Unashamed with the Robertson Family - Ep 829 | Would Jesus Have Been a Democrat or Republican? & Jase Challenges Zach's Manhood

Episode Date: February 2, 2024

Jase’s challenge of Zach’s handling of the squirrel infestation in his home makes Zach feel a little insecure, and Phil declares he’s going to talk about Jesus no matter how silly it might seem to the world. The guys study the political landscape of Jesus’ time, how politicians gain and stay in power, and how Jesus’ own politics transcend everything we know about power. Plus, what happened to King Herod, Pontius Pilate, and Barabbas after Jesus’ resurrection? In this episode: Luke 23, verses 26-49; Hosea 10, verses 2-15; Acts 1, verses 3-8; Romans 9, verses 23-26 -- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I am unashamed. What about you? So welcome back to Unashame. It's always good to have it. I'm down here at the southern layer. Zach is out in the, would you be the eastern layer, I guess? We never really named your place, but you're out, you're in North Carolina. I'm in the, I'm in the Appalachian layer. The Appalachian layer. Look, if we're going to take the whole U.S., we're going to have to move someone out west. Phil, you want to go out to L.A.? Relocate.

I'm not that much of a traveling man anymore. Phil said the L.A. he's in it right now is just fine. They do appear. Yesterday they were there. Some from the far north. And I've already forgotten them, but they just say it where they were from. And it was not from Louisiana. No.

Yeah, they come from all around, which, Look, our last podcast, if you got to listen, it was like we never got started. Yeah. It was, we all had these rents. I knew it was going to happen because I could tell the way we were talking before we ever started rolling. I thought we're never going to get to the text. We did have a massive Phil rant right in the middle. Well, I had a dream and Phil had a rant.

And somewhere in between that, when we got ready to start, it was over. And, but we concluded, you know, Phil's rant, I think I can sum up your rant, which is making me nervous to try to do that. But you basically went through the idea where Jesus was predicted. And then Jesus predicted that he would die, be bearing raised. And all of Jesus's followers had a very hard time wrapping their head around that. Yep. And I concluded, based on what we had read from Luke, when they brought the accusation against Jesus in verse 5 and 6, they were saying,

look, he's stirring up all the people by this teaching. And of course, they had other accusations. He's saying you shouldn't pay your taxes. And I just made a point that when you get to the actual crucifixion of Jesus, the burial of Jesus, and the resurrection that are in all of the Gospels, in detail of what happened. Jesus was more concerned about what he was doing for us to see that as humans

than what he was saying. It's like he did all this teaching up until then and all this predicting, and then all of a sudden he went into, let me show you. He had a meal with the disciples. He washed their feet. He was led to a cross,

And so my point was that is the problem people even today have their have a issue with wrapping their heads around because this is contrary to everything that we deem as successful or powerful or enlightening. These are all things that we wouldn't want to do. We don't want to wash people's feet. We don't want to host meals because it's uncons. uncomfortable. It's costly. It's time-consuming. It's exhausting. And we sure don't want to die on a cross because it makes us look like we're guilty. If we hadn't done anything, it would be an injustice. Or it's just a gruesome thing to read about. So Jesus focused on showing us God's love, rather than given some long line of theology and what I thought my point the second point I was going to make that we ran

at a time on was you know you realize what this means if that is true if if Jesus showed power in a different way through weakness through serving through giving himself up where it cost him he is being exhausted if that's true if that was the true character of God based on love that he wanted to show us and that people reject that and that's why they don't want to come to Jesus. What that means is, is if you follow Jesus, you're going to look stupid. And I think that's true. Or who cares? Yeah, but I'm saying that that is the issue. That's why people don't wrap their head around that. That's why the disciples didn't get the prediction. Because why why would you want to follow someone who's saying, I'm going to die. I'm going to say. I'm going to say.

suffer, I'm going to be rejected, I'm going to be insulted, and I'm going to die. Well, if you follow that person. Because three days later, I'll arise from the dead. That's why I'm doing. Well, it's easy. Once he came back from the dead, it's easier. But I'm saying in the moment, if you're like, oh, yeah, and then I'm going to come back in three days.

Well, if you're a human, Phil, and you had no concept of an actual person coming back from the dead. then you give them the information about this one because they can search. Which is my point. That's why he shows you. But he's right there in front of him. Yeah. He's not hard to find.

Which to your point, Jay, when we get into the text, it's interesting because they even used the three-day thing against him in the moment because you remember they were saying, he says he can, you know, rebuild the temple in three days. Why don't you come down off that cross then? I mean, you know, the very thing he promised in the resurrection, they were using it as an insult in a way to mock him during the process. That's Jason's point there. My point is how, just think about every day how much you do to try to not look stupid. I mean, Zach has a new nickname right now, just an illustration that popped in my head, Zay.

His new nickname is Squirley. And it's not just because he couldn't take care of a flying squirrel. Zach, do you want to give us the update? Because I already know the update. Let's just say that another species or another type of squirrel found its way to the house. So we had a real squirrel, like a big squirrel, like the kind of you guys shoot and kill and eat in the house about five days after the last episode. I got it on video. And why are you so reluctant to share this new development?

Because last time I felt like there was a lot of judgment coming from some people. There was accusations thrown my way. There were. Your fatherhood. You challenged your manhood. I mean, I was eviscerated by Jace. I mean, I mean, yeah, I felt like I needed to repent. I went down front on Sunday morning,

that the elders to anoint me with all. I mean, we were full-fledged into it, man. The reason I mentioned that when I gave my little rant, they still did not understand from Scripture, from Scripture,

that Jesus had to rise from the dead. That's a good point. That is a good point from Scripture. There's a point to them, and that's what Jason's point is. I mean, they're it is outlandish that this could even happen, be offered can and you're on your way it is difficult to say I can get out of here alive

based on what Jesus has done for me and not on my own so fast forward 2,000 years why do people why are they anxious nervous and do not want to go out and share Jesus into this world why do they look stupid why do they not want to do it because they're not fully convinced that it happened I think they don't want to look stupid Are they, they're afraid they're going to say the wrong. It is stupid, Jace. They're marching on TV all the time. And they say, do what?

You actually believe you can be raised from the dead? Yeah. You see, that's at the heart. The first person I ever shared Jesus with that I was looking at, you know, I've told that story many times. I've shared Jesus with a prank caller. But it was easier because they weren't saying anything, and I didn't know who it was.

But the first actual live human in front of me, I was convinced that this was so powerful that when I share this, that my best friend from high school was just going to fall on his knees, get a tear in his eye, and say, I accept Jesus. I yesterday morning. You know what his response was? Well, that's dumb. Yeah.

Now, he did change and came, but it took a couple of years. But what my point is, it devastated. me when there wasn't an instant reaction that was positive. It devastated me, I thought. Same way when he was on the earth in person. Over and over and over. But the thing here that I think Jason is hitting that's great point. Like, if you, these things are spiritually discern and it is a incredible paradox that

that Jesus is bringing. I mean, he is saying the pathway to fulfillment. And because everybody has a version in their mind of what the good life is. And we share that, I think, culturally, too. Like the good life is and then fill in the blank. And if you asked, you know, 10 people that question, probably all of them are going to say something. It's going to be about accumulation. It's going to be about preservation.

It's going to be about power. But it's all going to be like elevation of self. That's what we think the good. life is. And what Jesus is doing here, I mean, in addition to paying for our sins, he's also showing the kingdom ethic, which is the complete opposite, that the first shall be last. How good were the lives of Peter? How good were the lives of the one who said, good night, I believe. I believe he's the way. Oh, it changed them.

I mean, had their lifestyle go. But it took a while. Peter was killed. Paul was killed. A lot of them gave their life, Jason. They did, but eventually. But in the short term, they couldn't, I'm trying to answer your question, why they didn't get it in the moment. And it was because it seemed stupid.

Yep. This doesn't seem like anything powerful. You are correct. So my point was Jesus, he didn't get in this theological. debate with these supposed, and I mean supposed powerful people. You remember, look, the only statement that all of the Gospels agree with in these interactions with Pilate and Herod was when they said, so you're a king? And it's a really difficult translation when you look at it in chapter 23.

And he says, you say. That's what it says. I looked at the Greek. You say. But it also says. But my point is, he didn't say, let me give you, not only am I a king, I created you. I mean, that's what I would say. He didn't get into the theological.

He said, you say, my point is he showed them what true power was in week. There's a fine Bible text to cover what you're saying. In my former book, the one he wrote, Theophilus, who wrote the book of Acts? Luke there's Luke I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven you say yeah but a person I can't agree with that because that's the craziest thing I've ever heard after giving instructions to the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen after his suffering he showed himself to these men he gave many convincing proofs jace that he was alive he appeared to him over a period of 40 days and he spoke of about the kingdom. So, I mean, to a lot of people, Luke is saying here, look, they're not getting it, but I'm just telling you, so when they met together, they asked, Lord, are you that this time going to restore the kingdom of heaven? You don't need to be worried about that. You need to be worried about your salvation and me removing your sin and having the power to raise you from

the dead. That's what you need to concentrate on. So the ones who are saying, I think that's the craziest thing I've ever heard. Well, it sounds pretty far out there. Well, I'm saying in this picture. Do you have another, anything that will beat it? Well, that's what we tend to go with, but I'm just going down a different avenue saying that when you think of power and politics, you got, let's just get the, I guess, four characters here. You have Pilate, you have Herod's son, you have Jesus, and you have Barat.

in where we're at. These are four political figures. Yep. Because Barabbas was imprisoned because he's out there revolting against. He's a revolutionary. He's out there causing insurrection against the established government. So he's actually doing what Jesus is being accused of, but Jesus is not doing it violently. Yep.

So you take those four entities in what we're doing. Well, we know how Pilate and Herod got their power or how they view it. Because in politics, then and now, you think, what do politicians do? They coerce and convince people. That's how you become a person of power. So secondly, they're all into self-preservation. Because that's the most important thing. You have to convince people that you're the person.

or stay in power yeah and then you got to stay in power that's why they're accusing him like when he was on the cross save yourself where's your self-preservation are you a king they want to hear his theology convince us because that's what politics and power is all about give us your stump speech give us yeah give us yeah give us the campaign but he would not participate in that conversation starting at the trials. He got off that. And so my whole point is they were trying to interrogate him using the basic ideals of politics and power. And he did something else.

His platform, in which I was trying to get to for two podcasts, he showed them love and resurrection. because that's basically was his political platform was watch this. He washed the disciples' feet. He had a meal implying that he is the Passover lamb, not only for the Jewish nation, but the implication would be for the entire world. So you've got it down between Republicans and Democrats. No.

How faithful are they? That's my point is Jesus is. politics transcends any kind of political power, including Republicans and Democrats. But I'm saying the motive, his platform was acts of love. That's indicative of his real power, Jason. I mean, I just had this conversation last night with one of my kids about how to respond to conflict. I'm like, and I mean, it was a conflict going on.

And I mean, when I tell you, the justice meter was like through the roof. and I was like, hey, I won't tell you which kid it was, but I was like, hey, we'll just call him John, because I don't have a kid named John. I was like, John, your energy level is like through the roof. Like, you need to like, like, you're way to like bring it down. And I said, when you get that worked up, like, and you notice people like, if I'm out of, if I'm really threatened and you put me in a corner, like a, you put a raccoon in a cage and then you try to go in there. I mean, that, that thing's in the corner. he's coming at you. And that's people who,

that's when you don't have power is when you come at it like that, which is interesting because you're so fearful of losing whatever you have or whatever. You're just in fight or flight mode. Jesus, to your point, I mean, this is actually a display of incredible power.

He's not threatened. He's not, I mean, he's sitting there like, I mean, the old song we used to sing in church, he could have called 10,000 angels. I mean,

but everything that he did was, it was, I'm not going to, I don't have to justify myself to you. And it wasn't an arrogant way. It was just like, I don't have to justify myself because I don't. But I will show you the kingdom. And that's not to say that theology is not important and the doctrine is not important. But I, man, but I will tell you that we have lifted up these things and we hide behind them. I think you're right.

We do it today too. We hide behind that. We've mentioned this verse many, many times on the podcast. He just says this when he talks to the Pharisees about the scriptures even. What does he say? You study the scriptures, and by them you think you're saying, but you miss me. And when he says, you miss me, like, he is living out the kingdom. He's the embodiment of the kingdom.

And I think there's an incredible, incredible beauty in there that is, that is actually the keys to joy. So he says that for the joy set before him, he endured. the cross that you got to keep you got to hone in on that joy that's being displayed in the son of man serving like there's something in that for us as well to embody that same spirit it is completely transcendent though because it is not how we operate as humans i was just going to say um i wanted to read you a take on this because it's so good and it really ties into what everybody is talking about and this was from a devotion a little daily devotional reading it and it had Max Licato from his book, God came near. He had this take. And here was the

verse that he wrote what he wrote to. This, it was from Acts 2, 23. Peter's given the first sermon about Jesus. Yep. And he said, Jesus of Nazareth was handed over to you by God's set purpose and for knowledge. And you with the help of wicked men put him to death by nailing him to the cross. And he just made that statement of fact. But listen to what LeCato's, I thought this was so good. I just wanted to interject this in our conversation. And this is from God came near. He said, Jesus's death was not the result of a panicking cosmological engineer.

The cross wasn't a tragic surprise. Calvary was not a knee-jerk response to a world plummeting toward destruction. It wasn't a patch-up job or a stopgap measure. The moment the forbidden fruit touched the lips of Eve, the shadow of a cross appeared on the horizon. And between that moment and the moment the man with the mallet placed the spike against the wrist of God, a master plan was fulfilled. And I just thought, you know, and only the way Licato can. I mean, he really paints the picture that all this was set in motion way before this moment they were reading about.

That's why there's no surprises here. I mean, Jesus knew the whole time. And so it's really interesting when you try to look at it from God's perspective and you see the power of it. You see why Jesus in those terrible moments could be so confident because he knew exactly what he was doing. Yeah. Well, that was my point. Jesus didn't come to bring some kind of agenda, you know, or a rule book. You read Paul's take on it in Romans 5 when it said, we were powerless.

Christ died for the ungodly. And then in verse 8, he says, God, but God demonstrates his own love for us in this. Whatever this is, he's fixed to say, is a demonstration of God's love. While we were sinners, Christ died for us. And so my point is why he wasn't arguing, why the disciples didn't get it, why this was all of a sudden he's not saying a whole lot, why he didn't send 10,000 angels.

because all of that would have been fighting fire with fire in what they thought true power was. It's like Napoleon once said, I built a kingdom on force, and then it all melted away. It doesn't work. It's a superficial power. Just think about if it's true, if it's true that the God of the Bible is the supreme being, and it's true that he created the heavens and the earth, like just with a spoken word. I mean, just you start to imagine that kind of power. And it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, to imagine then to him coming in that way would almost be belittling of him because it's like, why, like, why would God need to create a bunch of finite humans and then come and dominate his power over?

I mean, yeah, he doesn't need that. I mean, I think that's, I think that's the whole point that Paul. kind of makes in Acts 17, he says, God doesn't need us. He doesn't dwell in temples built by man's hands as if God needed anything. Yeah, he doesn't. He gives all men life and breath. And so I think that even in the very nature of God, I mean, like, it really does, to me, it elevates his power when you see, like, who he is in his essence. And that I think that there was a question that was asked one time of a theologian out of, I can't remember the guy's name, out of Princeton. he asked the question, what was God doing before he initiates creation?

When all that exists is the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit, what was God doing? Was he pouring out his wrath? And the answer he said, no, well, wow, because there wasn't any sin or anyone to pour wrath out on. Was God levying out mercy? Well, no, because there wasn't any infraction for God to have mercy on. Was God exercising his sovereignty? Well, no, because there wasn't anything for God to be sovereign. and over you. All those things come into being when God creates. But then, then there's sin.

Then there's something to be sovereign ever. But he said, what God was doing is he was loving. He was loving himself because God exists as Father's Son and Holy Spirit eternally. And I think that in that relationship of the Father's Son and the Spirit and who he actually is, you see that, like bleeding through all of Jesus' life and everything that he did, like emptying out himself. You know, the old psalmy saying, come to the fountain. He's a fountain. He's Emmanuel's veins are a fountain. I mean, everything is like outflowing, overpouring, abundant, outward focused. And you just see this, like love of God spilling out. And I think that's what we're all looking for anyways. And so what happens is, though, I think as religious people,

we have a tendency to try to corral God through our creedal systems and our manmade. you know, some of the stuff's correct even. And we could be theologically correct on something and not display any love in our heart for people and not really live it. And I think Jesus is like, you've missed it. Like you've missed what I came to do. Like it's purely a cognitive exercise for you. And that's not what I was bringing.

I wasn't bringing in a cognitive understanding. Did bring that. But I also brought a new way of living in the kingdom, God coming here and living with you, living in being in you and then you guys treating each other in the same way. Let's play a little game. Where are they now? So you have Herod Antipus. Now this is history, so, you know, trying to prove all this,

this, spent an hour looking this up. He died after being exiled, lost all his money and power. so he died with nothing. Pilot was exiled, possibly committed suicide after he had killed a bunch of Samaritans who were basically treasure hunters. That's why this got my attention. They were looking for artifacts from Moses' day, and he killed them all. He was exiled, died with no power, no money.

And Barabbas is a mystery. You know, there's been movies about him because you think, he literally represented what Jesus did for everyone in that he was allowed to go free. And so that's always been compelling to people because you think, how did he respond? Because the Bible doesn't say you would think, now there's, you know, a lot of theories and I read them all. Some say he continued his revolution against the establishment because he didn't recognize Jesus as, the Christ, even though he was, you know, he got freed because of that. Then others say that he, you know, changed his heart, watched the cross.

Well, then you say, well, what happened to Jesus? Well, he's at the right hand of God. And his political platform, actually, when you think about what it did, if it's true that politics and people in politics, you use coercion and self-preservation, to be successful. Jesus took that, and by his death, barrel, and resurrection,

he doesn't coerce people. He changes, transforms people into new creations because of his love. And through his resurrection, you talk about self-preservation, how could you get better self-preservation

in having his promised Holy Spirit as a guarantee of living forever. And the fact that he's still preserved in life shows you that he has the greatest political platform that was ever conceived. And so I think it's good just to stop and look at that on what he was representing and the lack of understanding that people were getting it.

Then you fast forward 2,000 years and say, oh, but I think if you leave out the love, you don't realize on what, that does for us now. Because if Jesus hadn't done it this way, we would still be tempted to go out there and try to

make a lot of money, be powerful, to get everyone to like us, just like every other person does in life. But what do we do as representatives of the royal priest of with Jesus being the chief priest?

We go out there and we love. We humble ourselves. We sacrifice. we sacrifice, we host meals, we wash people's feet, we spread the love of Christ. That was his plan. It wasn't just that the cross owe its payment for our sins and we can kick our feet up and say, okay, now we wait. No, he wanted us to be his royal priesthood. So I just think when you look at the demonstration of what not only Jesus did on the cross,

but everything leading up to it in his interaction with the supposed powerful beings of that day. He did it so that we could be Jesus in this world presently. This is a line. I pulled this up here. I thought this was good. It's kind of the correlation between or kind of a comparison of the church and the kingdom of God. And this is from Willard.

He says churches are not the kingdom of God, but are primarily and investable expressions outpost and instrumentalities of the presence of the kingdom among us. They are societies of Jesus springing up in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria into the farthest points of the earth as the reality of Christ is brought to bear on ordinary human life, which I think is kind of what you were saying. That's what we're doing. We're outposts, we're outposts to the kingdom.

And where we go, we take the presence of God with us and people see that. And I've thought a lot about this over the last few years because I've had a, you know, I made a run, a political run. And I'm not saying, I think that politics are important and policy is important. And policy does impact and influence culture. And so the big question is, though, like, how do we, how does the kingdom people, how do we engage in that? How we, how we be a part of that?

And because on the other end, we're saying, guys, like, like politics is going to is not the answer. But it doesn't mean that matter. So there's that tension there of what do we do with it? And I think the answer is this is that like we, we, we involved in policymaking and things. I think the church needs to be involved in that. But the truth is is that that in and of itself, and that means of power is not going to be the hope of anything. It has to be, it has to be anchored in the transatlantic. of hearts. And what Jesus was emphasizing in his ministry was the transformation of the human heart.

Consequently, that had profound impact politically, on the whole world. The whole world was changed forever. And slavery was abolished in the name of Jesus. I mean, there's a lot of things that happened. Sicknesses were cured. Hospitals were created and healthcare was established. I mean, there's a lot of things that have happened because of the, of heart. hearts being transformed orphanages and whatnot. But the key for kingdom people, first and foremost, is our hope is in, is in the transformation of the heart as people come to know this new way of life in Jesus. And consequently, it's joyful and it's fulfillment. That's why Psalms 34, what's the call, to come taste the Lord to see that he's good.

And that's the, that is the transformation that my desires, my, my longings, how my heart is indexed, the trajectory of it, that all can be transformed by Jesus. And as it is, I actually experience something that is profoundly beautiful and wonderful, even in the midst of suffering, even in the midst of political turmoil, even in the midst of persecution, even in the midst of death. As a believer in Jesus participating in the kingdom, I have a tangible joy that is expressed in my life that transcends all of that. And that's, by the way, how you account for the church exploding in places like underground China or exploding in Iran and in the Middle East in places where the name of Jesus is just

fiercely being persecuted. How does it grow? It grows, not by power. It grows because people are seeing a tangible expression of the joy that Jesus had before he went to the cross. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, that's it. And that joy is so powerful that it transcends any earthly suffering. And it is a complete paradigm shift in the way we see power.

So I want to read the text. Well, are you going to read? 23. 26. All right, before you read it, all I wanted to say is, so from 2266, to 25 where we left off, I basically just summed up with two points in this episode where Jesus is before Herod and he's before Pollitt

because they say three or four times, which we didn't talk about, that they couldn't find a basis against him. They keep saying that. But we're at the handoff here, so why did they hand him off? Well, they handed him off because with loud shouts in verse 23 of 23,

they insistently demanded that he be crucified and their shouts prevailed. So Pilate decided to grant their demand. And I just wanted to say something that in that whole section, the two things that came out to me, more than any other, was Jesus was way better than advertised.

Because you think about all these politicians who do these little ads, you know, vote for me. They're trying to coerce people. They're trying to preserve their status. And so they're trying to do the right thing, but they don't consider Jesus a threat. Because you got to remember, Herod, he had a, there was a quote I wrote down somewhere, where it said it was better to be one of his pigs than his children.

Because if you crossed him, he'd kill you. If there was any threat to his power, he killed a number of people in his family to preserve his power. So the fact that they're not wanting to crucify Jesus tells you that they did not get it. They didn't recognize him as a threat, which is really the greatest insult I think you could ever put on your opponent. Because they're like, he's a nobody. He's a nut. He's just a carpenter from somewhere talking about a bunch of things that he claims to be God. But Jesus was way better than advertised because of his demonstrating love.

And the political leaders, Pilate and Herod, they were more focused on winning the crowd than loving the crowd and doing what was right. And I think that's the key difference in what Jesus was representing. and what they were because it just shows you how hypocritical they are. I mean, you just think about it, they didn't find any basis for him being punished and crucified, and yet they allowed it to happen. So there was a lack of love. What kind of person does that? A person who is only concerned about superficial power and controlling people and their status.

I mean, it's very fascinating to me. It also shows you the sinister force that was at work inciting the crowd to shout crucifixion, and that was the Jewish hierarchy of leadership. You were right not to put him in the political category because they didn't really have the power to kill him, but they certainly had an influence on all the people because they did want him dead. And if you think about it, it was really the evil one was so much a part of this, because why would the people who many of those were the same people that had been following him around? Why were they so, you know, bloodlust for killing him anyway?

But you know, it's because they thought, well, look at him. We thought he was going to be the new Messiah and lead us into power and he's broken and beaten. And like, he's a failure. That's why all of a sudden they wanted to. I'm convinced it was the fact he wasn't. They lacked one single thing they didn't have. love exactly that that's the whole point

how could you know that a guy was innocent and you have boast is not proud it's not rude if not self-seek it keeps no record or wrong you say if you don't have love well they didn't love Jesus because they thought he was innocent and they couldn't find a basis

and yet even though they might have not had any specific control or power in the moment, all they had to do was say, it's just not right. And that's what's so frustrating about political leaders. At the end of the day, more times than not, they're going to do what's in their best interests, and they're going to try to win the crowd rather than stand up when they know something is right or wrong and get out there and risk the idea of looking stupid. They just weren't going to take up for him.

But I think in that is a radical question for us to realize that if you embrace Jesus, there's no way around it. You're going to be demonized and insulted because of that and perhaps made to look stupid. Well, and it's also just the frustration in religious leadership that should know better and yet doesn't. And that's what you see here as well. Let's take our last break. So what I want to do is I want to read this. this is Luke 23, 26 to 49, which is basically going to be his crucifixion of death. And when you study this, Jesus was mentioning, when I was preparing for a podcast,

you have to study all four versions to get the whole picture because they all have some different things they focus on. But let's do the Luke one. And then we'll post me in the next podcast talking about some of the things that were said and done while he was on the cross. So starts in verse 26. as they led him away to be crucified. They seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and they put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. Now, when Trent was on, he talked about that idea being, you know, kind of a share of the load kind of a moment, which I thought was pretty interesting. A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him.

And by the way, Luke is the only one that mentions this out of the four Gospels. And he's been talking about this the whole time about Jerusalem. Jesus turned and said to them, daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me. Weep for yourselves and for your children. For the time will come when you will say blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed. Then, he said this, they will say to the mountains, fall on us and the hills cover us, which is an Old Testament quote. For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?

So again, he's predicting the destruction of Jerusalem, which he's talked about in several cases. And Luke really seems to highlight that. So he's the only one that mentions that he said this on his way to the cross. Verse 32, two other men, both criminals were also let out with him to be executed. when they came to the place called the skull, there they crucified him along with the criminals, one on his right and the other on his left. Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. And they divided up his clothes by casting lots, talking with the soldiers that were there,

because that's really all he had. The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said he saved others. Let him save himself. If he is the Christ of God, the chosen one, the soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine, vinegar, and said, if you are the king of the Jews, save yourself. There was a written notice above him, which read, this is the king of the Jews. And John goes into that quite a bit, which we'll talk about later.

One of the criminals who hung their hurled insults at him, aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us. but the other criminal rebuked him. Don't you fear God, he said, since you are under the same sentence. We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve, but this man has done nothing wrong. Then he said, Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Or some versions say come into your power. Jesus answered, am I tell you the truth today, you will be with me in paradise.

Verse 44, it was now about the sixth. hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. So it was three hours of darkness. For the sun stopped shining, and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit. When he had said this, he breathed his last. The centurion, seeing what had happened, praise God, and said, surely this was a righteous man. When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place. They beat their breast and went away. But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a

distance watching these things. So that, in essence, is Luke's version of the crucifixion and the death of Jesus. And he's the only one that mentioned the part at the beginning about the destruction of Jerusalem. Well, and a lot of people, they say, well, how are you getting the destruction of Jerusalem out of that? Which we'll have to take a side note here. And that's in verse 28, where he said, Jesus said, daughters Jerusalem, do not wait for me,

weep for yourselves and for your children. Because you're like, what an odd thing to say. For the time will come when you will say, blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never, bore and the breasts that never nursed. Then here's the quote. They will say to the mountains fall on us and to the hills, cover us.

So you're really, if you don't know Josea, which is where that's at, you're like, well, how are you getting the destruction of Jerusalem out of that? So if you read Jose, that's Josea 10. Let me find Josea, which may take a minute. And while you're looking at, Jay's also one of the other things you can look back to that we've already studied is in Luke 21. Jesus used this exact same language. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers.

There would be great distress in the land and wrath against the people. They will fall by the sword. So it's in that same apocalyptic language that we've already talked about earlier in the book of Luke. And he uses the same thing here to the women. Which in the book of Luke, 21, we made that. We did a lot on that about talking about the. coming destruction. Yeah, and how that ties into the idea of the kingdom, you know, being this

that's already opened and began, but has this 40-year almost, I almost call it like a delay, allowing, you know, the Jewish people to embrace what Christ has done, this kingdom, this new thing that's there. So, I mean, God and his sovereigns and his grace gave these folks such an opportunity to take him up on it. And, of course, a lot of them did. So the reason we're saying that that was a reference to what would happen in AD 70. If you go back and read Hosea chapter 10, which that quote is taken from verse 8. Let me just read you a little bit of this chapter

so you can get a feel for it and where we're getting that. So 10 says, their heart is deceitful and now they must bear their guilt. The Lord will demolish their altars and destroy their sacred stones. So obviously what happened in AD 70 was the destruction of the temple. You remember all the talk that we've done for months about when Jesus said, I am, well, he said, if you destroy this temple, I'll raise it up in three days, John 2.

Because they were looking at those stones. And they're like, it's taking us 46 years to build this temple. And you're going to raise it up in three day. but the temple he was talking about was his body, not that temple. But that temple was destroyed in 8070. So you read verse 3 of Hosea 10. It says, then they will say, we have no king because we did not revere the Lord. But even if we had a king, what could he do for us?

So you see the context of which he made that statement, because I'll skip to verse 8. You can read it all in your own time. verse 8 of Jose 10 the high places of wickedness will be destroyed it is the sin of israel thorns and thistles will grow up and cover their altars then they will say to the mountains cover us and to the hills fall on us which i find interesting that he actually makes a reference from the garden after the sin there where one of the curses would be that for man was that the thorns and thistles would crop up. Then verse 10 of Josea 10,

when I please, I will punish them. Nations will be gathered against them to put them in bonds for their double sin. And you remember what happened in 80, 70, the nations surrounded the city. Then you read verse 12 of Josea 10. So for yourselves, righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love

and break up your unplowed ground, for it is time to seek the Lord until he comes and showers righteousness on you. But you have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception, because you have depended on your own strength and on your many warriors,

the roar of battle will rise against your people so that all your fortresses will be devastated, which again is another reference to put in your faith and power in buildings, armies, temples that are man-made. And so verse 15 of Josea 10, which I think is very profound, thus will it happen to you, O Bethel, which means house of God, because your wickedness is great. When that day dawns, the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.

So that's where we're getting that from. and you could even take it further and look at Paul in Romans 9 in verse 24 and 25. He quotes Josea, and I'll read that just so you can look at this. Where's that? Romans 9, what? 25 and 26. So let me read this. Let me back up and read a couple of verses just so you get it. because he's talking about God's sovereign choice.

Let me just squeeze this in here. So in verse 23, it says, what if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy whom he prepared in advance for glory, even us whom he also called, not only from the Jews, but also from the Gentiles,

as it says in Hosea, I will call them my people who are not my people, and I will call her my loved one, who is not my loved one, and it will happen that, in the very place where it was said to them, you are not by people, they will be called sons of the living God.

And that's Hosea 110 and Hosea 223. Let me add one thing. I love how you said you're going to squeeze that in there. Yeah, sorry. There's a lot. But I feel like we shouldn't just make a statement without backing of that in Josea. There's also similar language here in Revelation 6 that I won't read.

616, but also Isaiah 219, and then Isaiah passage, same concept that something is happening where Israel, as they knew it, is going to go into some sort of captivity and destruction, and the result will be a grafting in of all the nations. And so that's the same vision that you get in Isaiah chapter two as well. that these nations are going to flow uphill, then there's that prophecy, again, of something happening here. So, yeah, we link a lot of this to 80-70. Obviously, this is highly debated inside of Christian circles, but that's the place where we end.

Well, and the point is, Luke has been consistent in this kind of languaging right up to the point of his death, which we'll talk about that. But even in the end of this, Al, I mean, at the end of this, he's going to hit this idea of the curtain ripping, which is temple language. all kind of tied into the imagery here. We can pick up here next time we get together. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So we'll pick this up. I do want to mention I could be wrong, but I doubt it.com is where you go to pre-order one of dad's books that releases on March the 12th. When you do to a pre-order, that helps the sales. So check that out. And we'll see you next time

on Unashamed. Thanks for listening to The Unashamed podcast. Help us out by rating us on iTunes. And don't miss an episode by subscribing on YouTube. And be sure to click that little little bell to get notified about new episodes. And for even more content that you won't get anywhere else, subscribe to blazed TV at blazedtv.com slash unashamed.