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The ultimate purpose for the Son of Man is to save the lost. This is shown even early in His ministry as He heals the sick. In most cases, before Jesus heals people, He forgives their sins (Luke 5:20, 7:48). His concern is more for their souls than for their physical ailments. The focus of the Son of Man's saving mission accelerates, as we get closer to the climax of his death. The acceleration begins in Luke 9:51: When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. (Luke 9:51 ESV) More than the other gospels, Luke shows the resolute focus of Jesus towards Jerusalem and towards His death. He has come not to destroy but to save (9:56). As Jesus moves from Galilee to Jerusalem, he continues to reveal his true salvific ministry. In chapter 17 Jesus shows them that the Son of Man will come to establish a kingdom eventually, but first the he must, “suffer many things and be rejected by the people of this time” (17:25). In 18:31-34, He tells his disciples just before they enter Jerusalem that he would be arrested and be killed, but then be raised from the dead. But, of course, the disciples do not comprehend this. This is the focus of Jesus ministry. “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” The Presentation and Rejection of the Son of Man (19:28-21:36)The Presentation of the Son of Man (19:28-40)The whole focus of the book of Luke comes to this point of climax as Jesus goes up to Jerusalem. Now Jesus presents himself to the Jews as their Christ and as their savior. The entry into Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives is significant. In Zechariah 14:1-4, it was predicted that the Christ would come to deliver Israel and establish his kingdom. On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east.(Zechariah 14:4 ESV) Furthermore, the riding of the donkey into the city is a fulfillment of Zechariah's prophecy. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9 ESV) The symbolism is not lost on the crowd, for they gather and praise Jesus as He enters, singing from a Psalm 118:26, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.” Note, this is slightly different than Matthew's report on these events, as he leaves out the Hebrew word “Hosanna,” probably because Luke's Greek audience would not understand this Hebrew term. However, Luke does add a praise of the people, not found in Matthew. They call out “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest,” harkening back to the proclamation of the angels at Jesus birth (Luke 2:14). The Pharisees are shocked by this public display, and call on Jesus to put a stop to it. But Jesus tells them that “if these were silent the very stones would cry out.” Jewish Leadership Reject Jesus (19:41-21:4)Jesus Weeps Over Jerusalem (19:41-44)Jesus does not revel in this moment of praise by the people. He knows that they are about to reject Him, for as he approached Jerusalem he sees the city and weeps (19:41). He knows in a few short years this city will be destroyed because they “did not recognize the time of your visitation” (19:44). Jesus knows his Old Testament, for Daniel predicts that after the presentation of the Messiah, that he would be killed and the city of Jerusalem and the temple would be destroyed. An anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. (Daniel 9:26 ESV) Jesus Cleans the Temple (19:45-48)After Jesus entered the temple, He arrived at the temple, only to find that the outer courtyard of the temple had been turned into a marketplace. This outer courtyard was the place reserved for the Gentiles and the children to worship, and their place had been invaded by these greedy moneychangers. Jesus clears out the temple and restores it to its original purpose. Jesus is defending the rights of the Gentiles and the children. Jesus Authority is Challenged (19:47-20:18)In chapter 20 the Pharisees ask Him to present His credentials. But Jesus refuses to do so, knowing that they do not believe in Him. He then tells a parable. The owner of a vineyard rents it to vine growers while he travels abroad. At harvest time the owner sends a servant to collect the rent, but the growers kill him. He sends two more servant, and they too are killed. Finally the owner sends his son, hoping they will respect him. But instead, the growers finally kill him as well. Jesus asks: What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others." (Luke 20:15-16 ESV) The Pharisees respond, “May it never be!” The idea that the kingdom would be taken from the Jews and passed to others is revolting to them. This parable illustrate the religious leaders rejection of Jesus as the Messiah. All of this is in fulfillment of Psalm 18:22-23, which speaks of a stone rejected by the builders, that, to the amazement of all ends up become the cornerstone of God's work. Jesus has clearly communicated to his audience that because they have not accepted Him as the Messiah, that God would be removing them from the kingdom and giving it to the undesirables of the world. Leaders Set Traps for Jesus (20:19-21:4)The chief priests and Pharisees clearly understood Jesus meaning, and they sought to seize Him (20:19). However, they could not do so in front of the crowds, for they believed in Him (19:48). So they did then seek to set traps for him so they could accuse Jesus of some wrong doing (20:20). The Political Trap (20:21-26)They first try to trap him into saying something against Rome, so they could deliver Him to the Roman officials under a charge of insurrection. He asks if people should pay their taxes. If he says “yes,” then the people will not reject Jesus message, but if he says, “no,” then he is guilty of insurrection. Jesus says, “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, but to God that things that are God's” (20:25). His response allows both the crowd to accept his words, for they believe Israel belongs to God, not Caesar, and yet not be guilty before the Romans for they believe Israel belongs to Caesar. However, the Jewish leadership tries to use it against him later (Luke 23:2). The Theological Trap (20:27-40)The second trap is a religious trap. The Sadducees, who deny the resurrection and who only believe the Torah to be God's Word, present a preposterous case of marriage and re-marriage and ask him to explain how this works if there is a resurrection. Jesus simply explains that there is no marriage after the resurrection. But he affirms that there is indeed a bodily resurrection and proves it by using only the Torah (namely, the book of Exodus). Jesus Traps the Scribes (20:41-21:4)Jesus then turns the tables on them and asks them a question. Quoting from the Psalm 110, Jesus asks how the Messiah can be both David's son and God's son. Jesus tells the people that if these scribes cannot even explain the nature of the coming Christ, that they can not be trusted. All they are interested in is honoring themselves and devouring widows. Jesus has set up a contrast between the humility of the Christ, who is God humbling himself to become a man so that he could exalt humble men, with the scribes who only seek glory for themselves and seek to destroy the humble. Jesus compares these arrogant leaders who pretentiousnessly give offerings in the temple with a poor widow who gives all she has, declaring that she has “put in more than all of them.” Rejection Results in Destruction of Jerusalem (21:5-36)The Setting of the Discourse (21:5-7)The disciples were admiring the temple and its beauty, when Jesus announces again that soon the temple will be destroyed. As when he wept over Jerusalem (19:41), Jesus is keenly aware that the rejection by the Jewish leadership would lead to God's destruction of the temple. This, of course causes concern on the part of the disciples, so they ask him to tell them the signs of when this would take place. The False Signs (21:8-19)Jesus begins by warning them that there would be many false signs. These are things which will happen that do not signify the coming destruction of Jerusalem.
He says they should expect persecution, but not to worry about it because He will use it to allow them to bear witness to political leaders. Luke will record the fulfillment of this on numerous occasions in the book of Acts. The True Signs (21:20-28)The true signs of the coming destruction of Jerusalem will be that the city is surrounded by armies. When that takes place the people should flee to the hills, because Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles is fulfilled. Jesus is noting a shift in the paradigm of God. The time of the Gentiles is coming, when, because of their rejection of the Messiah, the Jewish nation will no longer be God's primary agent in the world. But this time will be only for awhile, for when the time of the Gentiles is fulfilled, then the coming of the Son of Man will take place and the Messianic kingdom established. Accompanied by heavenly signs and the foreboding of the people, the Son of Man will return in a cloud and in great glory. When we see this, “your redemption is drawing near” (21:28). The Application (21:29-36)Jesus then gives the application for this. First, we are to be aware of the signs. Just as the blossom on the fig trees signify the coming of the summer, so the signs given by Jesus signify the coming redemption. Secondly, while Jesus is speaking of the destruction of the heavens and the earth, we are not to worry for His words will never pass away. Finally, we are to watch ourselves so we do not get caught un-ready for the upcoming events. Many people, however, have struggled with Jesus prediction that this generation will not pass away until these events have taken place. There is an assumption that Jesus is predicting that his second coming would take place within a generation. However, such an interpretation misses out on the fact that Jesus is talking about two separate events: the destruction of Jerusalem and the second coming of the Son of Man. The destruction of Jerusalem does come within a generation. However, the second coming will not take place immediately following the destruction of the temple, for it must wait until the time of the Gentiles is fulfilled. The Passion of the Son of Man (21:37-23:56)The Last Supper (21:37-22:38)The Plot Against Jesus (21:37-22:6)Since the Jewish leadership was unable to trap Jesus in his words, they decide they need to arrest him when the crowds are not around. At this time, Jesus and his disciples were camped out by the Mount of Olives east of Jerusalem, and he would enter Jerusalem and teach by the temple during the day. But they needed to know where he camped. Judas, motivated by Satan, agreed to betray Jesus and tell the leadership where they might find Jesus at night. The Passover Meal (22:7-20)Before this betrayal, however, the disciples prepared to take the Passover meal. Jesus has a room arranged for them ahead of time (22:10), and the disciples go and prepare the meal (22:13). Jesus proclaims that he has eagerly desired to have this final meal with them, for He would not eat with them again until the kingdom is fulfilled. During the Lord's Supper (22:14-20), the salvation of the Son of Man is illustrated in the elements. The bread represents the body that is given up for us. The wine, the blood spilled for us so a new covenant can be formed with God. The Personal Predictions (22:21-34)Jesus then announces that one of them would betray him. This leads to a debate amongst the disciples as to who is the greatest among them. Jesus tells them that their waiter is the greatest among them, for the leader should be the servant. Furthermore Jesus tells him that he will be serving them! But to assure them, he also prophecies that they will all be leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel at the coming kingdom. Emboldened by this, Peter announces his readiness to defend Jesus to the death. But Jesus announces that Peter will deny him three times before the next morning. The Preparation for Betrayal (22:35-38)As Jesus prepares for his betrayal, he makes some odd statements. Namely that the disciples need to be ready. In the past, when they traveled, God provided for them as they went. Now they needed to be ready with their own money bags and swords. The comment about swords has the disciples concerned because they only have two swords. Jesus assures them that is enough, because his comment about swords was not really a preparation to do battle, as we will see at his arrest (22:51). Instead is just trying to prepare his disciples for the fact that the next few days and hours would be very difficult and they needed to be ready for it. The Betrayal (22:39-22:62)Jesus Prayer on the Mount of Olives (22:39-46)Luke's gospel strongly emphasizes the humanity of Jesus. His favorite title for him is the Son of Man. As the time for his death arises we see that Jesus is still the Son of Man, and ordinary human who suffers and is tempted (Luke 22:41-44). Jesus, facing His own death, asks for the cup to pass. In his human agony, his body sweats drops of blood. But, as the extraordinary man, he overcomes the temptation and moves even more determined toward his purpose of saving the lost. Judas' Betrayal & Jesus Arrest (22:47-53)While at the Mount of Olives praying, a crowd approaches with Judas leading the way. Judas identifies Jesus to the crowd by kissing him. It is obvious that he has betrayed Jesus, and the disciples are ready for a battle. They ask, “Lord, shall we strike them with a sword?” One disciple even takes his sword and cuts the ear off the high priest's servant. But Jesus says, “no more of this!” and he heals the servant's ear. Jesus did not come for a battle. He is willingly going to go with them, for this is part of the plan all along. He is not the warrior Messiah, but the suffering servant. Peter's Denial of Jesus (22:54-62)As Jesus is led away, the fear in the heart of all the disciples is exemplified in Peter. As he follows the crowd at a distance, three times he is asked if he was with Jesus. Three times Peter denies his association. As the rooster crows in the distance, he remembers the prediction of Jesus. He had told Jesus he was ready to die for him, ready to do battle and fight on Jesus behalf. Now he had denied his Lord three times without even an imminent threat against him. The Trials (22:63-23:25)Trial Before the Jewish Leadership (22:63-71)After Jesus is mocked by his guards, he is brought before the assembly of elders, including the chief priests and the scribes. The other gospels go into more detail regarding the number and the nature of the trials he faced with the Jewish religious leaders. However, Luke, because his audience is not primarily Jewish, reduces a series of trials and details from these trials to one short summary. Instead, he will focus more on the secular trials given by Pilate and Herod. In this religious trial, Jesus is asked two questions: 1) Are you the Christ? and 2) Are you the Son of God. Jesus answer to the first question is bold. He tells them that from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God. How is this possible? How can it be that from now on he will be in a position of glory and power? He is in custody. Are his rag tag group of disciples going to mount a rescue attempt? They only have two swords, and Peter can't even properly wield a sword. How is it that now will be the moment from which he will be seated at the right hand of the power of God? It is because the glory and power of Jesus does not come through a sword, but through his humility and through his death on the cross. Jesus came to be the one who serves (22:27). Jesus understands the paradigm of the kingdom of God, that glory and power come through humility and service not through strength. Jesus answer to the second question is simple. It is as they say. He is the Son of God. With that there is no need for further testimony. This claim is seen as the same as a confession. He has committed blasphemy in open court. He is guilty. First Trial Before Pilate (23:1-7)Since the Jewish leadership has no right to execute Jesus themselves, they bring him to the Roman governor Pilate. While he is declared guilty of blasphemy in a religious court, this has no bearing with the Roman authority. So they trump up a charge, equating his claim to be the Christ as being the same as claiming to be King. The Old Testament prophecies concerning the Christ do indeed show that the Christ will be one who restores the Davidic kingdom, so when Pilate asks Jesus if he is the King of the Jews, Jesus answers affirmatively. But even with this admission, Pilate does not see Jesus as a threat, and he makes his first proclamation that Jesus is innocent. However, hearing that Jesus is from Galilee, he transfers jurisdiction of the case to King Herod, who is the ruler over Galilee. Trial Before Herod (23:8-12)Herod is thrilled to have Jesus come before him, for he has heard much about Jesus miracles. He is hoping for a show of Jesus power. But when Jesus refuses to even answer Herod's question, he mocks him and sends him back to Pilate. Luke records a very interesting comment that these events forge a friendship between Pilate and Herod that continued even up to the time of Luke's writing. Second Trial Before Pilate (23:13-25)When Jesus returns to Pilate, he reiterates his original verdict to the Jewish leadership. He had found him innocent, and now Herod had done the same. But they yelled out to Pilate, “Away with this man, release for us Barabbas.” Several manuscripts and the other gospels provide an explanation to this in verse 17, describing the custom of releasing a prisoner at the Passover. Pilate is ready to release Jesus, but the crowd persists, shouting, “crucify him.” Pilate now a third time declares the innocence of Jesus. He is perplexed why they should want the blood of an innocent man. But the crowd continued to call out for his death. So Pilate capitulated and ordered his execution. The three fold declaration of Jesus' innocence by the Roman governor is important for Luke. He is declaring for the Gentile world that the Gentile leader found Jesus to not be a threat to the Roman empire. He was not an insubordinate rebel. Pilate only ordered his death to appease the crowd. As we will see throughout the book of Acts, Luke consistently defends Christianity as being non threatening to the Roman government. This lays the groundwork for his defense of Christianity to the world at large. The Crucifixion (23:26-23:56)On the Way to the Cross (23:26-31)As Jesus is led through the streets of Jerusalem to the place of his execution, a crowd of women mourn and lament is imminent death. Jesus turns to these women and tells them not to weep for him, but for themselves because judgment is coming to Jerusalem. His crucifixion is the culmination of the rejection of the Christ by the Jewish nation. As he describes in detail chapter 21, the nation's rejection seals their fate which will come with the destruction of the temple. Jesus does not say this as a judgment or with any sense of revenge for what is happening to Him. He is instead sincerely saddened by the rejection by His people and is burdened for them at the coming destruction. Taunting at the Cross (23:21-38)Jesus is brought to the place called “the skull.” There Luke records simply without any details that he was crucified alongside two criminals. While the attending soldiers gamble for his clothes, Jesus asks God to forgive them. Jesus indeed has come to save, and even in the act of his crucifixion he is calling God to save those who have executed him. While on the cross the Jewish leaders taunt him, declaring that if he is the Christ he should prove it by saving himself. Jesus crime is inscribed above him on the cross for all to see: “this is the King of the Jews.”The soldiers join in the taunts, telling him that if he is the King of the Jews, he should also save himself. Salvation of the Criminal on the Cross (23:39-43)One of the criminals joins in the taunting. But the other criminal rebukes him for his taunts. They are getting what they deserve, but Jesus is innocent. He then asks Jesus to remember him when he comes into his kingdom. Jesus assures him that this very day he will join him in Paradise. Even on the cross, Jesus is still seeking and saving the lost, not just in the macro sense. With the thief dying next to him, with a dying wish to have forgiveness, Jesus grants unconditional forgiveness. Death on the Cross (23:44-49)As Jesus death nears, two significant events take place. First, for three hours that day darkness overtakes the land. Luke does not record any meaning to this event, leaving it to his reader to sense the foreboding of this scene. Secondly, the temple curtain is torn in two. The curtain separates the holy of holies from the rest of the temple, signifying that Jesus death has ushered in the era of a new covenant between God and man. The writer of Hebrews explains the significance of this. …we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh… (Hebrews 10:19-20 ESV) Jesus then prays to God, quoting Psalm 31:5: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” With that, he breaths his last. The Roman centurion overseeing the crucifixion, seeing all this take place declares, “certainly this man was innocent.” This is now the fifth time in the narrative that Jesus is declared innocent. As Luke defends Christianity to the Roman word, the declaration by a Roman soldier is further evidence that Jesus was an innocent man and suffered a wrongful death. Christianity's founder was not a rebel, and Christianity is a peaceful, civil religion. Jesus' Burial (23:50-56)Joseph of Arimathea takes responsibility for Jesus body, preparing the body and burying him in his family's tomb. Luke tells us much about Joseph. He is a member of the Jewish council, although he disagreed with their decision regarding Jesus. He is a righteous man, and a man who was looking for the coming of the kingdom. One can only imagine how he felt as he prepared Jesus body, wondering how and when now this kingdom might come now that Jesus is dead. Some women were also involved in his burial as they prepared spices and ointments for the body. But they would not have time to use the spices on the body, for Sabbath approached. Luke makes careful note that they did not violate the Sabbath, but waited until Sunday to bring the spices for his body. The Resurrection of the Son of Man (24:1-53)Women Discover the Empty Tomb (24:1-12)On Sunday morning, the women awoke early at the end of the Sabbath rest, and brought the spices and ointments they had prepared for the body. But when they arrive the stone has been rolled away. They enter the tomb, but His body is missing. As they stand perplexed as to where His body might be, an angel appears and asks, “why do you seek the living among the dead. He is not here. He is risen!” The angel then reminds them that Jesus had told them even back in Galilee that he would be crucified and that on the third day he would rise. Throughout Luke's resurrection narrative, the point is made that the death of Christ was part of the plan all along. They remembered Jesus having told them this, and the returned from the tomb to the eleven remaining disciples and told them what they had found. Most of the disciples did not believe these women, but Peter got up and ran to the tomb to see for himself. Jesus on the Road to Emmaus (24:13-28)Luke's long narrative of Jesus appearing to men traveling to Emmaus is not found in any of the other gospels. His inclusion of this appearance again emphasizes the necessity of the suffering Christ faced. As two disciples travel to Emmaus, Jesus appears to them, but they do not recognize Him, probably Him because they don't expect it to be Him. They had been talking about all the events. Jesus asks them what they are talking about. They are surprised this fellow traveler doesn't know about this, so they recount for him all of the events right up to the report of the women that the body was missing. What is significant in this recounting of events is their hope that “he was the one to redeem Israel.” Jesus, while still disguised to them shows them that just because the Christ had died didn't mean He was not the one to redeem Israel. He shows them from the scriptures, beginning with Moses and going through all the prophets that it was necessary “that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory.” This was part of the plan all along. The glory of Christ would come through his suffering. Jesus continues on with them, as was the custom of the day, they invited this stranger to eat with them. He does, and when he blesses the bread and gives it to them, they recognize him just as he disappears. In an “ah-ha” moment it all comes together for them. “Did not our hearts burn within us… while he opened to us the scriptures?” Having now seen the risen Christ, they run back seven miles to Jerusalem and announce to the other disciples that he “has risen indeed.” Jesus Before the Disciples (24:36-49)As they were talking, Jesus appears again in their midst. They are startled and assume that they are seeing a ghost. But Jesus shows them his hand and feet and tell them to touch him, for a ghost does not have flesh and bones. Jesus is physically resurrected. To further his proof of a physical resurrection, Jesus eats food. Then Jesus reminds them that the events of his death were all part of the fulfillment of the Old Testament. This was the purpose of his coming all along. The Christ would not come as a political leader to free Israel from its political and military rivals. The Christ would not come as a social reformer, freeing the poor and the downtrodden from their masters. The Christ came as a servant. The Christ came as a savior. The Son of Man had come to seek and save the lost. “ Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:46-49 ESV) These words of Jesus take us back to the original themes of the book of Luke:
Jesus Ascension into Heaven (24:50-53)With that, Jesus takes them to the Mount of Olives outside Bethany and he is carried up into heaven. This sets the stage for the book of Acts.
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