What Jesus Did

Then Pilate called together the leading priests and other religious leaders, along with the people, and he announced his verdict. "You brought this man to me, accusing him of leading a revolt. I have examined him thoroughly on this point in your presence and find him innocent. Herod came to the same conclusion and sent him back to us. Nothing this man has done calls for the death penalty. So I will have him flogged, and then I will release him."

—Luke 23:13-16 NLT

Key Thought​

...

 

[After Pilate pronounced Jesus innocent,] a mighty roar rose from the crowd, and with one voice they shouted, "Kill him, and release ### to us!" (### was in prison for taking part in an insurrection in Jerusalem against the government, and for murder.) Pilate argued with them, because he wanted to release Jesus. But they kept shouting, "Crucify him! Crucify him!"
For the third time he demanded, "Why? What crime has he committed? I have found no reason to sentence him to death. So I will...

 

[After Pilate said he found nothing wrong with Jesus, his accusers] became insistent. "But he is causing riots by his teaching wherever he goes — all over Judea, from Galilee to Jerusalem!"
"Oh, is he a Galilean?" Pilate asked. When they said that he was, Pilate sent him to Herod Antipas, because Galilee was under Herod's jurisdiction, and Herod happened to be in Jerusalem at the time.

Herod was delighted at the opportunity to see Jesus, because he had heard about him and had been hoping...

 

Then the entire council took Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor. They began to state their case: "This man has been leading our people astray by telling them not to pay their taxes to the Roman government and by claiming he is the Messiah, a king."
So Pilate asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"

Jesus replied, "You have said it."

Pilate turned to the leading priests and to the crowd and said, "I find nothing wrong with this man!"


—Luke 23:1-4 NLT

Key Thought​

The...

 

[After his arrest, the] guards in charge of Jesus began mocking and beating him. They blindfolded him and said, "Prophesy to us! Who hit you that time?" And they hurled all sorts of terrible insults at him.
At daybreak all the elders of the people assembled, including the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. Jesus was led before this high council, and they said, "Tell us, are you the Messiah?"

But he replied, "If I tell you, you won't believe me. And if I ask you a question...

 

So [###] arrested [Jesus] and led him to the high priest's home. And [###] followed at a distance. The guards lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat around it, and [###] joined them there. A servant girl noticed him in the firelight and began staring at him. Finally she said, "This man was one of [Jesus]' followers!"
But [###] denied it. "Woman," [###] said, "I don't even know him!"

After a while someone else looked at him and said, "You must be one of them!"

"No, man, I'm not!" [###]...

 

But Jesus said, “###, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”
When the other disciples saw what was about to happen, they exclaimed, "Lord, should we fight? We brought the swords!" And one of them struck at the high priest's slave, slashing off his right ear.

But Jesus said, "No more of this." And he touched the man's ear and healed him.

Then Jesus spoke to the leading priests, the captains of the Temple guard, and the elders who had come for him. "Am I some dangerous...

 

Jesus responded [about ###], "Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost."

—Luke 19:9-10 NLT

Key Thought​

Jesus didn't come to please the religious crowd. Jesus didn't come to pander to the social crowd. Jesus didn't come to hang out with the wild bunch. Jesus didn't come to hobnob with the affluent of his day. Instead, Jesus entered the world to save sinners —...

 

But even as Jesus [told the disciples to pray to avoid temptation], a crowd approached, led by Judas, one of the twelve disciples. Judas walked over to Jesus to greet him with a kiss. But Jesus said, "Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?"

—Luke 22:47-48 NLT

Key Thought​

The phrase that hurts me most for Jesus in this passage is "one of the twelve disciples." Jesus was betrayed by one of his own. Not only that, he was betrayed by an act of loving greeting...

 

Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. There he told them, "Pray that you will not give in to temptation."
He walked away, about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, "Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine." Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat...