In 22:47—23:25 we need to be impressed with four pictures. The first picture is the portrait of the Man-Savior, the portrait of the God-man. Due to the surrounding persons, the portrait of the Man-Savior is very clear. In this portrait we see the God-man, the One who is perfect, dignified, and full of divine splendor and of human virtues. As we consider the picture presented by Luke of the Man-Savior from the time He was arrested until He was sentenced to death by Pilate, we see the portrait of the Lord Jesus as the perfect and complete God-man.
Often we have pointed out that as the God-man the Lord Jesus is the complete God and a perfect man. However, perhaps we have not appreciated before the portrait of the God-man that is presented in this portion of the Word. I hope that in reading this section of the Gospel of Luke all the saints, especially the young people, will have a clear view of this portrait of the God-man.
The Lord Jesus in 22:47—23:25 is portrayed as the true God and a real man. This God-man was arrested, mocked, blasphemed, despised, and judged. But as He passed through all this, He was fully portrayed as having the highest standard of morality, as possessing the human virtues with the all-surpassing divine splendor. Here we see not only the Man-Savior’s divine attributes; we also see His divine splendor. In this One we see the true God and a proper man. He was fully qualified to be the Substitute for the sinners for whom He intended to die. According to Luke’s record here, He was ready to die for sinners.
The second picture we see in this portion of Luke is that of the Man-Savior’s followers. From what we see in this picture, we cannot give any credit to the eleven disciples, especially to Peter, John, and James, in their natural life. If credit can be given, it should be to the sisters. The eleven were altogether natural; they acted as if they did not have a spirit. Peter, for example, said that he would never deny the Lord. It was he who took up a sword and cut off the ear of the high priest’s slave. It was he who denied the Lord three times. How natural he was! However, as we view the picture presented here of the Lord’s disciples, we need to realize that this is a picture of us as well. Here we have a portrait of what we all are in the natural life.
The third picture we see is the picture of the religious people. They were false, deceitful, and full of pretense. They worshipped God, taught people about God, and apparently tried to keep the Ten Commandments. But they came to arrest the Lord not in the daytime but at night, and not in a public place but in a private place. Knowing that they would arrest Him in this way, the Lord deliberately went to the Garden of Gethsemane, a private place, so that they might arrest Him in their deceitful way. Actually, they did not arrest Him; He gave Himself over to them to be arrested by them. With these religious people we see nothing but falsehood and deceit.
Finally, we have a picture of the Roman government and its rulers. With these Roman rulers there was no justice. In this picture we see the darkness and corruption of Roman politics.
As we consider these pictures, we can understand the situation in the midst of which the God-man went to the cross. We need to realize that He was not brought to the cross—He went to the cross. On the cross He laid down His soul life purposely to accomplish an all-inclusive death. This death ushered Him into resurrection. Through His death and resurrection the jubilee is accomplished. Furthermore, the Man-Savior brought His followers with Him into death. In this way He terminated them so that they could be replaced and germinated. Then in His resurrection they could enjoy Him as their jubilee. Moreover, in His resurrection the Lord’s followers become His Body as His continuation, His reproduction. In resurrection they are one with Him to enjoy the Triune God.
We cannot receive such an understanding of the Lord’s death simply by reading the Gospel of Luke itself. Luke, we should remember, received his impression regarding the Lord’s death and resurrection from Paul. Therefore, in order to have a fuller understanding of the Man-Savior’s death and resurrection, we need Paul’s Epistles. When we read the Gospel of Luke in the light of the Epistles of Paul, especially the book of Hebrews, we shall see that a fuller enjoyment of the jubilee, the Sabbath rest, will be in the coming age. As we have pointed out in previous messages, the enjoyment of the jubilee in the coming age depends on our enjoyment of the jubilee in this age.