Tag Archives: Passion of Christ

Matthew 27- Jesus Died For Me

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Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias. And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. Matthew 27:45-50

Charles Spurgeon once said “My Entire theology can be condensed in four words “Jesus died for me”

The death of Jesus Christ must be central to our faith and doctrine, anyone who denies the physical death of Christ, denies the true gospel. Jesus Christ, being fully God and fully Man (Philippians 2)  went to the cross to die for the penalty of our sins, we must understand that! And the only reason Christ went to the cross was because He loves us (Romans 5:8) The details of this event were amazingly prophesied by David through the Holy Spirit in Psalm 22. As Christ makes the statement “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”

The penalty for the sin of the world was laid upon Christ on the cross (Isaiah 53, John 1:29) As it says in Isaiah “He (Christ)  was pierced for our transgressions (sins) , He (Christ) was crushed for our iniquities (sins) (Isaiah 53:5) and The LORD (Yahweh) laid upon Him (Christ) the iniquity (sins) of us ALL (Isaiah 53:6) The torment and torture Jesus Christ endured on the cross was to reconcile You back to your Heavenly Father!

And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him: Matthew 27:51-55

As the scripture tells us “The Veil of the Temple was Torn” when Christ fulfilled the requirements on the cross, Christ reconciled us back to our Heavenly Father, the New Covenant was instituted by the blood of Christ (Luke 22) The Veil used to separate us from God in the Old Covenant because of our sin, however now we are Born Again in Christ (John 3), the Holy Spirit lives inside of us, we are now the Temple of God (1 Corinthians 6) As Jesus said “Destroy this temple in 3 days , and I will raise it up “ (John 2:19) The Old Covenant is now obsolete (Hebrews 8) and we are in a New Covenant with Jesus Christ (Luke 22)

When we understand the depravity of our sin, and we understand the love of God through Jesus Christ, your heart will be made new , God will put the Holy Spirit inside of you (Ezekiel 36), to live forevermore Amen

Matthew 27- Crucifixion of Christ

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And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross. And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull, They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink. And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots And sitting down they watched him there; And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Matthew 27:32-37

The darkest moment in human history became our victory! The hour has come for the Son of God to go to the cross to pay for the penalty of our sins, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Satan and his children believed they have defeated Jesus, however what they didn’t realize is that Christ defeated Satan, Sin, Death, and Hell at the cross forever!

A man named Simon, was observing Christ carrying his cross all the way up the hill of Golgotha, when he was instructed to help Jesus carry that cross. Jesus told us “Deny yourself, Carry your cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24) Think of the spiritual application here, you are at that moment of the crucifixion, it’s time for you to carry your cross with Christ or deny Christ. Which way will you choose? The path to the cross , is not pleasurable, it’s miserable, its not prosperous but poverty, its not ego driven but about self denial. The path to the cross with Christ is the only way to eternal life

Notice the sign on the cross “Jesus The King”, even though the religious leaders tried to execute the Messiah, the truth and God reigns, Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the sign on the cross was a reminder and evidence for all to know this!

Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left. And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth. Matthew 27:38-44

Jesus was crucified between two thieves, one even though he was hanging to his death, cursed Christ and blasphemed his name. The other thief recognized who Jesus is and asked him for mercy. The repentant thief said “Jesus Lord, remember me when you come into your Kingdom” (Luke 22:42) What was Christ response “Today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 22:43) Jesus didn’t say tomorrow or at the resurrection , you will be with me in Paradise, Christ said Today! To depart from the body is to be with The Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8)

The wicked kept yelling at Jesus to come down from the cross, what they didn’t understand is Christ went to the cross for us! The Lord willingly went to the cross to pay for the penalty of our sins. The darkest hour in human history is our victory in Jesus Christ, Amen!

Matthew 26- Rejection of The Messiah

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And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest’s palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end. Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses, And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days. And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? Matthew 26- 57-62

The religious leaders made-up a fake trial with false charges against Jesus, so they can justify to the people , to execute him. Imagine these men, who were the spiritual leaders of Israel, who dedicated their lives to studying the Word of God, are plotting to execute the Son of God. Satan has blinded them, and the hardness of their hearts and the scales over their eyes, they are working for Satan to kill the Messiah

Of course, Jesus is sinless, therefor they needed to create fake charges, they quoted Jesus when he said “Destroy this temple in 3 days, and I’ll raise it up” (John 2:19) Of course the religious leaders had no idea what Jesus was talking about, Christ was prophesying about his death and resurrection, which ironically they are fulfilling with their wicked deeds

But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death. Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands, Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?  Matthew 26:63-68

So the question was asked to Jesus “Are you the Messiah, the Son of God”? Jesus answered directly “Yes and You will see the Son of Man coming in the Clouds” obviously referring to Daniel 7, the religious leaders knew exactly who Jesus was saying He is, the Son of Man in Daniel. It’s clear by their response of charging Christ is Blasphemy , they understood what he was saying they rejected the Son of God

The religious leaders had witnesses many of Jesus miracles and heard many of his teachings, they had clear evidence that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, yet they still choose to reject him, why? Because the religious leaders didn’t truly love God, they loved their religion, their money, their power, they wanted a god in their own image

The hour has come for Christ to go to the cross, at the hands of wicked men, to pay for the sins of the world, defeating death and Satan forever! Amen!

Matthew 17- Passion of The Christ Part 2

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And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry. Matthew 17:22-23

Today’s scripture reading is only two scriptures, however it’s the core to the entire Bible. The gospel of Jesus Christ, is the foundation for our faith, it’s the only reason we have any hope in this world, that Christ died, Christ is Risen, and Christ will come again! As the Apostle Paul said “If Christ is not Risen, then our faith is useless” (1 Corinthians 15:14)

Now the amazing thing is Christ foretold about his death and resurrection multiple times to his disciples, however when it happened, they still didn’t understand it. Even today many people still don’t understand the gospel, they don’t understand why Christ had to die on the cross, they don’t understand why Christ rose on the 3rd day, and they forget that Christ is coming back again to establish Gods eternal Kingdom

Notice the response of the disciples “they were exceeding sorry or deeply grieved” why? Because they thought the Kingdom of God was being established at that moment, they believed Jesus Christ would take his Earthly throne in Jerusalem and wipe out the Romans , and they would be ruling with The Messiah. They were not far off, but there timing was wrong. Christ didn’t come first to establish his Earthly Kingdom, but to first save people from their sins

The problem of sin, was overlooked during that day as it’s overlooked this day. We have all fallen short and are sinners (Romans 3:23) God can’t be reconciled with his people until they become Born Again (John 3) we need to be cleansed of our sin and justified before God. This is why Jesus Christ had to die on the cross, and this is why we all need to Repent and be filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38-39)

Now I grieve the death of Christ just as I’m sure all of us do and should, and the disciples were exceedingly sorry or deeply grieved. However because God so loved the world that Christ willingly laid down his life for you to pay the penalty of your sins. Jesus Christ knew his mission was to be the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world, this is why he foretold his disciples multiple times that he would be killed. Just as the prophet Isaiah foretold throughout Chapter 53, Christ is the suffering servant, despised and rejected, for our sins. This should make you love The Lord even more, that he loved you enough to lay down his life for yours!

And on the 3rd Day, Christ rose from the dead, defeating sin and death forever. The curse that is upon us all is death from the wages of our sins. But Jesus Christ became our curse to remove the curse from us (Galatians 3:13) The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the Good News for a reason, because Christ paid the penalty for your sins, and defeated sin and death, so that you may inherit eternal life and live with God , Amen!

Matthew 16- Passion of The Christ

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From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. Matthew 16:21-23

The Cross of Christ seems like a mystery, even 2,000 years after it happened. The questions of why did Jesus have to die? Why would the Son of God willingly lay down his life? What does this cross mean for us today? These are questions many ponder today and questions the disciples pondered centuries ago, however Jesus already answered these questions before he even went to the cross!

Jesus said “How he (Christ) must go into Jerusalem, suffer many things, be killed, and rise again on the 3rd day” Jesus clearly laid out God’s redemption plan for humanity, however the disciples and many people today, still don’t understand what Jesus did for us! Even when the scriptures foretold in Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22, that the Messiah had to die, the disciples still didn’t understand what Jesus told them

Peter actually rebuked Jesus, think about that! Peter said “Lord , this should not happen to you” Now Peters heart was in the right place, but he didn’t understand God’s redemption plan for humanity, that Christ would pay for the sins for the world so we can be justified before God the Father and inherit eternal life. I fear many today still don’t understand this fact, that Christ is our Passover Lamb, that Jesus paid it all on the cross!

The first step is the understanding of our sinful nature, our depravity. Until people recognize they are sinners and repent, they will never understand the cross of Christ. If people truly understood their sinful nature, and they understood the wages of sin is death, then they would be crawling to the cross! This is why it’s important to preach the gospel of Christ, which was commanded by Jesus himself (Matthew 28:19)

In another twist, Jesus called Peter “Satan”! Why? Because he totally misunderstood the gospel, and misunderstood Christ’s mission here on Earth, to bring salvation to everyone who repents and becomes Born Again! The Passion of the Christ, is the core of the gospel message, and is God’s finished redemption plan for humanity! Amen!

Luke 23- The Cross of Christ

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And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus. And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry? Luke 23:26-31

As Jesus was heading to the cross, the darkest day of humanity became the redemption day for humanity.As Jesus struggled to carry his wooden cross up the mile trek to Calvary, a bystander named Simon was instructed by the Romans to help Jesus carry his cross. Not much else was mentioned about Simon of Cyrene, but can you imagine having to help The Lord carry his cross to his death, and then just walking away? We don’t read of Simon of having any conversion, so we can assume he must have just walked away. Just like many today and throughout the ages, have heard about the death of Christ, and then just walked away, no care or desire for The Lord

Secondly as Jesus is making the dreadful trip up to Golgotha, he is warning his woman followers of the judgment that is going to be coming upon Israel. Of course we know this was fulfilled in 70 A.D. when Jerusalem and The Temple were destroyed. Why was Jesus only addressing his female disciples? Because all the male disciples took off and ran for their life, except the Apostle John. 

And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death. And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God. And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar, And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself. Luke 22:32-37

Jesus was crucified in between two criminals, which criminal on the cross are you? One mocked Jesus , while the other asked Jesus for forgiveness, what was Jesus response “Father forgive them for they know not what they do” Wow! Imagine this, after Christ is beaten and nailed to a cross for no reason, He still forgives them and wants to save them! What a merciful and loving God we serve! 

As Jesus was left hanging on the cross, paying the penalty for our sins, they mocked him “He saved others, let him save himself” But this is the very heart of the gospel message, Jesus died to save us! He could have left us all go to Hell and save himself, but He choose to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He choose to save your soul, because He loves you even before you knew who Jesus was!

The Cross of Christ, was a brutal and horrific event, however it was an event that Christ fulfilled to save your soul. If you want mercy , if you want salvation, you must come to the Cross of Christ first, and Jesus will make you Born Again! Amen!

Mark 14- The Trial of Christ

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And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none. For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together. And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying, We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands. But neither so did their witness agree together. Mark 14:55-59

The religious leaders were desperately looking for any evidence they could use against Jesus to legally put him to death, however they couldn’t find anything. Many false statements and accusations were made against Jesus, however none of their stories would line up. Finally one tried to quote Jesus by saying “I will destroy this temple in 3 days” , now we know that this is a reference to John 2:19 “Destroy this temple and I will raise it up in three days”

Obviously the religious leaders had no idea what Jesus was talking about, they took Christ’s statement out of context and twisted it to fit their agenda, does that sound familiar? We know that Jesus was prophesying about his own resurrection, Jesus was referring to his own physical body not the physical temple

And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Mark 14:60-62

Finally the religious leaders just ask Jesus straight out, “Are you the Messiah”? Jesus makes it clear by saying “I AM”, notice the reference to the Great I AM statement by God in Exodus 3. Jesus makes 7 “I AM” statements throughout the gospel of John demonstrating his deity

Jesus adds further that he is The Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Father, coming in the clouds! This is an obvious reference to Daniel 7, the religious leaders knew exactly what Jesus was talking about, he is the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecies

Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses? Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death. And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands. Mark 14:63-65

The amazing thing is, even after Jesus revealed his deity to them, the religious leaders rejected all the evidence and sentenced him to death! The religious leaders killed their own Messiah! Just as Jesus predicted they would do in the Parable of the Wicked Tenants

All of this was to fulfill the mission that Jesus came to do, to do for the sins of the world. The time was coming for the Lamb of God to be the atonement for our sins, to be the suffering servant, to bear our curse on the tree, Amen!