Day 6 | Jesus’ Crucifixion
Lisa Sheffler, author
Jesus’ journey had to lead to the cross. Jesus warned his disciples that this is where his destiny lay. The King would now be executed as an enemy of the state. Execution by crucifixion was reserved for the most reviled criminals. Stripped naked, nailed to a cross and left to a slow and excruciating death, there was no more tortuous or humiliating way to die. Yet that is how the beloved Son of God was treated by the very people he came to save. He hung on that cross utterly alone, separated from the Father as he bore the sins of a rebellious world.
Read
Matthew 27:32-56
32 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. 33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 36 And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. 37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is Jesus, the king of the Jews.
38 Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).
47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”
48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”
50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”
55 Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
Reflect
The events surrounding Jesus’ death are full of cruel and brutal ironies. The soldiers and the crowd mock Jesus as king of the Jews without realizing that he is the King of all. They do not see that he has chosen this fate and given up his power so that he might sacrifice himself for the world he created.
Matthew relates events that help us understand the significance of Jesus’ death. The tearing of the temple’s curtain signified the end of the separation between a holy God and sinful people. The resurrection of the dead gives us a foretaste of Christ’s second coming when all the dead in Christ will rise. By his death on the cross both sin and death are defeated.
He endured it all, so we could be reconciled to God as his beloved children. He did it for me and he did it for you. The beloved hymn reminds us of this truth: “Jesus paid it all. All to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow.”
When we go through difficulties in our lives we can feel as if God has abandoned or even forsaken us. When we suffer the destruction that comes from our sins or the sins of others, we can lose hope. When disease or disaster ravages our bodies or steals our loved ones, we can wonder, “where is God?” In those moments we need to look at the cross and have our faith affirmed. Jesus sacrificed everything to save us. We can trust a God that loves us that much, even in dark days.
Pray
Remembering what Jesus did for us on the cross can help us get through hard times. The Son of God endured the pain of the cross and separation from the Father because he loved us. How can you remind yourself of all that he’s done when you are tempted to lose faith?
Take some time today to praise and thank Jesus for what he has done for you. You can trust Jesus to guide and direct your life. Ask him to reveal to you how you should live in light of his sacrifice.
So far this week we’ve witnessed all the pain, humiliation and sorrow of Jesus’s arrest, trial and crucifixion. We’ve seen him betrayed by those who should love him, mocked by those who should recognize him, and murdered by those who should fear him. But it’s not over. God’s love is going to win.
