April 5/Luke 23

Posted on April 4, 2016

Verses 1-25 > Read through those first 25 verses and just marvel at the incredible love Jesus and the Father had for us. Three different times Pilate said the he found nothing wrong with Jesus, nothing he has done deserves the death penalty. Herod couldn’t find anything wrong with Jesus either so he sent him back to Pilate. And yet The Father and Jesus were bound and determined that Jesus would be convicted and die for us so that we could live with them forever! To me that is just incredible love! If you ever wonder if the Father loves you, if Jesus loves you go back and read these 25 verses again. They hung in there with their plan until the Jews wore down Pilate and he caved in to their demands! Wow, Cool Awesome, Righteous!

Verse 26 > this is a great picture of what Jesus said in earlier chapters of taking up our cross and hanging our selfishness on it and following Him.

Verse 31 > The figure of the green wood and the dry has been variously understood. Most likely the picture compares the judgment on Jesus as the green (living) wood to the worse judgment that will surely come for the dry (dead) wood of the nation.        Biblical Studies Press. (2005). The NET Bible First Edition

Verse 35 > I am glad Jesus didn’t save himself. If he would have done that he couldn’t have saved you and me!

Verse 37 > A true king is concerned for his people. Jesus didn’t save himself so that he could save his people. Thank you Jesus. This really shows the compassion of Jesus. Compassion is not only feeling sorry for people but actually doing something to help them. Jesus gave himself.

A true husband gives of himself for his wife and vice versa. A true father gives of himself for his children. A true worker gives of himself to his boss. True worshippers give of themselves to God and to the church.
Verse 39 > He had to prove he was the Messiah by not saving himself.

Verse 42 > The first thief’s prayer was, “Get me down. get me out of this mess”. The second thief’s prayer was LORD take me up into a higher understanding of you. Thank you for my situation. Thank you for trusting me with this privilege of living for you. Give me the strength to carry this load you have placed on me.

You can’t appreciate easy unless you have experienced hard.
Verse 45 > When you are in the dark concerning life God always has an Open House.   We don’t have to do anything to come into His presence, just come. Don’t have to clean up, recite so many prayer, attend four church services, fast for three days, just come. You don’t do anythng special to go to a realtors Open House the same with God.
Verse 46 > Jesus breathed his last because the curtain that kept everyone out from the holy of holies except for the High Priest was now torn in two by our High Priest Jesus. He had come to make a way for us to get back into relationship with God and the torn curtain indicated that we could now approach God because of the shed blood and death of our Lord Jesus Christ! The work of Jesus and a human being was done.
Verse 47 > Matthew also records that this man also said, “Surely this was the Son of God.” What caused him to say that? I believe it was how he observed Jesus handling pain, suffering, abuse, rejection, sorrow and death. This is one of the ways God brings people to salvation by observing how Christians handle pain, suffering, abuse, rejection, sorrow and death. Allow God the freedom to let pain enter your life.
Verse 56 > We can also rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross for us!
Be Inspired Hilltop!

 

 

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Comments

  1. Mark Gundersen says:
    April 4, 2016 at 11:26 pm

    Throughout the old testament from Mount Sinai on there was a separation of the people from God by their own choice. Even when they followed God they wanted the glory of God to be blunted by a covering. When Jesus took on the sin of the world, the light was temporarily extinguished until the separation of the curtain was torn and the light could return just as the Son would rise on the third day. After that people could come directly to God through Jesus. The offering had been given and, as has been stated in the psalms and prophets, God’s real desire of relationship and obedience can be given.