Christian Reflection and Prayer

Matthew 27: 28-56

They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and then
twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They
put a staff in his right hand as a scepter. Then they knelt in front
of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said.
30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the
head again and again. 31 After they had mocked him, they took
off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him
away to crucify him.

The Crucifixion of Jesus

 32 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named
Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. 33 They came to
a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”).
34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but
after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified
him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 36 And sitting
down, they kept watch over him there. 37 Above his head they
placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE
 KING OF THE JEWS.

 38 Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one
on his left. 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking
their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the
temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from
the cross, if you are the Son of God!”

 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and
the elders mocked him. 42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he
can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now
from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let
God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of
God.’” 44 In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him
also heaped insults on him.

The Death of Jesus

 45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all
the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud
voice, “Eli, Eli,[c] lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my
God, why have you forsaken me?”).[d]

 47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said,
“He’s calling Elijah.”

 48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with
wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink.
49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes
to save him.”

 50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave
up his spirit.

 51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from
top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs
broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were
raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection
and[e] went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

 54 When 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!”

A SIGN FOR THE CHIEF PRIESTS

Scripture:

Read Mark 15:38

"And the curtain of the temple was torn in
two, from top to bottom." (Mark 15:38)

Reflection:

Very unusual things took place at Jesus'
death- the darkness, the loud cry right before
His death- and the temple curtain tearing in two.

God designed the place of worship for Israel.
The temple consisted of two spaces- one room
called the Holy Place where priests entered daily
to minister before the Lord, and another room
called the Most Holy Place or the Holy of Holies.
Here sat the Ark Moses built to symbolize God's
presence among His people. This Most Holy
Place was separated from the Holy Place by a
thick curtain. No one could pass beyond that
curtain into the Most Holy Place except the high
priest- and he could only enter one day out of the
year. This curtain symbolized the separation from
God which our sin has caused.

When Jesus died that curtain was torn in two from
top to bottom. This was God's sign to Jesus' greatest
enemies- the chief priests. On the cross they thought
they were right and had protected God's reputation.
Now one of their own priests standing in the temple
sees that great thick curtain tear in two. God was
telling the priests they had crucified their Messiah
and His Son. But they too had access to God now-
through faith in Jesus Christ.

The torn curtain shows that our sin no longer
separates us from our God. Jesus Christ has torn
that barrier apart and washed us in His blood by faith.
That means we are free to come before God without
fear or doubt.

THE PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, thank You for tearing down the barrier of
sin that separated us from Your heavenly Father. Keep
us always in this faith. Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries Lenten Devotional)

JESUS' LAST LOUD CRY

Scripture:

Read Mark 15:37

"And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed
His last." (Mark 15:37)

Reflection:

Mark doesn't tell us Jesus' final words, only
that He uttered a loud cry and breathed His
last. Matthew does the same. If we want to
learn Jesus' last words we must turn to
Luke (23:46). But why does Mark choose to
leave out these final words of Jesus?

To all appearances Jesus had been a fake
and a fraud. After all, how could the Son of
God be arrested, beaten, flogged and nailed
to a cross? What King of Israel would allow
Himself to be mocked, insulted and spat
upon? Mark wants us to see that beneath
the blood, the sweat and the tears Jesus truly
is God's Son, the promised Savior and King
of the Jews. So He points out the unusual
circumstances surrounding Jesus' death-
circumstances which reveal the divine
majesty of the man wearing the crown of
thorns.

Mark began with the intense three hour long
darkness, and now presents Jesus' final loud
cry immediately before His death. What was
so unusual about this? Criminals who died of
crucifixion did not have the breath to cry out
in a loud voice- especially in the moment right
before their death. Yet Jesus cries out loudly-
and then dies.

In John's Gospel Jesus had told His disciples,
"For this reason the Father loves Me, because
I lay down My life that I may take it up again.
No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My
own accord." (John 10:17). He laid it down for
you. And in three days He will take it up again-
for you!

THE PRAYER:

Lord God our heavenly Father, thank You for
revealing Your Son's divinity- even while He was
holding back His divine power to save us from
our sins. Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries Lenten Devotional)