Day 1

This week, we’ll focus on Christ’s betrayal, the cross, and, of course, finish with the resurrection. Jesus had spent three years on this earth investing in His twelve disciples, plus hundreds of others who had chosen to follow Him. Christ knew He came to fulfill the Father’s will (John 4:34, John 5:30, John 6:38), but that did not make Jesus...

Jesus was betrayed, and now all the chief priests and elders are in agreement; they want Jesus put to death. They could not do this on their own, so they sent Jesus to Pilate, the governor, hoping Pilate would render a decision to put Jesus to death. We also find Judas feeling remorse for his awful decision. Note that God’s Word does not say ...

Today, we examine Jesus’ second time in front of the governor, Pilate. Jesus’ first experience standing before Pilate is not described in Matthew, but it is described in Luke 23:1–6. Pilate did not want to make a judgment about Jesus. According to Luke 23:7, when Pilate learned that Jesus was a Galilean, Pilate knew that Jesus belonged within...

As we examine Matthew 27:27–32, we have to remember that by this time, Jesus had already been beaten severely by the guards (Mark 14:65; Luke 22:63–65; John 18:22). Jesus would have been bloody and His face so swollen from the beatings He had already taken that He was unrecognizable (Isaiah 52:14, Luke 22:63–65). Jesus was also scourged (Matt...

Christ underwent the most excruciating torment anyone could ever go through. Christ’s pain was not just physical pain, but it was the deepest, darkest spiritual pain of all time. The soldiers offered Christ wine mixed with gall, which was a drink to help numb the senses from this horrible death. Christ refused the drink because He did not wan...

It is incredibly humbling to examine God’s Word and see what Christ went through on the cross for all mankind so everyone could be set free from sin's penalty and power. We must never forget that our Lord Jesus Christ willingly submitted to our Heavenly Father’s perfect will and laid down His life so everyone could have everlasting life. Chri...

Our Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross. His body was removed from the cross, and Joseph of Arimathea got permission from Pilate to put Jesus’ body in his own tomb. In Matthew 27:62–66, we find the chief priests and the Pharisees in a meeting with Pilate. These so-called religious leaders were afraid that Jesus’ disciples would steal Jesus’ b...