WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE TRAIL AND DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE TRAIL AND DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST

THE TRAIL OF CHRIST

Matthew 26:36–75

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

³⁶  Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷ And taking with him ⁿPeter and ^othe two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. ³⁸ Then he said to them, ^p“My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and ^qwatch⁴ with me.” ³⁹ And going a little farther he fell on his face ^rand prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let ^sthis cup pass from me; ^tnevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” ⁴⁰ And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? ^41 qWatch and ^upray that you ^vmay not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” ⁴² Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, ^wyour will be done.” ⁴³ And again he came and found them sleeping, for ^xtheir eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for ^ythe third time, saying the same words again. ⁴⁵ Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on.⁵ See, ^zthe hour is at hand, and ^athe Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”

Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

^47 bWhile he was still speaking, ^cJudas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. ⁴⁸ Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” ⁴⁹ And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, ^dRabbi!” And he kissed him. ⁵⁰ Jesus said to him, ^e“Friend, ^fdo what you came to do.”⁶ Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. ⁵¹ And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his ^gsword and struck the servant⁷ of the high priest and cut off his ear. ⁵² Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For ^hall who take the sword will perish by the sword. ^53 iDo you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me ^jmore than twelve ^klegions of angels? ^54 lBut how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” ⁵⁵ At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day ^mI sat in the temple ⁿteaching, and you did not seize me. ⁵⁶ But ^lall this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” ^oThen all the disciples left him and fled.

CHRIST BEFORE THE HIGH PRIEST

Mathew 26: 57-68

Jesus Before Caiaphas and the Council

^57 pThen ^qthose who had seized Jesus led him to ^rCaiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. ⁵⁸ And ^sPeter was following him at a distance, as far as ^rthe courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with ^tthe guards to see the end. ⁵⁹ Now the chief priests and the whole council^{8 u}were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, ⁶⁰ but they found none, ^vthough many false witnesses came forward. At last ^wtwo came forward ⁶¹ and said, “This man said, ^x‘I am able to ^ydestroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’ ” ⁶² And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?”^{9 63 z}But Jesus remained silent. ^aAnd the high priest said to him, ^b“I adjure you by ^cthe living God, ^dtell us if you are ^ethe Christ, ^fthe Son of God.” ⁶⁴ Jesus said to him, ^g“You have said so. But I tell you, from now on ^hyou will see the Son of Man ⁱseated at the right hand of Power and ^hcoming on the clouds of heaven.” ⁶⁵ Then the high priest ^jtore his robes and said, ^k“He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. ⁶⁶ What is your judgment?” They answered, ^l“He deserves death.” ⁶⁷ Then ^mthey spit in his face ⁿand ^ostruck him. And some slapped him, ⁶⁸ saying, “Prophesy to us, you ^pChrist! Who is it that struck you?”

Peter Denies Jesus

^69 qNow Peter was sitting outside ^rin the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” ⁷⁰ But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” ⁷¹ And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus ^sof Nazareth.” ⁷² And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.” ⁷³ After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for ^tyour accent betrays you.” ⁷⁴ Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. ⁷⁵ And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, ^u“Before the rooster crows, you will ^vdeny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

CHRIST BEFORE PILATE AND ROMAN AUTHORITIES

Mathew 27:11-31

Jesus Before Pilate

^11 lNow Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you ^mthe

King of the Jews?” Jesus said, ⁿ“You have said so.” ^12 oBut when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. ¹³ Then Pilate said to him, ^p“Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?” ¹⁴ But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

The Crowd Chooses Barabbas

^15 qNow at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. ¹⁶ And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. ¹⁷ So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or ^rJesus who is called Christ?” ¹⁸ For he knew that it was out ^sof envy that they had delivered him up. ¹⁹ Besides, while he was sitting on ^tthe judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with ^uthat righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today ^vin a dream.” ²⁰ Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ^wask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. ²¹ The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” ²² Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” ^xThey all said, “Let him be crucified!” ²³ And he said, “Why? ^yWhat evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”

Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified

²⁴ So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that ^za riot was beginning, he took water and ^awashed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of ^bthis man’s blood;^{2 c}see to it yourselves.” ²⁵ And all the people answered, ^d“His blood be on us and ^eon our children!” ²⁶ Then he released for them Barabbas, and having ^fscourged³ Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.

Jesus Is Mocked

^27 gThen the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the ^hgovernor’s headquarters,⁴ and they gathered the whole ⁱbattalion⁵ before him. ²⁸ And they stripped him and put ^ja scarlet robe on him, ²⁹ and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they ^kmocked him, saying, “Hail, ^lKing

of the Jews!” ³⁰ And ^mthey spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. ³¹ And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and ⁿled him away to crucify him.

CHRIST BEFORE HEROD

Luke 23:6-12/ and Mathew 27:11-31

Jesus is Sent to Herod

⁶ When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. ⁷ When he learned with certainty that Jesus^[a] came from Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him off to Herod, who was in Jerusalem at that time. ⁸ Now Herod was very glad to see Jesus, because he had been wanting to see him for a long time on account of what he had heard about him. He was also hoping to see some sign done by him. ⁹ So he continued to question him for a long time, but Jesus^[b] gave him no answer at all. ¹⁰ Meanwhile, the high priests and the scribes stood nearby and continued to accuse him vehemently. ¹¹ Even^[c] Herod and his soldiers treated him with contempt and made fun of him. He put a magnificent robe on Jesus^[d] and sent him back to Pilate. ¹² So Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day. Before this they had been enemies.

The Crucifixion and Death Of Jesus

Mathew 27:32-56

The Crucifixion

^32 opAs they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to ^ocarry his cross. ^33 qAnd when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), ^34 rthey offered him wine to drink, mixed with ^sgall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. ³⁵ And when they had crucified him, ^tthey divided his garments among them by casting lots. ³⁶ Then they sat down and ^ukept watch over him there. ³⁷ And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, ^vthe King of the Jews.” ³⁸ Then two ^wrobbers were crucified with him, ^xone on the right and one on the left. ³⁹ And ^ythose who passed by ^zderided him, ^awagging their heads ⁴⁰ and saying, ^b“You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! ^cIf you are ^dthe Son of God, come down from the cross.” ⁴¹ So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, ^42 e“He saved others; ^fhe cannot save himself. ^gHe is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. ^43 hHe trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am

the Son of God.’ ” ^44 iAnd the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.

The Death of Jesus

⁴⁵ Now from the sixth hour⁶ there was darkness over all the land⁷ until the ninth hour.^{8 46} And about the ninth hour Jesus ^jcried out with a loud voice, saying, ^k“Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ⁴⁷ And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” ⁴⁸ And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with ^lsour wine, and put it on a reed and ^mgave it to him to drink. ⁴⁹ But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” ⁵⁰ And Jesus ⁿcried out again with a loud voice and ^oyielded up his spirit.

⁵¹ And behold, ^pthe curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And ^qthe earth shook, and the rocks were split. ⁵² The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of ^rthe saints ^swho had fallen asleep were raised, ⁵³ and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into ^tthe holy city and appeared to many. ^54 uWhen the centurion and those who were with him, ^vkeeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, ^w“Truly this was the Son⁹ of God!”

⁵⁵ There were also ^xmany women there, looking on ^yfrom a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ^zministering to him, ⁵⁶ among whom were ^zMary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and ^athe mother of the sons of Zebedee.

THE BURIAL OF JESUS 

Mathew 27:57-61

Jesus Is Buried

^57 bWhen it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. ⁵⁸ He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. ⁵⁹ And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud ⁶⁰ and ^claid it in his own new tomb, ^dwhich he had cut in the rock. And he rolled ^ea great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. ⁶¹ Mary Magdalene and ^fthe other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

THE WORDS OF JESUS ON THE CROSS

Matthew 27:46

⁴⁶ About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli,^[a] lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).^[

Mark 15:34

³⁴ 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?”)

Luke 23:34-46

³⁴ Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”^[a] And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

³⁵ The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”

³⁶ The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar ³⁷ and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”

³⁸ There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews.

³⁹ One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

⁴⁰ But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? ⁴¹ We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

⁴² Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.^[b]”

⁴³ Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

The Death of Jesus

⁴⁴ It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, ⁴⁵ for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.

⁴⁶ Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”^[c] When he had said this, he breathed his last.

SIGNIFICANCE OF CHRIST’S DEATH AND LESSONS TO LEARN

1. The Lord Jesus came into the world to die

His death was a necessity (Hebrews 9:22). Moreover, He knew He had come to die (Matthew 16:21; Matthew 17:12; Luke 9:51; John 3:14 and John 10:11). These scriptures make this quite clear. He was not, as has been blasphemously suggested, ‘’surprised and disappointed when He found He must die!’’ It was planned in eternity past that He should come into the world to die for us –- look up Revelation 13:8 again!

2. The Lord Jesus died willingly, voluntarily

As the sinless One, there was no cause of death in Himself. See what John 10:18 and Matthew 26:53 say. See also Psalm 40:8; Mark 14:41; Luke 22:53; John 7:30 and John 8:20. He voluntarily laid down His life for us because it was the will of His Father that He should do so and because He loved us so much!

3. The Lord Jesus died as a sacrifice for sin, to put away sin

How clear the scriptures are! Look up and meditate upon Isaiah 53:5-6; John 1:29; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 9:26 and 1 Peter 2:24. Why did He die? He died to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

4. The Lord Jesus died as our Substitute, bearing our penalty

Yes, “”we believe it was for us He hung and suffered there””. He died instead of us, in our place, and He bore the punishment which was due to us –- look up Isaiah 53:5; John 10:11 and 1 Peter 3:18. Thus we see why God has ‘not dealt with us after our sins’ (Psalm 103:10). He has fully, finally and justly dealt with our sin (and our sins) in the Person and through the sacrificial death of His Son. So the innocent victim took the place of the guilty sinner and bore away his sin in His body on the tree (1 Peter 2:24). It is by believing this great fact –- look up Acts 16:30-31; and accepting this loving Saviour –- look up John 1:12; that I am saved and able to say, ‘‘He loved me, and gave Himself for me’’ –- look up Galatians 2:20.

5. The Death of the Lord Jesus was victorious

At Calvary He provided salvation for all mankind –- look up John 3:16 and 1 John 2:2. His death is sufficient for all, but it is efficient only for those who believe. His death was victorious in that He rose again, and thereby demonstrated that all the claims of divine justice had been met by His death and that salvation had been procured for all who would believe –- look up John 9:35.