General Articles

The Gospel According to Luke: Part 67 :: By Dr. Donald Whitchard

Published on: by RR7

An Exposition

Luke 23:1-12: “Injustice on Display, Part 2”

“Then the whole company of them arose and brought Him before Pilate, and they began to accuse Him, saying, ‘We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar and saying that He Himself is Christ, a king. Pilate asked Him, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ And He answered him, ‘You have said so.’ Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, ‘I find no guilt in this man.’ But they were urgent, saying, ‘He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea from Galilee even to this place.”

“When Pilate heard this, he asked whether this man was a Galilean. And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. When Herod saw Jesus, he was glad, for he had long desired to see Him because he had heard about Him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by Him. So, he questioned Him at some length, but He made no answer. The chief priests and the scribes stood by and were vehemently accusing Him. Herod and his soldiers treated Him with contempt and mocked Him. Then arraying Him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. And Pilate and Herod became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other” (Luke 23:1-12, ESV).

Before we continue looking at the path to the cross and beyond, let us focus on the Lord Jesus Himself as He undergoes the continuous questioning. He also endured physical abuse, constant outrage and venomous hatred from His accusers, and mocking from sadistic guards who have had their sick thrill of humiliating and hitting Him through the night and into the early morning hours. He needs immediate medical attention due to dehydration, blood loss, wound care, nausea, blunt force trauma from the beatings, lack of nutrients, and physical exhaustion.

If He had been brought into a modern trauma center of a local hospital, the ER staff would give Him the appropriate blood transfusions, fluids through a permanent IV every two to three hours, and antibiotics for wound treatment and possible infection. He would have had x-rays to detect broken bones or organ damage, a probable EKG to detect heart irregularities, an MRI for potential brain injury due to the physical assaults, hygiene such as a sponge bath, and tests for pupil dilation. They would have admitted Him to ICU for observation and long-term care until He was no longer classified as being in critical condition.

After nearly twenty years of service as a hospital trauma chaplain watching ER personnel treat everything you can imagine, I can be certain that what I have just described would be standard procedure.

However, the LORD does not have that kind of care or treatment available, nor would it be offered to Him if He asked for it. The cruelty towards Him by His accusers is vicious and void of any sense of decency or compassion. The illegal, unjust mockery of right and wrong has not stopped to give the LORD relief or rest from either the fanatical Sanhedrin, or from further questioning by the Roman authorities, and in particular, the regional governor, Pontius Pilate.

Pilate was commissioned by Emperor Tiberius Caesar to serve as governor of the region of Syria and Judea in A.D. 26. His actions against the Jews, such as the attempt to place the symbol of Rome in the area of the Jewish temple, ended in riots and unrest as well as the deaths of citizens and officials in Jerusalem. The Pharisees had informed Tiberius of these atrocities and gave Pilate a stern warning of what would happen to him if any more trouble occurred there.

Pilate knew to try and keep the local population content and to avoid trouble. When Jesus was brought before him in the early morning, the Pharisees and Sadducees presented their accusations. They said that Jesus had encouraged the people to refuse paying their taxes to the Romans, which was a blatant lie due to the encounter they had with Him in the temple on this very issue a few days earlier (Luke 20:19-26). He was also charged with “perverting the nation” by proclaiming that He was the true king of Israel. Caesar did not take well to anyone declaring that for anyone but himself. That was clearly treason and insurrection against Rome and a sure penalty of death by crucifixion.

I am certain that Pilate would have had Jesus arrested earlier had this accusation been valid. He had a network of trained soldiers who would have rid the region of any attempt of rebellion by Jesus or anyone else by putting Him and those who followed Him to immediate death.

There were undoubtedly spies for Rome in every area of the empire who would hear of and look out for any signs of unrest and report it to the governing authorities, who would quickly crush it. Pilate was not the sharpest ruler in Roman history, but he was not stupid either. He looked at the beaten, bloody man before him and quickly realized that the charges against Jesus were just so much hearsay and bluster. Pilate offered Him amnesty and declared Him innocent. Jesus’ accusers would have none of it. Upon hearing that Jesus was from the region of Galilee, Pilate decided to pass Him off to Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Judea who was in Jerusalem at that time. The demonically inspired group then went to where Herod was staying to see if anything would be done by him to rid the area of Jesus for good.

Antipas had been tetrarch of Galilee since 4 A.D. and would remain in that post until he was exiled to Gaul in A.D. 39 by order of the emperor, Caligula, along with his niece/wife whom he took from his brother Herod Phillip years before. It was Antipas who had John the Baptist executed for preaching against their unlawful and incestuous union.

Jesus had called Herod a “fox,” which was a verbal insult implying Herod’s underhanded and deceptive nature. Herod had wanted to kill Jesus earlier, believing that He was John the Baptist risen from the dead, returning to condemn him. There was no love lost between the Lord Jesus and this pitiful waste of oxygen who sat on the bloody throne of the Herodian Dynasty. Now the despot would have the Nazarene in his palace and try to get Him to do a miracle for his sick and twisted pleasure and feigned interest. Jesus had nothing to say to this robed, pampered, and pathetic excuse for reprobate behavior. Herod treated Jesus with contempt and insult and sent him back to Pilate.

The mutual feeling of apathy and disrespect that these two weasels had toward Jesus ended up forging a friendship between them, but nothing else of merit or honor on their part.

So, Jesus ends up being shuffled like so much baggage back to Pilate, who must figure out what to do with this bloodied and beaten man in front of him. He can release Him and be done with the matter, earning the scorn of the Pharisees who can make life miserable for him by contacting Tiberius Caesar. Or he can punish Him without reason or cause and make an example of Him before the crowd, which satisfies no one. Or he can bank on what sympathy the people might have for Jesus by having them choose between letting Him go free or releasing a convicted robber and murderer. Either way, there is no real justice for Jesus, and the outcome will initiate the greatest travesty of right and wrong in all recorded history.

The next time you tend to wallow in self-pity over some alleged wrong done to you, think on the fact that only One person in all of civilization had the right to protest against His unfair and unjust treatment, but He endured it for your sake and your salvation.

donaldwhitchard@gmail.com

www.donaldwhitchard.com

Payday Has Arrived :: By Daymond Duck

Published on: by RR7

In 1926, a great Baptist preacher, Dr. R.G. Lee, published his sermon called “Payday Someday.”

“Payday Someday” became famous worldwide, it has been reported that Dr. Lee preached it once a year in his home church, and he preached it about 1,275 times altogether.

A friend sent me an article titled “What Has America Become” that appeared on the Editorial Page of a small Michigan newspaper called the Iosco County News Herald on June 9, 2010.

The article, written by Ken Huber, has received nationwide attention, it reminded me of “Payday Someday,” and I want to pass along some of Huber’s thoughts plus some of the thoughts of my friend that sent the article.

Almost 10 years ago, Huber asked, “Has America become the land of special interests and the home of the double standard?” Here is a partial list of what he said:

  • If we lie to the Congress, it’s a felony, and if the Congress lies to us, it’s just politics.
  • If we dislike a black person, we’re racist, and if a black dislikes whites, it’s their First Amendment right.
  • The government spends millions to rehabilitate criminals, and they do almost nothing for the victims.
  • In public schools you can teach that homosexuality is OK, but you’d better not use the word God in the process.
  • You can kill an unborn child, but it is wrong to execute a mass murderer.
  • You can have pornography on TV or the Internet, but you’d better not put a nativity scene in a public park during Christmas.
  • We can use a human fetus for medical research, but it’s wrong to use an animal.
  • We still have freedom of speech, but only if we are being “politically correct.”

Here is part of what my friend added:

  • We threw God out of our schools.
  • We threw God out of our courts.
  • We threw God out of our government.
  • We threw God out of our homes.
  • We’ve thrown God out of our churches.
  • We’ve drowned our land with the blood of innocents (abortion).
  • We have elected people to lead us who are pagans.
  • We have openly blasphemed our Father Creator for ages, in books, movies, and the media, but even Christians have come to regard it as ‘normal.’
  • What should we expect?

My answer is, “I believe America’s payday has arrived, and it is our own fault, but it is more than America; it is the whole world.”

Here are some stories that recently made the news:

One, an article dated Jan. 26, 2021, by a strategic risk consultant and lecturer named F. William Engdahl called the Great Reset “a new form of global total control.”

Engdahl predicted that “2021 will be a decisive year for this anti-human agenda.”

Two, very little information has come out of the recent “Davos Dialogues” meeting, but on Jan. 29, 2021, it was reported that the May 25-28 World Economic Forum (WEF) “Great Reset” meeting has been moved from Davos to Singapore.

Information on the WEF website says no institution or individual can address the world’s problems alone.

WEF globalists want to rebuild the world by changing the world’s economic, environmental, social, and technological policies.

In their mind, this will require a world government.

God has already said they can have one for 7 years.

Three, concerning the Battle of Gog and Magog in the latter years and latter days (Ezek. 38-39), on Jan. 26, 2021, the head of Israel’s Defense Forces (IDF) warned that Israel will not tolerate a return to the original Iranian nuclear deal.

Two days later, it was reported that Israel is clearly letting the U.S. and Iran know that the IDF will act alone if Israel must, and Israel’s IDF is making plans to do just that.

Just a reminder that an Israeli attack on Iran is not the Battle of Gog and Magog, but it could trigger that world-changing war.

Also, know that Israel acting alone may be God’s will.

That way, God will get the glory for Israel’s victory, not the U.S. or any other.

Four, on Jan. 26, 2021, it was reported that a Biden official said the Biden administration will “support a mutually good, two-state solution, in which Israel lives in peace and security (peace and safety), alongside a viable Palestinian State.”

The Tribulation Period will begin when the Antichrist confirms a 7-year covenant with many for “peace and safety” in the Middle East.

Dividing Israel will eventually trigger the Battle of Armageddon (Joel 3:2).

Five, on Jan. 26, 2021, it was reported that Gay Pride flags will be going back up at U.S. Embassies around the world because the Biden Administration feels an urgent need to support the rights of LGBTQI people.

This is a denial of God’s Word and reprobate thinking (Rom.1:28).

Six, on Jan. 27, 2021, the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a nationwide terrorist alert in the U.S.

The DHS identified the potential terrorists as anti-government extremists that are opposed to the presidency of Joe Biden.

It is hard to believe that the DHS would label an entire political party as terrorists, but facts are facts, and the hate speech that is directed toward Republicans is growing louder by the day.

In response to the DHS terrorist alert, MSNBC political analyst Jason Johnson said, “Democrats should declare that all Republicans are terrorists.”

He added, “You can’t negotiate, you can’t legislate, and you can’t work with terrorists.”

Biden and others say they want to unite the nation, but they appear to be trying to divide it even more.

Seven, many Christians are familiar with the story about Joseph being sold into slavery, winding up in Egypt, and becoming the second most powerful man in Egypt when he interpreted Pharaoh’s dream about the seven fat years and seven lean years.

It turns out that Joseph believed in the resurrection of the body, and he wanted to be raised from the dead in Israel.

The Bible says, “Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he [Joseph] had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you” (Ex. 13:19).

Some Jews want to be raised from the dead in Israel because they believe the Messiah will raise the dead in Israel, and they want to be among the first to see Him when that happens.

On Feb. 1, 2021, it was reported that Israel recently normalized ties with Sudan and will allow Ethiopians in Israel to bring the remains of loved ones that died in Sudan to Israel for burial.

Eight, on Feb. 1, 2021, LifeSiteNews reported that the vaccine injury tracking system (VAERS) managed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is showing that as of Jan. 22, 2021:

  • More than 25 million Americans have been vaccinated.
  • At least 273 Americans have died (most within 48 hours of being vaccinated).
  • 9,845 have had an adverse reaction that is possibly related to the vaccination (and the actual number could be higher).
  • 8 seemingly healthy unborn babies were miscarried or stillborn.
  • The vaccine manufacturers and FDA have total immunity.

Finally, if you want to go to heaven, you must be born again (John 3:3). God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believe that Jesus is the virgin-born, sinless Son of God who died for the sins of the world, was buried, and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Saviour; then tell someone that you have done this.

Prophecy Plus Ministries, Inc.

Daymond Duck

duck_daymond@yahoo.com