Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20100728.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Luke: Jesus, The Son Of Man For All Mankind
Part LXXXV: Christ's Identity As God's Savior Seen In His Walk To The Cross
(Luke 23:26-31)
  1. Introduction
    1. The conduct of one who has been severely tortured and faces imminent death is revealing as to character.
    2. Christ's conduct under such circumstances is very revealing and instructive for us (as follows):
  2. Christ's Identity As God's Savior Seen In His Walk To The Cross, Luke 23:26-31.
    1. We know Jesus was badly humanly weakened by all of His beatings and loss of blood, for though a crucifixion victim usually carried the crossbeam upon which he was to be crucified, the Romans forced another man to carry Jesus' cross for Him, Luke 23:26; Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, ftn. to Matt. 27:32.
    2. Nevertheless, regardless of these circumstances, Jesus expressed unusual compassion for others, an unusually triumphant focus and an unusual awareness of the depth of human wickedness, Luke 23:27-31:
      1. Jesus had an unusual compassion for those who were following and lamenting His death, Lk. 23:27-28:
        1. Regardless of the great amount of torture Jesus had already known and His weakness over a great loss of blood, Jesus realized a large group of people were following Him, and many women were lamenting His coming crucifixion, Luke 23:27-28a.
        2. Considering their circumstances, and the future suffering to occur for Israel due to Her rejection of Him, Jesus turned around to speak to these women, urging them not to weep for Him, but for themselves and for their children, Luke 23:28b.
      2. Jesus had an unusually triumphant focus regardless of His coming suffering and death, Lk. 23:29-31:
        1. Christ's explanation to the women on lamenting for themselves and their children was that the days of suffering Israel would face in judgment for rejecting and crucifying Him would be so great, women would consider themselves blessed if they had not had children who would suffer as they did rather than producing children to face such persecution, Luke 23:29.
        2. At that time, the time we know from Revelation 6:16 would be the Great Tribulation, Israel and the world would face such intense wrath from God's indignation for people having rejected Christ that people would call for the mountains and hills to fall on them and hide them from the wrath of God and of Jesus, Luke 23:30 with Revelation 6:16-17: (1) We know from 2 Thessalonians 2:6-12 that the coming Great Tribulation Period that hosts the rise and terrible reign of the antichrist will be divine judgment on a world that has refused to trust in Christ for salvation. (2) Thus, God's wrath will come on the world in such force that huge, cataclysmic changes will occur in the heavens and on the earth (Revelation 6:12-14); all kinds of people, great and small, will be so terrified of the wrath of God the Father and of Jesus Himself that they will call on the mountains and the hills to fall on them, killing them and hiding them from that wrath, Revelation 6:15-17.
        3. This was an unusually triumphant focus for Jesus to have when facing imminent death on the cross, for it revealed that He was clearly not intimidated by the trouble He was facing, but realized the temporary nature of His current plight in contrast to His final lasting triumph over it!
      3. Jesus had an unusual awareness of the depth of human evil around Him: He added that such wrath by God would be expressed as the hatred and resulting deeds by evil men against Him would intensify against Israel (dry tree) over what even He was then facing (green tree), necessitating the outpouring of such intense divine wrath in punishment, Luke 23:31; Bible Knowledge Com., New Testament, p. 262.
Lesson: Though heading for the cross and physically very weak from a sleepless night of torture and a great loss of blood, Jesus expressed unusual compassion for others, an unusual sense of triumph in the outcome of the events He was facing and an unusual awareness of the great depth of human evil. This reveals He was drawing from God's power in facing the events of His suffering, cf. Hebrews 9:14!

Application: (1) May we trust in Jesus as God's Son and Savior of the world. (2) As we should follow in Jesus' example (1 Peter 2:21), may we, too, (a) rely on the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:16) (b) to be loving, (b) triumphant in our faith in God's plan regarding our end and (c) aware of humanity's great evil!