Matthew 27:32-54
32 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. 33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, He refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified Him, they divided up His clothes by casting lots. 36 And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. 37 Above His head they placed the written charge against Him: this is jesus, the king of the jews.
RESPONSE: WE WANT TO KNOW YOU MORE OUR LORD AND SO WE COME TOGETHER TO THE CROSS.
38 Two rebels were crucified with Him, one on His right and one on His left. 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at Him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked Him. 42 “He saved others,” they said, “but He can’t save Himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue Him now if He wants Him, for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 In the same way the rebels who were crucified with Him also heaped insults on Him.
RESPONSE: WE WANT TO KNOW YOU MORE OUR LORD AND SO WE COME TOGETHER TO THE CROSS.
45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli,lemasabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).
47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”
48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave Him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.” 50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He gave up His spirit.
RESPONSE: WE WANT TO KNOW YOU MORE OUR LORD AND SO WE COME TOGETHER TO THE CROSS.
51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people. 54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely, He was the Son of God!”
RESPONSE: WE WANT TO KNOW YOU MORE OUR LORD AND SO WE COME TOGETHER TO THE CROSS.
Matthew 27:32-54 (selected verses) KNOWING GOD AS WE COME TO THE CROSS
Springford Baptist Church Good Friday Service: April 15, 2022.
As difficult as it is come to the cross and to confront what happened there, we cannot know God without knowing the cross. This Good Friday observance is always a solemn time for reflection and gratitude. Our hearts are gripped with the certainty of how much we are loved by God that He was willing to send His own Son to die for us and thereby to overcome death forever.
It is reassuring to say those words of response: “WE WANT TO KNOW YOU MORE OUR LORD AND SO WE COME TOGETHER TO THE CROSS.”
We do want to know more of our Lord. From the time that we decide to give our lives to God and to follow Him always, we continue to discover new facets of Who God is. We are able to know God more as we spend time with Him and as we pray and keep releasing everything, including ourselves into God’s hands. We encounter God in the bright and happy moments of our lives. We encounter God when we are building memories that are lasting and good. We also encounter God when our lives are shaken by circumstances and feel quite out of control. God is with us in our most painful times and we are choosing to be with God today in His most painful time.
We do come together today to the cross. We focus our attention on Jesus and affirm our faith in Him as the Son of God, our Saviour. We experience the support of one another as we approach the agony of the cross and find the courage to acknowledge what the cross means for us in knowing God. When we do face the sorrows of life and the sorrow of the cross, we are not alone. God is with us and we have each other. Our personal and individual response of commitment to God when we come to the cross is necessary. Still, we come today with the others around us to remember and be changed by what happened at the cross.
What can we know of God by coming to the cross?
We can know that Who God is and what He can do is much bigger than what we can now see.
Some of those who were watching the events there at the cross saw Jesus as helpless. They saw Him as a failure. We are told that they hurled insults at Him saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:40)
Those who insulted and scorned Jesus did not realize or recognize His power. They did not understand that Jesus would save Himself and anyone else Who will trust Him. Those who refused to believe that Jesus is the Son of God wanted a dramatic demonstration of rescue right then before their eyes. When this did not happen, they refused to believe that Jesus is exactly Who He had claimed to be, the Son of God.
How do we in similar ways miss seeing Who God is because we look at right now and do not take into account what is not yet that God will bring about?
Something else we can know of God as we come to the cross is the intensely strong bond that Jesus the Son shares with God the Father. This depth of love mirrors how deep God’s love is for each of us His children. Hear the anguish in Jesus’ voice as He cries out from the cross, “My God. My God. Why have You forsaken me”? This heartwrenching exclamation confirms for us that if there had been any other way to accomplish salvation, God the Father and God the Son would have chosen it, but very clearly, there was no other way.
Our approach to the cross also verifies that Jesus’ willingness to take on the punishment that we deserve gives us open and unhindered access to God.
We read that at the moment of Jesus’ death when He gives up His spirit, 51 “the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” That heavy curtain that was meant to separate God and His Holy Presence from the people is no longer a barrier. Clearly God wants people to have free access to Him. God wants us to be able to approach Him with confidence.
There is yet another compelling truth for us to see and know of God there at the cross. It is highlighted in the conversation that occurs between the centurion and others gathered at the cross. The earthquake and the raising back to life of holy people who had previously died results in the truth being revealed. When the guards at the cross talk things over they can reach no other conclusion than to say, 54 “Surely He was the Son of God!”
Some saw the events surrounding Jesus’ death on the cross and concluded that Jesus could not possibly be the Son of God. Others concluded that Jesus surely was the Son of God.
As we have come together to the cross on this Good Friday, we have been strategically positioned to know:
– that Who God is and what He can do is much bigger than what we can now see
– the intensely strong bond that Jesus the Son shares with God the Father (this mirrors God’s deep love for us)
-Jesus’ willingness to take on the punishment that we deserve gives us open and unhindered access to God and knowing God
-there is no other accurate conclusion when we come to the cross than to know that Jesus is the Son of God Who gave His life to overcome death for us
“WE WANT TO KNOW YOU MORE OUR LORD AND SO WE COME TOGETHER TO THE CROSS.”