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 Luke 23:13-25: ‘…their shouts prevailed.'(please click here for todays passage)

Pilate heard the voice of conscience and the voice of reason. These voices told him that Jesus was an innocent Man. He did not deserve death. (Pilate’s repeated declarations of Jesus’ innocence should not be missed. Our Lord did not deserve to die.)

But there were louder voices demanding the attention of his ears. These were raging, ravenous, wolverine voices, clamouring for blood. They insisted that Jesus should die. These ‘shouts prevailed’ (23).

Day by day, we too hear the voice of reason and the voice of conscience. We hear the ‘still small voice’ and know what we should too. But there are louder voices. They demand a hearing. They are pushy and determined to have their way. Sadly, we do all too often choose Barabbas over Jesus. We don’t want His reign. At least, we don’t in certain tempting moments. We cast our vote with the inner crowd of passionate voices. We go with them.

But we do know which way we should go.

I can be as bad as Pilate. That is a shocking admission to have to make.

There is irony in the last statement: he ‘surrendered Jesus to their will’ (25).

But the truth is human will did not prevail.

‘Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him…’ Isaiah 53:10.

Prayer: Thank you so much Heavenly Father for sending your pure, innocent Son to die in my place, for my crimes against you. It takes my breath away to think that it ‘pleased’ you to ‘crush him’ for my sake. I praise you.

 Luke 23:6-16.(please click here for todays passage)

There are weak leaders, like Pilate. He knew that Jesus was innocent (14, 15 cf.4). He should have released Him. It was his intention to do so. But in order to appease the people he was prepared to punish Jesus first. That in itself was a miscarriage of justice. But before he got to that point, Pilate leapt at an opportunity to pass the buck (6,7). He was a weak leader who was unprepared to grasp the nettle and make the difficult decision. Leadership demands courage. Pilate demonstrated a singular lack of it. When it came down to it, he showed that he cared more about his position and his skin than he did about people.

There are superficial people who want Jesus for the wrong reasons (8). They are attracted to Him and dazzled by Him, but have no intention of following Him. They are interested in Him, but not in discipleship.Why should the Lord reveal Himself to those who are not serious about seeking Him? (9). Jesus did not cast HIS pearls before swine.

There is a glorious reconciliation achieved by Jesus at Calvary (12). Under the shadow of the cross, the great reconciling work was prefigured in this story. Enemies became friends. Through the cross, people at enmity with God are brought back into fellowship with Him. But also, their hands are joined in a community of reconciliation at the foot of the cross (Ephesians 2:16;2 Corinthians 5:18-21; Colossians 1:20-23). Even Pilate and Herod connected because of Jesus.

 Luke 22:47-53: Credibility gap?(please click here for todays passage)

It is sadly possible for there to be a ‘credibility gap’ between our talk and walk. In a Christian, lips and life should be moving in the same direction. Judas invariably challenges me with this thought: is there a chance that I may be ‘kissing’ Jesus with my lips, ‘in church’, in my praises; yet at the same time am I betraying Him with my life?

It is also possible to be fighting the Lord’s battles with the wrong weapons (see 2 Corinthians 10:3-6). The knee-jerk reaction is not necessarily the right or best response. What does the Lord Himself have to say about this? That’s the question. The disciples did right to ask Jesus His view on what they planned to do (49). But Peter was wrong not to await a reply (50). Jesus had a clear statement to make on the matter and it was to be heeded (51).In this spiritual battle we’re in, let’s not make a grab for the sword (or its equivalent), but use ‘the weapons of our warfare’ that are ‘not carnal’, such as prayer, fasting, praise and worship.

It is a sobering thought to realise how much power Satan has in this world. He exercises it by Divine permission of course. He is on a ‘chain’; but it is a long chain. The evil day (53b), when all hell breaks loose, can come for the church (Eph.6:10-12). Supremely it came at the Cross. But never lose sight of the clear inference that Jesus is in complete control.

Prayer: In all my trials and struggles let me never forget that you are Lord.

Luke 22:39-46: More about prayer.(please click here for todays passage)

There are at least 3 lessons about prayer in this short passage:

1. There is something about prayer and place (39): ‘as was his custom’. It seems that the Mount of Olives was a favourite spot frequented by Jesus for prayer. Although there is not one part of God’s world more sacred than another, and we can pray anywhere, there does seem to be something helpful about a familiar location for prayer. For me, it’s an armchair in a downstairs room, and when I sit there in the early morning I am almost instantly in a reflective and prayerful frame of mind.
2. There is something about prayer and power (40, 46 cf. 31,32). As in the conversation with Peter earlier in the chapter, Jesus showed by His words that He believed in the potency, the efficacy of prayer – that certain things can change when people pray. We particularly see that our own prayers, and/or the prayers of others on our behalf can have a protective power.
3. There is something about prayer and submission (41-44).Remember that prayer is not about getting man’s will done in heaven, but God’s will done on earth. Prayer is powerful, but it won’t remove every experience from your life that you might wish to avoid, if possible. But if prayer doesn’t move the mountain, there will always come the strengthening you need to climb it! (Or to tunnel through it.) And you will find the strength to return to your knees and pray on.

Luke 22:35-38: The Lord will provide.(please click here for todays passage)

‘Everything written about me is now coming to a conclusion.’ (37) The Message.

The words of today’s reading were spoken under the shadow of the Cross. Jesus was about to die for the sins of the world. Everything was coming to a head. Jesus teaching here shows:

• God’s provision is perfect (35). It is miraculous. It is ‘against the odds’ naturally speaking. Countless stories from the Bible and church history endorse this. Hudson Taylor’s dictum that ‘God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply’ remains true. Read a book such as A.T.Pierson’s biography of George Mueller, and it will stir your heart and encourage your faith. Mueller wanted to demonstrate to the world what could be achieved by prayer through faith, and so he was scrupulous in making the needs of the orphanages known only to God. Time and again there were remarkable, and timely, answers to prayer.
• There are ‘seasons’/’chapters’ in a disciple’s walk with Jesus (36). ‘This is different.’ The Message. Some periods are more difficult (more dangerous even) than others. F.B. Meyer wrote that ‘the storm’ was about to burst on the disciples ‘with furious intensity’. The current phase of your life may look different to a previous one. The instructions you receive from above may not be the same. The gears can shift. So it is vital to keep in step with Jesus, listening for His voice and doing whatever He says.

‘Do whatever He tells you.’ (John 2:5)

Prayer: In each day, Lord, there are so many distracting sights and sounds to contend with. It is not always easy to keep my eyes fixed on you. But I want to. I know I need to. Please help me with this.