In the sermon text for this Lord’s Day (Luke 23:32-38), Jesus is led the place of his execution. The injustice continued as he was crucified between two thieves, scoffed and mocked. Some onlookers thought it amusing that the placard above Jesus’ head declared that he was the King of the Jews. But we know that…
In the sermon text for this Lord’s Day (Luke 23:26-31), Jesus leaves Pilate’s judgment hall and moves toward the cross. The focal point is Jesus’ conversation is his interaction with a group of women who followed him through the streets of Jerusalem, weeping as they went. He told them that their tears were misplaced. Instead…
At the conclusion of Luke 22, the Jewish leadership of Israel conducted an illegal trial and determined that Jesus must die. However, they lacked the authority to execute him. They had to convince the civil authority (the Roman governor) that Jesus was a threat and deserved to die. In the sermon text for this Lord’s…
Last week, we “watched” as Peter denied his Lord (Luke 22:54-62). The text for this Lord’s Day tells us what Jesus was enduring inside while Peter was denying him outside (Luke 22:63-71). It summarizes Jesus’ trial before the Jewish leaders and exposes the gross perversion of justice that took place that night. His adversaries pressed…
In the sermon text for this Lord’s Day (Luke 22:54-62), Luke shifts the focus of the story from Jesus to Peter. The one disciple who declared his undying allegiance to Jesus and who was ready to defend Jesus with his life now cowers in fear while Jesus is interrogated and sorely abused. As Jesus foretold,…
As Jesus chided the disciples for their failure to pray in Gethsemane, a crowd of armed men made their way into the garden. Judas, one of the Twelve, led the way and betrayed his Master with a kiss of friendship. This moment marked the beginning of what Jesus called the hour of “the power of…
Jesus and the disciples left the upper room in the early hours of Friday morning. They moved across the Kidron Valley and up the slopes of the Mount of Olives just east of Jerusalem. There Jesus instructed his disciples to pray so that Satan would not “sift” them. He withdrew to pray by himself. He…
In Luke 22:35-38 Jesus challenged his disciples to prepare for a change in their ministry. Previously, they were well received by many as they proclaimed the message of Christ and his kingdom. But the King was about to be crucified. Those who despised him would despise his followers, as well. This change in their circumstances…
In Luke 22:31-34 Jesus foretold Peter’s failure. Despite his bold assertion that he, of all people, would never fail to follow Jesus before the night was finished he would deny Jesus three times. The text reveals that Satan attempted to undermine the entire band of followers by causing Peter to fall away. But Jesus interceded…
The scene is still the upper room where Jesus ate the Passover meal with his disciples (Luke 22:24-30). The blessings of hindsight deepen the offensiveness of what we see: the disciples bickered with a spirit of contentious rivalry, vying for position in the Kingdom. Ironically, they had missed the example of their Leader who presented…