Crucifixion day1

 MATTHEW 26:47-75; 27 MARK 14:43-72; 15 LUKE 22:47-71; 23 JOHN 18-19

 

He was praying when all hell broke loose. Suddenly, a mob appeared, armed guards — hundreds of them — marching with torches out to a garden to arrest an unarmed homeless man. It was ridiculous.

Judas led them straight to Jesus. He stood there awkwardly for a moment, looking unsure of himself, and then he kissed Him — puckered up his lips and planted one right on Jesus’ face.

The soldiers moved forward to take Him into custody. Some of His disciples reacted, swinging wildly at someone’s head. There was pushing and shoving and shouting. Then there was a lot of running away.

But Jesus stayed calm in the midst of the chaos. He seemed to be praying as it all came down.

There was a rushed trial and a rush to judgment. It had to have been obvious to everyone that the witnesses were being coached, they couldn’t even keep their stories straight. No one seemed to be able to pinpoint precisely what Jesus was being charged with.

More pushing, more shoving, more shouting. They obviously wanted Him dead, but they knew they couldn’t carry out that sentence. Only the Roman Governor had that power, so they took Him to Pilate, demanding that ‘justice’ be served.

Everyone wanted something, except Him. He just stood there, allowing them to say whatever it was they were going to say. He answered when He was asked a direct question, but that was about it. No protest. No demands. It was as if He was resigned to what was about to happen.

Pilate knew trouble when he saw it, so after some preliminary questions, he shuttled this hot potato off to Herod. But all Herod wanted was a magic show. When it became clear that Jesus wasn’t going to play along, Herod grew weary of Him and sent Him back to Pilate.

Now Pilate was in a pickle. The people were so insistent, so impatient for a condemnation to death. Flogging, which is as bad as you’ve heard, wasn’t enough for them. Humiliation wasn’t enough for them. They didn’t want Him hurt, they wanted Him dead.

His friends left when it got bad. He had no one to advocate for Him. He was pronounced guilty and sentenced to die without a real trial. He was hit in the face, dragged through the streets of town, paraded through the marketplace half naked, beaten beyond recognition. And He just stood there. He said little. He resisted even less.

And then they took Him to a hill just outside of town, and there they crucified Him.

He prayed while hell reigned down on Him, tearing His flesh from His body, crushing His spirit.

The people gathered for a while. He said a few short sentences. He had a brief exchange with the two other criminals who died with Him that day. And then it was over.

But it wasn’t over, really. It was just beginning.

 

Prayer

 

Father God, I thank You for the gift of open access to You through prayer. It enhances my fellowship and intimacy with You and it appropriates Your power for my life. Open communication with You brings mercy and grace in time of need, and it develops my understanding and knowledge of You. It empowers me to understand and accomplish Your purposes for my life, and it changes my attitudes and desires. In prayer, I acknowledge the greatness of Your character and my desire to become more conformed to Your likeness. Through communion with You, may I learn to affirm Your will in all things, even in trying circumstances. When my will conflicts with Yours, I know it is because I have a false idea of what my best interests look like. May I seek to align my will with Yours.

In Jesus’s name, Amen