INSPIRATIONAL Blog

The Week of the Cross – The Crucifixion

We are now in the last week of Jesus’ life. His entry into Jerusalem, his final instructions to the crowds and to the disciples. In this final week, Jesus predicts his death by crucifixion in two days. This is followed by the details of the sham trial to be conducted by the religious leaders to trap and murder Jesus. Now Jesus makes two shocking predictions – the one who will betray Him, and the one who will deny knowing him! If ever a spiritual movement looked destined for failure, it would be this last week of Jesus – the leader killed, the followings betraying Him or denying him as they scatter. Three shock waves in this final week. Now the cross is in full view and we see Jesus in preparation for his death and the final desertions and betrayals, and unjust conviction of Jesus.

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,[a] lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).[b]  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[c] 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!”  Matthew 27:45-54.

1. Beaten, Mocked, Taunted in Final Hours. There remains no doubt as to who are the enemies of Jesus, and thus, of God, in his trial and now in his crucifixion. The Jews mocked him, and challenged him to save himself.

2. Redemption for Repentance, even from the Cross.  Jesus had two criminals crucified with him.  To the one, he joined the mocking.  But to the other, he recognized who Jesus was, requested forgiveness and redemption, and Jesus responded with one of the sweetest and most affirming statements of redemption to him.

40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”  42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.[a]”  43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”  Luke 23:40-43.

3. Almost Incomprehensible Separation and Grief from God the Father and God the Son.  I can’t pretend to fully understand these words.  

“Eli, Eli,[a] lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

What we can understand is that the very Godhead themselves rallied to the redemption of those made in His image, who were dead in their trespasses and sins, but were made alive by the taking of our sin on Jesus, at the cross.  No wonder John would later quote Jesus: ‘I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.  John 14:6.

John Newton said it well: ‘Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.  I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I can see.’  Blessings on you this week. 

Oct 17, 2022 at 3:33 PM Permalink

The Week of the Cross – A Sham Trial

(“Christ before Pilate” by Mihály Munkácsy, 1881 from Wikipedia)

We are now in the last week of Jesus’ life. His entry into Jerusalem, his final instructions to the crowds and to the disciples. In this final week, Jesus predicts his death by crucifixion in two days. This is followed by the details of the sham trial to be conducted by the religious leaders to trap and murder Jesus. Now Jesus makes two shocking predictions – the one who will betray Him, and the one who will deny knowing him! If ever a spiritual movement looked destined for failure, it would be this last week of Jesus – the leader killed, the followings betraying Him or denying him as they scatter. Three shock waves in this final week. Now the cross is in full view and we see Jesus in preparation for his death and the final desertions and betrayals, and unjust conviction of Jesus.

21 “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor.  “Barabbas,” they answered.  22 “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked.  They all answered, “Crucify him!”  23 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”  24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!”  25 All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!”  26 Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. Matthew 27:21-26.

1. Nothing about Justice. Jesus, having now predicted his death numerous times during his life, and predicted his betrayal by Israel and even the desertion of the disciples, now faces a mob trial, really a mob lynching that only wanted to pass the sniff test of Roman approval. Despite pressure from the mob, and from his wife, he attempts to skirt his responsibility – though in sham fashion, not in reality. He released Barabbas and turned Jesus over to the mob, after a beating – all of which was punishment applied to innocent Jesus.

2. Everything about Hatred. Pilate, to his credit, warned the crowd, it is your responsibility. Without hesitation, the crowd said, let his blood be on us and on our children. Short of redemption, how true those words were to those who hated and escorted him to the cross.

3. Affirmation without Equivocation. Jesus only had six words in his defense at his trial.  ‘Yes, it is as you say’, to the question, are you the king of the Jews?  While the crowd considered this heresy, in fact, it was Truth.  Predicted as far back as the garden of Eden, affirmed as he entered Jerusalem on a donkey, and proclaimed as the Prince of Peace and Son of God. 

In sum, nothing about the gospel and the Christian message is attractive or powerful on its surface. If we are looking for physical, financial, or status standing, Jesus is not the answer. But if we understand that we were created by God to be in relationship with Him, and to both love him, and learn to follow the Kingdom with all of our heart, and soul, and mind, and live among others loving them even as God has loved us, then Jesus and the Christian message is for you, and for me. As we follow Jesus to the cross in the next few weeks, spend some time in quiet meditation about the gratitude we have for God who has redeemed us and given us the deepest purposes in life. Best to you this week.

Oct 10, 2022 at 1:36 PM Permalink

The Week of the Cross – Blood Money – Prophecies Fulfilled

We are now in the last week of Jesus’ life. His entry into Jerusalem, his final instructions to the crowds and to the disciples. In this final week, Jesus predicts his death by crucifixion in two days. This is followed by the details of the sham trial to be conducted by the religious leaders to trap and murder Jesus. Now Jesus makes two shocking predictions – the one who will betray Him, and the one who will deny knowing him! If ever a spiritual movement looked destined for failure, it would be this last week of Jesus – the leader killed, the followings betraying Him or denying him as they scatter. Three shock waves in this final week. Now the cross is in full view and we see Jesus in preparation for his death and the final desertions and betrayals.

27 Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed. 2 So they bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor.  3 When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. 4 “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”“What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.  5 So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.  6 The chief priests picked up the coins and said, “It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” 7 So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. 8 That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of Israel, 10 and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me. Matthew 27:1-10

1. Betrayal, Traitor, Treachery, Remorse, Suicide. The story of Judas is sordid even in the midst of the life and ministry of Jesus. For a man that traveling with Jesus and the disciples, he always had a nefarious agenda. With consequences that sent him to his grave and to hell.

• He was a thief.  John 12:3-6.
• He was a traitor, prophecies as such.  John 17:12.He
• He was a hypocrite.  Mark 14:43-46.
• He was a betrayer. 
• Money was his god.  Luke 22:2-5.

2. Consequences of Sin. Judas stands as an example of those who reject the message of Jesus.  He lost his standing with the disciples, his ill-gotten gold, and his life. 

3. Prophetic Conclusion. Prophecy is a strong verification of Jesus as from God and God Himself.  Thirty Seven prophecies wee fulfilled in the life and death of Christ.  Three illustrate these facts, culminating in the life and death of Jesus.

• The Sick Will Be Healed – Seven hundred years before Jesus began His ministry, Isaiah prophesied that God would come to save His people, and when He comes, He will heal the blind, the deaf, the lame, and the mute (Isaiah 35:5-6). Later, Isaiah says the Messiah will be weighed down by our sicknesses and diseases (Isaiah 53:4). So according to Isaiah, the Messiah would heal the sick. So did Jesus do this? On many occasions. In one such instance, Jesus healed a man with leprosy (Matthew 8:1-4). On other occasions, He healed a man with a deformed hand (Matthew 12:9-14). He cured Simon Peter’s mother-in-law of her fever and healed many people who were sick with varying diseases (Mark 1:29-34). He healed a woman who suffered bleeding for 12 years (Mark 5:24-34). He cured a woman who had been crippled for 18 years (Luke 13:10-17). He healed ten lepers simultaneously (Luke 17:11-19), and He healed the dying son of a government official from Capernaum (John 4:46-54). And there are many other instances where Jesus healed the sick.
• He Will Raise The Dead – 2,500 years ago, the prophet Zechariah revealed that the Messiah would resurrect the dead (Zechariah 9:11). Did Jesus do this? Yes. He not only raised Himself from the dead, but the Gospels also record several instances where He raised others from the dead. For instance, Jairus’ 12 year-old daughter was pronounced dead, but when Jesus entered her home, took hold of her hand, and said “Little girl, get up,” she immediately stood up and started walking around (Mark 5:21-43). Outside the village of Nain, Jesus encountered a funeral procession for a widow’s only son. He approached the coffin and told the boy, “get up!” And the dead boy sat up and talked (Luke 7:11-17). Although Lazarus had been dead in his grave for four days, Jesus ordered his tomb opened and said, “Lazarus, come out!” And Lazarus walked out of : Betrayed by a Friend – Over 3,000 years ago, King David prophesied that the Messiah would be betrayed by a trusted best friend, a person so close they shared each other’s food (Psalm 41:9). Did this happen to Jesus? Yes. A thousand years later, David’s prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus predicted His betrayal at the last supper. He told the disciples He would dip His bread in a bowl and hand it to the one who would betray Him. He did so and handed the bread to Judas (John 13:21-30). Judas then left the room and went off to betray Jesus. 
• Betrayed for 30 Pieces of Silver – Five hundred years before it happened, the prophet Zechariah foretold the exact price for which the Messiah would be betrayed – 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12). After Jesus dipped His bread in the bowl and handed it to Judas, Judas went to the Jewish priests and elders and betrayed Jesus for the exact sum of 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14-15).  Thrown into the Potter’s Field – Five hundred years before Judas betrayed Jesus, God told the prophet Zechariah that the 30 pieces of silver, the great sum at which He was valued, would be thrown in the potter’s field (Zechariah 11:13).

Only God and the Scriptures could verify the Person and Work of God in Jesus, as seen in these prophecies. 

Also these Scriptures not only illustrate the chaos of this week, even though all was proceeding within the Plan and Purpose of God, the seeming disarray of the work and ministry of Jesus – though the opposite was true – and redemption soon-coming in the shadow and events of the cross.  It remains for Jesus to have a last meal with his disciples, who were reassembled after their wholesale desertion.  Stay well.

Oct 3, 2022 at 2:36 PM Permalink