Reading Luke ... March 11-17 ... Week 10 of 11

Luke 22-23

Passover, Plot, & the Cross

The Descent of the King

Up to this point we’ve been following two of Luke’s major themes.  Here, at the cross, they converge.  Picture an intersection of two major highways heading the same direction that converge to form one road, and you’ll have a helpful image for understanding Luke’s overall purpose in writing his gospel.

We’ve mentioned that the two major themes are 1) An orderly account of a world-changing movement and the person and power at the center of it all, and 2) Jesus’ mission to the marginalized.  While we’ve made some connections between the two, we haven’t forced them to relate to each other.  Why?  Because Luke waits to bring them together at the cross.  The person and power at the center of this world-changing movement became marginalized in order to save the people of the world.

For Luke, the paradox of the cross is the heart of the gospel message.  Here the powerful king who represents the full authority of God is killed by the religious and political authorities.  How in the world is this possible…or even relevant?  And yet it’s the whole story!  The one at the center of it all has been marginalized.  He who was rich has become poor.  The Lord of all is now a servant of all, even unto death.  All of Jesus’ teaching and actions related to lifting up the lowly now can be applied to him as he humbles himself and goes to the cross.  The one who ate with "tax collectors and sinners" dies a sinner’s death to save those who are lost.

There are two main ways to find personal meaning in what is happening to Jesus in Luke 22-23:

1. Identify with Jesus as one who knows what it means to be marginalized.

To do this, ask yourself the question "Do I have suffering in my life that Jesus can identify with?"

Think about all the people who have a special connection to Jesus because of the abuse he received on the way to the cross.  Beaten? He knows what I’m going through.  Insulted?  He knows.  Unjustly accused and convicted? He knows.  Imprisoned? He knows.  Subject to mob anger? He knows.  To the poor and oppressed, Jesus' suffering and death make him seem more like one of them.  But to the rich and powerful, Jesus' suffering and death starts to make him seem not so respectable...and the cross becomes more of a scandal.  Note the Apostle Paul’s take on this in 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 -- "For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (1 Cor 1:18).

2. Marvel at how LOW Jesus had to go to save us from sin.

To do this, ask yourself the question "What difference does it make for my faith and life knowing that Jesus suffered so greatly for my sins?"

All of us can ask this question and discover an answer that changes how we look at life and transforms our relationship with God.  1 Peter 2:24 reminds us that our forgiveness has come at a heavy price that Jesus paid personally: "He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed" (emphasis mine).

 

Tracing the Descent in Luke 22-23

In Luke 19:28-40, Jesus is hailed by the crowds and welcomed into Jerusalem as a king.  Just four chapters later near the end of chapter 23, this same Jesus dies on the cross under the insulting inscription “This is the King of the Jews” as soldiers make fun of him by saying “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!

What follows is step-by-step account of Jesus descending lower and lower until he is at the mercy of all other powers and experiences the most profound marginalization in dying upon a cross.  At each stage, ask yourself these two questions:

 

1. Do I have suffering in my life that Jesus can identify with?  Am I aware of anyone who does?

2. What difference does it make for my faith and life knowing that Jesus suffered so greatly for my sins?  Substitute "my sins" with "the sins of others" and ask the same question.

1. The Leader who Serves Others at the Table ... Luke 22:14-30
2. Betrayal … Luke 22:1-6, 21-23, 47-48
3. Arrest … Luke 22:49-54
4. Denial … Luke 22:31-34, 54-62
5. Beating & Insults … Luke 22:63-65, 23:11, 23:35-39
6. Trial … Luke 22:66 – 23:16
7. Death Sentence … 23:18-25
8. Execution by Crucifixion among Criminals … 23:26-49
9. Burial … 23:50-56

We end this week on a very low note, because that’s how chapter 23 ends.  But like Tony Campolo famously says: “It’s Friday… but Sunday’s coming!”  Next week we will see just how powerfully God the Father lifts up the lowly and marginalized Jesus.

Pastor Kurt

"…The greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves. …I am among you as one who serves.”  - Jesus, in Luke 22:26-27