Jesus is the Son of God. The Trinity is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and they were there from the beginning of time according to Genesis 1:26. In fact, the Holy Spirit was hovering over the waters when the earth was without form. Genesis 1:2. God created everything we see in 6 days and rested on the 7th. Everything God creates is good, on purpose, and for a purpose. Nothing and nobody got here by accident. Revelation 4:11 God had intended for man to live in harmony with Him forever in the Garden of Eden, unfortunately Adam and Eve listened to Satan, and they ate the forbidden fruit. Nobody knows for sure what the fruit was, but nevertheless they sinned. This resulted in them being banned from Eden and sin entered the world. Because of this, we are all born in sin. Therefore, the world is in do much chaos. War, sickness, violence, death are the results of Adam's sin. Even the animal kingdom was affected. Therefore, they attack each other and us. But one day that's all going to change. Isaiah 11:6-8.
For thousands of years, people continued to sin in the eyes of God. The 40-day flood occurred because the sin was so great. God regretted creating man. Only Noah and his family were saved because they followed God. Genesis 6-9. As time went on, people started to call on the name of God and serve Him. During this time though, there was no one to take the sins of humanity. During the Old Testament times, animals were sacrificed as an offering for the sins of the people. Leviticus 1-7. Once a year, the priests would select a clean animal to put the sins of everyone in it. The animal was sacrificed for everyone, but that was just temporary. People still sinned.
One day, it was prophesied that a Savior was going to come to us. Isaiah 9:6. We learned about how He would suffer and what this would mean. Isaiah 53:2-12. But what's interesting is that Jesus was making appearances before He ever came to Earth. He showed up in Daniel 3:25 with the 3 Hebrew men in the fiery furnace and He very well could have been the one who told Abraham and Sarah that they would have a son Genesis 18.
In between the books of Malachi and Matthew, there was a period of silence for 400 years. God didn't speak a word. Before Jesus was born, God spoke to the people through prophets, visions, dreams, and signs. You see, because of the sins committed, only certain people had access to God. While it's true God is love, He's also a just and holy God. He is complete perfection and sin literally can't be in His presence. God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:29 God's word is beyond powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword. Hebrews 4:12
Jesus was born to a virgin named Mary in Bethlehem. There wasn't any room for Mary and Joseph in the inn, so Mary had to give birth surrounded by animals. Luke 2 He was given the name Jesus as instructed by the angel Gabriel. Luke 1:31. The details about Jesus's childhood aren't talked about in detail except for when He got separated from His parents at 12 years old. Luke 2:41-52. What is known is that He was a carpenter before He started His ministry.
At 30 years old, Jesus was baptized by His cousin John the Baptist and after the Holy Spirit landed on Him and God Himself proclaimed that this was His beloved Son, Jesus went into the desert for 40 days and nights. Jesus was tempted by Satan during this time and Jesus resisted every temptation. Matthew 3:13-4:11, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-4:13, John 1:29-34.
When Jesus returned from the desert, He was full of the Holy Spirit and His ministry began. In addition to healing the sick, raising the dead, casting out demons and changing water into wine, Jesus preached about the kingdom of God. His first recorded sermon is the sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John have similar and different accounts on Jesus. Jesus's relationships with the 12 disciples likewise were unique in their own way. Jesus was closest to Peter, John, and James. Jesus was very popular with the people.
Unfortunately, there was a group of religious people called the Pharisees who knew the Bible extremely well. They had a form of godliness, but they weren't truly so.
2 Timothy 3:5 The Pharisees were so stuck in tradition that they either couldn't or wouldn't see Jesus as He is.... the Son of God. They tried more than once to trick Him into doing or saying something that could be used against Him. The woman caught in adultery is a great example of how far they were willing to go to make Jesus look bad. John 8:1-11 But Jesus knew what they were thinking and knew exactly what to say and do to make their evil plans fail. The Pharisees got so angry that they plotted to kill Jesus. Unfortunately, they managed to get Judas; one of the 12 disciples to help them. Judas already has a problem with Jesus because despite being with Him for 3 years, Judas was a thief. He stole money from the disciples. John 12:6
In the days leading up to Jesus being crucified, He knew it was happening and embraced His destiny. He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and the people praised Him crying, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest! Matthew 21:1-9. Hosanna means savior, rescue in Hebrew. The Pharisees were jealous hearing the people praising Jesus and told Him to tell the people to be quiet. Jesus let them know that if they stayed quiet, the rocks would cry out. Luke 19:39-40. We should never allow anyone to steal our praise because God deserves it.
While in Jerusalem, Jesus discovered money changers in the temple and a righteous anger came out of Him. He made a whip and drove everyone out. He overturned the tables and declared that His house should be a house of prayer and shouldn't be a den of thieves. John 2:14-16 Matthew 21:12-13. The reason why Jesus was so angry was because the money changers were using what should be a sacred place as a place of dirty business. A lot of churches today are being used as a place of business instead of being treated with respect. Even worse, churches these days are also being used as a place of entertainment. That should never be.
All of this took place during the Passover. The Last Supper Jesus had with His 12 disciples occurred most likely on Thursday...the first Communion. It was during this time Jesus exposed the fact that He was going to be betrayed. Judas did in fact carry out his plan to betray Jesus. For 30 pieces of silver, Judas led the Roman soldiers, Pharisees, and several others to the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus and the disciples prayed there a lot. Jesus was in great agony during this time. He knew He was going to face one of the most horrific, painful deaths imaginable. He was probably also feeling the weight of our sins. It was probably in that moment Jesus really felt human. He prayed for God to take the cup from Him, but then declared not my will, but Yours be done. Matthew 26:42
Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane praying for God to remove the cup from Him. The stress He was under caused Him to sweat blood. Luke 22:44. Jesus had asked His disciples to watch and pray with Him. As Christians, we need each other. It's impossible to do the Christian journey alone. But they fell asleep. Luke 22:45-46. It was then Judas, the Pharisees, and about 6,000 Roman soldiers showed up in the Garden. Judas had a secret signal to let the soldiers know who to arrest...a kiss. You see, Jesus didn't look any different than the ordinary man. His appearance wasn't striking. Isaiah 53:2 This is why Judas had the signal. After the signal was given, Jesus asked them who they were looking for and they said, "Jesus of Nazareth" to which He said, "I AM He." When Jesus said that they fell backwards to the ground. John 18:4-6
You see, God is known as I AM. Exodus 3:14 God is God. Jesus is the Son of God yet God at the same time. How God can be the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is beyond our understanding. But God's thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are not our ways. Isaiah 55:8-9. It was during this time that Peter had taken his sword and cut off the ear of Malchus, who was the high priest's slave. Jesus put a stop to it before anything else could happen by healing his ear. Luke 22:51. Jesus is then arrested and taken before the high priest Annas John 18:13 After Jesus was arrested, it was the start of a long night. All the disciples ran away so Jesus was alone. Matthew 26:53.
Peter followed Jesus at a distance while everything happened. During this time, several witnesses came in and made false claims about Jesus. The witnesses' statements didn't match until two witnesses came forward and declared that Jesus said He was able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in 3 days. Matthew 26:59-61
Jesus did say that. John 2:19. When Jesus was asked if He was the Son of God, He admitted He was and that one day they would see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of God and coming on the clouds of heaven. Mark 14:62
The high priest got extremely angry at this response declaring it blasphemy. He tore his clothing and Jesus was declared guilty. Matthew 26:65-66. It was then they spit in Jesus's face and beat and slapped Him. Matthew 26:67, Mark 14:65
During this time, Peter is continuing to watch from a distance. A servant girl sees him and realizes that he is one of Jesus's disciples. You see, Jesus's ministry had lasted 3 years and not only was He well known, but His disciples were also well known. But Peter was scared and denied even knowing Jesus. Another servant girl notices Peter and tells that she saw him with Jesus. Peter denies Jesus again. Later, various bystanders say they've seen Peter with Jesus; even pointing out his accent as a Galilean gives him away. It was then Peter started calling down curses on himself swearing he was ever with Jesus. It was then a rooster crowed. Matthew 26:69-75, Mark 14:66-72, Luke 21:54-60, John 18:15-18, 25-26. Peter saw Jesus looking at him and Peter remembered what Jesus had told him just earlier. "Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me." Luke 22:61
Peter cried bitterly once he realized what he had done. During the Last Supper, Peter had told Jesus that he would never desert Him. He would even die with Him. Even though Jesus was in human form, He still was God and knew people's thoughts and motives. He knew Peter would deny Jesus. Matthew 26:31-35, Mark 14:27-31, Luke 22:31-34, John 13:37-38. Often, we unknowingly deny Jesus with our speech and our actions. Fear comes in telling us, “What would people think of me if they knew I was a Christian?" We shouldn't be afraid to speak on our faith because Jesus told us that if we're ashamed of Him, He will be ashamed of us when we are before God and the holy angels. Mark 8:38, Luke 9:26. Unbelievers are watching us, and we must be careful to live in such a way that represents Jesus well.
After being beaten, slapped, spit on, Jesus is brought before Pilate who was a Roman governor and King Herod...two very horrible men. Matthew 27:11-26, Mark 15:1-15, Luke 23:1-23, John 18:28-40. Even though the high priest and Pharisees found Jesus guilty, they didn't have the authority to put Him to death. Pilate had asked Jesus if He was the king of the Jews and Jesus replied, “You have said it." There were many more accusations made against Jesus by the priests. Even though these men knew the 9th commandment which is "Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor", their hatred and jealousy was stronger. Most people when they're falsely accused get very angry and fight to defend themselves. False accusations are horrible because not only can a person get in serious trouble, but false accusations have also destroyed reputations, relationships, ministries, and lives. Many people have gone to prison or gotten killed because of false accusations.
The amazing thing is Jesus did the exact opposite of what we would do. He stayed silent in the face of those accusations. Isaiah 53:7 Pilate was shocked that Jesus didn't even try to prove His innocence. This told him that Jesus was innocent and didn’t want to condemn Him. When it came out that Jesus was from Galilee, he realized that Galilee wasn't in his jurisdiction. It was Herod's. Herod was in Jerusalem during this time and Jesus was sent to him. Herod was excited to meet Jesus thinking He would perform a miracle. He asked Jesus questions which went unanswered. This resulted in Herod and his soldiers to mock Jesus and putting a royal robe on Him. Herod sent Him back to Pilate not finding the accusations true. Pilate did everything he could to not condemn Jesus. But by this time, the Pharisees had gotten the crowd worked up crying out for Jesus to be crucified.
Can you imagine how Jesus must have felt? Just days before, this crowd was shouting, Hosanna! Now they were shouting "Crucify Him!" During this time, the Jews had a custom during Passover where one prisoner was released from prison. They chose Barabbas who was a revolutionary who committed murder at an uprising. Obviously, nobody in their right mind would want a murderer released to the public. But the crowd demanded him released and Jesus condemned. It's frightening how powerful peer pressure is. The crowd was allowing the Pharisees to influence them to make irreversible decisions. Pilate had Jesus scourged which is another word for beating. This was a horrible punishment where the criminal was stripped naked, tied to a post, and beaten with a whip that contained bones and glass that literally ripped off a person's skin. Jesus was whipped 39 times. Isaiah 52:14-53 goes into detail about what Jesus was to go through. Isaiah 50:6 speaks about it as well.
Jesus was beaten so badly He was unrecognizable. Not only was He horribly disfigured, but He was also suffering from lack of sleep and dehydration due to severe blood loss. I'm sure His mental state suffered from all the horrible things people were saying to Him. The soldiers put a purple robe on Jesus and placed a crown of thorns on His head, and mocked Him by saying, "Hail! King of the Jews! They bowed before Him, but not out of respect. John 19:3, Mark 15:16-20.
He was doing this this for us. He had us all in mind when He went through all that pain and torture. It overwhelms me still to know that while this was happening, Jesus still saw us worth it.
Pilate still tried to set Jesus free. Jesus wouldn't say anything that could help Him. In the end, Pilate gave into peer pressure and ordered Jesus to be condemned. The final push for the sentencing came from the Pharisees when they told Pilate that he would not be a friend of Caesar's if Jesus was released. John 19:12. Caesar was a powerful man who had more political power than Pilate. Because of the revolts that happened previously, there probably wasn't much trust in Pilate's leadership skills. If Jesus wasn't condemned, no telling what the Pharisees would tell Caesar or what the crowd would do. There's a chance that Pilate would have either been exiled or put to death.
Peer pressure can be very hard to stand up to. A lot of times it will seem easier to follow the crowd...especially if there's a threat to your reputation, relationships, or family if you don't follow through. But following the crowd when evil is at work will only work against you. Many people forget that what they put out will ultimately fund its way back around. Galatians 6:7 tells us not to be deceived God us not mocked. Whatsoever a man shows that he shall reap. Also be very careful of the company you keep. Proverbs 27:17 says, "as iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend." Your friends are supposed to bring out the best in you, not the worst. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says "bad company corrupts good character." So many good people who had amazing personalities, talents, and destinies lost it all from being around the wrong people. The bad company brought out the worst in them. Sometimes the negative changes are permanent.
When Pilate made his pronouncement, he washed his hands in a bowl of water declaring that he is innocent of Jesus's blood, and that the responsibility is on the crowd. The crowd shouted back that they will take responsibility as well as their children. Matthew 27:24-25. Barabbas was released and Jesus officially condemned. Crucifixion was another horrible way of execution because it's a very slow torture with an even slower death. The Romans had zero mercy on criminals. A person could survive days being crucified. It's horrifying.
So, Jesus was ordered to carry His own Cross to Golgotha, the place of the skull. By this time, Jesus has very little strength left. MASSIVE blood loss, severe dehydration, hunger, severe sleep deprivation. Yet, He was still forced to carry a 100-pound cross. Any other man would have been dead before he ever was handed the Cross. But Jesus; even in His very human form, still showed His divine nature.
Some experts say it was maybe a mile walk to Golgotha which is probably 20 minutes. But Jesus was so weak that the walk was beyond challenging...especially carrying the cross. It was during this time the soldiers realized Jesus wasn't going to be able to make the walk and made Simon of Cyrene carry the cross. Matthew 27:32, Mark 15:21, Luke 23:26 The crowd followed...some to mock, some were in tears. Along with Jesus were two condemned thieves who would be crucified along with Jesus. Once they made it to Golgotha, Jesus was stripped of His clothes again and nailed to the Cross. Jesus was originally offered wine with myrrh, but He refused it. Mark 15:23. Matthew 27:34 says it was wine with bitter gall. This wine was supposed to dull the pain that the crucifixion would bring. But Jesus was ready to face the pain. Sometimes life can REALLY hurt, and many people find ways to dull the pain. It could be alcohol, drugs, money, power, sex, or any kind of addiction. But these things will only dull the pain for a short time.
As for the crucifixion, Jesus went through incredible pain. The soldiers hammered the nails in Jesus's wrists and one nail went through His feet. Experts say the nails were approximately 5 to 7 inches long. When they were finished, they raised the Cross and dropped in the hole for it to stand. This matches what Jesus had told Nicodemus in John 3:14. "And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up." You can read about the bronze snake in Numbers 21:4-8.
As you can imagine, the pain Jesus was in is beyond understanding. Jesus already was in MASSIVE pain from the beatings He suffered from the high priests and the soldiers. His beard was ripped out, His flesh was literally hanging off Him, He had nails in His wrists, feet, and His back was scraping against the Cross.
Jesus is crucified. While Jesus is going through this agony, the soldiers are casting lots (throwing dice) for His clothing. Matthew 27:35, Mark 15:24, Luke 23:34, John 19:24.
As Jesus is hanging on the Cross, something amazing happened. Despite the pain, despite the public humiliation, Jesus forgives everyone. Luke 23:34
Jesus said, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." A lot of people are surprised that Jesus said that. The Pharisees, the Roman soldiers, the crowd, everyone connected to the crucifixion knew exactly what they were doing. But what they DIDN'T know was that Satan was influencing them. The Pharisees didn't know that their feelings of jealousy and hatred weren't theirs. Judas didn't know the thought to betray Jesus wasn't his own. The Roman soldiers had no idea they were executing an innocent man. The crowd had no idea the devil was lying to them and using the Pharisees to almost create a riot. Something to always remember is that as a Christian, you are in a spiritual battle. Ephesians 6:12, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
As for the forgiveness, that forgiveness extended to everyone present at that time including Judas who sadly committed suicide before Jesus was crucified. Matthew 27:3-5. If Judas had gone to Jesus and repented, he would have been forgiven and restored.
The crowd was cruel when Jesus was on the Cross. Many challenged Him saying that if He was the Son of God, come down from the Cross. Even the thieves who were crucified on both sides mocked Jesus. Matthew 27:39-44, Mark 15:29-31, Luke 23:37
In Roman times, whenever a criminal was crucified, above his head was a sign that told everyone what his crime was. Pilate knew Jesus wasn't a criminal, so he wrote Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. Matthew 27:37, John 19:19-20
The priests wanted the sign changed, but Pilate wouldn't change it. John 19:21-22 They had already forced him to have Jesus crucified and he probably didn't want to listen to them again.
Jesus was on the Cross for 6 hours. In that time another miracle happened. One of the thieves crucified with Jesus realized who Jesus really was and repented. And because of God's mercy, he was forgiven and promised a place in Paradise. Sadly, the other thief chose to continue to mock Him. Luke 23:39-43
As Jesus was dying, He performed another act of love. He saw His mother Mary and His disciple John standing near the Cross. Jesus put John in charge of taking care of His mother. John 19:26-27. This shows just how much Jesus loved and trusted John. Not everyone can be trusted to take care of our family members after we leave this world.
The crowd was cruel when Jesus was on the Cross. Many challenged Him saying that if He was the Son of God, come down from the Cross. Even the thieves who were crucified on both sides mocked Jesus. Matthew 27:39-44, Mark 15:29-31, Luke 23:37
In Roman times, whenever a criminal was crucified, above his head was a sign that told everyone what his crime was. Pilate knew Jesus wasn't a criminal, so he wrote Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. Matthew 27:37, John 19:19-20
The priests wanted the sign changed, but Pilate wouldn't change it. John 19:21-22 They had already forced him to have Jesus crucified and he probably didn't want to listen to them again.
Jesus was on the Cross for 6 hours. In that time another miracle happened. One of the thieves crucified with Jesus realized who Jesus really was and repented. And because of God's mercy, he was forgiven and promised a place in Paradise. Sadly, the other thief chose to continue to mock Him. Luke 23:39-43
As Jesus was dying, He performed another act of love. He saw His mother Mary and His disciple John standing near the Cross. Jesus put John in charge of taking care of His mother. John 19:26-27. This shows just how much Jesus loved and trusted John. Not everyone can be trusted to take care of our family members after we leave this world.
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John have different accounts as to what Jesus said and did before He died. Matthew 27:50 and Mark 15: 37 say He shouted and released His spirit. Luke 23:46 says Jesus shouted, "Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit and breathed His last. John 19:28-30 speaks of Jesus saying being given sour wine and declaring "It is finished!"
When Jesus died, the curtain in the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. This is significant because beforehand, only the priests and prophets have access to God. But when the veil was torn, this showed that EVERYONE who wants access to God now has it.
There was an earthquake, the rocks split apart, the tombs were opened, and many were raised from the dead and appeared to many people in Jerusalem. Matthew 27:51-53, Mark 15:38, Luke 23:45.
Because Jesus died the day before the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders didn't want the bodies still hung up on the crosses. The Romans had a custom where they broke the legs of those crucified to speed up their deaths which us what they did to the thieves. When they got to Jesus, He was already dead. So, one of the soldiers took a long spear and pierced Jesus's side. When that happened, the blood and water flowed. This fulfilled the prophecy spoken in Psalm 22:17 and Zechariah 12:10.
As this was happening, the Roman officer who was overseeing the crucifixion realized the truth. He gave glory to God and declared, "This man truly was the Son of God!" Matthew 27:54, Mark 15:39, Luke 23:47. Sometimes it takes something drastic to occur for someone to finally realize the truth about God and about other issues of life.
Joseph of Arimathea; a secret disciple of Jesus, had asked Pilate for Jesus's body and was given permission. Jesus was taken down from the Cross, wrapped in a clean cloth filled with 75 pounds of spices, and placed in Joseph's own tomb. The tomb was carved out of a rock, so a large stone was placed over the opening. The next day at the insistence of the Pharisees, there was a seal placed over the tomb and guards were put in place. The Pharisees still refused to believe that Jesus was the Son of God and thought the disciples would steal the body. It's sad that despite so much evidence people will do anything to discredit Jesus and who He is. Matthew 27:57-66, Mark 15:42-47, Luke 23:59-55, John 19:38-42
From the outside looking in, it appeared that evil had won. The Pharisees were happy that Jesus was gone. The devil thought he succeeded at getting everyone to crucify the Son of God. He knew that Jesus came to save mankind from its sins and had to do everything possible to ensure God's plan would fail. And that's how he works with everyone. We all were put on this earth to bring glory to God and fulfill the purpose He has for our lives. Often the devil will send people and obstacles in our direction to ensure that we never do the will of God.
But what the devil didn't know was that in the times that seem the darkest, the times where he is shouting the loudest, God is behind the scenes working out a plan that will blow the enemy out of the water. What nobody knew was that while the grave was silent, Jesus was taking away the keys of death and hell from the enemy. Revelation 1:18
And He did because on the third day, Jesus got up out of the tomb! The angel came down and rolled the stone away after a great earthquake. Matthew 28:1-10, Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-9. God raised His own Son up from the dead. Romans 10:9. Because of what Jesus did on the Cross, we don't need to fear death because He is bigger than all that. 1 Corinthians 15:55. Jesus also made a public spectacle of the devil completely defeating him. Colossians 2:15
Jesus was later seen by multiple people. Matthew 28:16-17, Mark 16:9-14, Luke 24:13-48, John 20:11-29. Sadly, not everyone believed because despite everything, the Pharisees still had bitter hearts. When they found out the tomb was empty, they paid the soldiers to tell people that the disciples had stolen His body while they were asleep. That story is still being told today. Matthew 28:11-15. After 40 days, Jesus ascended to heaven. But first, He gave the disciples of the Great Commission.
Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:49-53, Acts 1:6-11
As for Peter, Jesus restored him. John 21:15-17
