Introduction

Understanding the 6 points of the text:

It was now about the sixth hour (noon), and darkness came over the entire land until the ninth hour (3pm), 45 because the sun stopped shining;

The metaphor of darkness,

Creation, “…darkness was over the

surface of the deep;” Genesis 1:2,

Judgment, “And it will come about in that day,” declares the Lord God, “That I shall make the sun go down at noon and make the earth dark in broad daylight.”

Heaven, Rev. 21:23, “…for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.”

…and the veil of the temple was torn in two.

The Temple Veil’s significance,

Separated a holy God from an unholy people with an

intermediary once per year.

Tearing the Veil:

1. Judgment,

2. Opening,

3. End,

4. Equal Access.

“Judgment and grace are side by side.”

Dr. Darrell Bock

46 And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Your hands I entrust My spirit.” And having said this, He died.

The statement of trust, Psalm 31:5

A Psalm of Lament: Even in defeat, believers are victorious.

47 Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he began praising God, saying, “This man was in fact innocent.”

The Lukan theme of the innocence of Jesus,

Pontius Pilate, Herod Antipas, a criminal, creation and lastly the Centurion.

48 And all the crowds who came together for this spectacle, after watching what had happened, began to return home, beating their chests.

The confession of guilt by the crowd,

49 And all His acquaintances and the women who accompanied Him from Galilee were standing at a distance, seeing these things.

The fear of Jesus followers,

So What?!

What has any of this got to do with me?

#1. The barrier between you and God is destroyed.

#2. The faithfulness of the Father is reliable.

#3. The goal of communion is self reflection.

Jesus the Philosopher: Acceptance

Luke 23:44-49, March 16 & 19, 2023

Prayer Requests:

Group Discussion: Have you ever witnessed an accident; car crash, bicycle wreck, a child’s bruised or skinned knee, a perfectly rational adult falling off a roof??? What was your reaction?

Read out loud: Luke 23:44-49,

Which one of the 6 points Luke makes in his text was new to you? What was meaningful about it? How does it relate to your everyday life?

What has any of this got to do with me? Discuss each point:

#1. The barrier between you and God is destroyed. Do you think that not-yet-followers of Jesus believe there is a barrier between them and God? How does the average non-believer describe God or conceive of God.

Read Ephesians 2:1-8, what words does it use about our spiritual condition before we encounter the grace of Jesus? Do you think the average person feels like they’re an enemy of God before they come to Christ?

How do you think the Priests explained the torn veil? Because the veil inside the Temple was only seen by a limited number of Priests do you think there was talk all over Jerusalem about the veil being torn or do you think the Priests were able to keep a lid on that information?

#2. The faithfulness of the Father is reliable. Luke tells that the last words of Jesus on the cross was, “Father, into Your hands I entrust my spirit.” Jesus never fails to call and describe God as His Father. That one term changed how the Jewish people felt about God. Is the term Father a good term for you to think about God or not? Why or why not? What was one good attribute about your earthly father.

When Jesus said He entrusted His spirit to God, even while dying, how do you succeed and fail in entrusting your life into God’s hands? Do you trust Him with your life, kids, finances, habits, church attendance, sharing your faith? Where do you need to trust Him more?

#3. The goal of communion is self reflection. What do you think about when you’re taking the elements of communion?

Family Time: Read Luke 23:44-49 to your kids. Talk about why the Temple Veil was torn in two. We now have total personal access to God. Tell them about how you pray and what you talk to God about when you’re feeling stressed or concerned. Ask them what you can pray for concerning anything their concerned about. Then pray with them.