SATAN ACTIVE AT THE CROSS: WHILE CHRIST TRIUMPHED IN DEATH.

Luke 22 tells how Christ warned that ‘This is your hour; and the power of darkness.’ (v53) Satan gained an apparent victory approaching the crucifixion of our Lord, while Christ achieved the ultimate, abiding triumph. Let’s examine this.

Our Lord Jesus was arrested in the Garden, where ’The men mocked Him and blindfolded Him, striking Him on the face, taunting Him, with ’Prophesy. Who is it who struck you?’ (v64) Ridicule could not rob our Lord’s dignity; nor could blindfolding deceive Him); for, if in the realm of medicine, our MRI can distinguish the solid structures from the soft fleshy ones, how much more our Lord followed all that happened. Satan provoked them to ‘Blaspheme‘. Today we adore HIM.

However, they could not tear down the eternal ONE, even as the ‘Elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes came together, irreverently ’Leading Him into their council, that they might ridicule Him, teasing,’ If YOU are the Christ, that is, our Prophet, Priest and King ), tell us. They did not want HIM to affirm this mighty truth,’ Our Lord sternly rebuked them, ‘If I tell you, you will by no means believe. ‘If I also ask you, you will by no means answer ME, nor let ME go.’ Victoriously He continued, ‘Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God.’ Rebelliously, they questioned, ‘Are YOU then the Son of God? ‘Satan had deceived even their religious minds.

The enemy had totally deluded them, for ‘The whole multitude of them arose and led HIM to Pilate. (23:1) ‘They began to accuse HIM. (Satan is the accuser of the brethren). How much more would they assault the Head of the church?’ They fraudulently claimed, ’That Christ perverted the nation (He came to redeem not distort); forbidding them to pay taxes to Caesar,’ (Indeed, He had decreed ’Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.’

Again, Satan openly hated the Lord, ’For they were the more fierce, claiming that He stirred up the people, teaching through all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place.’ (v5) Truly our dear Lord warned those, who, having walked in darkness, longed for the Light of God to flood the whole Of Judea. They should have commended His dedicated teaching of the Kingdom of God.

Do you recall how the evil King Ahab falsely accused Elijah, saying ‘Are you the one who troubles Israel?’ The reverse was true. Satan confuses and twists truth.

Pilate tried to ‘pass the buck’ in looking to the ill-famed King Herod, in whose geographical jurisdiction, our Lord belonged. However, the word ‘exousia’ means right and might; power and liberty; authority and jurisdiction. Satan had duped Pilate into forgetting that our Lord had all ‘Power and authority’ invested in Him.

Let’s profit from Herod’s failure, by recognising our Lord’s total jurisdiction.

The dignified Son of God refused to answer the cantankerous Herod, who expected some miracle from the Lord. In an electric atmosphere, ‘The chief priests and scribes ( men who should have known the scriptures by rote ) stood (manoeuvred is the sense ) and vehemently accused Him.’ Satan pressured the beloved Son of God. Miserable, scheming, religious leaders had been tricked by the enemy!

The king debased our Lord for ‘Herod with his man of war, treated HIM with contempt and mocked HIM, ‘Adding insult to injury by’ Arraying Him in a gorgeous robe, and sending Him back to Pilate.’ The Son of God yearned for love and understanding; however, the enemy of souls determined to drag HIM down even on His way to the cross. All hell conspired against Him.

Two evil men struck up a friendship, for Pilate and Herod had been at loggerheads prior to this. The only lasting fellowship is in the Lord Jesus, when lives are washed in the blood of the Lamb. Their friendship would dissolve as ice in a furnace.

Pilate remonstrated with the chief priests, the rulers and the people,, ‘You have brought this Man to me as One who misleads the people,’ Then he chided, ‘I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things, of which you accuse Him’ adding, ’No, neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him, and indeed, nothing worthy of death has been done by Him. I will therefore chastise HIM and release HIM.’ (14-16) Drunk with Rome’s power, Pilate had no right to chastise (with the scourge and rods,) an innocent Person, especially the Holy One of God. Satan ruled.

Pilate and Herod will stand before this same Lord, the JUDGE of the whole earth,

The devil’s orchestra struck up booming, ’Away with this person, (they could not call Him a man) and release to us Barabbas.’ (v18) The word away indicates misappropriating a life, lifting Him up (as on a cross) and causing His life to be taken. ‘It embraces all the events leading to the cross. (Strong’s Concordance)

What the uplifting, heart-warming Hallelujah Chorus is to believers, satan’s hellish, sinister ‘Crucify HIM, crucify HIM ‘was to the renegade priesthood. With all their fury, they shouted, screaming for His blood. No more devilish scene occurred since God created man on the earth. ‘Out of the heart of man’ proceeded this abusive torrent, in which our dear Saviour maintained His dignified calm and true poise.

Pilate made his last stand to acquit our Lord. ‘He said to them the third time, ‘Why, what evil has He done? I have found no cause of death in Him. I will therefore, chastise Him and let Him go.’ (v22) Pilate could not withstand the satanic fury of the religious leaders, even though they were schooled in the Old Testament law and prophets. Depressingly sad, viewing the oppression of the leaders, determined to take the life of the only pure and holy One. Yet our Lord emerged as VICTOR.

Remember: He was delivered for our offences, and raised again for our justification.

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