Easter - Lord, Remember Me!

MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER

RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK

(REVISED: 2018)

TEXT: Luke 23:8-43; Matthew 27:27-44

A. Two weeks ago, Palm Sunday, Christians all over the world were remembering Jesus' "Triumphal Entry", a parade in which the crowds erupted in celebration with shouts of "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!" (Matthew 21:9)

So enthusiastically did they honor Jesus that the Jewish rulers, complained, "See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after Him." (John 12:19)

B. But in the midst of that celebration, as the crowds cheered & tried to make Him their king, Jesus must have been fighting a battle with temptation. He was being pulled in two different directions.

On one hand, Satan was saying, "See how the people clamor after you. They want to make you their king. Why wait? You don't have to go to the cross. It can all be yours right now!"

Jesus must have been tempted to yield to the wishes of the crowd. It would have been so easy to say, "All right, you want me to be your king. I'll do it! Give me a crown. Give me a throne, & I'll wield a sword!"

He knew that He could be a better king than anyone who had ever been king before. How easy it would have been for Him to establish an earthly kingdom right then & there - & completely eliminate the pain & agony of the cross.

But yet, on the other hand, the cross was absolutely essential for our sakes, because only by going to the cross could He pay the penalty for our sins, & prepare a kingdom for us that would never end. So He made the choice that day as He refused the efforts of the crowd to crown Him as their king.

C. Then came all the other events of that week – the cleansing of the temple, the plots of the rulers, their efforts to trap Him with trick questions, the upper room, the last supper, the Garden of Gethsemane, the betrayal by Judas, the arrest, the insults, the false accusations, & the illegal trials throughout the night.

[ PP - PILATE SEATED ]

With no opportunity for Him to rest, early in the morning they took Jesus to Pilate’s Judgment Hall. But Pilate could find no basis for any charges against Him.

Then when Pilate heard that Jesus was from Galilee & therefore a subject of King Herod, he sent Him to King Herod who was visiting in Jerusalem for the Passover.

[ PP - KING HEROD & JESUS ]

Luke 23:8-11 tells us, “When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased,… From what he had heard about Him, he hoped to see Him perform some miracle. He plied Him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer.

[ PP - PRIESTS SHOUTING ]

“The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing Him. Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked Him. Dressing Him in an elegant robe, they sent Him back to Pilate.”

[ PP - PILATE STANDING ]

Luke 23:20-23 says, “Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. But they kept shouting, ‘Crucify Him! Crucify Him!’ For the third time he spoke to them: ‘Why? What crime has this man committed?

'I have found no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have Him punished and then release Him.’ But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that He be crucified, and their shouts prevailed.”

[ PP - SOLDIERS ]

Matthew 27:27-31 says, “Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around Him. They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on His head.

“They put a staff in His right hand and knelt in front of Him and mocked Him. ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’ they said. They spit on Him, and took the staff and struck Him on the head again and again.

“After they had mocked Him, they took off the robe and put His own clothes on Him. Then they led Him away to crucify Him.”

[ PP - THREE CROSSES ]

Luke 23:32-35 says, “Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with Him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified Him, along with the criminals – one on His right, the other on His left. . .

“The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at Him. They said, ‘He saved others; let Him save himself if He is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.’