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November 12th
The Bible reading today is in Matthew 27 and Mark 15.
Jesus had been arrested by Temple guards on Thursday night of the Passover Festival. Jesus and his disciples had retreated to the Garden of Gethsemene right after they participated in The Last Supper.
When the guards asked who the leader was, Jesus said “I am!” ... God Almighty. And immediately the hundreds of Temple guards that had been dispatched to take him into custody fell down on their backsides.
The angels must have smirked from nearby. “So you came to take God the Son into custody, did you? And you have lived, on the ground, by the power of his words. Wake up fools. You do the bidding of the God who just prayed, “Not my will but Yours be done, Father.”
Jesus submitted to the puppet guards. He was led away to Caiphas’ High Priest’s quarters. There Jesus was tried by self-righteous priests who were out to save their own religious positions. And they would lie and murder Jesus in order to safeguard their high positions...and they were doing all of that in the name of God...talk about “taking the Lord’s name in vain...”
By sun-up on Friday, Jesus was standing in front of the merciless Roman Governor of Judea, Pilate. Pilate asked Jesus if he was the king of the Jews. Jesus answered, “You have said so...” And Jesus answered him no more. As prophesied, Jesus was silently going to his death as a lamb to the slaughter.
Pilate gave the order to crucify Him...but before he did, Pilate said to the thousand bloodthirsty opposers of Jesus, “I find no fault in Him.”
So Jesus was flogged with a cat of nine tails by 2 Roman guards who were proficient at their job of tearing flesh and doling out suffering just short of death. Then the cross was laid on Jesus’ shoulders and he began his “walk of blood” through the people lined streets of Jerusalem. This was apart of his time of glory...to Golgatha’s hill...where he was nailed to that cross and hung between two thieves.
Many of the people of Jerusalem mocked the savior...threw things at him...spat upon him...and cursed him. Little did they know that he was going through this for them, for those who would believe him later with tears.
Six hours later, Jesus hollered out saying “Tetelastai”...it is finished. And he breathed his last.
“It was finished”. His glory was to pay for our sins and to purchase us a place in heaven. That payment and that purchase took place in his death on the cross. He paid with his life’s blood and purchased our home in heaven with his perfect sacrificial death for our sins.
Now, what happened?
“And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.”
