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Warren Wiersbe · Citado em PreceptAustin
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Wiersbe adds that "The Gospel of John records seven different moves that Pilate made as he went out to meet the people and then went in to question Jesus. He kept looking for a loophole, but he found none. Pilate has gone down in history as the man who tried Jesus Christ, three times declared Him not guilty, and yet crucified Him just the same." (Borrow Be courageous Luke 14-24) James M
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Wiersbe explains that "Jesus did not say that He had no kingdom in this world, or that He would never rule on earth. He does have a kingdom in this world, wherever there are people who have trusted Him and yielded to His sovereignty. One day He shall return and establish a righteous kingdom on earth (Da 7:13-28+). (Borrow Be transformed) (See related discussion on Kingdom of God) Jesus' reply to Pilate's question recalls His reply earlier to the Jewish leadership And they all said, “Are You the Son of God, then?” And He said to them, “Yes, I am.”(Lk 22:70) But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I adjure (CHARGE UNDER OATH TO FORCE AN ANSWER) You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.” (Mt 26:63-64) (THAT SHOULD HAVE SENT A SHIVER DOWN THE SPINE OF THE HIGH PRIEST!) It is as you say - This was the most solemn mode of affirmation used by the Jews. It is this statement and His confession in John's Gospel that He was truly the King and Messiah (Jn 18:34-37, cf Jn 19:11) which Paul describes in his letter to Timothy writing "I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,." (1 Ti 6:13-14). THOUGHT - In short, Jesus' "good confession" is an example for the believer's good confession before the "Pilates" of this world! Of course, the only way we can accomplish this confession is by continual dependence on and filling with the Spirit of Christ (Eph 5:18+), who enables supernatural boldness (see Acts 4:31+) in proclaiming Christ and His Gospel to a lost, adversarial world. Ryle agrees writing that "Paul refers to this saying when he tells Timothy that our Lord 'in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession' (1 Timothy 6:13). (Luke 23 - Ryle's Expository Thoughts on the Gospels) Luke 23:4 Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, "I find no guilt in this Man." KJV Luke 23:4 Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man. I find no guilt in this Man Lk 23:14,15; Mt 27:19,24; Mark 15:14; John 18:38; 19:4-6; Hebrews 7:26; 1 Peter 1:19; 1 Peter 2:22; 3:18 Luke 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries See Trial & Crucifixion of Jesus - Parallel Passages - to arrange the events chronologically and bring out details unique to each Gospel PILATE'S FIRST NOT GUILTY VERDICT Pilate's first "not guilty" verdict is recorded only by Luke and John , John recording that after asking Pilate "What is truth?" he went OUTSIDE the Praetorium to pronounce "I find no guilt in Him." (Jn 18:38) Then Pilate said to the chief priests (archiereus) and the crowds - As explained below (see note) the crowds (or the people) were the Jewish laity or Jews in general. Recall there are many pilgrims in Jerusalem at this time (upwards to 1-2 million), but what percentage of the crowd was composed of pilgrims versus native inhabitants of Jerusalem cannot be stated. The crowds were undoubted stirred up by the evil chief priests (archiereus). Were there some in this crowd who only 5 days earlier "Hosanna" (Mt 21:9) and “BLESSED IS THE KING WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD" (Lk 19:38)? Probably there were, but by now the crowd had been stirred up by the wicked Jewish religious leaders/ HCSB Study Bible - Pilate had undoubtedly heard about Jesus, and he saw right through the Sanhedrin's "rush to judgment." (CSB Study Bible) I find no guilt (aitios) in this man - (See comments of similar phrase in Lk 23:22) The Gospel of John adds that before he said "NOT GUILTY," Jesus had declared to Him that His kingdom was not of this world (Jn 18:36, 37). And then "Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, Pilate went out (OF THE PRAETORIUM) again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in Him." (John 18:38) So it is interesting that after Jesus tells Pilate His Kingdom is not of this world that Pilate declares Him not guilty. Clearly he now saw Jesus' Kingship as a threat to the Roman Empire. Pilate's "not guilty" verdict is the first of three times he plainly gives a "not guilty" verdict (Lk 23:4, Lk 23:14, Lk 23:22). In addition Pilate made other efforts to release Jesus... (Lk 23:15) “No, nor has Herod, for he sent Him back to us; and behold, nothing deserving death has been done by Him. (Lk 23:16) “Therefore I will punish Him and release Him.” (Lk 23:20) Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again, Life Application Bible Commentary – REACTIONS TO JESUS - You can walk into any room in this country and say, "I believe in God," and the majority of people in that room will respond positively. But if you then add, "And I believe that Jesus of Nazareth was his one and only Son, and the only way to God," you will quickly find yourself in the minority. Jesus provokes a reaction in people. He did then, and He does now. People are not neutral about Jesus. Next time you find yourself in a heated discussion with a nonbeliever who objects to the exclusive nature of Jesus' claims, ask the person why he or she feels so strongly about it. If Jesus is wrong, after all, He should simply be dismissed and forgotten like all of history's other false prophets. If He's right, then He deserves to be worshiped and obeyed. Either way, He provokes a response. ( (BORROW Life application New Testament commentary) Luke 23:5 But they kept on insisting, saying, "He stirs up the people, teaching all over Judea, starting from Galilee even as far as this place." KJV Luke 23:5 And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place. But they kept on insisting Lk 22:23; 11:53; Ps 22:12,13,16; 57:4; 69:4; Mt 27:24; John 19:15; Acts 5:33; Acts 7:54,57; 23:10 starting from Galilee Lk 4:14,15; Mt 4:12-16,23; Mark 1:14; John 1:43; 2:11; 7:41,52; Acts 10:37 Luke 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries See Trial & Crucifixion of Jesus - Parallel Passages - to arrange the events chronologically and bring out details unique to each Gospel MORE FALSE ALLEGATIONS OF SEDITION BY THE JEWS AGAINST JESUS Note on the sequence - Pilate is standing outside the Praetorium having just announced his not guilty verdict, which prompts the Jewish chief priests and crowd to begin hurling further accusations at Jesus. As discussed, it appears that Jesus is before the Jews at this time, and able to clearly hear their false accusations. And yet Jesus remains silent before their accusations which causes Pilate to ask Him why He did not respond, and then becoming amazed that Jesus offered no defense to their charges (Mt 27:13, 14, Mk 15:4, 5) The Jewish aggressive response to the not guilty verdict must have caused Pilate concern, but he saw a way to "pass the buck" when they mentioned the region of Galilee (see Lk 23:6). But they kept on insisting saying - The Jews strongly rejected Pilate's first not guilty verdict and began insisting. The verb for insisting (epischuo - 2001 - epi = upon or intensifies meaning + ischuo = be strong) is used only here and literally means give additional strength or make stronger and figuratively as used in this passage means to keep pressing a point with persistence and emphasis. The imperfect tense pictures the Jews as making their accusations over and over, again and again. As we might say today the Jews "went ballistic!" One can just picture this scene, as one Jew would finish his angry accusation, another would bring a similar accusation. It was a veritable "cacophonous chorus" of maliciously fabricated false charges against Jesus, the blameless, innocent Lamb of God (1 Peter 1:19+).
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Wiersbe quips Herod in effect "silenced the voice of God. It was not Herod who was judging Jesus; it was Jesus who was judging Herod." (Bible Exposition Commentary).. Jesus' silence again recalls the prophecies in Isaiah mentioned earlier (see notes). Life Application Bible Commentary – A DEAFENING SILENCE People often approach the Christian faith with questions. There is nothing wrong with that; honest questions lead to honest faith. Often, however, the inquirer's questions are merely "smoke screens." When that happens, it is pointless to try to answer the objections. That person isn't interested in answers; he or she is merely interested in excuses not to believe. When you are in a situation like that, save your breath. Just as Jesus didn't dignify Herod's superficial inquiries (Luke 23:8-9), Christians should refuse to engage anyone in such empty chatter. Sometimes the best answer you can give is silence. This note reminds me of Jesus' command "Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces." (Mt 7:6+) W A Criswell - This verse does not mean that the blessings of the Gospel are not to be offered to the Gentiles, but rather that spiritual mysteries should not be pressed upon those who are either unready or unwilling to accept or appreciate their value. The verse continues logically in the train of thought developed in the sayings which immediately precede it. While judging others is not the prerogative of man, there are, nonetheless, those whose uncleanness and violence prevent the sharing of the sweetest and most noble insights of the Christian faith. Henry
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Wiersbe - The scourge was a leather whip, knotted and weighted with pieces of metal or bone; and many a prisoner never survived the whipping. It pains us to think that the sinless Son of God was subjected to such cruelty. He was innocent, yet He was treated as though He were guilty; and He did it for us....Sin had brought thorns and thistles into the world (Ge 3:17-19+), so it was only fitting that the Creator wear a crown of thorns as He bore the sins of the world on the cross. The very metal He had created and placed in the ground was used to make nails to pound through His hands and feet. (Bible Exposition Commentary). Matthew 27:26 records that "Then he released Barabbas for them; but after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified." So the order of the events is (1) Release of Barabbas (2) Scourging of Jesus (3) Delivering Him to be crucified In Luke 23:25, Dr Luke moves from the release of the guilty murderer to the deliverance of the innocent Messiah to the murderers. Luke does not mention the shameful, horrible treatment by the Romans soldiers which included scourging, spitting and mocking. They mocked Jesus as King for a snippet of time, but one day will stand before Him as Judge and receive their just eternal punishment. Woe!
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Wiersbe writes that "Too often in our preaching and teaching, we so emphasize the physical aspects of our Lord’s sufferings that we forget the spiritual agony that He endured on the cross in being separated from His Father. As Jesus looked to the future, He saw glory for Himself (Heb. 12:2) but judgment for the Jewish nation. Too much “religious devotion” is only sentimental emotion that is shallow and transient. Jesus wants us to share “the fellowship of His sufferings” (Phil. 3:10) and not try to duplicate the feelings of His sufferings." (BORROW Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the New Testament - VERY HELPFUL FOR SERMON PREPARATION). Luke 23:29 "For behold, the days are coming when they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed. KJV Luke 23:29 For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck. the days Lk 21:23,24; Mt 24:19; Mark 13:17-19 Blessed Deut 28:53-57; Hosea 9:12-16; 13:16 Luke 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries See Trial & Crucifixion of Jesus - Parallel Passages - arranges events chronologically and brings out details unique to each Gospel THE PROPHECY CONCERNING JERUSALEM For - Term of explanation. Jesus is going to explain why they should not weep for Him, but for themselves. Behold (2400)(idou) is used here to prompt or arouse these women's attention as Jesus prophetically introduces something unusual. The days are coming when they will say - Days are coming identifies this as a prophecy. They is the Jews living in Jerusalem in this coming time of destruction and doom. Compare the similar phrases in predictions of Jerusalem's fall "the days will come" (Lk 19:43, Lk 21:6), "these are days of vengeance" (Lk 21:22-24). Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed - Jesus' point is that in these coming days, it will be better to have never had any offspring, so horrible will be this time! What bitter irony! Normally barrenness was considered to be like a divine curse (Luke 1:25; Ge 30:23; Isa 4:1) and childbirth a joy and blessing (Lk 1:57–58; 11:27; Ge 21:6–7; Isa 54:1) but in this time of destruction it would be a "blessing" (relatively speaking), for women would loose their offspring and even some would be forced to cannibalize their offspring to stay alive! (Cannibalism had been prophetically promised as one of the curses on Israel for breaking covenant - see Lev 26:29, Dt 28:53, Jer 19:9, cf 2 Ki 6:28-29, Lam 4:10. Josephus tells a dreadful story of the siege of Jerusalem by the Romans. see this account in Josephus War 6. Chapter 3. Paragraph 4) Notice the irony once again as Jesus is predicting judgment coming on the Jews and their holy Temple - Jesus is not so much as the judged as He is the Judge (Acts 10:42) in full control of the situation, even His last steps prior to His crucifixion! Jesus had earlier predicted the fall of Jerusalem When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. 43 “For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side (TITUS LAID SIEGE TO JERUSALEM IN 70 AD BEFORE DESTROYING THE TEMPLE AND THE CITY), 44 and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.” (Lk 19:41-44+). Comment: Notice Jesus' words "If you had known in this day" clearly implies they could have known the day, certainly the general time, when Messiah would come into Jerusalem. How could they have known? Had they studied and believed Daniel 9:24-27 (notes), they could have know "this day!" “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies (THIS DESCRIBES 70 AD NOT THE GREAT TRIBULATION), then recognize that her desolation is near. 21 “Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are in the midst of the city must leave, and those who are in the country must not enter the city; 22 because these are days of vengeance, so that all things which are written will be fulfilled. 23 “Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people; 24 and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. (Lk 21:20-24+) Luke 23:30 "Then they will begin TO SAY TO THE MOUNTAINS, 'FALL ON US,' AND TO THE HILLS, 'COVER US.' KJV Luke 23:30 Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. Isaiah 2:19; Hosea 10:8; Rev 6:16-17; 9:6 Luke 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries See Trial & Crucifixion of Jesus - Parallel Passages - arranges events chronologically and brings out details unique to each Gospel Related Passage: Revelation 6:16-17+ and they *said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” THE PLEA FROM THOSE WHO LIVE IN JERUSALEM Then they - The they in context is probably the Jews who live in Jerusalem when the future day of suffering comes. Will begin TO SAY TO THE MOUNTAINS, 'FALL ON US,' AND TO THE HILLS, 'COVER US - Jesus is predicting a dreadful judgement which would cause those alive in Jerusalem to do any thing to escape, this passage saying in essence that even death would be better than suffering the pangs and anguish of this time. Some commentators think this refers to protection rather than a quick death but that is hard to fathom if one is calling for a mountain to fall (pipto in aorist imperative = Do this now!) on them! NET Note - The figure of crying out to the mountains 'Fall on us!' (appealing to creation itself to hide them from God's wrath), means that a time will come when people will feel they are better off dead ( Hos 10:8). Hughes agrees theirs was a plea for merciful death - The coming judgment would be so unbearable that Israel would cry out with language used by ancient unfaithful Israel (Hosea 10:8), pleading for an earthquake to cause the mountains to fall on them and thus put them out of their misery. (Ibid) Jesus is quoting Hosea 10:8 which warned the Northern (12 Tribes) Kingdom of Israel of the coming invasion by Assyria. The captivity would be so severe that the people would pray for the mountains and hills (SOUNDS A BIT LIKE IDOLATRY DOESN'T IT?) to fall on them, similar to the days that would soon be coming on Jerusalem in 70 A D, which was but a foretaste of the horrible Great Tribulation of the last of the Last Days, when the Jews would experience the Time of Jacob's distress described in Jeremiah 30:7. The earth-dwellers (unbelieving Jews and Gentiles ) at that time will be so horrified at God's hand of judgment that they will cry out "to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb." (Rev 6:16+). Isaiah has a similar prophecy that speaks of the future dread Day of the Lord writing "Men will go into caves of the rocks And into holes of the ground Before the terror of the LORD And the splendor of His majesty, When He arises to make the earth tremble." (Isaiah 2:19+).
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Wiersbe - While they were nailing Him to the cross, He repeatedly prayed, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). Not only was He practicing what He taught (Luke 6:27-28), but He was fulfilling prophecy and making "intercession for the transgressors" (Isa. 53:12). (Bible Exposition Commentary) Father (pater), forgive (aphiemi) them; for they do not know what they are doing - As noted in the chart, these words were the first words spoken by Jesus and most likely were spoken between 9 AM and 12 Noon. And as alluded to elsewhere, it was very difficult for a crucified individual to speak, and certainly not possible without considerable pain. How fitting is His plea for forgiveness at His death, for at His birth He was given the Name Jesus which Matthew says explains refers to Him "Who will save His people from their sins." (Mt 1:21) And here at His death He prays for them to be forgiven! What an amazing Savior is Jesus the Christ! In one sense His prayer was answered when He breathed His last, thus providing the perfect sacrifice through Whom all might receive forgiveness by grace through faith in Him. Notice also how in a very real sense Jesus practiced what He had taught in Luke 11:4 when He instructed His disciples "we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us." Note also that in praying this prayer of forgiveness, Jesus fulfilled His own command for us to love our enemies, bless those who curse us, do good for those who hate us, and pray for those who spitefully use us and persecute us (Matthew 5:44+). Now just try to do that in your natural power. It is only possible by relying on the Spirit's enabling power. And I would submit that even in His death, Jesus still fully Man, was continuing to rely on the Spirit just as He had at the inception of His ministry some 3 years earlier when "Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit." (Luke 4:14, cp Acts 10:37-38). Peter says "God was with Him." (Acts 10:38), until the sky turned dark and God forsook Him Who had been made sin! Stephen understood Jesus' example and as he was literally being pummeled with rocks and stones, Luke recorded that "falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he fell asleep." (Acts 7:60+) In that very day Stephen entered Paradise to be with Jesus forever! Regarding the phrase they do not know what they are doing, Luke records several passages in Acts that serve as somewhat of a "commentary" on this their sins of ignorance... Acts 3:17+ "And now, brethren (Jews), I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also." John
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Wiersbe comments on they do not know what they are doing - We must not infer from His prayer that ignorance is a basis for forgiveness, or that those who sinned against Jesus were automatically forgiven because He prayed. Certainly both the Jews and the Romans were ignorant of the enormity of their sin, but that could not absolve them....Our Lord's intercession postponed God's judgment on the nation for almost forty years, giving them additional opportunities to be saved (Acts 3:17-19). (Bible Exposition Commentary) Warren Wiersbe in his commentary on Joshua 20:1-9+ offers an incredible insight on the cities of refuge in - Before leaving this theme, we should note that there is also an application to the nation of Israel. The nation was guilty of killing the Lord Jesus Christ, but it was a sin of ignorance on the part of the people (Acts 3:12–18+). When Jesus prayed on the cross, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34+), He was declaring them guilty of manslaughter rather than murder (1 Co 2:7–8+). The way was open for their forgiveness, and God gave the nation nearly forty years to repent before He brought judgment. This same principle applied to the Apostle Paul (1Ti 1:12–14). However, no lost sinner today can plead ignorance, because God has declared the whole world guilty and without excuse (Ro 3:9–19+). (Bible Exposition Commentary - Old Testament) And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves - For context note that a Jewish man would normally wear five pieces of clothing: sandals, an inner cloak, a headpiece, a belt, and an outer cloak, or tunic. Note also that the soldiers typically would take the clothing of those they executed. Indeed, their selfish motives would fulfill the God's sovereign masterpiece written over 1000 years earlier! One soldier "won" the seamless garment and thus left Calvary wearing the garment of the righteous Christ. How sad to be clothed physically with Christ's garment and fail to be clothed with the righteousness of Christ (Isa 61:10, cf 2 Cor 5:21+) which alone would gain him entry into Paradise! Indeed it is only for those who are "baptized into Christ (identified with Him by grace through faith) (who) have clothed (themselves) with Christ." (Gal 3:27+) And so in this pagan gambling scene by men ignorant that they were players in the greatest drama in all eternity we see them perfectly fulfill the prophecy in Ps 22:18 They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. All the Gospel accounts allude to this Messianic prophecy in Psalm 22:18 (cf Messianic Prophecy)... Matthew 27:35 And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among themselves by casting lots. A T
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Wiersbe - The fact that this title was written in Hebrew (Aramaic), Greek, and Latin is significant. For one thing, it shows that our Lord was crucified in a place where many peoples and nations met, a cosmopolitan place. Hebrew is the language of religion, Greek of philosophy, and Latin of law; and all three combined to crucify the Son of God. But what He did on the cross, He did for the whole world! In this Gospel, John emphasizes the worldwide dimensions of the work of Christ. Without realizing it, Pilate wrote a "Gospel tract" when he prepared this title; for one of the thieves discovered that Jesus was King, and he asked entrance into His kingdom. (Bible Exposition Commentary). Adam
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Wiersbe comments that "It was providential that Jesus was crucified between the two thieves, for this gave both of them equal access to the Saviour. Both could read Pilate's superscription, "This is Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews," and both could watch Him as He graciously gave His life for the sins of the world." (Bible Exposition Commentary – Be Courageous -Luke). In another comment Wiersbe has an interesting (but suppositional) thought "It may be that the message of this sign first aroused the hopes of the repentant thief. He may have reasoned: ‘If His name is Jesus, then He is a Saviour. If He is from Nazareth, then He would identify with rejected people. If He has a kingdom, then perhaps there is room for me!” That is possible, but I think more impressive on the heart and mind of this thief was (1) hearing Jesus' message of warning to the weeping women on the road to the Cross (Lk 23:28-31), (2) watching Jesus refuse to respond to the hatred hurled at Him (Lk 23:35, etc, cf 1 Pe 2:23+), and (3) instead responding with a prayer for forgiveness (Lk 23:34). Ultimately, whatever this thief was responding to, it was clear that the Holy Spirit was at work behind the scenes convicting him (Jn 16:8, Jn 3:3-8).
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Wiersbe - The earthquake reminds us of what happened at Mount Sinai when God gave the Law to Moses (Ex. 19:16-18). The earthquake at Calvary signified that the demands of the Law had been met and the curse of the Law forever abolished (Heb. 12:18-24, Ro 10:4, Gal 3:10-14). The torn veil indicates that He conquered sin; the earthquake suggests that He conquered the Law and fulfilled it; and the resurrections prove that He defeated death. (Bible Exposition Commentary – Be Loyal - Matthew). In his comments in his Mark commentary Wiersbe adds "Through His sacrifice, Jesus had purchased not only freedom from the Law, but also freedom from the entire sacrificial system." (See context in The Bible Exposition Commentary ) Mark 15:37-39 And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last. 38 And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” As discussed above (see notes) Jesus had just said "I am thirsty" (He did not cry this out loudly, by the way) followed by the single Greek Tetelestai or "It is finished." Luke 23:46 then records His very last words before He died. And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said - The synoptic accounts are similar - Mt 27:50 has "Jesus cried out again with a loud voice." Mark 15:37 has "and Jesus uttered a loud cry." It is easy to read over these words and miss what Luke is saying. Have you ever been at the bedside of a dying person? One day I received an urgent call that my mom had suffered an abdominal aneurysm beginning to leak and since she did not want surgical repair, probably had only hours to live. I was 300 miles away but God allowed me to make it to her side. She was conscious but weak and clearly near death's door. I leaned over to tell her that Jesus was there with her and He would take care of her (SHE WAS A TRUE BELIEVER). The next words she could only whisper but they were emphatic "What's taking Him so long?" She fell asleep in Jesus several hours later that night as I lay on the floor at the side of her bed. Jesus had answered her weak cry for Him to come quickly. Here in Luke 23:46 Jesus is near death but the difference is that He cries out with a loud voice. Recall that the Greek words for "loud voice" are "megas" and "phone" (gives us English megaphone) which indicate this was a very audible cry. To even speak while being crucified was difficult enough, but to cry out loudly would be far more difficult. Was Jesus supernaturally enabled? Perhaps we will discover the answer in heaven. In any event, it was not a cry of defeat, but a triumphant cry of victory, victory over sin and Satan, and paradoxically victory over death even though He would die in the next moment!
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Wiersbe - When after six days God finished the work of the "old Creation," He rested (Ge 2:1-3). After six hours, our Lord finished the work of the "new Creation" (2 Cor. 5:17), and He rested on the Sabbath in Joseph's tomb. But that was not the end of the story. He would rise again! (Bible Exposition Commentary). Prepared (2090)(hetoimazo from heteos = fitness) means to make ready, specifically to make ready beforehand for some purpose, use, or activity. Sabbath (4521)(sabbaton from shabath - 07676 = to cease from work, intermission - see note on shabath) is the seventh day of the week, held sacred by the Jews with rest commanded by God. Rested (2270)(hesuchazo from hesuchos = quiet, still) means to be still or to be silent, with different connotations suggested by the context (see the 5 NT uses below). Hiebert notes that hesuchazo basically means "to be at rest" and was used of silence after speech, rest after labor, peace after war, and the like; it was also used of tranquility or peace of mind." And so the idea of this verb includes being quiet and inwardly calm. THOUGHT - Ponder the preceding definition of hesuchazo - Beloved is these women could rest and be inwardly calm on the Sabbath after what they had seen and experienced, what is our excuse? Related Resources: Who was Mary Magdalene? How many Marys are in the Bible? Who was Salome in the Bible?