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What is Easter really all about?
As hard as it may be to believe, Easter is not about bunnies, eggs, candy, spring, fertility, feasts, or even families. It is all about the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. To learn more, follow this link to an article I posted last year:
Was Jesus Raised from the Dead?
And remember, the Apostle Paul has told us that if Jesus was not raised then there is no hope for salvation. If Jesus was not raised, it might as well be about the Easter Bunny. Keep that in mind as we teach our children the truth about what we celebrate this weekend.
Bible Readings for the Week before Resurrection Sunday
When we think of celebrating Easter each year, we usually begin with the observance of Palm Sunday, a remembrance of the day that Jesus entered Jerusalem (fulfilling Old Testament prophecy to the very day) as He was lauded as the King and Messiah by those who lined the road. But in order to understand the true significance of these events we need a clear picture of the actual time line. A careful examination of the Gospel accounts of this last week gives us a picture of what Jesus was doing and where He was each day of the week before He was crucified and raised from the dead in order to redeem His people.
So where was Jesus and what did He do and say each day of the last week before His crucifixion? Here is the Biblical text from the Gospel accounts arranged chronologically to be read this week so that you might study what happened daily with Jesus and the disciples.
Background: The First Passover – Israel and the Exodus
Ex 12; Lev 23:4-5; Num 28:16-25; Deut 16:1-8
The month of Abib, which means “green” or “tender”, was renamed Nisan, which means “first month”, after the Exile in Babylon. See Nehemiah 2:1; Ezra 3:7
Abib (or Nisan) was the first month in the Jewish year and falls in March/April on our current calendar. On the Tenth Day the families selected the Passover Lamb which was brought into the home as a pet and cared for until the time of preparing the Passover meal. On the Fourteenth Day the sacrifice of the lamb occurred between 3-5 pm, followed by the Passover meal where the lamb was cooked and eaten according to the regulations given in Exodus and Leviticus. On the Fifteenth to Twenty-first Days the Jews celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Eight Days
Here are the Selected Scriptures arranged chronologically from the Four Gospels for each day of the Week.
Verse of the Day – Acts 2:32
This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.
The resurrection is central to the gospel. Why? Because if Jesus had only died for our sin and not been raised then we would have no hope of salvation. It is not enough that Jesus took the penatly for our sin upon Himself. If He had only taken our sin away, we would still die one day. And then where would we be? You see, by being raised from the dead, Jesus not only took away our sin, He also gave us life! He overcame death for us. He died and lived again so that we too, though we may die, will live again with Him.
Secondly, if Christ is not alive from the dead then our faith is vain, our preaching empty and useless, and those who have died have perished with no hope. See 1 Cor 15:14-18:
Thirdly, if there is no resurrection, what is the point of suffering for Christ? And let’s be clear, the disciples who in fear fled and abandoned Jesus when He was arrested in the Garden, denied Him while He was on trial, and hid for fear of their lives in the Upper Room, after seeing Jesus became bold, turned the world upside down with their preaching of “this Jesus whom God raised up”, and most became martyrs for their faith in loving obedience to the risen Christ. The power of the resurrection transformed them and the world. See 1 Cor 15:30-32:
Fourth, we have no hope of heaven without the resurrection, for just as Jesus was raised from the dead, so we too will be raised from the dead when He returns. See 1 Cor 15:50-53:
And last, God by raising Jesus from the dead declared His sacrifice sufficient to pay the penalty of our sin. God was satisified, and as Jesus conquered death now we have the hope of eternal life. See 1 Cor 15:57-58:
This we declare, just as Jesus came and lived a sinless life, just as He died on the cross as our substitute, just as His body was laid in a borrowed tomb, so too is it true that He was raised from the dead. This is our hope. We know by this that sin and death have been defeated, our faith is not in vain, we have the hope of eternal life, and we know that Jesus meant what He said when He declared from the cross, “It is finished.” The price for redemption has been paid in full and we have been reconciled to God through His death and resurrection!
This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.
Daily Scripture Reading – 1 Corinthians 15
Devotional Thoughts
We have taken the time this past week to review a few basic facts from Scripture about Jesus’ lastweek before His death and now we are going to answer a basic question that is vital to our faith, a question necessary for orthodoxy:
Was Jesus resurrected from the dead?
Some might ask why it matters. Some might think it is a given that Jesus was raised from the dead. Others may think it doesn’t matter either way – maybe His body is still in the grave, maybe not. So what does the Bible say about the resurrection of Christ from the dead.
Buried in a Borrowed Tomb
The Scriptures are clear. Jesus Christ died for the sins of His people. He acted as their substitute. And after He died He was buried temporarily in a borrowed tomb (Matt 27:57-61). He was buried in haste for the sun was setting and the Sabbath day was about to begin. Those who loved Jesus were planning to come back after the Sabbath and prepare the body for a proper burial, but this could not be done with the Sabbath approaching, so they waited, and laid His body in this tomb, on loan from Joseph of Arimathea.
Day one was the day of the crucifixion. Day two was the Sabbath day. Day three was Sunday, the first day of the week, and by the time they arrived at the tomb to prepare the body for final burial, He was not there! The stone was rolled away, angels were present, the guards had fainted and fled, and Jesus was not there. On the third day, just as He promised, He had risen from the dead (Mark 9:31).
Believe in Your Heart that God has Raised Him from the Dead
So was His body moved? Was it stolen? Was it taken away by the disciples so that they could pretend He was alive and create a new religion? Or had Jesus not really died on the cross, only swooned, fainted, and passed out? All of these lies have been perpetuated through the ages as the devil himself knows the danger of the truth of the resurrection. You see, the cross may have bruised Jesus’ heel, but it also bruised Satan’s head – meaning it was a death blow for both. But Jesus did not stay dead and the devil only has dying forever to look forward to in the lake of fire!
Before we explain what happened and how important the doctrine of the resurrection is we have to make one note, a note above all else. The doctrine of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is so important that it is an essential element of the gospel message! When you trust Christ, you must be believing in a living Jesus, a Christ who has conquered death. Romans 10:9-10 states clearly:
That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
The resurrection is central to the gospel. Why? Because if Jesus had only died for our sin and not been raised then we would have no hope of salvation. It is not enough that Jesus took the penatly for our sin upon Himself. If He had only taken our sin away, we would still die one day. And then where would we be? You see, by being raised from the dead, Jesus not only took away our sin, He also gave us life! He overcame death for us. He died and lived again so that we too, though we may die, will live again with Him.
If we have no sin, but also have no life, that gets us nowhere. But if we have no sin, with death conquered, that gives us heaven!
Combating Heresy
Since we see that the Bible makes belief in the resurrection a necessary element of the gospel, we need to understand that all these other views about what happened to Jesus after He died are heresy. That is, to say that Jesus was not raised from the dead is to proclaim a powerless gospel, another gospel (Gal 1:6-9). So let’s answer the heretics and see what really happened to Jesus on that third day. Here are a few of the lies that have been told about the resurrection:
1. The Swoon Theory.
This is the idea that Jesus did not die on the cross. He merely swooned. They thought He was dead because He was so near death, but through all the blood and gore and the darkness and earthquakes and all that happened that day they just missed that He was still barely breathing when they took Him off the cross.
This idea is really just idiotic. It discounts the facts that the Romans were efficient executioners. They crucified thousands upon thousands of people. It was their most brutal form of execution. They were professional killers and knew when a man was dead. They broke legs to be sure, they pierced bodies through to the heart with a spear to check. The torture of crucifixion was so horrible that many victims died before ever being nailed to a cross. The Biblical testimony is clear. Jesus “gave up His Spirit”, He “breathed His last”, He died on the cross (Luke 23:46). And the Romans in charge of the crucifixion verified He was dead by piercing His heart with a spear. Had He not already been dead, this alone would have killed Him. But the spear did not kill Jesus, neither did the scourging, or the cross. He had already given up His life willingly into the Hands of the Father.
2. The Stolen Body Theory.
This idea was fueled by the Jewish authorities after the guards fled from before the angels who opened the tomb to reveal that Jesus was not there. They paid the guards and told them to explain that while they slept His disciples came and stole the body. Imagine trained Roman guards, posted at a sealed tomb, told to expect trouble by the third day because of the prophecy of the resurrection, falling asleep while a few disciples rolled that huge stone away and took the body. The stone in front of the tomb would be a huge round rock that would have to be rolled uphill in a groove to remove it from the entrance. It was a concern even as the women were coming to prepare the body. “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?”, they asked one another on the way.
Further to believe the Body was stolen and buried elsewhere is to believe in a massive conspiracy. Why? Because hundreds of people claimed to have seen Jesus after He was raised from the dead. In order to make this conspiracy work, Mary and Mary Magdelene, the Apostles including Paul, five hundred people on one occassion, and many others all had to lie (John 20:14-16, 26-29; 1 Cor 9:1; 15:6, 8; Acts 9:3-17).
3. The Hallucination Theory.
This idea is based on the premise that those who thought they saw Jesus were hallucinating. They all saw the same thing at the same time. This is easily debunked even if we ignore the Biblical evidence. Hallucinations are not group activities. They are individual occurrences induced usually by drugs or by deprivation from sleep or food and water. All of these people mentioned already saw, talked to, touched, and ate with Jesus on many different occassions in different settings.
4. The Resuscitation Theory.
This interesting take on things suggests that Jesus passed out on the cross, was mistaken for dead He was so near death, but just like a patient shocked back to life after his heart stops on the operating table, Jesus was somehow resuscitated and never actually died. And then, after having not slept for days, endured the beating, the blood loss, hanging on a cross for 6 hours, having His heart pierced by a spear, and having been wrapped up and put in a tomb – somehow Jesus had the strength to get up, roll away the stone from the inside of the tomb, break the seal, and then fight off the Roman guards standing watch. Please. Reality TV and Professional Wrestling are more believable.
The Report of Eye-Witnesses
These theories require blind faith, but the truth of Scripture informs our faith with the reports of eye witnesses. The idea that God raised Jesus up from the dead is fundamental and foundational to our faith. So how do we KNOW Jesus was raised from the dead?
The proof, recorded for us in the Bible, includes these facts:
1. The tomb was empty – Luke 24:2-3
2. Jesus appeared to Mary Magdelene – John 20:11-16
3. Jesus appeared to the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus – Luke 24:13-27
4. Jesus appeared to 10 of the 11 remaining disciples – John 20:19-24
5. Jesus appeared to the 11 all together – John 20:26
6. Jesus appeared to 500 people at one time together and others – 1 Cor 15:5-8
7. People ate with Him and touched Him, proving He was not a ghost or hallucination – Luke 24:39; John 20:27; 21:1-14
8. Jesus appeared later to Paul and to John – 1 Cor 9:1; Acts 26:14-18; Rev 1:12-13
The Ramifications of the Resurrection
So what happens to our faith if there is no resurrection? What if we fall for a lie and deny that Jesus was raised from the dead? What are the consequences and ramifications of the doctrine of the resurrection?
First we strip the gospel message of truth, for Paul declares that the gospel includes the resurrection. See 1 Cor 15:1-8:
Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.
Secondly, if Christ is not alive from the dead then our faith is vain, our preaching empty and useless, and those who have died have perished with no hope. See 1 Cor 15:14-18:
And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
Thirdly, if there is no resurrection, what is the point of suffering for Christ? And let’s be clear, the disciples who in fear fled and abandoned Jesus when He was arrested in the Garden, denied Him while He was on trial, and hid for fear of their lives in the Upper Room, after seeing Jesus became bold, turned the world upside down with their preaching of “this Jesus whom God raised up”, and most became martyrs for their faith in loving obedience to the risen Christ. The power of the resurrection transformed them and the world. See 1 Cor 15:30-32:
And why do we stand in jeopardy every hour? I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. If, in the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me? If the dead do not rise, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”
Fourth, we have no hope of heaven without the resurrection, for just as Jesus was raised from the dead, so we too will be raised from the dead when He returns. See 1 Cor 15:50-53:
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
And last, God by raising Jesus from the dead declared His sacrifice sufficient to pay the penalty of our sin. God was satisified, and as Jesus conquered death now we have the hope of eternal life. See 1 Cor 15:57-58:
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
This we declare, just as Jesus came and lived a sinless life, just as He died on the cross as our substitute, just as His body was laid in a borrowed tomb, so too is it true that He was raised from the dead. This is our hope. We know by this that sin and death have been defeated, our faith is not in vain, we have the hope of eternal life, and we know that Jesus meant what He said when He declared from the cross, “It is finished.” The price for redemption has been paid in full and we have been reconciled to God through His death and resurrection!
Jesus is alive. He is our Hope. He is coming back. Do you believe this?
Links for Further Study
The Resurrection of Christ a Historical Fact by B.B. Warfield
The Power of Christ’s Resurrection by George Whitefield
The Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus by Charles Spurgeon
Bible Reading For Further Study
Acts 1
Job 19:25; Psalm 18:46
2 Cor 13:4; Heb 7:25
Recommended Songs for Worship
Christ the Lord is Risen Today
Rejoice the Lord is King
Today I will provide a passage of Scripture to read and a passage from a godly pastor that deals with a portion of the text that takes place on this very day in the week before Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection in A.D. 30. Here is the Biblical text from the Gospel accounts arranged chronologically to be read this week so that you might read and study what happened daily with Jesus and the disciples.
Sunday, 16th Day of Nisan, AD 30:
Matt. 28:1-8; Mark 16:1-6; Luke 24:1-11; John 20:1-8
As we celebrate today the resurrection of Christ our Lord and His victory over sin, death, and the grave, I would like to present you with a sermon from Charles Spurgeon that addresses His resurrection. Listen to the Prince of Preachers as he tells us about the Risen Christ!
And here is a devotional I wrote that asks and answers the question “Was Jesus Resurrected from the Dead?”
One last thought for the day:
Have you repented of your sin and believed on the risen Lord Jesus Christ? That after all is what “Easter” is all about. Click here to find out more – One Way to Heaven.
Today I will provide a passage of Scripture to read and a passage from a godly pastor that deals with a portion of the text that takes place on this very day in the week before Jesus’ crucifixion in A.D. 30.
So where was Jesus and what did He do and say each day of the last week before His crucifixion? Here is the Biblical text from the Gospel accounts arranged chronologically to be read this week so that you might read and study what happened daily with Jesus and the disciples.
Saturday, the 15th of Nisan, AD 30:
Charles Spurgeon on The Tomb of Jesus
Today I will provide a passage of Scripture to read and a detailed chronological examination that deals with the text that addresses the events that take place on the day Jesus was crucified in A.D. 30.
Here is the Biblical text from the Gospel accounts arranged chronologically to be read this week so that you might read and study what happened daily with Jesus and the disciples.
Friday, the 14th Day of Nisan, A.D. 30
Matt. 27:1-61; Mark 15:1-47; Luke 22:66 – 23:55; John 18:28 – 19:42
This day was the Passover for Pharisees and Sadducees from Jerusalem, in Judea to the south. Jesus was tried before Pilate, sent to be tried before Herod, returned to Pilate for the final judgment, sent to be scourged and was then offered to be released to the crowd. A political prisoner Barabbas released to the crowd instead by the crowds demands and Jesus was sent to be put to death.
At the Crucifixion, Jesus died at the ninth hour (3 PM) which was the exact hour the Passover lambs were being sacrificed in Jerusalem for the Passover meal. He was buried in a borrowed tomb.
A Chronological Examination from the Gospels:
From the Garden of Gethsemane to the Resurrection
The Garden of Gethsemane
Time – approximately 11:30 PM to 1:00 AM
Matt. 26:36-56; Mark 14:32-52; Luke 22:39-53; John 18:1-11
Jesus departed with His disciples from the observance of the Passover meal, during which He showed the fulfillment of the Passover by instituting the Lord’s Supper. As they left, singing a hymn, they went to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus was going to pray. He left all the disciples except for Peter, James, and John – those that were the closest to Him – and went to find a place to pray.
As He prayed, Jesus knew what He was facing! He knew the death that awaited Him in order that the Divine plan of salvation might be accomplished. He had been born to die and now death was near at hand. Jesus was fully God (the spirit is willing) and knew what He had to do. He was also fully man (the flesh is weak), and He did not want to die! What a fearful thing to be facing the torment of bearing the full wrath of God toward sin.
He prayed specifically, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Then He came and found the disciples asleep! He awoke them and asked them to watch and pray with Him, and He went back to fall on His face before the Father. He prayed again, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” He knew that drinking this cup meant to do what He had come to do, to be humbled as a man and crucified on a cross. And the disciples fell aspleep again, so He left them there and returned to pray a third time, saying the same thing.
The weight of bearing the wrath of God had already begun and while Jesus prayed the blood vessels in His face began to burst due to the stress, and He began to sweat great drops of blood. His face was bruised from the weight of the cross, and He had not yet even been arrested!
Judas and the chief priests and temple guards arrived to arrest Jesus and turn Him over the Romans. The Jews had no authority to put a man to death, though they could bring him before the Romans and they would carry out the sentence. Judas kissed Jesus, a pre-arranged signal to identify the one to be arrested so that there was no mistake. Jesus asked who they were seeking, they replied, “Jesus of Nazareth.” He answered, “I Am He.” With that statement the Book of John records that all there were struck with the power and glory of God – the whole mob fell back away from Jesus as He was revealed as “I AM.”
Then as they got up and moved to arrest Him, Peter stepped up to defend Jesus even if it meant his own life. He drew his sword and tried to strike one of the men approaching. It was Malchus, a servant of the High Priest. As Peter swung the sword and Malchus ducked out of the way the sword missed lopping his head off but did take his ear off! Jesus instructed Peter to put the sword away, for “all who live by the sword will die by the sword.” This was not a statement of pacifism, as Jesus had even told His disciples to buy and carry swords for defense against wild animals and robbers. He meant in this instance that if Peter killed Malchus, Peter himself would be put to death. With that Jesus healed Malchus’ ear completely! And He went to be tried as His disciples and a young man named John Mark fled and ran for their lives.
The Trial before the High Priest
Time – 3:00 AM
Matt. 26:57-68; Mark 14:53-65; Luke 22:63-71; John 18:12-27
Jesus was taken and brought before Annas and Caiphas, the High Priest, and charged with blasphemy. These men would decide the crimes to be charged against Jesus when He would stand trial before the Sanhedrin. Here they were accusing Him, complete with a list of witnesses who lied, of a crime punishable by death. They were set on killing Him.
Jesus was struck and spit upon, and at one point even blindfolded and hit in the face as those striking Him cried out, “Tell us who hit you.” He was mocked and condemned.
Peter Denies Christ
Time – During the Trial before the High Priest
Matt. 26:69-74; Mark 14:66-72; Luke 22:54-62
While Jesus was being questioned by the High Priest, Peter stood with John out in the courtyard. Here Peter was accused by a servant girl in the crowd of being a follower of Jesus. He denied he knew Jesus. A little while later another girl saw him and said that she had seen him with Jesus. He swore an oath that he did not know Jesus and had no idea what this girl was talking about. Then again after a time someone accused him of knowing and being with Jesus, saying he talked like he was from Galilee. At this point, the third time Peter denied Jesus, he cursed and said that he did not know the Man.
Immediately after this, the Bible records for us that Jesus saw Peter through a window. They made eye contact. And Peter remembered the prediction he had refused to believe, that he would deny Christ 3 times before dawn. And he had. He fled the courtyard and went out a wept bitterly at having denied His Lord.
The Trial before the Sanhedrin
Time – Dawn
Matt. 27:1; Luke 22:66-71
At dawn, Jesus was taken with the charges against Him from the High Priest and tried before the Sanhedrin, the highest court in Israel. They quickly found Him guilty of blasphemy, and sent Him to Pilate so that He might be put to death.
The Trials before Pilate and Herod
Time 6:30 AM to 9:00 AM
Matt. 27:2-28; Mark 15:1-20; Luke 23:1-25; John 18:28-19:15
Pilate, the Roman Governor of Palestine, representing Caesar and acting as the highest ranking military and civil officer in that area, had to approve all cases demanding the death penalty. He interviewed Jesus and declared that He was innocent! In fact, while questioning Him, Pilate determined that this was not a case for death and so the local officials, namely King Herod, could rule on the case. So Pilate sent Jesus to Herod.
King Herod Antipas, powerful but nothing more than a puppet for Rome, was the son of Herod the Great, who of course had met with the Wise Men after the birth of Christ and had ordered all the male children 2 and under to be slaughtered in an attempt to prevent the birth of a new king! He died before Joseph and Mary and Jesus returned from their flight to Egypt. Herod Antipas though was more interested in Jesus and His miracles. He was not interested in trying Jesus. He just asked Jesus to perform “tricks” for him! Herod heard the accusations against Jesus from the Jewish leaders, placed a flowing velvet robe on Him mocking Him, and sent Him back to Pilate.
Pilate still insisted He was innocent but in order to pacify the crowd and the Jewish leaders said that Jesus was to be beaten. He thought that perhaps if He was beaten and released that this would satisfy the crowd. The crowd instead cried out for Barabbas to be released – an assassin, a terrorist if you will. The elders of Israel wanted him released instead of Jesus. When Pilate asked then what to do with Jesus the crowd cried out, “Crucify Him!”
So the Roman guards took Jesus and scourged Him. They likely used a cat-of-nine-tails. It was a rod with 9 strips of leather tied to the end, and at the end of these leather strips where embedded pieces of bone, sharp rocks, and metal. This whip was used to lash prisoners. A skilled punisher could use the whip to lodge these sharp pieces into the chest of the criminal and then yank it all loose stripping off pieces of flesh from the chest and stomach all the way around to the back.
The guards crowned Jesus with a crown of thorns after this. They did not use a crown like what we see in most artwork. It was like a ball cap without a bill, a hat woven out of the branches of a short thorn bush that produces thorns an inch and a half to two inches long. This was beaten into Christ’s head with a rod.
They took the robe Herod had given Him and pressed it into His bleeding back and mocked Him as a “king.” As the blood from the wounds in His back dried into the thick purple robe, they ripped the robe off again, opening the wounds afresh. They spit on Jesus, ripped His beard out, and continued to hit His head with the reed.
The Place of the Skull
Time – 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Matt. 27:29-66; Mark 15:21-47; Luke 23:26-56; John 19:16-42
At this time, Jesus was already weak from the loss of blood. His face was bruised from both sweating drops of blood in the Garden and from being hit, beaten, slapped, and His beard pulled out. He was bleeding from His face, back and sides, and His head. And they took Him to the place of the skull. It was a small hill outside the city gates where people were put to death for their crimes. This hill was called “Golgotha” which means “place of the skull”. It was so named because it looked like it had a skull protruding from its side with caves forming cavities.
He was forced to carry the cross beam that He would be nailed to as He was crucified. He dropped it on the way, and the most amazing thing happened. A man named Simon from Cyrene was pulled from the crowd and forced to carry the cross for Jesus. (Simon’s son Rufus is later mentioned as part of the church in Rome – Rom 16:13.) Look at what is happening here. Jesus is bearing the weight of our sin and even in the midst of the full wrath of God, grace and mercy is shown in that someone else carried the cross!!
Arriving at the place to be crucified Jesus was offered pain killer but refused. He would not find any loss of His senses as He bore the pain of death for our sin. He was stripped of all clothing and nailed to the cross – His hands (through the wrist) and His feet, one over the other with the nail piercing through the top of both feet and exiting the heel into the cross.
The charge against Him was nailed to the top of the cross, identifying in 3 languages that “This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” At noon, as He hung on the cross, the sun was hidden and everything was dark until 3:00 PM. During this time, in order to take a breathe on the cross, Jesus had to push up on the nail in His feet and pull up on the nails in His wrists, scraping His already sliced back up and down on that wooden cross. Those who died on a cross usually died of suffocation – not being able to have the continued strength to pull up and take a breath.
While hanging there between heaven and earth, bearing the penalty for our sin, Jesus spoke and said the following things:
1. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
2. “Woman, behold your son.” (Spoken to Mary His mother, identifying the Apostle John as the one who would take care of her in His absence).
3. “Behold your mother.” (Spoken to John about Mary).
4. “Assuredly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Spoken to the theif who believed in Him and would join Him in heaven that very day).
5. “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Eloi, Eloi, Lama Sabacthani - a scream of such pain in being separated from the Father as He bore the full brunt of the wrath of God for our sin that the people who heard Him did not even understand what He said. They thought He was calling to Elijah to save Him. He was in fact uttering the most hideous cry ever uttered by a man.)
6. “I thirst.”
7. Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit.” (He knew He would go to be with the Father upon His death).
8. “It is finished.” (Tetelestai – PAID IN FULL – He had paid the debt we could not pay).
And He died. When He died the veil of the Temple was rent in two – now man had access through the blood of Christ directly into the presence of God. No other High Priest or sacrifices or rituals. He was the High Priest and the sacrifice, once for all.
When He died, He did not die from suffocation, or blood loss, or the beating, or the crucifixion. He willingly gave up His life. He chose the moment He would die! He died not due to the physical torments of the crucifixion. He died willingly as a result of bearing the wrath of God for our sin upon Himself. He tells us He gave up His life willingly so that He could take it up again – referring to the resurrection. He was always God! He was always in control. He chose when to die, and when to be raised from the dead. All to pay for our sin!
A guard standing by would usually break a criminals legs in order to hasten death – he could then not push up and keep breathing. But when they came to do this to Jesus He was already dead. They stuck a spear in His side to check and pierced His heart and both blood and water came out of the wound, a clear sign that He was dead.
Upon seeing Him die, the Centurion in charge of the execution believed that He was the Son of God – fulfilling the prayer, “Father, forgive them.” Surely this man was the Son of God. And He gave His life willingly to pay for our sin and save us. He made of Himself a substitute.
Hebrews 12 tells us that through the pain, the torment, the abandonement, the shame, and all that He did to pay for our sin, through all of that He had one thing in mind!! Joy! Yes, joy!
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. This is how Jesus died.
He had come to seek and save that which was lost, and just as the angel told Mary before He was born, He would save His people from their sin. He had come to do this. He was born to die. And He died to save His people from their sin.
Today I will provide a passage of Scripture to read and a passage from a godly pastor that deals with a portion of the text that takes place on this very day in the week before Jesus’ crucifixion in A.D. 30.
So where was Jesus and what did He do and say each day of the last week before His crucifixion? Here is the Biblical text from the Gospel accounts arranged chronologically to be read this week so that you might read and study what happened daily with Jesus and the disciples.
Thursday, the 13th Day of Nisan, A.D. 30
Matt. 26:17-75; Mark 14:12-72; Luke 22:7-62; John. 13:21 – 18:27
The Upper Room
Jesus washed His disciples feet, observed the Passover with them and during the meal instituted the Lord’s Supper, left for the Garden of Gethsemane, was betrayed and arrested, and went through the first of three trials, this one by the Sanhedrin, the Jewish religious court.
An Exposition by Charles Spurgeon on Matt 26:26-30 and 1 Cor 11:20-34: A Question for Communicants
Additional Sermon from 1 Cor 11:17-34 by Phillip Way:
Instructions for the Observance of Communion
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