Luke 23

Lu 23:1-5.

JESUS BEFORE

PILATE.

(See on

Mr 15:1-5;

and

Joh 18:28-19:22.)

Lu 23:6-12.

JESUS BEFORE

HEROD.

(See

Mr 15:6.)

7. sent him to Herod--hoping thus to escape the dilemma of an unjust

condemnation or an unpopular release.

at Jerusalem . . . at that time--to keep the passover.

8. some miracle--Fine sport thou expectedst, as the Philistines with

Samson

(Jud 16:25),

O coarse, crafty, cruel tyrant! But thou hast been baulked before

(see on

Lu 13:31-33),

and shalt be again.

9. answered . . . nothing--(See

Mt 7:6).

10. stood and vehemently accused him--no doubt both of

treason before the king, and of blasphemy, for the

king was a Jew.

11. his men of war--his bodyguard.

set him at naught, &c.--stung with disappointment at His refusal to

amuse him with miracles or answer any of his questions.

gorgeous robe--bright robe. If this mean (as sometimes) of shining

white, this being the royal color among the Jews, it may have been in

derision of His claim to be "King of the Jews." But if so, "He in

reality honored Him, as did Pilate with His true title blazoned on the

cross" [BENGEL].

sent him again to Pilate--instead of releasing him as he ought,

having established nothing against Him

(Lu 23:14, 15).

"Thus he implicated himself with Pilate in all the guilt of His

condemnation, and with him accordingly he is classed"

(Ac 4:27)

[BENGEL].

at enmity--perhaps about some point of disputed jurisdiction, which

this exchange of the Prisoner might tend to heal.

Lu 23:13-38.

JESUS

AGAIN BEFORE

PILATE--DELIVERED

UP--LED

AWAY TO

BE

CRUCIFIED.

(See on

Mr 15:6-15;

and

Joh 19:2-17).

26. Cyrenian--of Cyrene, in Libya, on the north coast of Africa,

where were many Jews who had a synagogue at Jerusalem

(Ac 6:9,

and see

Ac 2:10).

He was "the father of Alexander and Rufus"

(Mr 15:21),

probably better known afterwards than himself, as disciples. (See

Ro 16:13).

out of the country--and casually drawn into that part of the crowd.

laid the cross--"Him they compel to bear His cross,"

(Mt 27:32)

--sweet compulsion, if it issued in him or his sons voluntarily

"taking up their cross!" It would appear that our Lord had first

to bear His own cross

(Joh 19:17),

but being from exhaustion unable to proceed, it was laid on another to

bear it "after Him."

27-31. women--not the precious Galilean women

(Lu 23:49),

but part of the crowd.

28. not for me, &c.--noble spirit of compassion, rising above

His own dread endurances, in tender commiseration of sufferings yet in

the distance and far lighter, but without His supports and

consolations!

30. mountains . . . hills, &c.--

(Ho 10:8),

flying hither and thither as they did in despair for shelter, during

the siege; a very slight premonition of cries of another and more awful

kind

(Isa 2:10, 19, 21;

Re 6:16, 17).

31. green tree--that naturally resists the fire.

the dry--that attracts the fire, being its proper fuel. The proverb

here plainly means: "If such sufferings alight upon the innocent One,

the very Lamb of God, what must be in store for those who are provoking

the flames?"

Lu 23:32-38, 44-46.

CRUCIFIXION AND

DEATH OF THE

LORD

JESUS.

(See on

Joh 19:17-30).

Lu 23:39-43.

THE

TWO

THIEVES.

39. railed on him--catching up the universal derision, but with a

turn of his own. Jesus, "reviled, reviles not again"; but another voice

from the cross shall nobly wipe out this dishonor and turn it to the

unspeakable glory of the dying Redeemer.

40. Dost not thou--"thou" is emphatic: "Let others jeer, but dost

thou?"

fear God--Hast thou no fear of meeting Him so soon as thy righteous

Judge? Thou art within an hour or two of eternity, and dost thou spend

it in reckless disregard of coming judgment?

in the same condemnation--He has been condemned to die, but is it

better with thee? Doth even a common lot kindle no sympathy in thy

breast?

41. we . . . justly, &c.--He owns the worst of his crimes and

deserts, and would fain shame his fellow into the same.

nothing amiss--literally, "out of place"; hence "unnatural"; a

striking term here. Our Lord was not charged with ordinary crime, but

only with laying claim to office and honors which amounted to

blasphemy. The charge of treason had not even a show of truth, as Pilate

told His enemies. In this defense then there seems more than meets the

eye. "He made Himself the promised Messiah, the Son of God; but in this

He 'did nothing amiss'; He ate with publicans and sinners, and bade all

the weary and heavy laden come and rest under His wing; but in this He

'did nothing amiss': He claimed to be Lord of the Kingdom of God, to

shut it at will, but also to open it at pleasure even to such as we are;

but in this He 'did nothing amiss!'" Does His next speech imply less

than this? Observe: (1) His frank confession and genuine

self-condemnation. (2) His astonishment and horror at the very different

state of his fellow's mind. (3) His anxiety to bring him to a better

mind while yet there was hope. (4) His noble testimony, not only to the

innocence of Jesus, but to all that this implied of the rightfulness of

His claims.

42. said unto Jesus, &c.--Observe here (1) The "kingdom" referred

to was one beyond the grave; for it is inconceivable that he should

have expected Him to come down from the cross to erect any temporal

kingdom. (2) This he calls Christ's own (Thy) kingdom. (3) As such, he

sees in Christ the absolute right to dispose of that kingdom to whom He

pleased. (4) He does not presume to ask a place in that kingdom,

though that is what he means, but with a humility quite affecting, just

says, "Lord, remember me when," &c. Yet was there mighty faith in

that word. If Christ will but "think upon him"

(Ne 5:19),

at that august moment when He "cometh into His kingdom," it will do.

"Only assure me that then Thou wilt not forget such a wretch as I, that

once hung by Thy side, and I am content." Now contrast with this bright

act of faith the darkness even of the apostles' minds, who could hardly

be got to believe that their Master would die at all, who now were

almost despairing of Him, and who when dead had almost buried their

hopes in His grave. Consider, too, the man's previous

disadvantages and bad life. And then mark how his faith

comes out--not in protestations, "Lord, I cannot doubt, I am firmly

persuaded that Thou art Lord of a kingdom, that death cannot disannul

Thy title nor impede the assumption of it in due time," &c.--but as

having no shadow of doubt, and rising above it as a question

altogether, he just says, "Lord, remember me when Thou comest,"

&c. Was ever faith like this exhibited upon earth? It looks as if the

brightest crown had been reserved for the Saviour's head at His darkest

moment!

43. Jesus said, &c.--The dying Redeemer speaks as if He Himself

viewed it in this light. It was a "song in the night." It ministered

cheer to His spirit in the midnight gloom that now enwrapt it.

Verily I say unto thee--"Since thou speakest as to the king, with

kingly authority speak I to thee."

To-day--"Thou art prepared for a long delay before I come into My

kingdom, but not a day's delay shall there be for thee; thou shalt not

be parted from Me even for a moment, but together we shall go, and with

Me, ere this day expire, shalt thou be in Paradise" (future bliss,

2Co 12:4;

Re 2:7).

Learn (1) How "One is taken and another left"; (2) How easily divine

teaching can raise the rudest and worst above the best instructed and

most devoted servants of Christ; (3) How presumption and

despair on a death hour are equally discountenanced here, the

one in the impenitent thief, the other in his penitent fellow.

Lu 23:47-56.

SIGNS AND

CIRCUMSTANCES

FOLLOWING

HIS

DEATH--HIS

BURIAL.

(See on

Mt 27:51-56;

Mt 27:62-66;

and

Joh 19:31-42).