Tag: forsaken

Daily Word

Matthew 27, part two

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Read Matthew 27:32-65 – take your time and consider each detail.   Jesus was offered sour wine… this would have had a narcotic effect,  but Jesus declined.   In trying times being numb might be tempting to the common man, but Jesus kept his full wits. :34

The humiliation continued throughout Jesus’s crucifixion.  They placed a sarcastic charge above his head which read,  “THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”  :37, but truer words were never spoken. 

At midday, the sky darkened for three hours… your bible may say the 6th-9th hour (counting hours from sunrise) or noon to 3.  This was a remarkable darkness. It is said to be,”the agony of creation itself in the Creator’s suffering. ” (David Gusik commentary)

Verse :46, serves as a marker for Psalm 22, and Jesus’s experience of true separation from God, having taken on our punishment for sin. It would have been something he never experienced before. 

Try to wrap your thoughts around the extraordinary events that happened at the moment of Jesus’s death in verses :51-53.  The veil was torn, the earth quaked, rocks were split in two, tombs were opened, godly men and women were raised from the dead and appeared to many… Wow, right?

Jesus is buried in a wealthy man’s tomb, Joseph of Arimathea. It was sealed with a stone and guards.  Those in authority feared Jesus’s words about being raised back to life in three days and took every human precaution against it. 

And many today want Jesus put away.  They want to cling to their illusion of control and will accept nearly anything but Jesus… That is one more reason why we must stay in God’s Word, living close to Jesus; our blessed hope and joy is a light to many.

Daily Word

Mark 15

judyinthesky91

Read Mark 15 – “For he realized by now that the leading priests had arrested Jesus out of envy,” :10 – Envy is admiration mixed with discontent, and Pilate understood that was the reason Jesus was sent to him… he knew Jesus was innocent and tried to free Him by the tradition of releasing a prisoner before Passover.  Ultimately, Pilate chose approval ratings over justice when the crowd shouted for Barabbas’s release and Jesus’s crucifixion.  Beloved, be on guard against envy, and the desire for approval.  Both are at play here as we see one wrong followed up by another.  

Meanwhile, Jesus is silent.  He was flogged (the whip had lead tipped pieces on the ends meant to tear the flesh from his body), and mocked by the soldiers.  In fact, they did some odd and horrendous things to Jesus, dressing him in a purple robe, giving him a crown of thorns, mock praising Him as King of the Jews, and more.  The Roman soldiers would not have known the prophecies they were fulfilling with their cruelty. Check out Isaiah 53 in the Old Testament.

Nothing that is happening to our Savior, Jesus, is a surprise to Him, and as things play out we can better comprehend why Jesus prayed so earnestly in the garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:32-40).  May your gratitude grow each time you see the punishment Jesus took on for you.  

It was 9 am when Jesus was hung on the cross with a sign above him stating his crime, “King of the Jews”. :25-26  At noon, darkness fell over the land, and at 3 pm… six agonizing hours later, Jesus cried out, asking God why he had forsaken him. :34  It is stated in the original language and explained.  

Beloved, the scripture reference numbers, such as Mark 15:34, etc, were added to the Bible later, but in Jesus’s time a few words would indicate the passage.  Jesus’s final words can be found in Psalm 22 as prophecy is again fulfilled.  More prophetic, supernatural, and precious things can be discovered throughout Chapter 15.  Will you step up to the extra credit assignment today and also read Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22?  There is so much to be gained in seeing the prophecy given hundreds of years beforehand, fulfilled by Jesus.  May God bless you with wisdom and insight.