God Speaks
The Torture, Crucifixion, Death and Burial of Jesus
Verse of the Day: [May many people come to agree with this Centurion.] And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” (Mark15:39 NIV 2011)
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We Respond
Matthew 27
Reflection: Consider the following questions regarding Matthew 27:
1. What does this chapter tell me about God?
2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
1. Jesus, God the Son, allowed Himself to be crucified.
2. People then and now taunt Jesus (and His followers) for His claiming to be who He really was.
Prayer:
3. How might I pray regarding Matthew 27?
Most Sovereign God, I see that this chapter is a continuation of all that Jesus told his disciples in advance many times during His journeys with them. The events that the Scriptures and He foretold were coming to pass. These include the following: 1) You, Jesus, were conspired against by the chief priests and Jewish elders. 2) Thirty pieces of silver were paid to Your betrayer and then used to purchase the potter’s field. 3) You, Jesus, were brought before government officials. 4) You were designated King of the Jews. 5) You were silent before Your accusers. 6) You were rejected by the mob of people who yelled, “Crucify him!” 7) Jesus, though You were innocent of any crime, You took the punishment of a criminal. 8) You were mocked, tortured, and severely beaten by the soldiers. 9) You were forced, at first, to carry Your own cross; then, a stranger was conscripted to do so. 10) While on the cross, Jesus, You were stripped of Your clothes, ridiculed, thirsty and abandoned by God and Your followers. After Your death: The bodies of many believers were raised from the dead. The commander of the crucifixion squad acknowledged You, Jesus, as the Son of God. You were mourned by several women, including Your mother. Joseph of Arimathea arranged for Your burial. The new tomb in which You were laid was sealed and guarded. Thank You, Jesus, for loving me so much that You endured all of this for me! AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Matthew 27? With the help of God’s Holy Spirit:
- I will express my deep gratitude by offering all I am and have back to Jesus as a living sacrifice.
- I will use a good study bible, a concordance, and/or other resources to locate specific references that foretell these events.
- I will use this chapter to show ______ (at least one specific person) how much Jesus loves them, too.
- I will use this list each morning to remind myself just how much God loves me, and then live the new day to show how much I love Him. I want to love others well, too.
Mark 15
Reflection: After the entire high council had rigorously questioned Him, they bound Jesus and delivered Him to Pilate. Although He could have come to His own defense, Jesus remained silent, to Pilate’s surprise. Pilate offered to crucify Barabbas and release Jesus, but the crowd insisted that Jesus be crucified! Listening to the mob, Pilate delivered Jesus to be flogged and crucified. First, the Roman soldiers flogged Him, then they mocked Jesus as king of the Jews with a purple robe, a crown of thorns, a reed staff and by kneeling down in fake homage. Because he stumbled and couldn’t carry it, the soldiers conscripted Simon of Cyrene carry the cross to the place of the crucifixion. Once they had nailed Him to the cross between two criminals, the crowd mocked Him, and the soldiers gambled for His robe. At the death of Jesus, the veil in the Temple was torn from top to bottom, and the centurion in charge exclaimed, “This man truly was the Son of God!”* Many women (including Mary Magdalene and Mary, His mother) had watched the crucifixion from a distance and had seen where Joseph of Arimathea buried Jesus in a tomb he owned.
*Mark 15:39 NLT
Prayer: Dear Lord God, thank You for loving us so much that You gave Your unique Son to die for our sins. Like Jesus before Pilate, may I always remember who I am (in Christ). May I (and other true believers) acknowledge that truth, and not be upset when false accusations are brought against me (them). Again, like Jesus, may I (they) continue to trust You when the crowd chooses a murdering insurrectionist over me (them). May I (they) hold up under mocking, torture, and humiliation. [Thank You, Jesus, for doing that for me (us).] Please show me (them) how I (they) can come alongside other people who are suffering as Simon of Cyrene did for Jesus. May many people around the world see that You, Jesus, are the Christ, the King of Israel (the King of all kingdoms and people groups). May they each believe that You endured the cross on their behalf and be saved. I declare, with the centurion at Your death, “Truly this man was the Son of God.” May I, like Joseph of Arimathea, keep looking for the kingdom of God, take courage, go to those in authority, and seek to care for the body of Christ (the visible and invisible church) however I can. For the glory of Your name, Jesus. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will show my gratitude to Jesus for dying for my sins by living according to what He shows me today in His Word and through interactive prayer.
- I will tell someone who doesn’t yet believe in Jesus who He is and what He has done for them this week.
- I will stand up for someone who is being mocked, bullied, ostracized, or “cancelled” for their faith in Jesus or any other viewpoint on various issues.
- I will pray about it and then go to those in authority about any truly wrong doings I witness.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.