I expect those who take the time to read my blog have read through the Gospels at least once, and probably many times. You may be like me, filled with appreciation for Jesus. He healed the sick, freed people from demonic influences, fed the hungry, and taught others to live as he did.
It is tragic that he was opposed by the very people he came to save and was put on the cross. What is interesting about the crucifixion account is very modest in its telling..
And when they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots; then they sat down there and kept watch over him (Matthew 27:35-36).
Many books describe the horrors of crucifixion in detail. Yet the New Testament writers did not focus on those horrors. They simply stated that Jesus was crucified.
Love Poured Out for Six Hours
Around the time Jesus was born, the Romans crucified 2,000 people not far from his birthplace. Before the temple was destroyed in AD 70, about 35,000 people from the city were crucified.
Jesus’ crucifixion was part of that history, but it was also unique. No other crucifixion happened the way his did. I believe the three hours between noon and three set Jesus’ crucifixion apart for the multitudes of people who died in that horrific way.
From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 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?” (Matthew 27:45-46).
In his book The Mind of Christ, T.W. Hunt says he believes the darkness over the earth covered an interaction that could only take place between Jesus and His Heavenly Father. Jesus was suffering for the sins of all humanity, from the beginning of time.
No one else on a cross, as terrible as crucifixion was, ever suffered for the sins of all people. This was the gift Jesus gave us as He died on the cross.
An Open Door to the Father
I hope those who read my blog will begin or complete their time of devotion by spending time in prayer. The ability to pray is a gift Jesus won for us through His death on the cross.
Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. (Matthew 27:50-51).
The temple curtain was a beautifully woven piece of fabric. When it was torn from top to bottom, it showed that the Father opened the way.
Before, only the high priest could go behind the curtain to meet with God. But because of what Jesus did for us, the curtain has been torn, and we can enter that sacred place with God. He is willing to meet with us and we cheat ourselves if we don’t take advantage of His gift.
A Witness to the World
One of my favorite sayings is that Jesus came into the world to defeat his enemies by making them his friends. In this case, his death showed the Roman centurion overseeing his execution that he truly was the Son of God.
Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!” (Matthew 27:54).
We do not know what happened to this Roman centurion, but I would not be surprised if he became a follower of Jesus after the resurrection. One day, we will find out.
Reflections
I began this series of blog posts about Jesus’s life from the Garden of Gethsemane through the crucifixion by sharing how E. Stanley Jones, the great Methodist missionary to India, spent time in the Garden meditating on what happened there.
We may not be able to visit the Garden ourselves, but we can pray and reflect on what Jesus went through. We can also tell him how much we love him and how devoted we are to him.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce kirby, and I discussed Matthew 27:27-44 today on YouTube.
Real Voices 