Here is a teaching on chapter 23 of the book of Luke. If you want to check out previous Bible studies and chapters going forward, join our group here. Once you get added to that Facebook group, you can go to the "units" tab and you'll see all of the chapters and their study guides as they are being taught.
I did want to say a quick prayer... Lord, I pray that you lift up every single person reading this right now. Please open up our eyes, our ears, our hearts, and our minds to you Lord. Holy Spirit please guide us and help us to see the truth, know the truth, discern the truth, and live by the truth. I pray that whatever it is that each person is supposed to receive from this Bible study, they receive it and implement it in their daily lives. I love you with every ounce of my being. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Luke Chapter 23:
1 Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ, a king.”
3 So Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
“Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied.
4 Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.”
5 But they insisted, “He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here.”
6 On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean. 7 When he learned that Jesus was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.
8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform some miracle. 9 He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10 The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. 11 Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate. 12 That day Herod and Pilate became friends—before this they had been enemies.
13 Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, 14 and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. 15 Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. 16 Therefore, I will punish him and then release him.”
18 With one voice they cried out, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!” 19 (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)
20 Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. 21 But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
22 For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.”
23 But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. 24 So Pilate decided to grant their demand. 25 He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.
So in verses 1-7, these people led Jesus off to pilate after he told them they were right in saying he was the Son of God from our Bible study we saw yesterday. After Pilate had talked to Jesus, he said that he didn't find any basis for a charge against him. But these people insisted that he stirred up all of Judea by his teaching and they were dead set on having him killed. They had hate in their hearts and rejected Jesus, and they just wanted him dead. Whenever Pilate found out that Jesus was under Herod's jurisdiction he sent him to Herod. In verses 8-12, Herod was happy whenever he saw Jesus because he had been hoping to see him and he thought that he would perform some miracle. Herod was asking Jesus all these questions but Jesus didn't give him any answer. Jesus was on a mission to save lives and he had been teaching all these people, performing all these miraculous signs, and spreading the gospel but now is his time for the completion of his work to begin. So the arrest and everything that we are going to see throughout this Bible study and also tomorrow are going to happen for him to complete his work on earth. So then after Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked Jesus, they sent him back to Pilate.
In verses 13-25, Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people and said that after examining Jesus he found no basis for the charges that they had against him and neither did Herod because he sent Jesus back to him. Pilate said that Jesus hadn't done anything to deserve death so he would just punish him and release him, but these people were so dead set on Jesus being killed and they had hate in their hearts that they cried out and said to release Barabbas to them, who was a murderer, instead of Jesus. But Pilate still did not find a basis for a charge against Jesus and he did not want to crucify him so he appealed to them again but they still kept saying to crucify him. Pilate came to them a third time and asked what crime Jesus had committed and said that he didn't do anything to deserve death, but again that he would punish him and then release him. In verses 23-25, these people kept insisting that Jesus be crucified and they just kept shouting and so Pilate finally decided to do what they said. I think part of this was because he was afraid of them because they were just so insistent on it. I'm not exactly sure, I know he was trying really hard to not crucify Jesus, but as we know this had to happen to complete Jesus' work. Jesus knew that he was going to be crucified and we saw in our Bible study from yesterday where he asked God the Father if there was any other way to take the cup from him and there was no other way. He had to go through all of this of being arrested, beaten, ridiculed and crucified to forgive us of our sins and to make the new covenant with us.
26 As the soldiers led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27 A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. 28 Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 Then
“ ‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” ’
31 For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.”
36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”
38 There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the Jews.
39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!”
40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
So they led Jesus Christ, an innocent man, the Messiah, the Savior of the World, to his death to be crucified on the cross to forgive us of our sins. In verses 28-31, these women were mourning and crying for Jesus and he told them not to weep for him but for themselves. Jesus knew that his death was only temporary and that he would raise again and go back to heaven to his true home. For all the evil and corrupt people of the world and for all the guilty, their punishment would come. The scripture that Jesus says here in verse 30 is from Hosea 10:8. What Jesus says in verse 31, if men will do this to people that are innocent how much more will they do to people that are guilty.
In verses 32-34, Jesus was crucified on a cross with two criminals, one on each side of him. Jesus was innocent, he only spoke the truth, he came to save the world, and he taught in synagogues, healed people, performed all of these miraculous signs, and did all of these amazing things, but these people had hate in their hearts and they were set on killing him. The other two men on each side of him were criminals that deserved the death penalty according to their law. What Jesus says in verse 34, even after being arrested and being put on a cross to be crucified, he still had so much love in his heart and wanted to save and forgive every single person. Jesus showed so much mercy and grace and said that they didn't know what they were doing and he asked God the Father to forgive them. Even though these people were persecuting him and wanting to kill him, he still had mercy on them and love for them.
In verses 35-37, these people were sneering at him and said that if he saved others then let him save himself if he is the Christ of God. So they were all mocking him and telling him to save himself if he was really who he said he was. But that wasn't the will of God the Father. Jesus had to go through the crucifixion and everything to be able to forgive us of our sins, make the new covenant with us, and fulfill his mission on earth.
In verses 39-43, one of the criminals that hung there was insulting Jesus and told him to save himself if he was the Christ. The other criminal said that Jesus hadn't done anything wrong and that both of them were punished justly because they did do things that were wrong, but Jesus didn't do anything wrong. This criminal asked Jesus to remember him whenever he came into his kingdom. That criminal knew that Jesus was who he said he was and he believed in him, so Jesus answered him and said that on that day he would be in paradise with him. When we acknowledge our guilt and confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord he saves us. That is what this man did here, he acknowledged his guilt, believed in Jesus, and asked him to remember him.
Oh hey friend, sorry to interrupt this blog post, but I just wanted to remind you guys that "Christ Transforms Me," my 90-day journal is available for purchase on Amazon. Until further notice, all of the money that I receive from the purchases of that journal will be donated for the disaster relief of the people that were affected by the tornadoes that hit my hometown in Kentucky. To learn more about the journal or to purchase one, go to www.faithfuelsmyfire.com/journal
44 It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45 for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.
47 The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” 48 When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. 49 But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
In verses 44-45, for 3 hours darkness had come over the whole land, the sun had stopped shining, and the curtain of the people was torn in two. In verse 46, right before Jesus breathed his last breath he cried out and said "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." So his spirit went to God the Father and he breathed his last breath on that cross for our sins. I just want to take a moment to really think about what happened. Jesus, an innocent man, that was fully man and fully God, came to save the world, was arrested, beaten, mocked, ridiculed, and ultimately put on the cross and died for our sins. Jesus suffered for us. Jesus was innocent, he lived a sinless life, and he died for all of our sins. These people had so much hate in their hearts that they didn't realize who was right in front of them. That the Messiah that they had been reading about in the Bible and that they had been waiting for was there with them and they rejected him and wanted him killed. All of this happened so that when we believe in Jesus Christ we can have eternal life in heaven with Him and God the Father and that new covenant was made when Jesus died on the cross for our sins.
50 Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, 51 who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he was waiting for the kingdom of God. 52 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. 53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. 54 It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.
55 The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. 56 Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.
Alright, so those are all of the verses of chapter 23 of the book of Luke, but I'm going to discuss these verses with you guys here. So Joesph went to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body and he took it down from the cross and wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in the tomb. This tomb had not been used by anyone yet, no one had been laid there. The day that he had laid Jesus' body in the tomb was on preparation day. These women that had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and they saw the tomb and that Jesus' body was laid in it. They went home to prepare spices and perfume because traditionally with burial they used spices and perfume to preserve the body.
Here are 3 takeaways to write down:
1. Jesus Christ was on a mission to save the world
2. Jesus, an innocent man, died on the cross to forgive us of our sins
3. The crucifixion had to happen to complete Jesus' work on this earth
Luke Ch 23 Study Guide
Why did Pilate say that he found no basis for a charge against Jesus?
Why did these chief priests, rulers, and the people insist on Jesus being crucified?
In verse 31, what did Jesus mean by this?
In verse 42, why did this criminal say this to Jesus?
Why did Jesus die on the cross?
In verse 56, why did these women prepare spices and perfume?
What is your biggest takeaway from this Bible study?
So that concludes this Bible study on chapter 23 of the Book of Luke. Tomorrow we're going to go into chapter 24, so make sure you stay tuned for that.
I love you guys so much.
Never forget to choose faith over fear.
-Lorena Camille (Faith Fuels My Fire)
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Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights