Day 26: Necessary to Suffer and to Enter into His Glory

Jesus is sent to Pilate, and then to Herod, and then to the crowds, and then crucified.  We've been through this now twice before.  And yet....
Did you notice that when Herod and Pilate meet, they become friends?  Formerly, Luke says, they were enemies, but as of today, they became friends.  Hmmmm.  What do you suppose that means?

When Simon helps Jesus carry his cross, Jesus has words for the women of Jerusalem, who follow him, weeping.  "Weep for yourselves," he warns them.  On Jesus' Last Day, he flashes forward to another Last Day that is coming:  the destruction of Jerusalem.

In Matthew and Mark, the only words that Jesus says from the cross are these:  "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"  (Mark takes the trouble to translate it into Aramaic.)  These words are a verse from Psalm 22, it's true, and if you read the whole lamenting Psalm, you will find comfort and hope there.  But still, this is called The Cry of Dereliction for a reason.

Luke reports three different words from the cross:  "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." (to those who are crucifying him), "Today you shall be with me in Paradise" (to the repentant thief), and "Father, into your hands I commit my Spirit."  These words form a much different picture than the one in Matthew and Mark.

As in every single resurrection story, the women come to the tomb.  They are so frightened when they see the angels that they fall on their faces.  And, here's a twist:  when they try to tell the disciples what they saw and heard, the disciples consider their words to be "nonsense."  (in other translations:  an idle tale.)  By the way, did you know that in ancient times, a woman's testimony was not accepted in a court of law? 

Everyone has favorite Bible stories:  I happen to really like Matthew's account of Jesus and Peter walking on the water.  The next story, about the two disciples walking to Emmaus, is close second.  The story is full of surprise, humor and irony.  The disciples are walking with Jesus and learning from him, but they don't know it.  I imagine Jesus trying to keep a straight face when he asks them to tell him the story of the things that have happened during the past week.  "Really?"  he says.  "Is that so?"  And the two disciples begging the stranger to stay with them, and finally recognizing him once he breaks the bread.  Then they run back to Jerusalem to tell the other disciples, who have the same news to share, "We have seen the Lord!"

Really, the brief recounting of Jesus' ascension is pretty anti-climactic after this.  But, when we get to Luke's 2nd volume, (his second "orderly account"), we'll get a fuller version.

That would be Acts.  Keep your finger in the page.  We have one more gospel before we return to Luke's story.