Friday – Day 6 of Holy Week
Matt. 26:46-27:26 We pick the story up where we left off. In the middle of the night. It seems like things are always worse to deal with in the middle of the night. Jesus woke his disciples up and told them the one who betrays Me is at hand. What would be the sign – a kiss, Judas kiss. We have all experienced this kiss before. How hard it is to betrayed by a friend. Betrayal is one of the hardest things to get over. If you are struggling with this now let Jesus be both your example and healer.
Jesus would experience many terrible things in the next several hours. After being arrested, He would endure several staged trials where people would bear false witness against Him. He would be beaten around, mocked and ridiculed. When given the option, the Jewish people, the ones whom He came to deliver, chose to release a murderer called Barabbas instead of Him. Rejection is usually served best with betrayal. Still He pressed on and would not turn back.
He was delivered to be scourged. He was whipped with a Cat of Nine Tails. It was a whip with nine laces coming off the main part of the whip. Each blow would not leave just one mark but nine. It gets worse. The Romans were cruel. At the end of each of the nine tails, they would put pieces of metal or other sharp objects that would rip the flesh apart. Many would not survive the scourging. Our Savior did. Nothing would stop Him from getting to the cross. The only way to save us was to take our place and pay our price. I always hated it in the movies when they made Jesus out to be some wimp. Jesus was a man.
After the beating came the crucifixion. Being crucified was a terrible way to die. But to make things worse, the Romans made you carry your own cross to be crucified on. The cross was God’s will for Jesus. We each have a cross to bear. We need to carry our cross. Our cross is not suffering because Jesus suffered for us. Our cross is the cross of obedience. Obedience to the plan God has for our life. Jesus was exhausted and needed some help at the end to get to Calvary. This is a picture of how we too need to share His burden for the world. The only reason He went to the cross was to save sinners, Sinners like you and me. Once we are saved, we are no longer part of the problem, we are part of the answer. Sad to say sometimes we forget the question.
They then nailed His hands and feet to the cross. They nailed the feet so you could push yourself up to breath. Death on the cross came from suffocation after you were to exhausted to push up anymore. It was a slow death where you would have to fight for every breath. At any time He could have called angels to deliver him but He didn’t. He loved us more than He loved Himself. Some say they didn’t need nails, His love would have held Him there. After six hours Jesus finally yielded His Spirit. He said with satisfaction, “It is FINISHED”.
Some thought this was the end, we know it is really the beginning. More on this tomorrow. God’s Blessings, Pastor Brad