This is Easter Sunday is a time to celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord from the grave and Luke gives us an account of what happen Luke 23:1-26 23 Then the whole multitude of them arose and led Him to Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.” 3 Then Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” He answered him and said, “It is as you say.” 4 So Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no fault in this Man.” 5 But they were the more fierce, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place.” 6 When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked if the Man were a Galilean. 7 And as soon as he knew that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time. 8 Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him. 9 Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him nothing. 10 And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him. 11 Then Herod, with his men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate. 12 That very day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for previously they had been at enmity with each other. 13 Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, 14 said to them, “You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people. And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him; 15 no, neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him. 16 I will therefore chastise Him and release Him” 17 (for it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast). 18 And they all cried out at once, saying, “Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas”— 19 who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder. 20 Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus, again called out to them. 21 But they shouted, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” 22 Then he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him. I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go.” 23 But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified. And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed. 24 So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested. 25 And he released to them the one they requested, who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison; but he delivered Jesus to their will. 27 And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him. 28 But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.29 For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!’ 30 Then they will begin‘to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” ’ 31 For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?” Sap is a tree's lifeblood; it carries the required nutrition from the roots out to the far ends of the branches and leaves. When wood is cut from the tree, the sap no longer runs as it did in the living wood so becomes dry wood. Thank the Lord He proved who He was, as He is between two other malefactors one on the right and the other the left. Notice what happened to one of the men on the cross in Luke 23:39 Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, [j]“If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” 40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” 43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Thank the Lord Green is a sign of life; it is a color used for GO around the world. It is a sign of fertility and growth, here we see Jesus as the Lamb of God reviled, spit on, beaten, crown of thrones placed on His head with no mercy, nails driven in His hands and feet. No justice, oppression like the burning of a tree not dry, but wet with life. Fully alive; abundantly, in pain. Here He is innocent, pure, and holy, suffering. Here He is taking the sins of the world upon His shoulders. Getting ready to die and being placed in a grave that is shut by a huge stone that was a sign of going into Hell to atone, paying for the sins of the past, present and future. Jesus’s last words on the Cross was 8.) It is finished, that is, the work of man’s redemption and salvation is now completed, at least the hardest part of the undertaking is over; a full satisfaction is made to the justice of God, a fatal blow given to the power of Satan, a fountain of grace opened that shall ever flow, a foundation of peace and happiness laid that shall never fail. Christ had now gone through with his work, and finished it, John 17:4. For, as for God, his work is perfect; when I begin, saith he, I will also make an end. And, as in the purchase, so in the application of the redemption, he that has begun a good work will perform it; the mystery of God shall be finished. The law is finished Grace is now present as we abide in the vine; Jesus so we can be a live green tree with the life of the Holy Spirit empowering us to continued life as we die out to sin. Jesus is the tree of life, He had a lot of juice flowing with grace and love for God’s creation. He was fruitful and useful in His preaching and ministering to crowds and now He is getting ready to show the world He is coming more alive at His death then when He was alive. Just as we do when we abide in the vine; Jesus, we are going to produce good fruit. The reason is Jesus is our savior, dying for the sins of the world as He was put in a grave for three days being resurrected giving us grace to live in victory over sins death. Romans 3:23 the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, as we are connected to the vine, we are living in control of our Father God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit that keeps on giving us the green light to go on living in the word of God. Look at who had Him crucified the Jewish leaders who rejected Christ, and crucified Him. Here they are God, chosen, yet look at the evil that was done by them, to such a just person, what may not be expected will fall on them in retaliation for such behavior and attitude. And if these Roman Soldiers, under their encouragement acted such a part to Christ, who had never done them any injury, what will He not do to these men, who provoked by their insults and rebellions? If such things were done of Christ, by His Father, according to the requirements of the law, and the strictness of Divine justice, when He was made sin for His people, though He knew none, never committed any Himself, what vengeance will fall upon them, who must answer for their sins in their own person? What devouring flames, and everlasting burning, will such dry trees be exposed to, as being fit for them, and deserving of them. We are seeing today in the Kingdom of God many Green trees for the simple reason they believe in the power of the Resurrection of our Lord who is now seated at the right hand of His Father God and His Holy Spirit that was given at Pentecost to us who are full of the Holy Spirit of God. So, the present juices of the Holy Spirit is what give us life abundantly, so we do not become dry and burn forever in Hells fire. I trust you are seeing the importance of the road your on, for it is a narrow road that leads to heaven, then there is another road that Satan loves that leads to hell that is very wide with a lot of red lights that should make us stop to analyze what we are doing. As followers of the Lord Christians today are being persecuted for the simple reason people are like Rome was to Christ, angry and out of control. Lord may we see the powerful statement of the resurrection, Jesus is alive seated at the right hand of God Listening to our cry Remember me this Easter Sunday. John 3:16 Romans 3:23 All have sinned and come short of the Kingdom of God. Romans 6:23 the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is everlasting life through Jesus Christ our Lord. |