READING IN LUKE 23
READING IN LUKE 23
The last four verses of chapter 22 bring in an important point regarding the Lord’s declaration, “Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God”. It comes out in the gospels as well as in Stephen that the charge of blasphemy for which He is condemned to death is that Man should be in the glory of God in the heavens. Psalm 8 sets forth Christ established as man in heaven, opening out a new order of things. Hebrews 1 takes up the Son, as Son of God, and chapter 2 as Son of man. As Son of God He comes in from God’s side, and He becomes the Head and leader of a generation constituted according to God. As Son of man He comes in from man’s side. It is the answer to Genesis 3 which evidences Satan’s-intent to destroy what God has instituted in man, and the Son of man administering everything from the throne of God in the heavens is the answer to that. When it is a question of the Son of God, God is in view; and when it is a question of the Son of man, man is in view. In His eternal being He is viewed apart from time. The generation that is formed for God is a generation of sons, and it is taken up in connection with His name who is Son of God, that is, in incarnation; as man entering in to make a new place in a new condition. He goes in as Son of man. We go into heaven by virtue of [p. 90] the fact that our forerunner has gone in for vs. Government and judgment are vested in the Son of man.
The purport of these verses is to fix on Israel their guilt; the One of whom every revelation was made is now before them in the full light of His witness; their guilt is to be consummated by putting such an One to death.
In chapter 23 we have brought into view every circle, not merely Israel. The circumstances connected with the cross are detailed as nowhere else. All that had been associated with Christ here was brought under test, as seen in the disciples and Judas. Then comes the hour of the power of Satan; in Luke 4 he left Him for a season, but here he returns. Afterwards the nation represented in the chief priests and the elders and the multitude are brought into view. Next comes that governmental power which God had delivered to Nebuchadnezzar and which had descended, to the Roman empire. Thus that which is divine, human and satanic comes to light in connection with the cross of Christ.
We do not get here the character of the sin-offering as in Matthew. It is the One who is entering into death to accomplish reconciliation. He has before Him everything; He must needs endure to bring it about. What we get in Luke is grace. What is before the Lord here is the great work of reconciliation in view of everything being for the pleasure of God. It is characteristic of Luke that while the darkness is alluded to it is not dwelt on, and the forsaking is not there. The offering of Himself in Luke shows Him who agonises for the birth of a generation for the eternal pleasure of God. But for the death of Christ the whole scene where man is must have been wiped out from before God; everything was held back for the coming of Christ, the true burnt-offering. God still bears in patience, because it is the day. Of [p. 91] grace established in the Christ, who is the perpetual burnt-offering.
The scripture in Hebrews 5 shows that the Lord was heard on account of His piety, and now He can minister to and succour the race which has been begotten through His death, because He has been right down to the lowest depths Himself to reach them.
The significance of the veil of the temple rent in the midst shows the setting aside of that system. What was established here on earth in the way of separation and division is swept away. God does not constitute new Jews and new Gentiles, but one new man in Christ. Christ the Son of man has gone in so that we can go in by the new and living way, Hebrews 10. In the temple the veil was to exclude; for us the veil is the way in, “the veil; that is to say, his flesh.”.
The place of Simon is interesting. “Him they compelled to bear the cross”. It is in line with all the rest here; that is, it is another consequence of the death of Christ. There is the thought of compulsion, not what is voluntary. Simon did not seek it, they compel him to bear it. They put the cross on Simon and compelled him to bear it.
Israel is then brought into view in connection with the tree. “Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me”. “If this is done in the green tree, what shall be done in the dry?” The green tree in Scripture is testimony, which may or may not include fruit. For instance, in Hosea where Ephraim is addressed he is spoken of purely in the place of testimony as a fir tree, which does not bring forth fruit. The fruit comes from Christ. The answer to what they were now doing is seen in the condition of the Jew at the present day. They have no city, no temple, no nation. They are a dry tree. Up to this point the nation as such was in the position of testimony,
[p. 92] the figure is used in the parable of the fig tree. Israel was put in the place of the tree, but was false to it as to every other relationship, therefore Christ had to take it up and become it. He became the tree for testimony and also the fruit bearer. But nationally it is now the dry tree. Israel will turn to the Lord again by and by, and no longer will fruit be looked for directly from them, but from Christ through them. The Gentiles are warned under the simile of a tree in Romans 11.
The place of the skull is the place where it is made manifest that death with all its degradation and shame and all its corrupt power has destroyed that which should have been the glory of man, his mind. The seat of his intellect is his skull, and the proof of his degradation was that the blessed Lord Himself was being put to death. Had the princes of this world known they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
The centurion gives a testimony of the turning of the Gentile to the light of God.
Pages 93 - 198. “Resurrection Levitical Privilege”, Indianapolis, 1911 (Volume 13).