JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS – Jesus Walking in the Way of the Cross (VIDEO)

Daily Devotional By Archbishop Foley Beach

JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS – Jesus Walking in the Way of the Cross (VIDEO)

LYRICS TO MUSIC:

From the sixth hour it came

A darkness like no man had seen

The sun’s light failed and through the black A voice that held all breathing

As his friends stood distant still

His thirst the wine his pierced side fulfilled Bowed his head the innocent

He left his life his spirit

And he cried ‘my God my God Why have you forsaken me’…

The veil was torn from the top to the bottom The tombs opened and the holy ones rose His murderers saw what they had done

A soldier spoke what he had come too late to know

‘Truly this was the son of God’…

MESSAGE SUMMARY:

The physical miracles that surround the death of Jesus are many in number and beyond remarkable. Taking time to think about what surrounded Jesus’ final hours makes one realize that this moment in history was like no other. It was certainly an experience that would cause us all to join with the Roman soldier and exclaim, ‘truly this was the Son of God.’

It was noon when the darkness came. The darkness then stayed until sometime around three o’clock; a three hour disappearance of the sun in the middle of the day. Many scholars and scientists explain this event by saying it was a solar eclipse. If so, this would have been the most fascinating and miraculous solar eclipse in history. We know the events of that day occurred during Passover, which always took place during the full moon. This time of the month is one in which a natural solar eclipse cannot occur. Consider also that the longest eclipse astronomically possible is somewhere around seven and a half minutes in length. If the explanation for the ‘darkness over the land’ was an eclipse, it was nearly three hours longer than any other in history.

During the darkness, ‘the earth shook, and the rocks were split,’ (Matthew 27:51). Phlegon, a Roman historian and contemporary of Jesus, noted the earthquake at the time of Jesus’ death, as well as an extraordinary and unexplainable mid-day eclipse, where the stars in heaven were seen. Earthquakes are not uncommon in the region, but Matthew writes that the “tombs opened and the bodies of many holy people rose from the dead,” (27:52). Though the ground might have occasionally shook, the rising of the dead was no common occurrence.

As if this wasn’t enough, amidst the ground shaking, the sky turning black, and dead people walking, another massive and meaningful event took place. Skillfully made of fine twisted linen, a veil of blue and purple and scarlet separated the holy of holies from the rest of the world (Exodus 26:31-33). It sat in the temple, never crossed save once a year when the High Priest would enter into the presence of God (Hebrews 9:7). Some sixty feet high, thirty feet wide, and four inches thick, the Jewish historian Josephus records that two horses tied to either side could not pull it apart.

Yet at the moment Jesus took his last breathe, this massive man-made curtain was torn. The Gospel writers note that it was torn from top to bottom, highlighting that this was a task completed from above. It was an unaccessible height, and a feat too remarkable to be completed by any man’s hand. The separation from God was over - literally and figuratively destroyed.

But despite all of these wonders, witnessed by many, shocking and sensational, the most important miracle was that which went unseen. The events in the physical world assuredly revealed that this was no ordinary man being crucified, and testified to Jesus’ dominion. But much like the unmeasured weight of the cross, the work being done behind the curtain of the visual was a far greater phenomenon.

God the Father put upon his Son Jesus all the wrath and guilt we deserved. Jesus satisfied this wrath perfectly and completely. Jesus completed the task no sinful man could handle. He had no help. He was fully alone. All so the Father could demonstrate his love for us. For we were lost, unworthy sinners, and Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Jesus was tortured and raised on a cross for us. He breathed his last for us. He was ‘forsaken’ by his glorious Father for us (Matthew 27:46). And none of this could be ‘seen’ by the Roman soldier or any

other bystanders.

It is safe to say that when the centurion exclaims that Jesus is the ‘Son of God,’ he did not have the full ‘Christian’ understanding of what his words meant. He spoke out of awe, fear, and terror (Matthew 27:54). He has just seen the sky turn dark and the earth shake violently upon the death of what he now knows is no ordinary man. He had read the inscription above Jesus’ head. He most likely had heard rumors about who Jesus claimed to be. And in that moment, as the world is seemingly crumbling around him, this Roman soldier knows Jesus was the man others said he was. The miracles in the physical world were enough to convince him of that. But had this common centurion seen the weight of his very own sin being placed upon Jesus’ body (1 Peter 2:24), how much more would he have exclaimed! Had this man fully seen God’s cup of wrath being poured out on Jesus for his own sake, how much more remorse and regret would he have had? And simultaneously, how much praise, adoration, and thankfulness would have filled his heart?

The suffering of Jesus was beyond compare. A debt paid, that just as the centurion, we will never fully comprehend or understand. But the current age has seen the full story. We know Jesus did not stay on the cross, nor was he bound by the chains of death. And we know that he will come again on the clouds with glory (Mark 13:26).

Written by Jesse Braswell Roberts / Poor Bishop Hooper golgothamusic.com // poorbishophooper.com // Second edition ©2022 Jesse Braswell Roberts / Poor Bishop Hooper

TODAY’S PRAYER: Take some time to meditate on this moment in history. Ground shaken. Tombs opened. The curtain torn. Darkness.

Think about Jesus’ words when he cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Ask the Lord for a better understanding of the miracle that went unseen that day.

Praise and thank Jesus for drinking the cup of his Father’s fury! For carrying your burden and paying your debt.

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Lust. Rather, I will abide in the Lord’s Perfect Provision. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5).

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Mark 15:33-39: “At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken

me?’).

When some of those standing near heard this, they said, ‘Listen, he’s calling Elijah.’

Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. ‘Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,’ he said.

With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, ‘Surely this man was the Son of God!’”. Further Reading: Matthew 27:45-54; Luke 23:44-49; John 19:28-30; Psalm 22:1-31.

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THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “Contemplating the Mighty Acts – Palm Sunday and Holy Week”, at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/

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