February 20
Death of Jesus
Matthew 27:38-54
KEY VERSE: "Surely He was the Son of God!" Matthew 27:54b
Have you ever walked up the hill upon which our Lord Jesus was crucified? No, I am not asking if
you have been to Jerusalem. I am asking if you have ever taken the time to walk beneath the cross
of Jesus in your mind and heart.
You need to do that. You need to walk through the painful scenes of that last week of our Lord's
life. You need to watch the soldiers push Jesus around, ridiculing Him, humiliating Him, slapping
Him in the face, treating Him far worse than you would treat a dog.
You need to watch cowardly Pilate washing His hands of the whole affair, claiming that the blood
of Jesus was on the hands of others. What a pitiful attempt to show himself an innocent man when
he had it within his power to make a manly decision.
Don't turn away, now; watch those cruel soldiers begin the gruesome scourging. Listen as the
leather thongs of the whip, filled with pieces of bone and lead, tear into the flesh of our Lord. So
terrible is this whipping that many a man could not even walk after this awful beating. Some even
died on the spot.
You winced, didn't you, as the rough soldiers stripped the clothes off Jesus, laughing cruelly and
mocking Him as they put a scarlet robe on Him as a joke. Some kind of "king" you are, they hissed.
Then when they shove that crown of vicious thorns down upon His head, you shudder to think how
it must feel. The pain, oh, the pain!
There stands before you now, weak and bleeding, the Prince of glory, and why? Paul would explain
later that He was humbling Himself and becoming obedient even unto death upon the cross - for
your sins! Yes, yours!
But His ordeal is not over. His suffering, His humiliation will continue for hours, and you watch as
they lead Him, actually drag Him, up the hill to nail Him to an ugly cross. You stand there and listen
and watch as His blood runs red down His body, and the cross, until it spills upon the ground.
You can hardly believe the taunting of the merciless soldiers. To them, He is just another criminal.
Crucifying Him is all in a day's work for them. They don't have a clue as to His identity.
You hear Him speak words you can hardly believe. "Forgive them," He cries to His Father. How on
earth could one enduring such agony pray such a prayer? But you know what He says and you can
never forget His words.
You want His anguish to end. Oh, God, He has suffered enough! Then, not in whispered tones but
with a shout, you hear Him say "It is finished" and "Into your hands I commit my spirit." You hear
Him gasp His last breath. It is over, thank God.
Not all of the soldiers mocked Jesus. One, a Roman centurion, did not. In the silence that follows
the death of Jesus, you hear the Centurion cry, as he falls to his knees, "Surely He was the Son of
God!"
Now you fall on your knees, for you too have heard and seen the Savior die for you. He loved you
that much. Enough to suffer and die for you, that you, a sinner, might be saved and receive the gift
of eternal life.
Now, it is time for you to walk down from Calvary's hill and begin living like your Lord wants you
to live, like one of His disciples.
That's the least you can do after all He has done for you!