Luke Chapter 23

Luke Chapter 23       

So the big crowd escort JC to see Pilate.  The tell Pilate that JC was perverting the nation, forbidding folks to give tribute to Caesar, and that he’s calling himself Christ a King.  Which are some pretty exciting charges, I don’t remember them getting that specific in the other gospels.  Pilate asks  JC if he is the King of the Jews and he answers in his usual snarky way, if you say so. 

Pilate tells the chief priest that he finds no fault with JC.  But the chief priest tell him that guy is a menace, he’s stirring up all the Jews from Galilee to here.  Pilate sensing  a great opportunity to make this situation no longer his problem, asks if JC is a Galilean?   Galilee is under Herod’s jurisdiction, and as you would have it Herod was in Jerusalem at the time!  Herod was thrilled to see JC, because he had heard about him and had hoped that JC might perform some miracles in front of him.  JC of course has a death wish at this point and instead of defending himself or talking or performing a miracle or two, he refuses to talk.  The chief priest and scribes vehemently accused him. 

Herod and his soldiers had nothing on JC but they mocked him and gave him a gorgeous robe and sent him back to Pilate.  That day Pilate and Herod became friends, the had some bad feelings between them before.  Pilate called together the chief priests and rulers of the people and told them, that even thought hey had told him this guy was perverting the people, he had examined him, and didn’t find any fault with him.    And Herod agreed with him, and neither of him could find anything worth killing him over.   He told them that he would chastise JC and then release him.  Because you always have to release a prisoner at the feast. 

But now that wasn’t’ good enough for the people, they wanted him to release Barabbas instead.   Barabbas had killed someone during a sort of insurrection in the city, but we don’t really hear what that was about.  I mean I knew Barabbas had killed someone but we don’t know why, so his story would certainly be interesting to hear.  He might not have been that bad, or he might have been beloved in the city and killed someone out of justice .  We just don’t know.

Pilate tells them he’d be willing to release JC, but the people shouted crucify him!  Crucify him!

Pilate appealed to him for the third time asking what evil he had done?  Pilate told them he saw no need to kill JC, he’ll chastise him instead and let him go.  

But the people cried out that he be crucified, and the chief priest were the loudest ones shouting! 

Finally Pilate gave in, he released Barabbas and kept JC. They had Simon, a Cyrenian who was leaving the country carry the cross for JC.  You know in all of these gospels, someone else carries JC’s cross, but in all of the art about the crucifiction they make poor JC carry his own cross.  In fact it’s a common expression that it’s my cross to bear.   A big group of people wailed and lamented him, and a lot of women.  Yeah where were these folks during sentencing? 

JC tells them, daughters of Jerusalem, don’t cry for me, weep for yourselves and your children.  Behold, the days are coming that they will say the folks who can’t have kids are blessed.  They’ll ask the hills and mountains to fall on them, and cover them up.  JC, I have to say, I don’t think there will ever be days like that.   If they do these things when everything is green what will they do when everything is dry?  Yeah okay.

When they came to place called Calvary, they crucified him and two other bad guys, one on the right and one on the left.  JC asked his Father to forgive them because they don’t know what they are doing.  And they divvied up his clothes and cast lots.  The people watched with the rulers and mocked him, saying  if he’s Christ let him save himself!  And the soldiers mocked him and gave him vinegar, saying if you are King of the Jews, save yourself!   The had hung a sign over him that read in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 

One of the other two guys hanging with him, told him if he was Christ he should save himself and the two of us as well.  But the other guy hanging with him rebuked him saying you should be afraid of god seeing you are in the punishment as he is.  We totally deserve this but this guy didn’t even do this.  Okay, clearly this guy is either super noble, or a masochist to say that while being crucified.  But I’m going to argue no one deserves to be crucified, it’s brutal and barbaric.  This guy goes on to ask JC to remember him when he gets to his kingdom.  JC responds that today he will be in paradise with him.

At about the sixth hour, it got really dark and that lasted until the ninth hour.  The sun darkened, and the veil of the temple ripped in half. 

JC cried out loudly, Father into your hands I commend my spirit, and then he gave up the ghost.

All of a sudden everyone realized they might have been wrong about things.  The Centurion glorified god saying certainly this was a righteous man, and the people began beating their breasts and returned.

All of JC’s acquaintances and the women who followed him from Galilee stood far off watching these things.  Joseph, the counselor who was a good man and from Arimathaea who was waiting for the kingdom of god himself, went to Pilate and begged for JC’s body.  He took the body, wrapped it in linen, and laid it the sepulcre that was carved in stone, where there had never been a body.  I guess that is important.  That day was the preparation and the Sabbath drew on.  The women came to see how the body had been laid out.  They returned, and prepared spices, and ointments and then rested on the Sabbath, just like the commandment says to do.