Pilate wanted to release Jesus but the crowd loudly demanded his death, so Pilate sentenced Jesus to die. No doubt Pilate did not wAnt to risk losing his position, which may already have been shaky, by allowing a riot to occur in his province. As a career politician, he knew the importance of compromise, and he saw Jesus more as a political threat then as a human being with rights and dignity.

When the stakes are high it is difficult to stand up for what is right, and it is easy to see our opponents as problems to be solved rather than as people to be respected. Had Pilate been a man of real courage, he would have released Jesus no matter what the consequences. But the crowd roared, and Pilate buckled. We are like Pilate when we know what is right, but decide not to do it. When you have a difficult decision to make, don’t discount the effects of peer pressure. Realise before hand that the right decision could have unpleasant consequences: social rejection, career derailment, public ridicule. Then think of Pilate and resolve to stand up for what is right no matter what other people pressure you to do.

23:34. Jesus asked God to forgive the people who were putting him to death — Jewish leaders. Roman politicians and soldiers, bystanders — and God answered that prayer by opening up the way of salvation even to Jesus’ murderers. The Roman Centurian and soldiers who witnessed the crucifixion said. “Surely he was the Son of God”(Matt.27:54). Soon many priests were converted to the Christian faith(Acts 6:7). Because we all are sinners, we all played a part in putting Jesus to deAth. The gospel — the Good News- is that God is gracious. He will forgive us and give us new life through his Son.

24:6,7. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the central fact of human history. On it, the church is built, without it, there would be no Christian church today. Jesus resurrection is unique. Other religions have strong ethical systems, concepts about paradise and afterlife, and various holy Scriptures. Only Christianity has a God who became human, literally died for his people, and was raised again in power and glory to rule his church forever.

Why is the resurrection so important?

(1) Because Christ was raised from the dead, we know that the kingdom of heaven has broken into earth’s history. Our world is now headed for redemption, not disaster. God’s mighty power is at work destroying sin, creating new lives, and preparing us for Jesus’’ second coming.
(2) Because of the resurrection, we know that death has been conquered, and we too will be raised from the dead to live forever with Christ.
(3). The resurrection gives authority to the church’s witness in the world. Look at the early evangelistic sermons in the book of Acts, the apostle’s most important message was the proclamation that Jesus Christ had been raised from the dead.
(4). The resurrection gives meaning to the church’s regular feast, the Lord’s Supper. Like the disciples on the Emmaus Road, we break bread with our risen Lord, who comes in power to save us.
(5). The resurrection helps us find meaning even in great tragedy. No matter what happens to us as we walk with the Lord, the resurrection gives us hope for the future.
(6). The resurrection assures us that Christ is alive and ruling in his kingdom. He is not legend, he is alive and real.
(7) God’s power that brought Jesus back from the dead is available to us so that we can live for him in an evil world.

Christians can look very different from one another, and they can hold widely varying beliefs about politics, life style and even theology. But one central belief unites and inspires all true Christians—Jesus Christ rise from the dead.

24:11,12. People who hear about the resurrection for the first time may need time before they can comprehend this amazing story. Like the disciples, they may pass through four stages of belief:
(1). At first, they may think it is a fairy tale, impossible to believe.
(2). Like Peter, they may check out the facts but still be puzzled about what happened.
(3). Only when they encounter Jesus personally will they be able to accept the fact of the resurrection.
(4). Then, as they commit themselves to Jesus and devote their lives to serving him, they will begin fully to understand the reality of his presence with them.

24:36-43. Jesus body wasn’t just a figment of the imagination or the appearance of a ghost – the disciples touched him, and he ate food. On the other hand, his body wasn’t merely a restored human body like Lazarus ‘s( John 11)- he was able to appear and disappear. Jesus’ resurrected body was immortal. This is the kind of body we will be given at the resurrection of the dead.

24:50-53. As the disciples stood and watched, Jesus began rising into the air, and soon he disappeared into heaven. Seeing Jesus leave must have been frightening, but the disciples knew that Jesus would keep his promise to be with them through the Holy Spirit. This same Jesus, who lived with the disciples, who died and was buried, and who rose from the dead, loves us and promised to be with us always. We can get to know him better through studying the Scriptures, praying and allowing the Holy Spirit to make us more like Jesus.

24:53. Luke’s Gospel portrays Jesus as the perfect example of a life lived according to God’s plan – as a child living in obedience to his parents and yet amaze the religious leaders in the temple as an adult serving God and others through preaching and healing, and finally as a condemned man suffering without complaint. This emphasis was well suited to Luke’s Greek audience, who paced high value on being an example and improving oneself and who often discussed the meaning of perfection. The Greeks however had a difficult time understanding the spiritual importance of the physical world. To them, the spiritual was always more important than the physical. To help them understand the Godman who united the spiritual and the physical. Luke emphasised that Jesus was not a phantom human but a real human being who healed people and fed them because he was concerned with their physical health as well as the state of their souls.

As believers living according to God’s plan, we too should obey our Lord in every detail as we seek to restore people’s bodies and souls tothe health and salvation God has in store for them. If we want to know how to live a perfect life., we can look to Jesus as our example.
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Clara Radhakrishna