Image: Modern tourists visit a site which claims to be "The Dungeon at Caiphas' house"
Note:
Here are some notes from the exposition of Luke 22:63-65 from the am
sermon on 8.17.14 Christ on Trial:
And the men that held Jesus mocked
him, and smote him (Luke 22:63).
Luke begins: “And the
men that held Jesus…” The verb here is synecho.
In addition to simply holding, the verb also has the sense of to
surround, to hem in, or to encircle.
This is before the age when people thought anything about the humane treatment
of prisoners or those in custody. In the
first century you were guilty unless proven innocent and the punishment began
even before your trial ended.
Ironically, it is the life and teachings of the man they encircle that
will result in humane treatment for those accused of crimes.
Luke continues, saying “they mocked him [empaizo: ridicule, make fun
of, trick, or deceive], and smote him [dero: beat, strike, hit].” We don’t know which was worse, the emotional
abuse they inflicted or the physical abuse.
I feel sure that no blow they laid upon him hurt as much, humanly
speaking, than when his eyes locked on Peter’s at the moment of his third and
emphatic denial (v. 61 a). Blows were
laid upon our Lord that the eye could not see.
And when they had
blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy,
who is it that smote thee? (Luke 22:64).
In v. 64 we see one example of both this emotional and
physical abuse laid upon our Lord. The
guards apparently had picked upon from the trial that Jesus was acclaimed as a
prophet by the people. So, they thought
it would be great fun to blindfold him [perikalypto]
and to strike him in the face, all the while saying, “Prophesy, who is it that
smote thee?” Get it? We complain about bullying today, but we
don’t know what bulling is—what the bullying was like that our Lord underwent
for our sakes.
We see first the physical brutality Jesus endured. The verb here for “to strike” used of their
hitting Jesus in the face [a description omitted in many modern translations]
is typto. It is the root for the English word “type”
which has the sense to hit so as to leave a mark or impression or, we might
say, a bruise. Some of us are old enough
to remember typewriters where a key with a raised letter would strike the
ribbon held to the paper and leave a mark.
Recall:
Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded
for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the
chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are
healed.
We see
also the irony of their mockery. What
have we seen in this Gospel? Jesus is a
great prophet. What he prophesies comes
to pass. He sends men toward Jerusalem
and tells them they will find a donkey upon which he will ride and they go and
find it as he said (cf. 19:29-34). He
sends men to prepare the upper room and tells them they will see a man with a
pitcher of water and they are to follow and ask a room of him. And they find it
exactly as he said (cf. 22:7-13). He
predicts one will betray him and Judas does (cf. 22:21-23, 47-48). He predicts Peter will deny him before the
cock crows, and he does (cf. 22:34, 56-62).
Perhaps the greatest irony is that Jesus predicted their very mockery
and his own death as well as he resurrection:
Luke 9:22 Saying, The Son of
man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests
and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.
Their
mockery reminds me of the Russian cosmonauts who went into space and reported
they could not find God there, so he must not exist. Silly men.
You prove nothing when you claim God does not exist, because you cannot
see him. So these men prove nothing but
their own spiritual darkness in mocking our Lord who is the perfect Prophet,
Priest, and King.
And many other things blasphemously spake they
against him (Luke 22:65).
Notice
especially Luke’s conclusion in v. 65. The
word that stands out here is the verb blasphemeo. Though it can mean to speak against, slander,
or insult a man, the most powerful meaning of the verb, of course, is to speak
sacrilegiously or profanely about God.
What is Luke’s not so subtle point?
To blaspheme Jesus is to blaspheme God, because Jesus is Lord! Perhaps Luke gave us this verse to alleviate
our disgust at how Christ was so shamefully treated. The one whom these men scorn and ridicule,
myriads will fall down before and worship.
Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle
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