Magnify Jesus: #235 (Matthew 27:35-44; Mark 15:25-32; Luke 23:32-43; John 19:18-27) Jesus is Placed on the Cross - Life of Christ = Week 47

Jesus is Placed on the Cross
Matthew 27:35-44
Mark 15:25-32
Luke 23:32-43
John 19:18-27

Jesus Is Crucified

Matthew 27:35–37; Mark 15:25–26; Luke 23:32–34; John 19:18–24

^{Mk 15:25}Now it was nine in the morning when they crucified Him. ^{Mt 27:36}Then they sat down and were guarding Him there. ^{Jn 19:19}Pilate also had a sign lettered and put on the cross [^{Mt 27:37a}above His head they put up the charge against Him in writing]. The inscription was: “JESUS THE NAZARENE THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

^{Jn 19:20–21}Many of the Jews read this sign, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. ²¹So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Don’t write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that he said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’ ”

²²Pilate replied, “What I have written, I have written.”

²³When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took His clothes and divided them into four parts, a part for each soldier. They also took the tunic, which was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. ²⁴So they said to one another, “Let’s not tear it, but toss for it, to see who gets it.” They did this to fulfill the Scripture that says: “They divided My clothes among themselves, and for My clothing they cast lots.” And this is what the soldiers did.

^{Lk 23:34a}Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing.”*

Intro Questions

After the crucifixion, the soldiers threw dice to divide up his clothes among themselves. Then they sat around and watched him as he hung there. And they put a sign above his head, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews."
Two robbers were also crucified there that morning, one on either side of him. And the people passing by hurled abuse, shaking their heads at him and saying, "So! You can destroy the Temple and build it again in three days, can you? Well, then, come on down from the cross if you are the Son of God!"
And the chief priests and Jewish leaders also mocked him. "He saved others," they scoffed, "but he can't save himself! So you are the King of Israel, are you? Come down from the cross and we'll believe you! He trusted God—let God show his approval by delivering him! Didn't he say, 'I am God's Son'?"
And the robbers also threw the same in his teeth.

God is ... What do we learn about God in this passage?
We are ... What do we learn about people in this passage?
What attitudes and motives do you see in the crowd following this death-march? In the rulers? The criminals? The soldiers? the sign maker in Luke 23:38? In Jesus?
What aspects of the Gospel message do you see in Luke 23:40-43?
I will ... What has the Holy Spirit revealed to us in this passage? How can I apply it to my life this week?
When did the meaning of death of Christ begin to make sense to you? How would you explain the Crucifixion to a non-Christian friend?
Who in this story do you identify with most? With least? Why?
How do people today similarly reflect the profound misunderstanding expressed in Luke 23:35?
You can ... Who do you know who needs to hear this? Feel free to share with others by social media links at the bottom of this.

OPEN:

DIG:

According to the sign on Jesus' cross, for what "official" reason was he crucified? What meaning does this title have for Pilate (18:33-37)? For the soldiers (19:2-3)? The chief priests (19:14-15)? Is this title being used here sincerely or mockingly? Why is it in all three common languages?
As Jesus may have recited Psalm 22 from the cross (Matthew 27:46), how might he have felt as he watched the soldiers take his clothes (John 19:23-24; Psalm 22:18)?
Given Jesus' mother's faith in him at the outset of his public ministry (John 2:3-5), what must she be feeling now at the end? Why is Old Testament prophecy about Jesus' death (Exodus 12:46; Zechariah 12:10) so important in this chapter?

REFLECT:

If Jesus preached the same Gospel today that he preached in the first century, who might be the "chief priests," the "Peters" and "Pilates"? Who would you be?

The Way of the Cross
When James and John asked Jesus for the places of honor next to him in his Kingdom, he told them they didn't know what they were asking (Mark 10:35-39). Here, as Jesus was preparing to inaugurate his Kingdom through his death, the places on his right and on his left were taken by dying men—criminals. As Jesus explained to his two position-conscious disciples, a person who wants to be close to Jesus must be prepared to suffer and die. The way to the Kingdom is the way of the cross. Taking a stand for Christ may invite suffering and pain, but Jesus will be there with you, through it all.

The wine was offered to Jesus to help deaden his pain. But Jesus refused—he would suffer fully conscious and with a clear mind.

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A BROKEN HEART

Dr. Joe Pettigrew

“Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.” John 19:31-34

I am dealing with a broken heart.

I never knew that having a broken heart is an actual medical condition. A TV station mentioned the condition today. A Google search led to information about the condition at mayo.com. The condition is called stress cardiomyopathy. It is a serious condition with symptoms similar to a heart attack with shortness of breath and pressure in the chest. It occurs when part of the heart suddenly balloons resulting in a less effective pumping action. It is usually caused by being emotionally traumatized in some way. The good news is that the person experiencing the broken heart usually recovers within a few days or weeks.

If you have ever had a relationship suddenly end, or even had a sudden disruption of a relationship you know that this can be traumatic. My mother died when I was young. Although I have never had stress cardiomyopathy, when my mother died it felt like my heart was broken.

We have a High Priest, Jesus Christ, who has experienced the worst that this world can thrust upon a person. As the Bible says, Jesus "...was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." Jesus knows what it is like to have a broken heart because many think that is what He died from; a broken heart (Because of the sudden cry, and bowing of the head of Jesus, some physician researchers analyzing the Biblical record believe that He died of a cardiac rupture). Because Jesus has successfully endured terrible emotional and physical trauma without surrender to the demands of the world, He is able to help us.

What is the spiritual cure for a broken heart? Look to Jesus! "...let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls (Hebrews 12:1-3)."

Thought of the Day: Lay aside the weight, the trauma of that broken heart, by turning your eyes upon Jesus.

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https://www.youtube.com/c/edmondchurchofchrist

Other Resources:

https://youtu.be/WJGjuiA8HvA

https://youtu.be/BgHUb9bsOGo

#Crucifixion

The Cross and Passover (John 19:17–36)

At the beginning of John’s Gospel, John the Baptist introduced Jesus by calling him the “Lamb of God” (1:29, 36). This odd phrase might refer to the sacrificial lamb that was killed daily in the Temple (Exod 29:38–46) or to the sacrificial lamb of Isa 53:7 (cp. Acts 8:32–35; Rev 5:5–14). Both rituals of sacrifice spoke of rescue and forgiveness from sin.

However, this was not all that John had in mind. John presented Jesus as the Passover lamb whose death marks the central event of the Passover season (see Exod 12:46; Luke 22:7; 1 Cor 5:7). In the first century, Jews made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem each spring to celebrate the Passover and to reread the story of the Exodus (see Exod 12–15). When Israel was being rescued from Egypt, the blood of a lamb was sprinkled on the doorposts of each Jewish home in Egypt and saved those inside from death (Exod 12). Jews who came to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover needed to supply a perfect young lamb for sacrifice. The animal could not be diseased or have broken bones.

Jesus used his final Passover meal to show that his sacrificial death would give new meaning to the festival (Mark 14:17–31). In John, the cross became an altar where Christ, the Passover lamb, was slain. Jesus’ legs were not broken (19:33), fulfilling a Passover rule (19:36; Exod 12:46). Blood ran freely from his wound (19:34), showing that his life was being exchanged for others. Just as a lamb died to save the lives of Jewish families at the Passover in Egypt, so, too, this one death of the Son of God on the cross serves to bring salvation to the world.

John 1:29, 36

Exod 12:1–13:16; 29:38–46

Num 9:1–14

Deut 16:1–8

2 Kgs 23:21–23

2 Chr 30:1–27

Ezra 6:19–21

Isa 53:7

Ezek 45:21–22

Matt 26:2, 17–19

Mark 14:17–31

Luke 22:14–30