You had one job…We are amused at the meme’s of mistakes portrayed of people who mess up in the factory, doing the one thing they are assigned to do, over and over again. We laugh at their mistakes. Yes, we laugh until it affects us personally then we are perturbed by the one job that didn’t happen and we are stuck with the results of a work gone wrong, especially if it affects our own lives, productivity, pleasure or bank account.
But it is no laughing matter when we, who say we believe in Jesus, completely ignore, neglect, pass-over opportunities, or refuse to “go, tell, disciple, baptizing in the Name of Jesus. I’m wondering if when we see Jesus, face to face, will He say, “you had one job…”. Or will He say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Friends, are you like me this morning? Are we thinking we might be guilty of neglect at times? Let us take a minute to pause, reflect, pray for wisdom, strength, boldness, opportunity with the right words to say at the right time so we can do the “one job” assigned to all believers. Helping others find and follow Jesus is a lifestyle not an event.
We don’t do this by ourselves! Jesus is WITH us, His Holy Spirit living IN us! What assurance we have in Jesus! Indeed, this is blessed assurance from the heart of our Lord and Savior, “Be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Can we Raise a Hallelujah! Jesus gives authority, provides opportunity, gives us the words of Truth along with our personal testimony of praise for what He has done in us while giving us His extreme assurance to go and do the one job He told us to do. Yes!
We have one mission…how great are we doing?
Matthew—God’s Word Fulfilled
Matthew 28:16-20, NLT
The Great Commission
16 Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted!
18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Lord and Savior,
I repent of missed opportunities and pray for more times to “go and make disciples” assured beyond doubt that you are with me. Make this commission more than a job or event but a lifestyle for me. Teach me your ways and I will walk on your path. Impress Your Words on my heart so I am ready to tell your story at a moment’s notice. Give me boldness with your compassionate, unconditional love in expressing your story of salvation and freedom from sin. May I never forget that you are with me. Your Presence goes before me, beside me and behind me. Thank you, Lord.
Darkness brought on by the death of Jesus who carried all our sin. But this Darkness is now defeated by the Light of Life! Jesus, who’s body carried the scars from the beatings, whippings and the ultimate excruciating suffering from being nailed to a cross, has been brought back to life in the same body who left earth for a split second to go to hell and back to obtain our redemption with the bonus of life eternal. Yes, He paid it all indeed.
But what was that like? How did resurrection morning feel?
I still love the song written and sung by Sandi Patty years ago. “Was It a Morning Like This?” The words and music draw us closer to the day the Marys went to visit the tomb of their beloved Friend and Lord who became their Savior.
Was it a morning like this? When the Son still hid from Jerusalem And Mary rose from her bed To tend to the Lord she thought was dead
Was it a morning like this? When Mary walked down from Jerusalem And two angels stood at the tomb Bearers of news she would hear soon
Did the grass sing? Did the earth rejoice to feel You again?
Over and over like a trumpet underground Did the earth seem to pound, “He is risen!” Over and over in a never-ending round “He is risen, hallelujah, hallelujah!”
Was it a morning like this? When Peter and John ran from Jerusalem And as they raced towards the tomb Beneath their feet was there a tune?
Did the grass sing? Did the earth rejoice to feel You again?
Over and over like a trumpet underground Did the earth seem to pound, “He is risen!” Over and over in a never-ending round “He is risen, hallelujah, hallelujah!”
Over and over like a trumpet underground Did the earth seem to pound, “He is risen!” Over and over in a never-ending round “He is risen, hallelujah, hallelujah!”
Was it a morning like this? When my Lord looked out on Jerusalem
He is risen Hallelujah, hallelujah Hallelujah!
Yes, Hallelujah, indeed! What Great News of hope and clarity for why we live the life we do with Christ. This earth life is only temporary as we live the hope of life eternal with Jesus who has defeated death and has prepared a place for you and I in God’s heaven!
Matthew—God’s Word Fulfilled
Matthew 28:1-15, NLT
The Resurrection
Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb.
2 Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. 3 His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. 4 The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint.
5 Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. 7 And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.”
8 The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message. 9 And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.”
The Report of the Guard
11 As the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and told the leading priests what had happened. 12 A meeting with the elders was called, and they decided to give the soldiers a large bribe. 13 They told the soldiers, “You must say, ‘Jesus’ disciples came during the night while we were sleeping, and they stole his body.’ 14 If the governor hears about it, we’ll stand up for you so you won’t get in trouble.” 15 So the guards accepted the bribe and said what they were told to say. Their story spread widely among the Jews, and they still tell it today.
THINK ABOUT THE FIRST WITNESSES! IMAGINE BEING THERE!
The Guards – The earth, God created with Jesus by His side, shook in great earthquake proportions, showing the mighty power of God who is in control always. The heavy stone, sealed by strong men, was rolled, tossed away like a cheap prop in a play, causing such fear in the Roman soldiers that they passed out! Smiling here, because I think this is a bit comical along with the irony of strength the Romans think they have versus an angel of God, white and bright as blinding lighting, now sitting on top of the rolled away stone to speak the message of the Lord! I have to think that the angel enjoyed his mission greatly along with watching the guards pass out!
The Marys – The beloved Marys, how they loved Jesus. They watched in fear and amazement of seeing the stone tossed aside and the angel now turning to speak to them since the soldiers have gone to “sleep”. “He’s risen, just as He said!” Could Jesus words be echoing in their minds, about “the Temple being rebuilt in three days”? We do know that Hopelessness has now been defeated. Hope eternal is fully alive! “I’m going away for a while, but I’ll be back”, said Jesus when as He walked with them.
Could these words be ringing in their ears?
Friends, how many times a day must we be reminded that Jesus IS coming back to claim His own? Just as He said! When in the middle of fear and trouble, do we remember what Jesus said and did to save us, with promises to help us through life, as He prepares a place for us with Him in eternity. Don’t lose Hope! Hope is alive!
NOW, GO QUICKLY AND TELL
For the Marys, fear is gone, Hope restored, overwhelming Joy turns grief to urgency in running, not walking, to go tell the others! Imagine this joy! We can only compare it to the time we repented and gave all to Jesus in surrender in return for His extreme gift of forgiveness! Go back to that day and remember. We might come close to this day of knowing Jesus is risen indeed–Just as He said—for the very first time!
AS THEY OBEYED, JESUS MET THEM!!
Friends, I am overwhelmed just now by the thought of Jesus meeting His Beloved on the path to obedience to “go and tell”! Pause, let this sink in! He meets us on our paths to our own obedience to God, too! The Marys responded to Jesus in worship! Do we worship when Jesus comes to us in the middle of our obedience? Or do we rush ahead, missing these awesome moments, to get the mission accomplished? Oh, the Marys didn’t! Jesus, their beloved friends, Savior and Lord, has met them on the path with more encouragement and the more information for they have been faithful beyond the rest of the discipels. “Don’t be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.” Wow.
CONFLICTING STORIES—LIE VS. TRUTH
The lies are still being told today. It didn’t happen, the scoffing world says. Jesus did not rise again, that’s just a story. The ones who killed Jesus gave the soldiers a bribe to lie and stick with the lie. “You must say, ‘Jesus’ disciples came during the night while we were sleeping, and they stole his body.’” The religious leaders lied from a place of fear, pride, arrogance, and envy being led by evil.
Obviously, we have a choice to believe the lie or believe, accept forgiveness, gain life eternal, and to go and tell the Truth. Friends, choose wisely, our lives and those around us depend on what we spread. Follow Truth, who is Jesus.
“I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.”
Oh Lord,
How we do remember by reading Matthew’s Good News! You are our Hope, our Living Hope! Keep us remembering, obeying, cherishing each word, worshiping You alone, telling and maturing in Your love. Help us to tell Your Story, just as You said. Thank you, Lord!
It is amazing and ironic at the same time that the religious leaders who manipulated the Roman government into killing Jesus, waking the next day remembering what He said about rising from the dead in three days. You would think that they would be satisfied, still celebrating the deed that was finished with a body in a tomb. But they heard enough of Jesus’ words to remember and do something about those words of Jesus.
Why, we ask ourselves, who know what happens next? Why go to the trouble to seal the tomb when a few humans would not be able to roll the stone away from the entrance? Why give the fearful followers of Jesus this much credit to think they would still the body after rolling the stone away with great effort? Could this nugget of truth be troubling those who studied the Law, the Scriptures rolled up in scrolls, passed down through the ages? Yes, they remembered what Jesus said. They took their last shot at trying to rid the world of the One sent to save the world.
The women stood by the entrance and just watched, grieving over His death. Were they going over in their minds all that Jesus had said? As women, we are overthinkers, passionate about our families, nurturers of people. These women did not run but they drew near to where the Body of their Lord was laid and watched while they grieved and remembered.
Pilot, who washed his hands of the whole incident of what to do with Jesus, is now approached again by the religious leaders. Is he thinking, when will this all be over? He gives in easily it seems for he remembers his wife’s dream while sentencing an innocent man to die on a cross. The deed was done. With the wave of a hand, he tells soldiers to seal the tomb “as best you can” to appease the religious once more. He posts guards at the tomb who will experience the earth shake once more as Jesus rises from the dead in all His glory. They will remember a totally different experience than anyone has ever had on earth.
But we get ahead of ourselves. Today, we are trying to put ourselves inside the minds and attitudes of all the earthly characters who played a part in the fulfillment of Scripture, the prophecies of God, through men who belonged to Him and heard him, through the hearts of the women who loved Him deeply. We see the irony of the religious leaders of the day, while being grateful to the rich man who decided to follow Jesus unto death on a cross and lovingly and carefully gave respect to the body of our Savior.
Pause and let us remember…
Matthew—God’s Word Fulfilled
Matthew 27:57-66, NLT
The Burial of Jesus
57 As evening approached, Joseph, a rich man from Arimathea who had become a follower of Jesus, 58 went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. And Pilate issued an order to release it to him. 59 Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a long sheet of clean linen cloth. 60 He placed it in his own new tomb, which had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance and left. 61 Both Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting across from the tomb and watching.
The Guard at the Tomb
62 The next day, on the Sabbath, the leading priests and Pharisees went to see Pilate. 63 They told him, “Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise from the dead.’ 64 So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead! If that happens, we’ll be worse off than we were at first.”
65 Pilate replied, “Take guards and secure it the best you can.” 66 So they sealed the tomb and posted guards to protect it.
GO DEEPER IN TRUTH AS WE REMEMBER…
(With the help of Warren Wiersbe, Theologian and Commentator)
“Though He was “crucified through weakness” (2 Cor. 13:4), He exercised wonderful power when He died. Three miracles took place simultaneously: The veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; an earthquake opened many graves; some saints arose from the dead. The rending of the veil symbolized the wonderful truth that the way was now open to God (Heb. 10:14–26). There was no more need of temples, priests, altars, or sacrifices. Jesus had finished the work of salvation on the cross.”
“The earthquake reminds us of what happened at Mount Sinai when God gave the law to Moses (Ex. 19:16). The earthquake at Calvary signified that the demands of the law had been met and the curse of the law forever abolished (Heb. 12:18–24). The torn veil indicates that He conquered sin; the earthquake suggests that He conquered the law and fulfilled it; and the resurrections prove that He defeated death.” Yes!
Wiersbe relates, “It is not likely that Joseph prepared that tomb for himself. He was a wealthy man and certainly would not want to be buried so near a place of execution. He prepared that tomb for Jesus, and he selected a site near Golgotha so that he and Nicodemus could bury Christ’s body quickly. Joseph and Nicodemus could very well have been in the garden waiting for Jesus to die. When they took Him from the cross, they defiled themselves and were not able to eat the Passover. But, what difference did it make? They had found the Lamb of God!”
In contrast to the loving care given by Jesus’ friends, notice the plottings and maneuvering of the Jewish leaders. The disciples had forgotten that Jesus promised to rise from the dead on the third day, but His enemies remembered. Pilate permitted the leaders to set a guard at the tomb. This guard put an official Roman seal on the stone. All of this was of God, for now it was impossible for anyone—friend or foe—to steal the body.
Yes, without realizing it, the Jewish leaders and the Roman government joined forces to help prove the resurrection of Jesus Christ! Remember this in grateful praise for the One and Only who came to save the world from all sin, once and for all!
Lord and Savior,
Thank you. Just thank you. There are not enough words to express my grateful praise this morning so I will just remember with a sincere heart of gratitude.
The religious leaders who were filled with pride, arrogance, and envy had succeeded in their plot designed to rid themselves of the man who called himself, Son of God and Son of Man. Imaging the high fives and pats on the backs by the religious leaders who manipulated the Roman government, their enemy, into doing the deed to kill Jesus in the most tortuous way known to mankind—nailing a human to a cross made of rough, splintery wood planks.
Oh, how they had their fun in the process as they mocked Judas, a disciple, who became part of their plan. That was a bonus in their eyes. They hadn’t planned on one of his own betraying Jesus. Oh how they scoffed and mocked Judas who changed his mind and threw the coins back at them. Most likely they celebrated as the coins were returned to them when you consider the mocking of Jesus.
Yes, they got exactly what they wanted—for now. However, the story does not end here. We know the rest of the story. The cross has the final word for our salvation. Pause to reflect as we sing this song to the glory of God. I hear this playing in the background of my mind as we study this passage this morning…
The Cross Has the Final Word, Newsboys
The cross has the final word The cross has the final word Sorrow may come in the darkest night But the cross has the final word
There’s nothing stronger Nothing higher There’s nothing greater than the name of Jesus
All the honor All the power All the glory to the name of Jesus
The cross has the final word The cross has the final word Evil may put up its strongest fight But the cross has the final word
There’s nothing stronger Nothing higher Nothing greater than the name of Jesus
All the honor All the power All the glory to the name of Jesus
The cross has the final word The cross has the final word The Savior has come with the morning light The cross has the final word…
Matthew—God’s Word Fulfilled
Matthew 27:32-56, NLT
The Crucifixion
32 Along the way, they came across a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. 33 And they went out to a place called Golgotha (which means “Place of the Skull”). 34 The soldiers gave Jesus wine mixed with bitter gall, but when he had tasted it, he refused to drink it.
35 After they had nailed him to the cross, the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. 36 Then they sat around and kept guard as he hung there. 37 A sign was fastened above Jesus’ head, announcing the charge against him. It read: “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38 Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.
39 The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. 40 “Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, if you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross!”
41 The leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders also mocked Jesus. 42 “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! So he is the King of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him! 43 He trusted God, so let God rescue him now if he wants him! For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 Even the revolutionaries who were crucified with him ridiculed him in the same way.
The Death of Jesus
45 At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. 46 At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
47 Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. 48 One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. 49 But the rest said, “Wait! Let’s see whether Elijah comes to save him.”
50 Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, 52 and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. 53 They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.
54 The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “This man truly was the Son of God!”
55 And many women who had come from Galilee with Jesus to care for him were watching from a distance. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James and Joseph), and the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee.
THINK ABOUT IT…
To Jesus’ followers and devoted disciples, their new way of life is over. Or so they think.
To the disciples who ran for protection from the murderers of their leader, fear takes over.
To the religious leaders, there is celebration.
To the women who stayed at the foot of the cross there is nothing but overwhelming grief because of their devoted love for Him. His earthly mother was one of them.
To the soldiers who did the deed and stood watch over the dying, human body, there was something different about this man. When the earth shook, fear took over because of what was happening around them as he died. “This man truly was the Son of God!”
To those in the Temple at the time the curtain ripped in two pieces, leading to the Holy of Holies, the place where only one designated person could go to lay the sins of the people before God, was shock, horror and fear.
To passersby, there was no thought, just the sport of mocking and ridicule on a busy Passover in the big city.
To Jesus, forgiveness. “Forgive them, Lord for they know not what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)
Pause for grateful prayer as we remember what Jesus did for us.
Yes, the religious leaders think they got what they wanted. But God trumped their selfish plot to get what He had planned for us since Creation. God’s Perfect Plan was successfully carried out by His Son who was willing to lay down his life for all who would believe in Him and be saved for eternity. Jesus provided total and complete forgiveness for our sins which gave all who would believe in Him a way back to God in relationship with Him, the once and for all sacrifice.
The ripped curtain was symbolic of this new way to God. We can now approach God boldly because of Jesus’ forgiveness without a ceremonial procedure. “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 14:6
THE WAY has been made, courtesy of the blood of Christ, our Savior.
Do we really believe what we say we believe about God really real? Pause and think. Meditate on what Jesus did and why He did it. Get real. Be real.
Lord,
Thank you, Jesus for all you went through as Son of Man and Son of God so that I can come directly to God boldly. Thank you for forgiveness of all our sins. “As far as the east is from the west”, our sins are forgiven. Help us to remember them no more and move forward in this new life with You. Guide us, lead us, transform us to be all you created us to be…then do for your glory.
If you live long enough on earth you will be mocked. Prideful humans enjoy putting someone else down in order to lift themselves up in the eyes of the people in their circle of influence. New people who come into their circle must be proven to be up to their standards and be just like them or they are quickly mocked and torn down to size, a size lower than the mockers.
We learn skills of mocking on the playground. We play “king of the hill” where only the strong and pushy remain on top. When wisdom and maturity is slow to grow inside individuals, we carry this bully attitude into our adult life. Bullies love to mock and are gifted at sarcastically bringing others who do not follow them down to their knees…or they nail them to a cross of shame and humility.
Our passage of mocking leads to the final humiliation of our Lord. The soldiers are allowed to have their way with Jesus, to mock Him with taunts about who He is in Truth. Jesus said nothing and took the pain of these taunts as well as the beatings by the whips of leather and spikes cutting into his skin. Scripture tells us he was unrecognizable by the time this mocking and beating subsided long enough so they could lead him to his final destination—the cross.
The Roman soldiers took great pride in their work of nailing humans to a cross in ways that held them there for all passers by to see, to mock and jeer with hate, until they died hours later. To the Romans, this humiliation was a deterrent to crime and revolutions against the government.
To God, it was the act of paying the debt of sin for all the world for whom He loved. To Jesus, Son of God, who could have called thousands upon thousands of angels to rescue Him, it was an act of sacrificial love for you and for me. Jesus laid down his life for our lives. He died in our place. He took the pain of our punishment, the mocking that hurt from the inside out, the beatings that hurt from the outside in so we could be set free from the entanglement and debt of sin. Once and for all, Jesus died and rose again to save us.
The mocking still takes place today. Jesus told us it would. “And all nations will hate you because you are my followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 10:22) As a child of God, follower of Jesus, I tire of the mocking. However, on days when I find myself in a place where I am not mocked, I may be the one doing the mocking! We have to check our pride often to make sure we are not joining in the mocking of others in the Body of Christ. When we mock others, Jesus said we are mocking Him. Whatever we do to the least of these, we do to Him! Our love for Him is based on our love for others!
Oh, how careful and focused we must be to stay so close to Jesus that we are mocked for our faith in Him. I would rather be accused and mocked for following Christ than not be mocked or accused because of following anything that comes along. My desire is to follow Jesus, to know Him, to share in His sufferings (mocking) like the apostle Paul who changed his political extremist life of mocking and killing Believers to becoming a powerful, God-led follower of Jesus Christ. Read the powerful testimony of Saul to Paul who obtained a new name and a new direction for his life…
“Whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.”
“I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.”
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ‘Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.’” Philippians 3:7-14, NIV
PAUSE TO PRAY…
Am I mocked for my faith in Jesus? Or am I doing the mocking?
Love God. Love Others like He loves us.
Matthew—God’s Word Fulfilled
Matthew 27:27-44, NLT
The Soldiers Mock Jesus
27 Some of the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into their headquarters and called out the entire regiment. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. 29 They wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head, and they placed a reed stick in his right hand as a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mockery and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” 30 And they spit on him and grabbed the stick and struck him on the head with it. 31 When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.
The Crucifixion
32 Along the way, they came across a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. 33 And they went out to a place called Golgotha (which means “Place of the Skull”). 34 The soldiers gave Jesus wine mixed with bitter gall, but when he had tasted it, he refused to drink it.
35 After they had nailed him to the cross, the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. 36 Then they sat around and kept guard as he hung there. 37 A sign was fastened above Jesus’ head, announcing the charge against him. It read: “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38 Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.
39 The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. 40 “Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, if you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross!”
41 The leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders also mocked Jesus. 42 “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! So he is the King of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him! 43 He trusted God, so let God rescue him now if he wants him! For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 Even the revolutionaries who were crucified with him ridiculed him in the same way.
Oh Lord,
The extreme mocking you took for truly being Who you said you were touch my soul this morning. The pain you took in my place overwhelms me. I have no other words but thank you. Thank you, God for sending your Son. Thank you, Jesus for dying for my sin and rising again with hope for our resurrection someday to be with you forever. Thank you, Holy Spirit for speaking to my soul today. Guide me. Lead me. Mold and shape me to be before doing anything. Help me to take the mocking gracefully with silence as you did. Your silence spoke volumes.
Like children on a playground who like a good fight, guided by peer pressure into things they wouldn’t normally do, promised good things by influencers, or coerced to join them because they are more powerful, the crowds yell, “Crucify Him!”
God’s Chosen People have betrayed their long-awaited Messiah. Prophets said they would and they did. The prophets also told of the way Jesus would be killed for the sins of the world. Isaiah, centuries earlier, gives the clearest description of how the Messiah would take the sins of world, yours and mine, beaten and put to death to pay our debt. What crime? Our crime of sin. The wounds Jesus endured from his beatings brought healing to us. Camp on that thought this morning.
Let’s visit Isaiah 53 before reading Matthew’s account;
“Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
Surely, he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. 11 After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53, NIV)
Matthew—God’s Word Fulfilled
Matthew 27:11-23, NLT
Jesus’ Trial before Pilate
11 Now Jesus was standing before Pilate, the Roman governor. “Are you the king of the Jews?” the governor asked him.
Jesus replied, “You have said it.”
12 But when the leading priests and the elders made their accusations against him, Jesus remained silent. 13 “Don’t you hear all these charges they are bringing against you?” Pilate demanded. 14 But Jesus made no response to any of the charges, much to the governor’s surprise.
15 Now it was the governor’s custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner to the crowd—anyone they wanted. 16 This year there was a notorious prisoner, a man named Barabbas. 17 As the crowds gathered before Pilate’s house that morning, he asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you—Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” 18 (He knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy.)
19 Just then, as Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night.”
20 Meanwhile, the leading priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be put to death. 21 So the governor asked again, “Which of these two do you want me to release to you?”
The crowd shouted back, “Barabbas!”
22 Pilate responded, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”
They shouted back, “Crucify him!”
23 “Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?”
But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!”
24 Pilate saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere and that a riot was developing. So he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. The responsibility is yours!”
25 And all the people yelled back, “We will take responsibility for his death—we and our children!”
26 So Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.
WHAT CRIME?
Even Pilot, a Roman official, caught in the middle of the plot to kill Jesus by the Jewish leaders, “knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy.”
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21
WHY?
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
From the beginning of Creation, God made humans in his image, (Imago Dei) with a desire and delight for his created to love Him back in an intimate, holy relationship. He made a way for this to happen—Jesus.
HOW?
“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9
Saved from what? I’m a good person. Being good isn’t the point, being saved by grace is essential to our faith in God and our growing relationship with Him through Jesus, His Son. By the way, no one is “good”.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith.” Romans 3:23-25
Our crime led to our punishment for our sin. Jesus took the punishment for our sin as only “he who knew no sin” could. Debt paid in full. Praise God for a way out and back to Him in holy relationship!
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6, NIV Jesus came to provide the Way to God, was Truth by example who led all who believe to Life, real life, eternal.
Lord and Savior,
Thank you for saving my soul and making me whole again. Thank you for taking on the punishment we deserve for our sins in such a horrific way. Thank you for leading us to God, telling the world about God then dying and rising again so we could have a pure, intimate, growing relationship with God! I have not arrived. The more I learn from you the more I want to learn more about You. Continue to transform this saved soul into all you created me to be, then do according to your will and purpose. Because now, I’m set free! All because of You! To You be all glory, honor and praise forevermore!
It has been said that most successful companies care more about the profit than the people. People are indispensable—until you do not add to the profit margin. These places are most often not places that value your worth—only your output for bottom line results. Working for a place that treats humans only as part of the machinery to thrive in business know that humans are as replaceable as any other moving part in the company. Caring about humans gets in the way.
When leadership sees only the big picture without caring who they hurt to get there, it is possibly time to look for a new work unless you realize upfront what is expected of you to churn out the work, giving all you have to the company while staying ahead of the curve is okay with you. We realize that humans are not important—only the work they do to make the leadership look good in the eyes of the world around them so what they are selling is bought at a high price. What do we care?
Who we give our souls to in this earthly life makes all the difference in God’s view of thinking. When we realize that ultimately, we work to please God first, the work we choose to support us in this life will take on a different look and feel. Putting God first in our job search leads us to workplaces that do care about humans who find that caring actually produces more success in the lives of people who then provide productive outcomes. But be careful of those who only pretend to care—until they don’t.
In today’s passage, the irony of Law keeping and uncaring is taken to a new level by the religious leaders who have no relationship with God. They have been plotting to kill Jesus who has been a constant problem to their selfish living. They used Judas’ weakness of money management, who couldn’t keep his hands out the treasury bag meant for the followers living existence.
Judas was an easy target because he was becoming disgruntled at Jesus’s ways. He didn’t like the way Jesus handled life situations. Jesus was not taking over the Roman government of oppression in an all-out revolt like he would have liked. Judas was especially indignant at the woman who came in one evening and anointed Jesus with expensive perfume. “We could have given the money to the poor”, but Judas was really thinking he could have had more money in the bag to use for his purposes. Judas acted like he cared as a disciple of Jesus—but he did not care. Judas only cared for himself. Love was lost on his own selfish greed. This “tipping point” led to the betrayal shortly after the anointing.
However, the religious leaders are even more uncaring than Judas! They used Judas to get to Jesus. The tables of uncaring are turned on Judas when he realizes where this betrayal act is heading and he finally regrets what he did to Jesus, the man he had traveled alongside for months. Judas tries to undo his act of betrayal by giving the price paid back to the leaders, but it is too late. The plot has picked up steam and is now rolling to the final destination of what the leaders think will solve all their problems. The leaders’ final words to Judas were, “What do we care?” “That’s your problem.”
Matthew—God’s Word Fulfilled
Matthew 27:1-10, NLT
Judas Hangs Himself
Very early in the morning the leading priests and the elders of the people met again to lay plans for putting Jesus to death. 2 Then they bound him, led him away, and took him to Pilate, the Roman governor.
3 When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the leading priests and the elders. 4 “I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.”
“What do we care?” they retorted. “That’s your problem.”
5 Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself.
6 The leading priests picked up the coins. “It wouldn’t be right to put this money in the Temple treasury,” they said, “since it was payment for murder.” 7 After some discussion they finally decided to buy the potter’s field, and they made it into a cemetery for foreigners. 8 That is why the field is still called the Field of Blood. 9 This fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah that says,
“They took the thirty pieces of silver— the price at which he was valued by the people of Israel, 10 and purchased the potter’s field, as the Lord directed.”
ONE LAST LOOK…
“Judas had returned to the scene. He witnessed the official trial and sentencing of Jesus and realized that He was condemned to die. Judas’s response was one of remorse and regret. The Greek word translated “repented himself” in Matthew 27:3 indicates, not a sorrow for sin that leads to a change of mind and action, (like Peter), but a regret at being caught, a remorse that leads to despair. Peter truly repented, and Jesus restored him. But Judas did not repent, and this led him to suicide. Judas had sold Jesus for the price of a slave (Ex. 21:32). In desperation, he threw the money on the temple floor and left. The law would not permit the use of this kind of tainted money for temple purposes (Deut. 23:18). The leaders were careful to observe the law even while they were guilty of breaking it. They used the money to buy a “potter’s field” where Jewish strangers who died could be properly buried.” (Warren Wiersbe, Commentator)
A distraught Judas, fulfills what God knew he would do, proceed with the last act of selfishness. He hangs himself.
The priests called the cemetery “the field of blood” because it was purchased with “blood money.” Judas’s suicide added more “blood” to the name, since it was he who contributed the money. The leading priest wouldn’t waste good money. “It wouldn’t be right” to put the blood money back into their treasury, so they do the next best thing. They act like they care and buy a field so people not like them can be buried. Wow.
God cares. Believe. Trust in His Care.
Abba, Father in Heaven, Lord,
Thank you for caring, loving, cherishing us, your created. We are so loved, you died to save us from our own sin of selfishness, of going our own way without you, of failures and misunderstandings. You care! You really care about us. You know each of us by name. You know how many hairs are on our head. You love us. We love you. You desire a growing intimate relationship with us that is full, abundant and good. Very good. Thank you for caring. Thank you for taking our problems and solving them instead of throwing them back into our faces. You are God. There is no one like You. I will forever be grateful for all you are to us and do for us each day!
For most of us, it is natural to be curious about what will happen next. For Peter, his curiosity became an obsession. Love for Jesus led to this obsession. He could and would not run from the situation. John, the “beloved” disciple, knows someone who will get them close to where Jesus is being questioned by the Jewish Council. With this “ticket” inside, Peter tries to blend in with the guards and their families. But the plan backfires. Peter is known for being with Jesus. His accent, demeanor and nervous actions are giving him away. The cut-off ear of one of the guards, healed immediately by Jesus in the garden upon His initial arrest, might still sting a bit. Tensions are high on both sides of this situation. Accusations are flying outside in the courtyard as well as inside the home of Caiaphas.
But for Peter, the accusations are true. He is a beloved follower of Jesus. Peter has disobeyed his Master by following Him there. Peter’s “curiosity could kill the cat” of obsession to be in control. Peter is lying about who he is and throwing some curse words in with anger for good measure. The more he protests of not knowing Jesus, the guiltier he becomes. “The lady doth protest too much, methinks”, a line from the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare fits Peter’s situation well!
Now, let’s talk about Jesus. Jesus is also being questioned, mocked and slapped around for admitting who He really is. “You have said it.” Jesus is agreeing with the Council! This might be a first time of agreement! (Okay, smiling here.) Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah God’s Chosen people have been waiting for—but they do not recognize Him even when Jesus looks them in the eye and tells them who He is by agreeing with their accusation!
The Messiah stands in their midst. Jesus affirms He is the One. But they do not believe. With a lost relationship with God, worshiping The Law instead of God, living for themselves for centuries, they cannot recognize the One who has come. But Jesus knew and loved them anyway. In His earthly ministry, Jesus tried to convince them in the streets of Jerusalem. Jesus showed His power, told them where His power came from, but they did not recognize Him as the Messiah. They were so far removed from God that they no longer recognized or believe in God and what He was doing right in front of them.
Unknowing and unyielding leads to fear of losing control and power so in their minds the only solution is to get rid of who stands in their way of getting back to “normal”. Wow.
Matthew—God’s Word Fulfilled
Matthew 26:57-75, NLT
Jesus before the Council
57 Then the people who had arrested Jesus led him to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of religious law and the elders had gathered. 58 Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance and came to the high priest’s courtyard. He went in and sat with the guards and waited to see how it would all end.
59 Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death. 60 But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, they could not use anyone’s testimony. Finally, two men came forward 61 who declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”
62 Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” 63 But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”
64 Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
65 Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your verdict?”
“Guilty!” they shouted. “He deserves to die!”
67 Then they began to spit in Jesus’ face and beat him with their fists. And some slapped him, 68 jeering, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who hit you that time?”
Peter Denies Jesus
69 Meanwhile, Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl came over and said to him, “You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean.”
70 But Peter denied it in front of everyone. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.
71 Later, out by the gate, another servant girl noticed him and said to those standing around, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
72 Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath. “I don’t even know the man,” he said.
73 A little later some of the other bystanders came over to Peter and said, “You must be one of them; we can tell by your Galilean accent.”
74 Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know the man!” And immediately the rooster crowed.
75 Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he went away, weeping bitterly.
PAUSE TO PRAY AND EVALUTATE
Where are we in our relationship with God?
Are we so far from talking and walking with God in our intimate relationship with Him that we no longer see Him at work in our lives and in the lives of others around us?
How long has it been since we talked life over with Jesus?
Is God only for church but then life goes on without consulting Him?
Do we really believe what we say we believe about God really real?
Father, God, Lord and Savior,
We can be so easily distracted and pulled away from You by the prince of evil who rules this earthly world. Evil is sly and cunning and is becoming more vile and destructive with each generation. What was unacceptable is now acceptable. Yikes. Lord, help us. Save us. Keep all of us who believe alert to what is not of You and avoid it at all costs. Grow us from the inside out and outside in. Keep us abiding in You so you will abide in us. Keep our walk pure each day as we work, worship you with our lives, rest, teach our kids, and love like you love us. We need you every hour of every day. Thank you, Lord.
And when I am accused of being yours, may I be found guilty as charged.
As soon as Jesus prays for the third time for God’s will to be done, He tells the disciples exactly what is about to happen. Jesus knew all along what would happen. Jesus prays, asking God’s will in the matter. God’s plan, written by prophets long ago, will be completed in the coming hours. Everything that is about to happen looks as if the religious leaders are following a script without really knowing that God is in complete control of the situation for His Son’s mission. The leaders who read the scriptures, debate the meaning daily, but who have lost touch with God, really don’t know the significance of what they are doing. They are full of evil, led by evil.
Jesus tries once more to point out to His beloved disciples what is going on before it happens. “But look—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!” Right on cue, Judas leads a small army into the garden to arrest the Son of God. Judas thinks he is in control, right?! Wow.
Notice that the religious leaders didn’t have the guts to come along for the arrest they have been so looking forward to for three years! The men armed with swords and clubs had been sent by leading priests. This is not only Truth telling of their hard hearts toward God, but fulfilling of the Word they boasted they knew so well. Could it be they worshiped God’s Law instead of worshiping God? (Yes.)
Do we do that at times? Do we use God’s Word, our Bibles, as a sword to maim, destroy, lord over, judge, prove our point in debate, and crucify others who we think do not believe as we do? Yikes. Help us all, Lord. May we worship You first, as the One and Only, to be praised. May we use Your Word to us as Your Light for our path through this dark world. May our relationship with You be our highest priority for life now and forever. Oh, teach us, Lord. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Matthew—God’s Word Fulfilled
Matthew 26:47-56, NLT
Jesus Is Betrayed and Arrested
47 And even as Jesus said this, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived with a crowd of men armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent by the leading priests and elders of the people. 48 The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal: “You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss.” 49 So Judas came straight to Jesus. “Greetings, Rabbi!” he exclaimed and gave him the kiss.
50 Jesus said, “My friend, go ahead and do what you have come for.”
Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him. 51 But one of the men with Jesus pulled out his sword and struck the high priest’s slave, slashing off his ear.
52 “Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword. 53 Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? 54 But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?”
55 Then Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I some dangerous revolutionary, that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me? Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there teaching every day. 56 But this is all happening to fulfill the words of the prophets as recorded in the Scriptures.” At that point, all the disciples deserted him and fled.
SCRIPTURE FULFILLED
On cue, according to the prophets who wrote, “the sheep will scatter”, (Zachariah 13:7) the disciples deserted Him and ran away. However, Peter and John later go against the plan. We will talk more about that later.
DIGGING DEEPER STILL…
“The fact that this band of soldiers and temple guards carried weapons and lanterns shows that Judas did not really understand Jesus. Judas thought they would have to search for Him in the garden and fight off His disciples in order to arrest Him. But Jesus came to them and calmly surrendered. It would not even have been necessary for Judas to betray Jesus with a kiss, for Jesus told the soldiers who He was.” (Warren Wiersbe, Commentator)
It is tragic to see how Judas cheapened everything that he touched. His name means praise (Gen. 29:35), yet who would name a son “Judas” today? He used the kiss as a weapon, not as a sign of affection. In that day, it was customary for disciples to kiss their teacher. But in this case, it was not a mark of submission or respect. The Greek verbs indicate that Judas kissed Jesus repeatedly.
Jesus was the Word made flesh. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” (John 1) But here is Peter, who had argued with the Word, denied the Word, and disobeyed the Word (when he went to sleep). “Now he ran ahead of the Word. In his zeal to help Jesus, Peter cut off Malchus’s ear with a sword. He did not wait for the Lord to tell him what to do, but (like Moses in Egypt, Ex. 2:11–15) Peter rushed ahead and trusted the arm of flesh. Had Jesus not healed the ear of Malchus, there probably would have been four crosses on Calvary! The fact that the guards had not arrested Him in the temple indicates that there was a divine timetable controlling His life. These things were not happening by accident, but by appointment. It was all part of God’s plan, yet evil men were responsible for the deed”. (Wiersbe)
Jesus could have put a stop to all of this, but He didn’t. Jesus loved us too much to stop God’s Plan of redemption being fulfilled once and for all. Wow.
Lord, God of Heaven and Earth,
I love you back with all my heart, mind and soul. I will live gratefully knowing how much you love me and all who believe and follow you. Thank you. Just, Thank you. I will meditate on this all day long.
In Jesus Name, Amen
And I’m singing…”Ten Thousand Angels”
They bound the hands of Jesus in the garden where he pray They led him through the street in shame They spat upon the Savior so pure and free from sin They said crucify him he’s to blame He could have called ten thousand angels to destroy the world and set him free He could have called ten thousand angels but he died alone for you and me
We have all prayed more than once for something we care about most in life, right? We go to God, asking for help for ourselves or for a loved one. We pray what is on our mind most and what is unresolved. We pray for other concerns as well, but we seem to always circle back around to the same request. In my life, those prayers for help seem to get an answer more quickly when my will yields to the will of the Father. When I let go completely, with hands off, God steps in to do what only God can and will do, according to what is best. But it requires this “knee time” to really hear what God wants, what is best, with His will and perfect plan. God knows what we need most—Him–but we need to let God know we know.
JESUS, OUR EXAMPLE OF PRAYING TO GOD
Jesus, Son of God and Son of man, knows what is about to happen to Him, knows the suffering he is about to undergo, knows the betrayal of Judas to the officials will soon be culminated by a kiss, knows what the rest of the disciples will do, including Peter with John not far behind. And so, Jesus prays, not once, but three times, “if it is possible”, take what is about to happen to me from me. Of course, it was possible for God to change His plan but that would not have accomplished His will for all the sinful lost of the world—including you and me. Jesus knew It was possible for Him to just say the word and ten thousand angels would come to His rescue, but that was not The Plan, not the will of the Father. The Plan was created with Jesus from the beginning of creation. God knew his created would need this plan.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
God gave His Son to save us from our own bad choices. God created us with free will. God gave us the will to choose Him above all—or not. God’s will and passion is that we would choose Him so He can give His best to us—for eternity—for life here and there with Him! God so loved. God loves us still. But a price had to paid for our sin that stands between God and sinful mankind. That price, for our sin to be eradicated so we could come back to God, was Jesus. Jesus prayed for another way but yielded to God’s will, not once, but three times.
THE SOURCES OF JESUS’ AGONY?
The agony could have come from knowing. Have you ever dreaded a medical procedure? You knew exactly what the doctors were going to do before they did it. You knew also that what they did would result in a lot of pain during and after the surgery but they told you it would eventually help you? Multiply that thought a million times over to come close to the agony Jesus must of felt before the beatings, mocking, and the final humiliation of the cross.
The agony came from the heavy load of our sins, the sins of the world, being placed on the Lamb of God as the final sacrifice. Could knowing that God cannot be where sin is, knowing that He who knew no sin would now carry all our sins to the cross, knowing that would separate Him from God until our debt of sin was paid in full, drive Jesus to His knees before God? Sin is ugly, painful, destructive, evil driven, and leads to death. Jesus is about to experience all that sin can do to a human God has created.
The agony of prayer results in resolve with God and His will. What a great example for us to follow. The disciples sleep through the agony. “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak”, Jesus remarks to his companions. After three prayers and three checks on His disciples, Jesus shows us that He is not only willing to lay down His life for ours, but He is now resolved for His flesh to be torn apart for our sin. I am reminded of their last Passover meal together. “My Body”, “My Blood”. Take, eat and drink is so much more significant with this passage. We hear Jesus say to our hearts, “Take, accept, believe, know, trust, obey with following Me”. But it will always be our choice.
Choose well, my friends.
Matthew—God’s Word Fulfilled
Matthew 26:36-46, NLT
Jesus Prays in Gethsemane
36 Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” 37 He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. 38 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
39 He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
40 Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? 41 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”
42 Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open.
44 So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!”
The time has come for us to choose Jesus and get going with following our Savior as Lord!
Lord,
You are stirring my heart because of thinking about the agony you felt as you prepared your mind, heart, soul and body as the final sacrifice for our sin. There are not enough words of gratitude, relief, love and worship for what you did for all who believe. Thank you for saving my soul. Thank you for being with us. Thank you for continually teaching us. Not my will, but yours, Lord. All day long.
Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus) 