Gospel.com Blog

Matthew 28:1-8

Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.

But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”

So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.

Matthew 27:62-66

On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception will be worse than the first.”

Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how.” So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.

Matthew 27:32-61

Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross. And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull, they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink.

Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet:

“ They divided My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots.”

Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him:

THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left. And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is 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.’”

Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.

Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink. The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.”

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.

Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed. And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.

Today is Maundy Thursday, the day of the Last Supper before Christ’s betrayal. While the most dramatic events of Easter—Christ’s arrest, crucifixion, and resurrection—are understandably where we focus most of our attention, the Last Supper is key to setting up the events to follow. Among other things, the Last Supper was Jesus’ last opportunity to directly minister to his disciples before his death and resurrection. So what did Jesus teach at this final gathering?

The Gospel of John goes into the most detail about the Last Supper, spending five chapters recounting Jesus’ words and actions that evening (more than he does describing the rest of the Easter story!). If it’s been a while since you read the entire story of the Last Supper, take a few minutes to read John 13-17.

What stands out the most in that story? For many readers, Jesus’ washing of the disciples’ feet is the most striking event in the entire account. What was the point of this display of humility? Blogger Mitch Lewis wrote an excellent reflection on feet-washing and its significance on Maundy Thursday that is well worth reading.

And over at Ravi Zacharias ministry site, Jill Carattini sums up the impact of this scene:

It was Oswald Chambers who once observed that drudgery is the truest test of genuine character. Foot washing was a lowly job, an oft-recurring job due to sandals and dusty streets—a job for a servant. But here, the menial task was instead performed by the master, their teacher—the Son of God.

And the influential truth of Christ’s identity is that He still does what is analogous to washing soiled feet: our deepest sorrows He feels, our sorriest actions He accepts, our smallest prayers He hears—our every transgression He forgives, our dusty, tired hearts He washes.

Also useful is this lengthier analysis of Jesus’ unusual action from a commentary at the Bible Gateway.

Was the timing of Jesus’ betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion significant?

The crucifixion took place during the Jewish celebration of the Passover feast, which commemorated God’s sparing of Israel’s firstborn sons during their captivity in Egypt, and their subsequent rescue from slavery. It’s not too difficult to see the thematic connection between Christ’s sacrifice and the events of the first Passover.

But Mart De Haan, writing at the Been Thinking About blog, observes that the timing of Easter holds even more connections to the Old Testament calendar if you dig deeper into the story. He sees a strong tie between Easter and the Jewish spring feasts:

In addition to fulfilling the mysterious predictions of prophets, Jesus showed how deeply his life was rooted in the annual celebrations of Israel.

…the fulfillment of [feast and holiday] patterns like this combine with the mysterious prophecies that predicted Messiah’s death (i.e Isa 53; Dan 9:26) to give us a compelling and convincing statement that the Passover Lamb was all that Jesus claimed to be– and far more.

It’s an interesting exploration of Easter from a fresh angle, and a reminder that there’s a lot of depth to the Easter account that isn’t obvious to a modern reader, but which would’ve been quite apparent to a contemporary audience. If this sort of Bible trivia fascinates you, RBC Ministries has an online booklet that goes into more detail about the annual cycle of feasts in the Old Testament.

It’s difficult for words to encompass the sorrow of Good Friday or the hope of Easter—there’s something almost unspeakable about the emotions of the holiday. Perhaps it’s fitting, then, that churches often call upon artists during the holidays. Artists help us explore and understand the stories and emotions surrounding these holy events.

If you’re the kind of person that connects with drama, and you’re looking to spend some serious time preparing for Good Friday, you might check out a recent offering from The Bible Experience called the Scriptural Way of the Cross. It uses prayers and audio dramatizations of the Biblical account to walk through the story of Easter from the Garden of Gethsemane to the Resurrection. It’s a variation on the Stations of the Cross, and a great way to frame your reflections on the final stage of Jesus’ ministry on Earth.

• Read more about the Stations of the Cross
• Walk through the Scriptural Way of the Cross
• More about The Bible Experience

How is your church incorporating the arts in their services this weekend?

Last Friday, a gunman opened fire at a civic center in Binghamton, New York, killing 13 people before taking his own life. It’s a terrible and senseless tragedy, and it prompts all-too-familiar questions about God, evil, and grief.

Over at Back to the Bible, Woodrow Kroll has written a reflection on Friday’s massacre. While mourning the terrible loss of life, Kroll points out tiny flickerings of God’s grace in the tragedy’s aftermath:

I am deeply saddened by the loss of 13 people, 13 men and women just trying either to become a U.S. citizen or to help others become a U.S. citizen. Now we are left with trying to piece together the questions, the motives, the senselessness of it all. Thirteen families are asking why? Why my family member? Why here? Why now? Why? And once again there are no easy answers. Rarely does God answer our “why” questions anyway.

But in the midst of this extreme sadness and tragedy, there are tiny droplets of God’s grace that we must not miss. We must appreciate that, in the midst of chaos, there is grace.

God’s grace was evident in the fact that there were 41 people in the American Civic Association building that day and a crazed maniac armed to the teeth with enough ammunition to kill all of them many times over managed only to take 13 people with him to eternity. A tragedy for those 13; a miracle for 28 others.

God’s grace was evident in the fact that, even though one of the first shots fired as the gunman walked through the front door hit the receptionist, she had presence of mind enough to play dead and ultimately make the 911 call that brought emergency help quickly.

Read the full article for the rest.

Zechariah is the second-to-last book in the Old Testament. It’s far from the longest book in the Bible, and Zechariah is far from the most famous prophet. But the book of Zechariah is incredibly important to the overarching theme of the Bible: its prophecies clearly and plainly predict the coming of Jesus Christ.

The prophet Zechariah is believed to have carried out his ministry at the same time as Haggai, who we looked at last week. It was a dark time for God’s people; in the aftermath of a long captivity in a foreign land, it was unclear what the future held for the remnant of Judah.

But in an uncertain time, Zechariah’s preaching rang out with hope and the promise of restoration. In chapter 12, Zechariah predicts a trying future—but promises that God will preserve His people through it:

The LORD will save the dwellings of Judah first, so that the honor of the house of David and of Jerusalem’s inhabitants may not be greater than that of Judah. On that day the LORD will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the Angel of the LORD going before them.

But beyond these general prophecies, the book of Zechariah is sprinkled with predictions that seem to point strongly at Christ and His saving work. Early in the book, God promises that He will “bring my servant, the Branch”; later comes a reference to God as “the one they have pierced”, and even a mention of thirty pieces of silver!

Zechariah’s clear hints about Jesus Christ make it a fascinating book to read, and especially appropriate as Easter approaches. It’s also filled with very memorable imagery, evocative descriptions of angels, and a strong message of reassurance. For all its import, it’s only 14 chapters long—consider adding it to your Lent reading list this week!

If somebody challenged you to defend your belief in the resurrection of Jesus on Easter, what would you say?

Is there any evidence that the Resurrection actually historically happened? Why should anybody believe that the Easter story isn’t a fairy tale cooked up by early Christians?

There’s no event more miraculous or important in the entire Bible than Jesus’ resurrection, and so it’s natural that skeptics would focus their challenges on the Resurrection story. And in fact, Christians should be honest and forthright in asking themselves: why do I believe in Jesus and the Easter story?

The FaithFacts ministry specializes in laying out evidence and answers in response to tough questions about Christianity, and their collection of evidence for the Resurrection is excellent reading at this time of year. Without overplaying their hand, they lay out a compelling case that reasonable people can and should take the Easter story seriously. So whether you’re looking for help in answering a critic’s charges, or want to find answers that will address your own honest questions about Jesus and the Resurrection, see if FaithFacts’ case makes sense to you.

Do you work in youth ministry? Did you know that Youth Specialties puts out a video podcast each week?

The YS podcast provides tools, tips and much needed encouragement to thousands of youth workers. You can really sense their love for students and youth workers alike in these videos. They’ve been doing the podcast in video format since August of last year, which in podcasting terms is quite an achievement.

Here’s their most recent video from March 30, 2009: