Matthew 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….15 Now it was the governor’s custom at the festival to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd…20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed. 22 “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!” …
27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. 30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. 31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.
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. 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,[c] lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). 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[e] 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!”
These verses are selected from Matthew 27. Jesus was falsely accused, beaten, mocked, spat upon, and tortured before being led out to be crucified. Crucifixion was the most cruel death the Romans could devise. Prisoners would be nailed to the cross through their wrists or palms. ( There is controversy about these details.) There was a small ledge on which the crucified man could stand, but the only way he could breathe was to force himself upward. Jesus hung on the cross for 6 hours while the Roman soldiers played dice for his clothing. The religious leaders stood at a distance and screamed insults at him. Even one of the thieves crucified with Jesus made fun of him, although the second thief repented and begged for salvation. (Luke 23:39-43)
Why did Jesus have to suffer? Jesus was the only perfectly sinless man in the history of the world. Jesus had done nothing wrong; yet, he was killed. It was love that sent Jesus to Jerusalem, love that kept Jesus quiet as he was accused, love that moved Jesus as the soldiers beat him and shoved a crown of thorns on his head, love that gave him the strength to stumble through the streets of Jerusalem, and love that kept him still as those horrible spikes were driven into his arms and feet.
This suffering was for you! This suffering was for me! None of us is good enough to earn our way into heaven. Only the blood of a sinless man could pay that sin debt. Will you not accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord? He went to the cross for you! He loves you! Open your heart to him today!
PRAYER: FATHER GOD, PLEASE LET EVERYONE WHO READS THESE WORDS ACCEPT THE SACRIFICE OF YOUR SON JESUS ON THE CROSS. CHANGE OUR HEARTS, LORD! HAD WE BEEN THERE, WE WOULD HAVE BEEN PART OF THE MOB DEMANDING JESUS’ BLOOD. FORGIVE US OUR SINS! CLEANSE OUR HEARTS! SAVE US! IN THE MIGHTY NAME OF JESUS. AMEN.
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