HE VOLUNTARILY SUFFERED: BE GRATEFUL

5/13/2012

1.     MANY LIKE A PARADE (LUKE 19:28 – 44)

V.28-44 Palm Sunday.

·         The prophecies of Jacob, Daniel, and Zechariah told WHEN, HOW, WHERE JESUS WOULD PRESENT HIMSELF TO ISRAEL AS THEIR MESSIAH, THEIR PRINCE, THEIR KING!

·         Having done so, the responsibility of the Jews was firmly established. They had no excuse not to know who He was.

2.     EVERYONE FACES CHALLENGES (LUKE 19:45 – 21:4)

V.45-48 The Cleansing of the Temple.

CHAPTER 20

V.1-8 Jesus' Authority Challenged: Questions and Counter-Questions.

V.9-19 The Parable of the Vineyard (Wicked Tenants), and Its Sequel.

V.20-44 Faultfinding Questions and Authoritative Answers.

V.45-47 Denunciation of the Scribes.

·         Scribes: The scribes had a good beginning. Evidently Ezra as a scribe and the founder of that group, although they did not have the name in the O.T.

·         They were the professional expounders of the Law.

·         However, by the time of our Lord they had become "hair-splitters" and were more concerned with the LETTER of the Law than with the SPIRIT of the law.

·         They propagated the traditions which had formed from generation to generation, along with the interpretation and application of these traditions.

CHAPTER 21

V.1-4 Jesus Notes How People Give and Commends the Widow.

3.     ALL NEED MORE TEACHING (LUKE 21:5 – 38)

V.5-37. Christ's Discourse on the Last Things.

V.8-19 The Beginning of Woes or Birth Pains.

V.20-24 The Destruction of Jerusalem Foretold.

V.25-28 The Coming of the Son of Man.

4.     SOME SUFFER GREATLY (LUKE 22:1 – 65)

V.1-6 Judas Plots with the Chief Priests to Betray Jesus.

V.7-13 Jesus Plans for the Last Passover and Institutes the Lord's Supper.

4A. SUFFERING IN ANTICIPATION (LUKE 22:14 – 20)

14 And when the hour had come He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him. 15 And He said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God. "  17 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, "Take this and share it among yourselves; 18 for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes. "  19 And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."  20 And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.

NASB

·         At this point the O.T. Passover passes over into the Lord's Supper, for Jesus instituted the new sacrament that was to replace the old.

·         A few more hours and the old symbol - requiring the slaying of a lamb - will have served its purpose forever, having reached its fulfillment in the blood of the Lamb of God on the cross at Calvary.

·         Both the O.T. Passover and the Lord's Supper point to Him as the all sufficient sacrifice for the sins of His people.

·         The O.T. Passover pointed forward to this; the Lord's Supper points back to it.

4B. SUFFERING DISAPPOINTMENT (LUKE 22:21 – 22, 39 – 40, 45 – 46)

21 "But behold, the hand of the one betraying Me is with Me on the table. 22 "For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!"  23 And they began to discuss among themselves which one of them it might be who was going to do this thing.

            John 13:21b-27

He became troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me."  22 The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking. 23 There was reclining on Jesus' breast one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. 24 Simon Peter therefore gestured to him, and said to him, "Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking." 25 He, leaning back thus on Jesus' breast, said to Him, "Lord, who is it?" 26 Jesus therefore answered, "That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him." So when He had dipped the morsel, He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 And after the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Jesus therefore said to him, "What you do, do quickly."

NASB

·         Now the handing of a sop was a special custom in that day. It was a piece of unleavened bread dipped in the food.

·         The food in the dish perhaps consisted of mashed fruit (probably dates, figs, and raisins), water and vinegar.

·         It signified a special favor, a token of a very close and affectionate relationship between the one offering the sop and the one who received it.

·         HERE WAS THE MOMENT OF TRUTH FOR JUDAS.

o       If he took the sop, it would be the very height of hypocrisy. To accept the sop as a token of HIS AFFECTION FOR CHRIST at the time of planning to betray Christ would have been inexcusable.

o       If instead of taking the sop, Judas had stood before the Lord and confessed his sins, I believe that Judas would have been forgiven.

o       BUT INSTEAD, HE TOOK THE SOP. AT THAT MOMENT, SATAN ENTERED INTO JUDAS, AT THAT MOMENT, JUDAS WAS ABSOLUTELY COMMITTED TO HIS BETRAYAL OF CHRIST. AND AT THAT MOMENT, I BELIEVE THAT JUDAS WAS PAST THE POINT WHERE HE COULD HAVE CONFESSED HIS SINS AND BE FORGIVEN.

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39 And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. 40 And when He arrived at the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."

• At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, Satan came and tempted Him.
• Satan offered Him the kingdoms of the world if He would worship him but He would have to miss the cross, of course.
• Then we are told by Luke, that Satan left Him (Luke 4:13) "…until an opportune time."

            Luke 4:13

13 And when the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

NASB

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45 And when He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow, 46 and said to them, "Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation." 

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V.24-30 The Dispute About Greatness of the Apostles in the Future Kingdom.

V.35-38 Jesus Gives Instructions to His Disciples.

V.39-46 On the Mount of Olives - Jesus Goes to Gethsemane.

4C. SUFFERING GREAT STRESS (LUKE 22:41 – 44)

41 And He withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, 42 saying, "Father, if Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Thine be done."  43 Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.

NASB

V.47-53 The Betrayal of Jesus and His Reaction.

V.54-62 Peter's Threefold Denial.

4D. SUFFERING HUMILIATION (LUKE 22:63 – 65)

63 And the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking Him, and beating Him, 64 and they blindfolded Him and were asking Him, saying, "Prophesy, who is the one who hit You?" 65 And they were saying many other things against Him, blaspheming.

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