Luke 23: 26 – 56
He Died So We May Live
26 Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus. 27 And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him. 28 But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!’ 30 Then they will begin ‘to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” ’ 31 For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?” 32 There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. 33 And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. 34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots. 35 And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.” 36 The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, 37 and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.” 38 And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 39 Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” 40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” 43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” 44 Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. 45 Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two. 46 And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ ” Having said this, He breathed His last. 47 So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, “Certainly this was a righteous Man!” 48 And the whole crowd who came together to that sight, seeing what had been done, beat their breasts and returned. 49 But all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things. 50 Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man. 51 He had not consented to their decision and deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God. 52 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before. 54 That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near. 55 And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.
I would like to share with you a verse and I want you to think about what it means, okay? In the book of Psalms number 118, we read, “This [is] the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.” So, my question to you is, ‘what day are we speaking about? Christmas?; Exodus?; Creation? I know that a lot of you are good bible students and know that the day that we are talking about was the ‘Sacrifice of the Lamb of God’.
Stop and think about that for a moment. Our Creator God gave His life on the cross so that us sinners could be forgiven of our sins and be able to get back in right standing with Him. This is why we have ‘Communion’. We take the time to think about what He did for us that day on Passover. He gave His life willingly for you and me. All I can do is shake my head. Why would He do such a thing? It is truly Amazing!
So, today we are going to look at this special day. It is the most important day of all.
The moment that this last part of the Gospel has been building up to has now come. Our Holy Lord Jesus had spoken of His trials and temptations, and of the suffering that lay ahead, and as we have studied, He had prayed in the Garden that if it was possible within the will of God He might be spared it, and now His final trials had begun in earnest.
The Rabbi Leader of the Upper Room Was no more. Instead there was a bloodied and broken physical wreck, and there was more to come. But He was no different underneath. He moved on undaunted, His spirit strong though His flesh was weak. He would not be able to carry His crosspiece for long, but He was able to carry the sins of the world, and even as He staggered along He sought to warn and comfort the weeping women, whose tears reminded Him of the terrible judgment soon to come on Jerusalem for what it had done to Messiah, The Son of God.
Remember, Luke was writing this close to 30 years after it had happened. He wanted to emphasize to us these points;
1. He was offering up the blood of the New Covenant.
2. He was being reckoned among the transgressors.
3. He was suffering so that men might be altered in heart and mind and receives remission of sins.
4. He was purchasing His people with His own blood.
26 Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.
I would recommend that you look at the other Gospels to fully incorporate all that our Precious Holy Spirit listed. For example, Luke omits mention of how the soldiers also engaged in horseplay towards our Holy Lord. And then in His bloodied and broken state He would be taken from Pilate’s presence and stood in the midst of four soldiers with His crosspiece over His shoulder and the procession would then move forwards as fast as the prisoner’s condition would allow. Ahead would march a soldier bearing the accusation, ‘This is the King of the Jews’. He would then be led throughout the many streets of Jerusalem as an example from which all should take warning, while the passing crowds looked on, some in pity, others in contempt. But gradually the leaden weight, reacting on His physical weakness and pain, would be too much for Him, and He would sink to His knees. Dragged up again and forced to continue He would seek to do so, until at length it was clear even to the hardened soldiers that He could carry it no more. Outwardly He was a broken man. He seemingly had nothing left to give.
Then the soldiers would glance around, and using the powers granted to them by Rome, would select a passer-by or spectator to bear the cross for Jesus. It just happened that they chose a man from Cyrene in Africa, who probably looked burly and strong, whose name was Simon. And to him they delegated the cross. There is good reason to believe that the man was never the same again, for the mention of the names of his two sons by Mark in chapter 15 verse4 21, suggests that he became a Christian.
27 And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him.
Inevitably as the procession moved along (the two insurrectionists were also in the procession bearing their own crosses. People would be interested in seeing men going to their deaths so they lined the streets. To some of the people, in horror they realized that it was Jesus Who just recently was proclaimed as the Messiah.
28 But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!’ 30 Then they will begin ‘to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” ’ 31 For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?”
Please notice how our Lord Jesus, bloodied and broken, hardly able to keep moving without support, saw their weeping and His heart was moved. For it brought home to Him a day that was coming, a day of which He had previously warned in which we read about in chapter 13, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen [gathers] her brood under [her] wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until [the time] comes when you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' "
Our Master wanted them to know that in their lifetimes they would be weeping not for Him but for themselves. And His tender heart went out to them. He thought not of Himself but of them. And through His cracked lips He warned them not to weep for Him, but to weep for themselves and for their children. He wanted them to know what was coming on them so that they might be at least partly prepared for it, and even take the opportunity to escape it.
He pointed out to them in the grief of His heart that days were coming when it would be better for those who had never borne children, because of the suffering that their children would have to endure. In a complete reversal of what men saw as good, those would be called blessed who were barren. Just imagine being a Jew during WWII. You will quickly get a good idea of how awful it would be.
I find it astonishing when a severe crisis is near how us humans look to hide. I was watching the other day and came up a program dealing with ‘survivalists’. They were showing this company that builds shelters that are buried deep in the ground. Some of these are pretty luxurious. If a nuclear holocaust happened you could still live in the lap of luxury. The only problem is that you probably are the only humans left on the planet.
Our Holy Master pointed out that the people will then call on the mountains to fall on them and the hills to cover them, in order to save themselves from the anguish that is coming on them.
Please see the significance of this statement, ““For if they do these things in the green tree, what will be done in the dry?” When you read the whole bible which reflects the history of the Jewish people, you will take note of all the wars and suffering the Israelites went through during a time when they were somewhat still following Jehovah Elohim. This would in a way reflect that they were ‘green’ or still had life. When the darkness befell on the nation of Israel it began the ‘dry’ time and the terrible treatment would be frightfully worse. Think about the Holocaust as an example.
32 There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death.
It would seem that along with Jesus were being led in a similar way two criminals who were also due to die. Luke wants us all to identify ourselves with them.
33 And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.
And finally they reached a place, aptly named ‘The Skull’ or ‘Golgotha’. Why was it called this name? Many people have taught that it was called this because the mount looked like a ‘skull’. Where does it say this? I have something else for you to consider. Let us turn way back to the book of 1 Samuel. Remember, when Daniel slew the giant Goliath? Look at this unique verse in chapter 17, “And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.”
Jerusalem way back during Abraham’s time was known as something significantly spiritual. Remember when Abraham came upon Melchizedek, priest of the Most High God of Salem or Jerusalem? Now we see David taking the head of Goliath to Jerusalem which at this time was not under the control of the Israelites but was under the control of the Jebusites which we read about in chapter 5 of 2 Samuel. So, what’s my point?
David took the head of Goliath and buried it on the highest hill in Jerusalem, which by the way is Calvary. Therefore, the people knew the spot and had given it the name – The Skull. Since the giants were the offspring of angels with humans, they in effect are the seed of their leader, Satan. So now the scripture in Genesis chapter 3 now makes sense, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel."
Our Great Lord and Savior Was crucified over the seed of the serpent. Think about that?
34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots.
At any time our Holy Precious Wonderful Lord could have said enough is enough and besought the Father to send legions of angels to deal with us awful human beings. But what does He do? He recognizes that these people are acting blindly rather than deliberately. And it is for this reason that He can seek forgiveness for them.
35 And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.” 36 The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, 37 and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.”
Before His very eyes, almost at the foot of His cross, they divided up His clothing, which was the right by Roman custom of the execution squad, and cast lots for what could not be divided. He was stripped there of all that He possessed, and hung naked before God. He Who had previously had nowhere to lay His head, now had nothing with which to cover Himself. In His death the world would allow Him nothing but ignominy. This underlines the callousness of mankind, and its willingness to rob God.
Significance also lies behind this action. By doing this they left Him naked, so that naked He hung on the cross. The moment the first man and woman sinned they ‘knew that they were naked’ as we find in the book of Genesis chapter 3 verse 7. Nakedness was ever therefore the symbol of man in his sin. By the Jews to be naked was ever considered to be shameful. It was also therefore necessary for the One Who died for them to be stripped naked so that He might hang there on display in their place. He was stripped naked that we might not be stripped naked before God. He was there as the son of Adam as well as being there as the Son of God, naked in our place, so that if we believe in Him we ourselves may not be found naked. We read in the book of 2 Corinthians 5, “For we know that if our earthly house, [this] tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked.”
The religious rulers scoffed at Him. They jeered at our Precious Lord Jesus and congratulated themselves on the fact that in spite of His bold words at His trials He was unable to do anything to help Himself. They clearly felt that it vindicated them. He had ‘saved others’. Even they had at this time had to admit to the reality of His healings and exorcisms. But He could not save Himself. Surely if He really were the Messiah of God He would now be able to save Himself? Why then did He not do so? Peter could have given them the answer as he commented in his first letter, ‘He suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous that He might bring us to God’. Paul could have informed them as he made mention in his second letter to the Corinthians, ‘He was made sin for us, He Who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him’.
Our Great Master prays that this sin, the greatest ever committed on earth because of Whom it concerned, might be forgiven. Had He not done so, and looking at it from a human point of view, perhaps the earth would have been consumed at that moment. Without such forgiveness on the part of God it undoubtedly would have been, because of the heinousness of the crime. Angels but awaited His word. But the forgiveness was on the basis that it was not a deliberate sin committed by some who knew precisely what they were doing, a sin with a high hand, but a sin resulting from ignorance.
The people and rulers mocked Him, and now the soldiers also mocked Him. Shortly it would be one of the evildoers who would mock Him. The threefold mocking is intended to indicate that the whole world mocked, Jews, Gentiles and the riffraff of society. In the case of the soldiers it was emphasized by their giving to him of their coarse wine, as though to a king. By this they sought unknowingly to make Him Who had promised that He would drink no more of the fruit of the vine, do so in contravention of His purpose. They knew not what they did. And as they did so they jeered saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself.” They did not, of course believe it for a moment. They were merely aping what others had said. It just seemed to them too good jest for them not to be involved.
38 And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
In stark contrast to all that they were doing we are told of the proclamation above His cross. Written on a placard above His head were the words THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.’ But this was not in jest. We learn from the Gospel of John chapter 19 verses 19-22 that Pilate had done it deliberately in order to annoy the Jewish leaders, and when they objected had declared, Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but, 'He said, "I am the King of the Jews." ' " ‘what I have written I have written’. While he did not acknowledge Jesus, he at least acknowledged why He was there. The placing of such an accusation above the head of a condemned man was a regular practice, but never was one more important or more revealing than this.
39 Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”
The mockery and anger continued. Now it was one of the evildoers who had been crucified alongside Him, who turned his pain-wracked attention to him, and muttered at Him through His parched lips. His words were no doubt spoken in the bitter irony of despair, for he clearly did not really believe what he said. The Messiah was what he had been waiting for. And he had never come. So if this fellow claimed to be the Messiah why did he not get down from the cross and save him too? But it was said in bitter irony and misery. He had no expectation that He would, nor that He could, do him any good. He was just expressing the bitterness in his soul. And the sad thing was that had he but said it in another frame of mind and from another outlook he would have been saved.
40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” 43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
Meanwhile something had been happening in the heart of the other evildoer. He too had railed at our Lord Jesus to begin with as we read in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 27 verse 44, “Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.”
But then something about our Lord Jesus had come home to him. Perhaps when our Lord prayed to the Father to forgive all that had done all this to Him. We cannot fully know what it was. What does speak to a man at a time like this? But we can surmise, for we know that Jesus was like no other. Humanly speaking it was probably because there was something about this unusual man who prayed for His enemies, and who bore His death so calmly, that struck a chord in his heart, so that he could not bear to hear Him run down. Probably he had recognized that He was the prophet Who had stirred the people, and he may even have heard Him preach. And he knew an innocent man when he saw one, and yet One who bore His fate without recrimination. So turning to the other evildoer, whom he no doubt knew from better days of being a comrade in insurrection, he rebuked him and suggested that this was no time for mockery when soon they would meet the Judge of all men.
I want us all to take a good look again at the following verses, “‘And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come in your Kingly Rule.” And he said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” ’
Where is Paradise? Some people explain that it was in the center of the earth. Many people look at chapter 16 of Luke’s Gospel to come up with this point of view. So, what does it say? Let’s take a look.
19 “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’ 27 “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ 29 Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ ”
Some scholars have put forth a theory that Hades was divided into two compartments. In the good department where Abraham was, was where our Lord took the ‘Good Thief.’ They say that this section is called ‘Paradise’. Oh, really? Where does it say this?
In addition many teacher’s use these verses to back up the one verse in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 8 where Paul says, “We are confident, [I say], and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” These teachers’s use this verse to say that believers, when they die, are in Heaven with the Lord. Is this true? Before, I comment, please let me know what you think this verse says from the Gospel of John? “In my Father's house are many mansions: if [it were] not [so], I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also.”
So, if He Is coming back to receive us all this is His Second Coming. It is not where people who die go to be with Him and then He Is coming back for the rest of us. Remember the ones our Lord was talking to have been dead for a few thousand years. How then would they be in the list that He Is coming back for? No, the answer is that you need to do a study of the word ‘sleep’. All who die are asleep until He comes back and wakes all who sleep and then we who are alive will join Him as 1 Thessalonians reports.
Now- back to our study. What about the thief and the statement, “43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
How about I write out the verse again like this, 43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you today, you will be with Me in Paradise.”
You see if you look up how the Scriptures were recorded, there weren’t any periods or commas.
I look at this verse that reveals our Lord assuring this man that he will be with The Lord in Paradise. It doesn’t say immediately or in the future. However, from other Scripture, in my opinion, this saint is sleeping awaiting his wake up call from the One Who gives eternal life.
44 Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. 45 Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two. 46 And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ ” Having said this, He breathed His last.
How remarkable it is that these three last hours of Jesus’ final agony are passed over in total silence in all the Gospels. Was there nothing that could have been said? It is as though they recognize that no one on earth could comment on these moments so that every comment had to be left to God. A veil of darkness is drawn over His last hours. So this was a darkness that indicated a state of death and hopelessness. It was a darkness that indicated that He was for a while forsaken by the light of God for our sakes. It was a darkness that indicated His being brought into the sphere of the tyranny of Satan, from which in the end He would emerge victorious having triumphed over him in the cross
And as a result of that time, the veil of the Temple was torn in two. The tearing of the veil was almost certainly intended by the writer to indicate that the way into the presence of God was being laid open by our Lord’s Sacrifice.
Luke is the only one who cites the words, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” By it our Holy Lord Jesus was committing His spirit to His Father. Luke wants us to see that as in life, so in death, Our King Jesus was in control.
47 So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, “Certainly this was a righteous Man!”
The centurion in charge of the execution squad was deeply impressed. The previous signs had filled him with awe. They had drawn from him the cry, ‘Truly this was the son of God’. But this more specific commitment of Himself to God indicated to him our Lord Jesus’ uniqueness among men.
48 And the whole crowd who came together to that sight, seeing what had been done, beat their breasts and returned.
The things that had happened moved the crowds. They had long sought signs from our Lord Jesus, and they had had signs today. And as they went away they beat their breasts as they thought of what had happened. They were moved and stirred. But we are given no cause to think that it went further. They had ‘beheld these things’, but by the morning it would all be just a memory.
49 But all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
In what contrast were the crowds with His disciples and the women who followed Him. They too had stood afar off seeing these things. They were probably afraid to come too close in case they were arrested.
But there was one man who acted positively. It is made clear that he had not consented to what had happened to our Lord Jesus. He had not voted for our Master Jesus’ death. And yet we cannot hide from the fact that his voice against it had not been heard sufficiently to be commented on, apart from here. If you look at how the Sanhedrin had illegally come together to accuse our Lord Jesus after they had arrested Him, I feel pretty certain that Joseph was called to the kangaroo court hearing. And bravely, for association with a condemned criminal would certainly be frowned on, he went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus, a request that Pilate granted. And wrapping it in a linen cloth he laid it in a new tomb that had never been used before.
50 Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man. 51 He had not consented to their decision and deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God. 52 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before.
The importance of this incident is that it prepares for the later description of the empty tomb and emphasizes its significance. Our Lord Jesus’ body was not just put anywhere. It was reverently laid in a tomb that could at the time be clearly identified. Thus when it was gone, and no one ,apart from the angels, was able to say where, there was no doubt of what it indicated. He truly had risen.
Concerned that at least our Lord Jesus might have a decent burial he approached Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. He had not been able to save Him from ignominy in life. He would do so now that He was dead. It was quite normal for families to ask for the return of the bodies of condemned relatives. But by his act Joseph, who was not a relative, was identifying himself with Jesus. Possibly he wanted Pilate to know that not all the Sanhedrin had agreed with the treatment meted out to The Lamb of God.
The approaching Sabbath, commencing at sunset on the day of the crucifixion, necessarily prevented any further activity, so that the women followers of The Lord Jesus, who had watched and had seen where His body was laid, had to wait for the Sabbath to be over. Meanwhile they began to prepare spices and ointments so that they too could pay their last respects to their beloved Master. It was as though the whole of creation was waiting for what would happen next.
54 That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near. 55 And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.
This dedicated activity, first of Joseph, and then of the women, draws attention to the fact that all were now agreed that the wonderful time was over. From now on Jesus would be a glorious memory. But that He was dead was unquestionable. All that remained was for them to pay their last respects before they returned home. They had believed that it would be He Who was to redeem Israel. But events had proved them wrong. He had died bravely, even mysteriously, certainly unfairly. But that only laid all the more emphasis on the fact that He was dead, and that they knew where His body lay. And in the lives of most men that would be all that needed to be said, with possibly a postscript to say how His life had resulted in certain after effects. But as we shall see in this last chapter and the book of Acts, for our Holy and Mighty God Jesus it was only the beginning. And His story is still going on. Just take a look around this room.
