CENTRAL THOUGHT
Peace with God through Christ’s sufferings.
HYMN: “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”
TEXT: Matt. 27:27-54
INTRODUCTION:
The word Passion as used in Galatians 5:24 (NAS, NIV) can be defined as strong feeling, intense desire or enthusiasm towards something. It is also referred to as affection and lust of the flesh. Paul in his letter said “those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh and its passion and desires” (NKJV). But when Passion is used in relation to Jesus Christ, it refers to his suffering and death, in which case it is prefixed by the word “The” – The Passion (of Jesus Christ). In the Christian world, the period is referred to as “The Passion Week”. It starts from “Psalm Sunday” when Jesus triumphantly entered into Jerusalem as a king, through to “Good Friday” when He was crucified. In our study, we shall examine some of the agonies and pains experienced by our Lord Jesus during “the Passion Week”.
LESSON OBJECTIVES
- To critically examine Christ’s sufferings.
- To understand why He needed to go through all the sufferings.
- To understand how we are to reciprocate the sacrifice of Christ for us.
- To examine Christ’s seven last statements on the cross.
- To identify some of the miraculous events that accompanied the death of Christ.
BIBLE TRUTH
Q1. READ AND BRIEFLY COMMENT OF THE FOLLOWING PAINS SUFFERED BY OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.
a) False Witness Against Him (Matt. 26: 59-61). Two witnesses who claim to testify against Christ came forward and said “This Man said I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days: This was false. Jesus said “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up”. However, He never referred to the infrastructural Temple of God, rather He was referring to His body (His death and resurrection), which the so-called witnesses failed to understand. In ignorance, they testified falsely against Christ. This must have really caused Jesus a great deal of pain.
b) Smitten and Spat on (Mark 14:65; 15:19; John 18:22).
It was a public humiliation of an innocent man. There was no base for such treatment, but for His obedience to the command of His Father, He neither complained nor reacted in any form.
c) Given Gall and Vinegar (John 19:28-29; Matt. 27:34,48). It is unimaginable to think of offering bitter or sour liquid to a man hungry or thirsty of water. What a mockery!
d) Hands and Feet Pierced (John 19:37; 20:25-27). Jesus was nailed to the cross alive. What a great pain that physical injury caused. The excruciating pain is better imagined than experienced.
e) Mocked While Dying (Matt. 27:39-40). While in great pain and distress, deserted by His disciplines, needing encouragement and comfort, even His kinsman mocked Him.
f) His Side was Pierced (John 19:34). The only way the soldiers who crucified Him thought it right to ascertain whether He was still alive, while hanging on the cross, was to pierce His side with a spear. What an act of merciless cruelty!
g) Flogged with a Whip (Matt. 27:26). Jesus was flogged, not just with an ordinary whip, but one with thorns which made visible marks of injury all over His body.
h) He was Stripped and Worn a Crown of Thorns (Matt. 27:28-29). The soldiers forced the “crown” on His head and thorns, piercing His head and having blood gush out while stripped. They shouted a mockery slogan “King of the Jews”. The worst criminal was never treated this way.
i) He carried His Heavy Cross to the Crucifixion Site (John 19:17). Christ was forced to carry the heavy cross on which He was to be crucified. With all the torture He had received, He was still subjected to the heavy weight of the cross.
j) Nailed on the Cross Among Criminals (Matt. 27:35 & 38; John 19:18). What a contradiction! An innocent man numbered among criminals.
k) Forsaken by God- The Father, on Account of Sin (Matt. 27:46). For an offense He never committed, His Father- on whose order and in obedience to whose will, for which He was being tormented- turned His back on Him. There is no doubt that at such a time, the encouraging words of a father were very necessary, but He never received any.
Q2 (a). WHY DID JESUS GO THROUGH ALL THESE SUFFERINGS? (Matt. 8:16-17; Rom. 8:25; 1Cor. 15:3; Isaiah 53:4-5)
Jesus went through the sufferings firstly to fulfill the prophecy concerning Him (Isaiah 53:4-5). Secondly, to accomplish His mission on earth. He came to redeem sinners (you and me) from the consequences of sin. The penalty of sin is death. For sin to be given, the penalty out of necessity must be paid by the redeemer, and this involves a process that leads to death. The scriptures say “The wages of sin is death”. In other words, for sin to be forgiven, a sinless person must die. It was His love for us that made Him endure the pains, the agonies, the afflictions, the contradictions, and eventual death on the cross. He was willing to subject Himself to the will of His Father. He was sent as a sacrifice to take away sin. Christ’s love for us made Him offer a solution for the problem of sin. He suffered and died for our sake.
Q2 (b). HOW ARE WE TO RECIPROCATE THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST FOR US?
If Christ loved us so much that He died for us, we can only reciprocate that sacrifice by loving Him absolutely and demonstrating this love by maintaining a passionate hatred for sin. We should live our lives to please Him. He commands us to express this love to others, especially those who have not known about His love for them. We must take this command seriously by telling them about His love and encouraging them to embrace it and reach out for their salvation that comes through this love. We must not fail to let them know the danger inherent in ignoring the love of Christ for them.
Q3 (a). IDENTIFY AND BRIEFLY COMMENT ON THE SEVEN LAST STATEMENTS OF JESUS ON THE CROSS
(i). “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Through facing imminent death, Jesus demonstrated His unfeigned love to His “enemies”. He was careful to understand their state of ignorance and prayed that they be forgiven for their sins, the reason for His Passion.
(ii). “Verily I say unto you, Today shall thou be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). This statement was directed to one of the two criminals who were crucified with Him. he acknowledged Jesus as a King whose Kingdom would soon appear. While dying, his faith in the ability of Jesus to turn things around for him remained very strong. He saw beyond the cross to the coming Glory.
(iii). “Mother, behold thy son, (son) behold thy mother” (John 19:26-27). While on the cross, Jesus showed concern for His mother’s welfare. He instructed John, one of the disciplines, to take care of her as would a son. Not many sons nowadays show concern for their parents. It is the responsibility of sons to take care of their parents under any circumstances. Nothing should excuse us from taking care of our parents.
(iv). “Eli, Eli,, La-ma-sa-bach-tha-ni” (Matt. 27:46). The statement is interpreted as “My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me?”. It was an exclamation of a humble spiritual agony of separation from His God as a result of the burden of sin He had to bear in His body in order to free us from the consequences of sin. Jesus suffered this separation- a similitude of second death, so we would never experience it.
(v). “I thirst” (John 19:28). This statement came in order that the prophecy of King David concerning Him (The Messiah) might be fulfilled (Psalm 69:21).
(vi). “It is finished” (John 19:30). Having fulfilled the last prophecy concerning Him, there was need for a declaration of the completion of His assignment on earth- the account for salvation had been settled.
(vii). “Father into Thy hands, I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46). For death to occur, the spirit must be separated from the body. Jesus had earlier assured that He would lay down His life, so He could take it again. To do this, He needed to hand over His spirit which was from the Father, back to Him for keeps until the resurrection morning.
Q3(b). IDENTIFY SOME OF THE SIGNIFICANT EVENTS THAT ACCOMPANIED CHRIST’S DEATH (Matt. 27:50-54)
The first miraculous event that occurred at Christ’s death was the splitting into two of the Veil that separated the Sanctuary from the common hall of the Temple, from top to bottom, demonstrating the removal of the barrier between man and God as a result of sin, and that free access into God’s presence has not been provided. There was an earthquake that rocked the fabrics of the earth and rented the rocks and tombs. These gave rise to the confession of the Roman Officer and other soldiers that were eyewitnesses that “This man was truly the Son of God”.
DAILY LIVING APPLICATION
The sinless servant of God offered Himself for our sins. He is the lamb offered for the sin of all people. He suffered and died for our sake. He bore our sins to make us acceptable to God. What can we say to such love?
How will we respond to Him? By Him, we now belong to an enormous family of believers who have become right with God, not by our work but by the great work on the cross. We are justified because we have received Christ, the righteous Son of God, as our Savior and Lord. Our life of sin has been stripped away and we are clothed with Christ’s goodness. Sin separates us from God and brings us pain and suffering. But if we confess our sins and repent of them, God will forgive us. God experiences joy when a sinner repents and returns to Him. What a friend we have in Jesus, all our grief and sins He has borne. To God be the glory.
MEMORY VERSE
Isaiah 53:5
“But He was wounded for our transgression, He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and by His stripes we were healed.”
DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE
Monday: Jesus, our burden bearer.
Psalm 55:22; Matt. 11:28-30
Tuesday: The Benefit of our cross.
1Cor. 1:18; Eph. 2:15-22; Col. 1:20-22
Wednesday: Jesus, the sacrificial lamb.
Isaiah 53:7; John 1:29 & 36
Thursday: Sin is a reproach.
Prov. 14:34; Joshua 7:3-12
Friday: The love of God endures forever.
Jer. 31:3
Saturday: Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Acts 4:10-12; 2:21; Joel 2:32