The opening scene of today's Bible study takes us back 2000 years ago, to the early morning. The religious leaders were filled with an intense desire to put Jesus to death. He had defamed and ridiculed them, boldly proclaiming that they were of their father, the devil. And there is no doubt that all of this is true!
These leaders, who knew from the prophet Jeremiah that they were living in the days when the Messiah could soon come, were so wicked and full of pride that they failed to recognize Jesus when he did come. Just imagine, these religious scholars, who studied the scriptures diligently, did not know God's own son when he stood before them. How tragic!
Today, there are millions upon millions of people who know about Jesus, who have heard the story of his crucifixion and resurrection. Yet, they show no interest in researching the facts about him or getting to know him personally. Over the past 2000 years, millions upon millions of people have rejected Jesus Christ. Hopefully, you are not among them. I pray that you have not ignorantly rejected Jesus.
In Matthew 25:6, it is interesting to note that the religious leaders themselves admit that what happened was a murder. When Judas, overwhelmed with guilt, tried to return the money to the leaders, they refused to accept it. They called it blood money, fully aware that it was their attempt to silence Jesus forever. It was murder! Feeling guilty, they used the money to buy a piece of land to be used as a cemetery for foreigners. This event actually fulfilled one of the prophecies spoken by Jeremiah 3000 years prior.
Our Lord possesses countless amazing qualities, one of which is his unwavering trust in his heavenly father, even when he was falsely accused. Jesus knew that he had come for the very purpose of dying for the sins of the world. Yet, he made no effort to correct the lies that were spread about him. Even Pilate, the governor of the region, recognized Jesus' innocence.
Just imagine the scene. Jesus, only a few hours before, had left the garden of Gethsemane, sweating great drops of blood. This rare medical event is known as Hematohidrosis, where the capillary blood vessels that feed the sweat glands rupture under extreme physical and emotional stress, causing them to exude blood.
Next, Jesus was mocked by Roman soldiers who plucked out his beard and placed a crown of thorns on his head, causing blood to stream down his face. Then came the flogging with the Roman cat of nine tails, a whip with nine sharp thongs, each tipped with a sharp rock or slate. Jesus endured 39 lashes with this whip, 13 on each side and 13 on his chest. According to a 3rd-century Jew named Sebelius, rarely did a man survive this flogging without exposing his ribs or dying.
Following the flogging, Jesus was forced to carry the cross up Mount Golgotha, also known as the "place of the skull." You can still find this location outside Jerusalem today, with sinkholes where the crosses were dropped. It must have been a tremendous shock to be nailed to a cross and then dropped two feet into the ground to secure it.
The story also tells us that a black man from Cyrene, Ethiopia, carried the cross for Jesus when he fell under its weight. Jesus was clearly weakened by the rare medical condition he experienced in the garden, as well as the flogging, the loss of blood from the crown of thorns, and the beating he endured in the Roman Hall of Praetorium, also known as the hall of judgment.
Remarkably, much of the rest of chapter 27 can be found in Psalm 22, written thousands of years before Jesus came to earth. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, King David wrote about many of the events that took place at the cross. For example, in Psalm 22, King David speaks of how Jesus cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" He also mentions the soldiers offering Jesus sour wine on a sponge. King David even mentions the earthquake that occurred during Jesus' crucifixion.
After Jesus died on the cross, he remained dead for three days. It is important to remember that, according to Jewish tradition, a new day begins at 6:00 PM in the evening. Jesus was nailed to the cross and died on a Friday afternoon, marking the first day. The second day began at 6:00 PM on Friday evening and ended at 6:00 PM on Saturday evening. After 6:00 PM on Saturday, the third day began. It was on this day, which we now refer to as Sunday, that Jesus rose from the grave. Because he rose on the first day of the week, Sunday, we worship him on that day during church services.
We should worship Jesus every day, and every day should be like Sunday to us as believers. While the Jews attended the synagogue on Saturday, it was because of Jesus' resurrection on Sunday that the Christian Church began using the first day of the week as the day to come together and worship the Lord.
In the latter part of Matthew 28, we read the thrilling story of Jesus' resurrection. It is through his resurrection that we find the evidence and proof we need to know for certain that Jesus is the Son of God. The miracles he performed and the messages he delivered, which aligned with the teachings of scripture, all served as evidence that he was at least a prophet. But his resurrection proved his testimony that he was indeed God's only Son, equal with the Father, and the one who created the heavens and the earth.
The challenge presented in this Bible study, found in the last two verses of Matthew 28, is for us to go out into the entire world and make disciples of all nations. We are to teach them to obey all of Jesus' commands so that they may live the kind of life God expects from us. Are you fulfilling this great commandment of Jesus? Are you sharing the good news of his death, burial, and resurrection? Are you willing to lead people to Christ? I hope so. We are commanded to do so!
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