Crucified and Risen

Copr. 2015, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. All scripture references are to the New International Version (NIV), copr. 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society, unless otherwise noted. Quotations from the NIV are used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. Suggested answers are found within parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail, but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this link: . Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you study.

Introduction: The goal of Luke’s writing comes down to this, our last lesson: to bring us to the conclusion that Jesus is God. God came to earth and lived as a man to reveal God’s character, and then God died in our place to save us. Jesus rose from the grave to eternal life giving us the choice of eternal life. It is a powerful story that has changed the course of history and given the highest hope to humans! Let’s dive into our final study of Luke and learn more!

1. The Garden
   1. Read Luke 22:39-40. Recall that when we discussed Luke 11:4 (“and lead us not into temptation”) we resisted the idea that God would tempt us. When Jesus tells the disciples to “pray” that they “will not fall into temptation” is He concerned about them being led into temptation? (He prays they will not be overcome by temptation. He knows they will be tempted. Compare Luke 22:31-32.)
   2. Read Luke 22:41-42. How much does Jesus want to avoid being tortured to death?
      1. Would Jesus like a way out of this? (Yes. In Luke 4:5-8 Satan offered Jesus a way to reclaim the world and avoid the terrible suffering. Satan’s easy solution, however, would have meant defeat.)
      2. What does Jesus say about His attitude toward the will of God the Father? (He defers to it.)
   3. Read Luke 22:43-44. What does God do to help Jesus at this time of terrible pressure? (He sends an angel who strengthens Jesus.)
      1. Have you been under a tremendous amount of stress, prayed to God for help, and then felt guilty because you were still anxious? Is it wrong to still feel anxious?
      2. Read Revelation 21:8. Are you shocked to see that the first named characteristic of those who are lost is being cowardly? Is that even a sin? (The only way this makes sense to me is if it refers to those who don’t trust God. Therefore, I hate it when I ask God for help and I’m still anxious.)
      3. Look again at Luke 22:44. Is Jesus still in anguish after He prays and after the angel comes to encourage Him? (Yes. The pressure in my life will never begin to approach the pressure faced by Jesus at this moment. But, I feel better knowing that Jesus still sweat blood after He asked God for help.)
         1. Jesus felt the pressure, but how did He react? (He did not back down. He was not a coward. He trusted His Father.)
   4. Read Luke 22:45-46. Have the disciples let Jesus down? Will others let you down when you face terrible problems?
      1. What, specifically, is the problem with the disciples sleeping? (Again, Jesus mentions the concern about them falling into temptation.)
2. The Kiss
   1. Read Luke 22:47-48. What does a kiss normally represent? (Kindness, love, affection.)
      1. How do you think Judas would answer Jesus’ question? (Hopefully, Judas thought he was forcing Jesus into overpowering the Romans. Pride and arrogance would allow those thoughts: I’m smarter than Jesus when it comes to handling the future.)
         1. Which is worse: pride and arrogance, or betraying Jesus? (Isn’t self-dependance a betrayal of God’s love and power?)
   2. Read Luke 22:49. Is this a reasonable question? (We previously skipped over this: read Luke 22:36-38. Jesus previously told the disciples to get armed, even telling them a sword was more important than a coat. At the suggestion of Jesus the disciples are armed, and they now ask if it is the time to fight.)
      1. Are the disciples cowards? (Not at this point.)
   3. Read Luke 22:50-51. This disciple did not wait for Jesus’ instructions. Who struck before having permission? (Read John 18:10-11. Peter! Notice that Peter had previously (Luke 22:32-33) said he was willing to die for Jesus. He was telling the truth.)
   4. Read Luke 22:51. How should the crowd have reacted to this? (They saw a miracle!)
   5. Read Luke 22:52-54. What do you think is going through the minds of Judas and Peter? (Things are going completely wrong. Jesus told the disciples to have swords. The opposing crowd is armed. Peter used his sword. But, Jesus reprimands Peter and submits to being captured. He does not use power to defeat His enemies.)
3. Crucifixion
   1. Read Luke 23:33-34. What power does Jesus assert? (The power of love and forgiveness! Not physical power.)
   2. Read Luke 23:35-39. How would you respond if you were Jesus, the Ruler of the Universe? (It is one thing to be scorned when we have no power. It is something else completely to suffer scorn when we could easily defeat our enemies.)
      1. Is overlooking insults part of your character?
   3. Read Luke 23:40-43. Instead of thinking about retribution, what is Jesus thinking about? (Saving a criminal. In the midst of terrible physical pain and mental anguish, Jesus is still seeking the lost!)
      1. Consider this message of grace. This criminal admits that he is being justly killed for his crimes. Yet, we know he is saved by Jesus.
   4. Read Luke 23:44-46. Tell me what you think is important about the last words of Jesus? (He trusts His Father to the end.)
   5. Re-read Luke 23:45. Why was the temple curtain torn in two? (In Exodus 26:33-34 we find that in the sanctuary a curtain separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. The ark was in the Most Holy Place and it symbolized the presence of God as part of the sanctuary service. When Jesus died as the “Lamb of God”(John 1:29), He fulfilled what the sanctuary sacrificial system symbolized.)
4. Resurrection
   1. Read Luke 24:1-5. What does this mean? (Jesus is alive!)
   2. Read Luke 24:6-8. Why remind the women of what Jesus previously said? (This helps to confirm the miracle and give it credibility. Jesus foretold that this would happen!)
      1. Why do you think that Jesus’ resurrection was reported first to women? (Read Luke 23:49; Mark 14:48-50; and, John 18:15. It seems that most of the men left Jesus, but most of the woman stayed with Jesus.)
   3. Read Luke 24:36-43. What is Jesus doing? (Giving them concrete evidence that He is risen from the dead.)
   4. Read Luke 24:44-47. What is Jesus’ goal here? (He bolsters the physical evidence with the Bible texts which predicted His death and resurrection. They thought Jesus’ death was an unexpected and terrible turn of events, but He shows them that is precisely what the Bible predicted and exactly what He told them would happen.)
   5. Read Luke 24:48-49. What duty did Jesus assign His disciples? (To be a witness to His death and resurrection!)
      1. What help did Jesus promise with this task? (The Holy Spirit! Do you have the Holy Spirit aiding you in advancing the Kingdom of God?)
   6. Read Luke 24:50-53. How does Luke’s story end? (Jesus returns to heaven, and humans worship and praise the God who lived, died and arose to save them.)
   7. Friend, if you have not accepted the truth of this message, will you right now? If you have not asked for the Holy Spirit to come into your life to help you share the gospel, will you right now? What a great, loving, self-sacrificing and victorious God we serve. Praise Him!
5. Next week: We begin a new study on Biblical Missionaries.