Read Luke 23:26-43

Did Jesus have a choice about dying?

Why didn’t Jesus come down from the cross? Wouldn’t it have been a dramatic demonstration of power? Couldn’t He have avoided the whole thing, never going to the cross in the first place? Couldn’t He have gone home to the carpenter’s shop in Nazareth and said, “Well, I gave them three years, and they turned me down. So I quit”?

Yes, He could have done that. If Jesus could not have opted out on dying, if it had not been possible for Him to fall before temptation and sin, then we would be justified in saying, when we get into the trials of life, “Look, Jesus, you don’t understand my problem.”

Is there any indication in Luke’s words that someone—the Jews, the Roman soldiers—forced Jesus to take the saddest walk of his life, the way to the cross? Not at all. He rather travels it as a person with a plan. He is not trapped or cornered. There was no other way to solve man’s sin problem. So God dealt with it in the only possible way. He paid the price—death—Himself, willingly.

Jesus could have avoided the whole thing. But if He had, then John could never have written, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Read Luke 23:1-25

Brass heavens. That’s what we say when our prayers do not seem to be heard. God does not answer us. Needless to say, we are seeing the matter only from the human side.

The story of Jesus before Pilate and Herod affords a rare glimpse of both sides, God’s and ours, on an occasion when God is silent. Pilate dismissed Jesus’ accusers, saying he didn’t see that the fellow had done anything wrong. They insisted. Like all weak persons, Pilate tried to avoid making a decision. When he discovered that Jesus was from Herod’s jurisdiction, he passed the buck, sending Jesus to Herod.

Herod was pleased. He had wanted to meet Jesus for a long time. Why hadn’t he sought Jesus out? Perhaps he thought it unseemly for him, a king, to lower himself to seek out a humble itinerant preacher.

Here was his opportunity; he asked Jesus many questions. Jesus said nothing. Why was Jesus silent? Jesus has loving words for any penitent. But the unrepentant, shallow, sinful, selfish Herod received only silence and contempt. Christ welcomed into your life is Christ warm and vocal. Christ rejected results in Christ silent and cold.

Jesus saw that Herod, John the Baptist’s murderer, had no interest in receiving God into his life. No doubt there are other reasons for unanswered prayer. But let us never have our prayers unanswered for the reason that Herod found Jesus silent—callous insincerity.

Read Luke 22:63-71

Things get worse.

Jesus gets to be “It” in a ghastly game of blind man’s buff, as the soldiers mock and beat Him. Nobody gets any sleep; in fact, Jesus may have been forced to remain standing all night.

Finally, the grisly night ends. According to Jewish law, the Council could not convene at night. Daybreak finds Jesus hauled before the religious leaders, 70 high officials sitting in a semi-circle. There seems little doubt that they came together to condemn Jesus first and find a way to justify it later.

Why doesn’t Jesus answer their questions? As He said, it would have been useless (vv. 67, 68). What He does allow Himself is a statement of divine place, calling Himself Son of God. In so many words, He tells them He is Messiah. Without delay these educated religious professionals do a very unprofessional thing. They prejudge the case without looking into the possibility that Jesus’ statement might be true. Instead, they use Jesus’ words as an excuse to carry out the plan they made long before Judas offered to betray Jesus. They announce their conclusion. He is a blasphemer, worthy of death.

His hour had come. So has ours. No one can be neutral in Christ’s presence. Either He is an imposter worthy of contempt. Or He is the divine Son of God to be worshiped and obeyed. Each of us must choose.

Read Luke 22:54-62

How many things did Judas and Peter have in common?

Both were Jesus’ disciples, listening to His teaching, seeing His miracles. Both were tempted (22:3; 22:31). Both denied Jesus (22:4; 22:56-60). When Jesus predicted their failure (22:21; 22:34) both men made inappropriate responses. Peter was over confident (22:33). Judas spoke ironically as a cover against arousing suspicion (Matt. 26:25). Both had a second chance to receive Jesus’ forgiveness, Peter in the courtyard after the arrest (22:61), Judas in the garden (22:48).

Why did Peter deny Jesus? Fear? Weakness? Did lack of prayer leave him unprepared to withstand temptation? Why did Judas betray Jesus? Love of money? Was Judas disenchanted with Jesus because He did not assume worldly power? “If you are the Messiah, let’s get on with it,” Judas seemed to say. Did getting to lead some big shots into the garden look like a moment of glory to Judas?

Where did Judas and Peter diverge? Peter’s was the kind of repentance that leads to salvation, through tears and pain (22:62). Judas repented, but in pride and despair he did not seek God’s forgiveness, which he could have had even then. He died a suicide, losing his soul forever (Matt. 27:4, 5).

Who are we like, Judas or Peter? Are Paul’s words for us? “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death” (2 Cor. 7:10).

Read Luke 22:39-53

If you knew it was the last day of your life, what would you do?

Jesus had dinner with close friends, then “as usual,” (v. 39) went to the Mount of Olives. In other words, He did what He usually did on any day. Except this was Passover, and the meal was special.

Another habitual thing Jesus did that Thursday night was pray. But His prayer, like the dinner, wasn’t routine. Anyone who doubts that Jesus was fully human as well as fully divine surely has never read these verses with understanding. He did not want to be tortured and die any more than we would. He was in such anguish that He sweat blood. Meantime, the disciples slept.

Jesus’ enemies had hoped to get rid of Him before Passover. When the city filled with cheerful pilgrims, killing Jesus might create a riot or other unpleasant backlash.

But Judas Iscariot made the priests an offer they couldn’t refuse. There was nothing for it but arrest Him on Passover night, the holiest time of all.
Judas and the other conspirators did not know they were following God’s timetable. God looked down the centuries and timed Jesus’ death so that He became the unmistakable, perfect Passover Lamb slain for the sins of the world (John 1:29, 36).

Satan thought he was winning. Nobody realized God had started His countdown. This was Thursday. Sunday morning the first Easter would launch.