Daily Bread 2010 - Matthew 27
Matthew 27
The Death of Jesus
45From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. 46About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
47When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah."
48Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him."
50And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
51At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. 52The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
54When 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!"
55Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. 56Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.
As we read the culmination of Matthew’s gospel story, including the crucifixion of Jesus there are several juxtapositions, or twists to the story, as you read chapter 27. Judas finally becomes of aware of what he has done and takes his life and throws the 30 coins he had sold Jesus out for into the temple. Maybe a sign of his repentance and realizing with sadness he has betrayed the Son of God.
Then, during the trial, instead of defending himself, Jesus says nothing. Surely, he could have instantly changed the situation by calling down all the angels of heaven, but he sits by silently. Then the Pilate gives the people a chance to release Jesus and instead of letting him go, they condemn him by saying, “Crucify him.” This seals Jesus’ fate and also shows that it was not just the Pilate and the Romans who crucified Jesus, but all of the people (and by application all of us!).
Then finally we see the climax of this drama when Jesus calls out to His Father in Heaven. This is the same Father, who he had relied on for all of His earthly ministry. This is the same Father, who he said he would do nothing without his approval. The is the same Father, who had initiated Jesus’ ministry back in Matthew 3 with the words, “This is my Son with Whom I am well pleased.” This same Father turns His back on Jesus so that the Jesus could die for the sins of the world including those who crucified him.
Some times things in our life happen that are hard to explain. We say, “I didn’t deserve this, or why did this happen to me?” The message of the Gospel is that sometimes we have to die in order to live. Sometimes we have to walk through the valley before we get to the mountaintop. Sometimes we need to go through the pruning process, before we can bear fruit!
Prayer: God thank you for working all things together for good. There are many times in our lives where we might feel like you have forsaken us, but as we will read tomorrow you are a God of resurrection in the midst of death. Though we sometimes may not feel your presence, we know that you will never leave us or forsake us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
The Death of Jesus
45From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. 46About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
47When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah."
48Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him."
50And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
51At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. 52The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
54When 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!"
55Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. 56Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.
As we read the culmination of Matthew’s gospel story, including the crucifixion of Jesus there are several juxtapositions, or twists to the story, as you read chapter 27. Judas finally becomes of aware of what he has done and takes his life and throws the 30 coins he had sold Jesus out for into the temple. Maybe a sign of his repentance and realizing with sadness he has betrayed the Son of God.
Then, during the trial, instead of defending himself, Jesus says nothing. Surely, he could have instantly changed the situation by calling down all the angels of heaven, but he sits by silently. Then the Pilate gives the people a chance to release Jesus and instead of letting him go, they condemn him by saying, “Crucify him.” This seals Jesus’ fate and also shows that it was not just the Pilate and the Romans who crucified Jesus, but all of the people (and by application all of us!).
Then finally we see the climax of this drama when Jesus calls out to His Father in Heaven. This is the same Father, who he had relied on for all of His earthly ministry. This is the same Father, who he said he would do nothing without his approval. The is the same Father, who had initiated Jesus’ ministry back in Matthew 3 with the words, “This is my Son with Whom I am well pleased.” This same Father turns His back on Jesus so that the Jesus could die for the sins of the world including those who crucified him.
Some times things in our life happen that are hard to explain. We say, “I didn’t deserve this, or why did this happen to me?” The message of the Gospel is that sometimes we have to die in order to live. Sometimes we have to walk through the valley before we get to the mountaintop. Sometimes we need to go through the pruning process, before we can bear fruit!
Prayer: God thank you for working all things together for good. There are many times in our lives where we might feel like you have forsaken us, but as we will read tomorrow you are a God of resurrection in the midst of death. Though we sometimes may not feel your presence, we know that you will never leave us or forsake us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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