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            At noon there was a darkness over all the land till three pm. About this time, 3 pm, Jesus cried out with a loud, agonizing voice, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” Which means, ‘My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?’ Which fulfills the prophecy of Psalm 22. Forsaken means to turn away from, this had to be done to fulfill prophecy and it shows how strong Gods love is for humanity to do this, how strong Gods love is for us. He had to in that moment turn away from His son, imagine having to do that to your own child for the sake of others. Its true love and true selflessness.

            Immediately one of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine and put it on a reed to give Jesus a drink. By this point, Jesus had endured everything with a sound mind, fully aware of the pain and the situation without having his senses dulled. By this point, it was almost finished and wetting His lips with the soured wine wouldn’t have caused Him to falter in His mission or numb his senses like it would have had He drank it earlier when they offered it to Him. Meanwhile, others continued to mock Him with further fulfills the prophecy shared by King David in Psalm 22.

            Jesus cried out again with a long, agonizing voice and gave up His Spirit voluntarily in submission to His Father’s plan. Reference John 10:18. At once, the veil of the Holy of Holies of the temple was torn in two, the earth shook and rocks were split apart. Tombs were opened and many of saints bodies who were put to death, rose to life. After His resurrection the saints appeared to many people in Jerusalem. Could you imagine this? Jesus being crucified and defeating death and after He rises back up, loved ones who had passed join in the rising? It doesn’t even sound real, it sounds like a Hollywood movie, but it happened and there are many theologians and historians who can show many accounts of this.

            Before Jesus was taken to the tomb, the centurions looked in awe as the ground shook and the temple fell and they knew that He was the Son of God. When it was evening, a rich man from Arimathea, Joseph, who was a disciple of Jesus, asked Pilate if he could have the body. Pilate ordered that the body by given to him. Joseph took Jesus’ body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb which he had cut into the rock. He rolled a large stone over the entryway thus closing it off. Both Marys were there and they were sitting opposite of the tomb.

            The next day, the day of preparation for the sabbath, the chief priests and pharisees gathered before Pilate and told PIlate that Jesus had declared when He was alive that He would arise after three days. They wanted to make sure His disciples wouldn’t steal the body after three days to try to convince everyone He rose again, they wanted no fowl play so they asked that a watch would be placed at the tomb to ensure no-one steals the body. What they didn’t realize, is that it wasn’t the stealing of the body they would be waiting for, but the real rising of the Messiah.

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            Jesus is lead away to be crucified. By this point Jesus had been beaten, beyond recognition. Yet despite the beating He was given they still made Him carry this massive cross. Weak from being beaten to a pulp He could barely stand let alone cary a heavy cross. This cross was an estimated 100 pounds, this would be hard for anyone to carry let alone someone who was beaten mercelessly and had already shed loads of blood.

            Jesus didn’t have to do this for us, He wasn’t forced to do this. Jesus chose to do this, for you.

            They made Him carry this heavy cross and He couldn’t do it by this point, so they grabbed a bystander by the name of Simon and had him help. When they arrived to a place called Golgotha (place of a skull) they offered Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. This was to take the pain away and act like a pain killer that a dr might give you today for severe pain. When Jesus realized what it was, He wouldn’t drink it. He had to keep is conscience and his clear mind and new He couldn’t if He drank it.

            Then they crucified Him, this book doesn’t go in full detail but to crucify Him they had to take huge, long steel or iron nails and they pierced His hands to the cross before piercing his feet as well. Imagine a railroad nail for a visual affect being pierced through the center of your hand again and again till the nail was secure in the wood. Image in the pain He endured for us, for you. To fully understand what Jesus chose to endure for us we need to paint the picture in our minds, so our hearts can be fully appreciative and thankful. We will never, ever be deserving of what He did for us, but knowing what He did helps us to always show our love and appreciation for Him.

            Imagine Jesus being whipped over and over and over again, hundreds of times. Then imagine a metal hook that was placed on the whip so every time they whipped Him that hook would sink into his skin and lodge in there just to be ripped out causing stripes to show through His flesh and bones. Imagine this happening again and again till the ground was covered in buckets of His blood that He shed for us. Imagine this continuing for some time just to be spat on more, made fun of more, mocked more, and then a thorned crown being jammed into your heard after. Remember your worst headache and intensify that times a million. But that’s not it, then imagine Him having a 100 pound cross thrown on Him and being whipped and demanded to carry for a long walk up and down rough terrain. Every time He slowed down or tripped or fell another lashing was given. Then He finally gets to the top of the hill, He refused the pain killer despite the pain He is in that you know is radiating through His entire body. Then He gets one hand nailed to the cross, then they stretch Him more than the human body should be stretched probably popping shoulders out of place to get his hand to fit to the other side, which then received another railroad like nail being repetively hammered through His hand. Then His feet being pierced in place and the cross being thrown up in the air to have Him hang in even more misery. He chose to go though all of this for us, to forgive us of our sins, to cleans us in His blood, to heal our bodies and have health. I know this is hard to read but we need to fully know and understand what He did for us.

            They then divided His garments among them and for His clothing they cast lots thus fulfilling prophecy. They wrote above His head what He was being charged for, ‘This is Jesus The king of the Jews.’

            Two robbers were crucified with Him, one on either side of Him. Those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, ‘You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If you are the Son go God come down from the cross.’ So blind and filled with hate that they couldn’t see the Son of God right in front of them. The chief priests and the scribes were mocking Him as well. How awful this was. The robber who was being crucified join into mock Jesus.

            The Son of God was in front of their face and they couldn’t even see it. So often the truth can be right in front of our faces and we won’t be able to see it either if we are filled with anger, hate, mockery or any other form of evil. We need to seek after Jesus and seek after His love and knowing Him. When we are filled in revelation of Him and His word, when we know Him, when we allow Him to renew our minds through the discipline of repentance; we will be able to have ears to hear Him and discern the truth from a lie. In the world we live in, we need to be able to discern the truth from the constant lies that the evil one spreads and the only way to do that is to know Jesus. Truly is that simple.

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            The chapter begins with the morning rising, the chief priest and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death. They delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor who was supposed to decide who was innocent or guilty; the guilty to be put to death.

            Judas was filled with remorse for he realized what he had done, he turned in an innocent man to be put to death. Filled with guilt he tried to give the money back, the 30 silver pieces, but the chief priests could not take it for it was money used to pay for murder, it was dirty money. They knew this was wrong, but their hate for Jesus clouded their judgment and caused them to act irrationally. Deep down they knew they were guilty because they wouldn’t take the thirty piece of silver back because they knew it was unclean. So they bought land with it from a potter to burry strangers in because they didnt know what else to do with it. That land is still called the Field of Blood and fulfills prophecy that Jeremiah had spoken. Judas then, consumed in guilt hung himself.

            Pilate then begins to question Jesus, asking if He has heard of what the things are that He is being accused of. Jesus gave no response. At the feast of the passover pilate would set one of the prisoners free. At this time they had a notorious prisoner named Barabbas. Pilate asked who the crowd wanted to set free, a well known criminal, or Jesus. The crowd declared that they wanted Jesus to be crucified. Pilate knew deep down that Jesus was innocent, he knew that this would be wrong to crucify Him and it was his job to choose justice and save the innocent. Yet, despite knowing what his job liability was, he feared the crowd. Pilates wife told her husband that she was having nightmares about Jesus’ innocence and her husband needed to wash his hands of this. She was receiving a warning, and warned her husband in turn. To fully wash his hands he needed to declare that Jesus was innocent, but out of fear of a riot he washed his hands in water and declared that His blood is on the crowd, it is their decision. To which the crowd replied that His blood was on them and their children and to crucify Him.

            Notice Pilates fear prevented him from doing the right thing.

            These people were blinded by hate, they didn’t even know Jesus yet they judged of what the Pharisees said and chose to hate Him. How often do we allow gossip to determine what we think of someone? We have all been told a rumor about someone, and in that moment we have a choice; are we going to allow wrong and sinful gossip to allow us to predetermine who that person is, or are we going to disregard it and allow that person to show us who they truly are? Everyone has their own perception of someone, it doesn’t have to be yours. We need to stop believing false lies and rumors that are all started by the devil and see people the way God sees them. To the pharisees Jesus was a blasphemer and a criminal and they convinced the crowd that that’s who He was. God sees Him for who He is, as His beloved Son, with nothing but love and complete perfection. One perception is right, one is wrong, we need to see how God sees things, the right way. Next time someone tries to give you a predetermined idea point of who someone is, choose to try to see that person for who God sees them as, not what the town gossip has labeled them as. We need to realize that someones perception can always be off, just look at how wrongly they determined who Jesus was here. Jesus, the Son of God; to them they thought he was a criminal all because the Pharisees said so… we need to wise up.

            The Pharisees envied Jesus, they were jealous of Him. All of this stirred up their hate for Him. Jealousy is a very dangerous thing that we should never entertain. Jealousy leads to dislike and hate and turns to strife.

            Then, Pilates soldiers took Jesus, put a scarlet robe on Him (garment of dignity and office worn by roman officers of rank) and weaved a crown of thorns and put it on His head with a reed (staff) in His right hand. They then began to mock Him, making fun of Him and saying “Hail King of the Jews.”

            They then spat on Him, struck Him in the head with the reed and ripped the robe off, placing His clothes back on Him and lead Him away to be crucified.

            They spat on Him.

            They struck His head with a stick and made fun of Him.

            They mocked Him and treated Him awful. The things He endured for us. And this isn’t even close to as bad as it got.

            Could you imagine your daughter or son being treated this way? How sorry and thankful we should feel. Sorry that our sinful flesh brought this on and how thankful that Jesus chose to take this on for us. Jesus didn’t have to go through this, He chose too, for us, for you.

            I think we will stop here and meditate on this. Really meditate on the fact that He didn’t have to do any of this for us, Jesus chose too. Having understanding, full understanding and revelation will make the rest of the chapter really mean more to us. To fully appreciate Jesus we need to have deep understanding of all He overcame for us. Maybe even watch the movie Passion of the Christ this week. When it gets to the part that are so awful you just want to turn away and not watch, make yourself watch it, you need to understand what He went through for you.