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LUKE: GOSPEL OF CERTIFYING THE CHRISTIAN FAITH
Part LXXVII: Certifying Christianity Via The GREAT INJUSTICES It Took To Crucify Jesus
(Luke 23:1-25)
  1. Introduction
    1. Many times in the human experience the question is asked, "Why do bad things happen to good people?! If there is a good God, why and how can such injustices occur in the same universe as He exists?"
    2. A great amount of injustice was needed to get Jesus crucified. However, the writer of Luke's Gospel uses this injustice in a way that even witnesses to the credibility of the Christian faith, showing God's sovereign use of evil that i s so opposite Himself to glorify Himself:
  2. Certifying Christianity Via The GREAT INJUSTICES It Took To Crucify Jesus, Luke 23:1-25:
    1. Luke's Gospel was written to give Theophilus insight on the credibility of the Christian faith, Lk. 1:3-4.
    2. Accordingly, Luke records the great amount of injustices that had to be performed against Jesus Christ in order to get Him crucified, injustices that themselves witnesses to the sinlessness of Christ to His credit:
      1. When Jesus was first sent to Pilate by the sanhedrin, they tried to get Pilate incensed against Him by stating His claim to be Messiah in such a way that Pilate would view him as an insurrectionist, 23:1-2:
        1. The Jews who delivered Jesus over to Pilate accused Christ of crimes Romans would despise: they charged Jesus with perverting the nation to create unrest, of forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar and of being a rival, insurrectionist King, Luke 23:2.
        2. In reality, Jesus had never perverted the nation to unrest, had actually promoted paying the tribute money to Caesar, and was presenting Himself as Israel's prophetic Messiah as a law-abiding citizen, cf. Luke 20:21-25.
      2. However, upon close examination of Jesus, which examination Luke does not bother to record, Pilate pronounced a legally binding Roman verdict of "Not Guilty!" to these charges, Luke 23:3-4:
        1. Luke simply records Pilate asking Jesus if He were the King of the Jews, Luke 23:3a. Since Jesus would now have been disheveled, bruised and bleeding from His former treatment in the sanhedrin (Lk. 22:63-65), this question was apparently directed to satirize the Jewish leaders who had delivered Jesus up, and whom Pilate hated, cf. G. Campbell Morgan, Luke, p. 260.
        2. Upon receiving Jesus' answer, Pilate's statement of "I find no fault in this man" was actually a legally binding "not guilty" verdict by a duly-appointed Roman official, Ibid., Morgan. (Luke 23:4)
      3. Not satisfied that Jesus was thus about to be released, the Jews vehemently accused Jesus of insurrection in the whole nation, even in Galilee, Luke 23:5. When Pilate heard Jesus was from Galilee, and wanting to rid himself of the political problem, instead of releasing Jesus as the law required, he sent Jesus over to Herod Antipas who was in town for the Passover, Luke 23:7. As Herod, being from Galilee, was outside of his territory of jurisdiction, so it was a bogus court to which Jesus was sent.
      4. Herod did not treat the incident as a serious trial over which he knew he had no jurisdiction, but as a big joke in which he wanted to amuse himself in getting Jesus to do a miracle, Luke 23:8 with Ryrie Study Bible, KJV ftn. to Luke 23:11.
      5. Since Herod was the one who had executed the innocent John the Baptizer, and since Herod was out of his Galilean jurisdiction in Jerusalem, Jesus refused to answer any of Herod's questions, Luke 23:9.
      6. Even though the court was a bogus one, Herod's men mistreated Jesus, violating His civil rights, 23:11.
      7. Herod sent Jesus back to Pilate, and Pilate tried to release Jesus in accord with the politically-expedient practice at the time of releasing a popular criminals, Luke 23:13-17.
      8. However, the religious leaders wanted Jesus crucified and the murderer Barabas released, 23:18-19.
      9. Pilate tried to object, but the political pressure of the crowds prevailed, and, against justice, Pilate gave Jesus over to crucifixion and had the wicked Barabas released, Luke 23:20-25.
Lesson: It took great legal INJUSTICES to get Jesus condemned to death, indicating that He was INNOCENT. This all works to certify the credibility of our faith as it is founded in a pure Savior.

Application: God can USE injustices to spotlight its opposite RIGHTEOUSNESS in the upright to His own glory. Thus, if we face great injustices, RELAX and go with God's sovereignty, Acts 2:22-23.