Bible Studies

---

The Gospels
Luke 22:14-23:56 – A Promise Paid in Full with Passion
Key Verses: (NCV)

• 15-16: “I wanted very much to eat this Passover meal with you before I suffer. ¹⁶I will not eat another Passover meal until it is given its true meaning in the kingdom of God.”
  
  
• 20: “In the same way, after supper, Jesus took the cup and said, ‘This cup is the new agreement that God makes with His people. This new agreement begins with my blood which is poured out for you.’”
  
  
• 22: “What God has planned for the Son of Man will happen, but how terrible it will be for that one who turns against the Son of Man.”
  
  
• 37: “The Scripture says, ‘He was treated like a criminal,’ and I tell you this scripture must have its full meaning. It was written about me, and it is happening now.”
  
  
• 42: “Father, if you are willing, take away this cup of suffering. But do what you want, not what I want.”
  
  
• 52b-53: “You came out here with swords and clubs as though I were a criminal. ⁵³I was with you every day in the Temple, and you didn’t arrest me there. But this is your time – the time when darkness rules.”
  
  
• 67: “They said, ‘If you are the Christ, tell us.’ Jesus said to them, ‘If I tell you, you will not believe me.’”
  
  
• 23:12: “In the past, Pilate and Herod had always been enemies, but on that day they became friends.”
  
  
• 24-25: “Pilate decided to give them what they wanted. ²⁵He set free the man who was in jail for rioting and murder, and he handed Jesus over to them to do with Him as the wished.”
  
  
• 33: “When they came to a place called the Skull, the soldiers crucified Jesus and the criminals – one on His right and the other on His left.”
  
  
• 34: “Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, because they don’t know what they are doing.’”
  
  
• 44-46: “It was about noon, and the whole land became dark until tree o’clock in the afternoon, ⁴⁵because the sun did not shine. The curtain in the Temple was torn in two. ⁴⁶Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Father, I give you my life.’ After Jesus said this, He died.”
  
  
• 53: “(Joseph) took the body down from the cross, wrapped it in cloth, and put it in a tomb that was cut out of a wall of rock. This tomb had never been used before.”
  

Points to Contemplate:

• Are you passionate? The story of Jesus’ crucifixion is referred to as “The Passion.” Does reading today’s Scripture open new meaning to the word ‘passion’ for you in the context of what happened to Jesus on that first Good Friday? Are you amazed by Jesus’ passion for you? As we focus on “The Passion” this year with movies, books, music, TV shows, and world-wide debate, has your understanding of Jesus’ love for you changed? In response, are you more passionate in your love for Him?
  
  
• Do you have a faith of the head or of the heart? Do you accept that faith begins with belief? Do you believe in God? Do you “accept as fact that Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah, and Savior of the world?” That He was crucified, dead, and buried, and on the third day rose again from the grave? Do you see that these are statements from the mind; that they recount what we believe? Is it possible that being a Christian requires more than this? Based on the love Jesus demonstrated that day on His way to Skull Mountain, are you being called to have a conversion of the heart? Does Jesus want your love for Him to go beyond reason? Should He become your one and only consuming passion?¹
  
  
• What part of “The Passion” affects you the most? Is it the sudden switch of the crowd’s mentality from Hallelujahs on Palm Sunday to cries of crucifixion on Friday? Is it the helplessness of the situation where everyone seems rooted to a specific course of action? Is it the brutality that Jesus suffered? Is it His willingness to go through this pain for you? Is it the heroes who stepped out of the crowd to help? Is it the love and dedication from Mary? Is it the disappearance of all of His supporters, including His disciples? Or is it Jesus’ cry on the cross to forgive us? Are you deeply moved by these things?
  
  
• Are you ready for Easter? Are you in a hurry to skip past all this focus on the pain that Jesus suffered and get right to the empty tomb? Are you more likely to focus on the future that Jesus’ resurrection promises you than to dwell on the darkness of Good Friday? Are we spending too much attention on “The Passion?” Does Easter really need the blood and gore depicted in the movie to be meaningful? Or, would Easter just be another family holiday filled with food and traditions without a thorough understanding of the events that transpired during Holy Week? Does “The Passion” help to prepare you for Easter?
  

Promises of the Gospel:

This year we have experienced “The Passion” first hand. We have discussed it, debated it, and cried over it. Many of us are stunned and speechless. What else can be said? The movie has touched more lives and has communicated the story of Jesus’ death to more people than any one single event in the history of mankind. Jesus died for us and His death was more than a simple passing into heaven. His blood, sweat, and tears fell for each of us in very real and painful ways. Extracting payment for our sins was not a simple feat. Even with all this attention, we may find ourselves a bit too eager to move on. The empty tomb and the glory of heaven await us. God has an amazing future in store for us – a future we do not deserve. And that is the point of “The Passion” – we don’t deserve it. We live on this side of the tomb and as long as we do, we should keep fresh in our minds not only the promises that lay before us but also, the payment that was made to make that promise possible.

¹”Unlearning Church” by Michael Slaughter with Warren Bird, Flagship Church Resources from Group Publishing, © 2002, pp. 119.

FUMC Devotionals

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE