Scripture Reading(s)
Matthew 27:20-50
27:20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed.
27:21 The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.”
27:22 Pilate said to them, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” All of them said, “Let him be crucified!”
27:23 Then he asked, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”
27:24 So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.”
27:25 Then the people as a whole answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”
27:26 So he released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.
27:27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him.
27:28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,
27:29 and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
27:30 They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head.
27:31 After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.
27:32 As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry his cross.
27:33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull),
27:34 they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it.
27:35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots;
27:36 then they sat down there and kept watch over him.
27:37 Over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”
27:38 Then two bandits were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.
27:39 Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads
27:40 and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”
27:41 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him, saying,
27:42 “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him.
27:43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to; for he said, ‘I am God’s Son.'”
27:44 The bandits who were crucified with him also taunted him in the same way.
27:45 From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.
27:46 And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
27:47 When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “This man is calling for Elijah.”
27:48 At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink.
27:49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.”
27:50 Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last.
Reflections
This scene being painted before was filled with horror, pain and grief. There are many emotions that I feel whenever I read the passage of Jesus being crucified. Despite the horrors that we read about in Christ’s road to the cross, I can say with boldness and confidence that this is what a true picture of genuine love and sacrifice look like. This passage paints the highest level of selflessness and humility.
This passage marks the beginning and end to all of sins debts against humanity. Christ’s death on the cross took on the most severe punishment that was aimed at us and instead thwarted by God’s unfailing love for us. As Jesus hung dying on the cross, feeling not only the physical pain but the spiritual weight of all of the worlds sins being thrown upon Him, He was thinking of you and me. He could not bear the thought of us experiencing a tormenting punishment so He took on instead. That is true love.
There has not been any greater display of love that has ever been shown that what we have seen on the cross. Do not allow for your sin to blind you from truly repenting and accepting what Christ has done for you. Some might ask why did He go through all this pain, mock and torment? Why did not He not show His power and Glory right then and there by coming down from the cross? He did it all because He loves you and His glory and power was revealed when He rose again and defeated death.
Those that were watching Him stood there mocking and tormenting Him. He was dying for them. Those who placed a crown of thorns and thrust it upon His head, He also died for them. He died for those who stripped Him, beat Him, spit upon Him, tried to throw whine down His throat, He died for them too. He died for you and me.
Much debate surrounds the phrase Jesus called out before He breathed His last breath,
And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Did God really forsake Jesus? Was Jesus expecting something else to happen? We will probably never know exactly what was happening here, but what we do know is that Jesus despite Jesus going through the most unimaginable torture He also felt what it was like to feel as though He was forsaken by His own Father. I think this is a feeling that we all encounter from time to time. We feel alone, left to our own devices with God somewhere else, not helping us.
But we must remember that 3 days later God raised Jesus up again. God had not forsaken Jesus but rather; He did what was necessary to save the human race and to make Jesus the name above all names. Just as with Jesus God want’s us to dwell in His glory one day. We might feel abandoned from time to time but I promise you that God is there waiting patiently for when then time comes to lift us up as co-heirs and sons and daughters of the most high.
[Featured image from walterbright.com]