- Shared
- Uniquely Matthew
- Uniquely Mark
- Uniquely Luke
- Uniquely John
So what questions did you come up with for this passage? No one has shared any with me. I can’t tell whether you are stumped and can’t think of any questions. Or whether you are just too busy to be bothered. Or whether you just wish Ian would go away and stop asking you to do these things. JUST TELL ME THE ANSWER WHY DON’T YOU? Or whether you figure “there is nothing to ask about . I know what is going on here and I don’t need to ask any questions at all. I understand it all.”
Well these are some of the questions I came up with:
- Who was this Roman officer?
- How long had he been observing?
- What was it he saw happen?
- What are these words referring to?
- The crucifixion itself?
- He must have seen a number of those, what made this one any different?
- Or is Luke referring to something far more than just the events surrounding the last moments?
Maybe it’s the last three hours in the darkness – he wouldn’t have “seen” much then.
- Maybe its the last six hours or perhaps he followed from the trial onward – just how much did he see?
- Why would a Roman soldier, a man hardened to pain, suffering and death, after all he was the one inflicting it, suddenly turn and worship God?
- What did he mean by “Surely this man is innocent”?
- Why is there such a difference between what Luke records and the version of Matthew and Mark – “This man was truly the Son of God.”?
- Is this a case of there being a lack of accuracy between the Gospels that so many critics claim?
- What did the comment mean in the mind of a Roman soldier?
- Why do the crowd who came to see the crucifixion leave in deep sorrow, yet the Roman soldier worships? That seems odd.
- Why is it the friends and the women stand at a distance?
- There seems such a contrast in the reaction of these three categories of people, is there some significance to Luke’s order of the story here?
- Is something more meant here by the words “standing at a distance”.
I think I had better stop there. I am sure there are many who wish I would stop. My mother wished I would stop from when I learned to talk. She used to tell me “Ian Vail, I have never met anyone who asks as many questions as you do.” I hope she is proud now. Maybe you have been waiting for the end of Luke for months now and Ian just keeps on going and asking questions. Is this ever going to finish? Maybe you won’t finish Luke before the Lord comes back Ian. I don’t think He will be back before the end of Luke 1 but who knows if He will come before we finish Luke 2 [Acts]. I wonder if you too pondered these questions or if some of these questions caught you by surprise. Talk to me. Tell me about it.
Finding the answers to some of these questions will shed light on the depth of this part of Luke. I am not intending to give you the answers today. You know how I work by now. I will start answering or giving input to the questions in the next Gem. This is your time to consider my questions along with yours. Feel free to add some of your questions if you wish.
In the last Gems I made the comment “we have the response of a Roman officer, the crowd’s mass response and the contrast between the group of friends and the women who have followed Him since Galilee.” The synoptic gospel record these groups of people who were in attendance at the time of Jesus releasing His Spirit in one way of another. John however doesn’t record this happening at all.
Those present at the end, according to:
What is interesting to me is that Luke prunes the accounts of Matthew and Mark to reduce the onlookers to the minimum – the Roman officer, the crowd, Jesus’ friends, including the women, with no mention of specifically which woman were involved.
- Why is Luke doing that?
- Why is this a bare-bones account of the final witnesses?
- Why does Luke edit the detail the other two writers include?
And this doesn’t concern only those in attendance. Luke has pruned the whole of this segment down to three essential groups of people. Take time now to look at Luke’s changes and see what you can make of them all.
I have finished for the day now. The ball is in your court. Let it bounce and stroke it back, take it on the full and volley it back to me or let it bounce and don’t hit it, thereby letting me win the point. Up to you. See you back here among the crowd for the next Gem.
Think for yourself and let others enjoy the privilege of doing so too.
Dale Carnegie
It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives. It’s what we do consistently.
Anthony Robbins
Don’t judge people by their peak of excellence; but by the distance they have traveled from the point where they started.
H W Beecher
A wish is a desire without energy!
Anon
Better to be a nerd than one of the herd!
Anon