completely). We pray, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" and so ask for God's power to obey his will. Jesus, as the model martyr, may be pointed to as the one who did not seek death, but who submitted to death in obedience to God in order to fulfill his mission as Messiah.

1. Jesus came to the Mount of Olives and urged the disciples to pray that they not enter into temptation
2. Jesus withdrew to pray alone on his knees, asking God to remove the cup of suffering and death if possible
3. Jesus prays, "Nevertheless not my will, but thine be done"
4. When Jesus finished praying he found the disciples sleeping and called them to pray that they might not enter into temptation
5. God calls us to faithful obedience sustained by prayer as we live the Christian life

Hymn for Passion Sunday: Who is He in Yonder Stall?

Prayer
Gracious God, who has vindicated your people and had compassion upon them, we thank you for the victory of Christ over sin and death on the Cross. We thank you that he gave up his heavenly glory and took the form of a servant and was obedient to your will, even unto death on the Cross. We thank you for his struggle in prayer in the Garden and his decision to follow your will, even though it led to death on a cross. May we take up our cross daily and follow him in obedience. May we know the power of his resurrection and serve him who is Lord of lords and King of kings. Amen