“The Cross and the Cost”
Matthew 27:32–50
* credit Jeff Strite sermon and Chatgpt
One person commented:
“Cut the Bible anywhere and it will bleed.”
Our old hymns echo this truth, as they sing lovingly of the blood of Jesus:
“There is a fountain filled with blood”
“Nothing but the blood”
“Are you washed in the blood”
“Would you be free from the burden of sin?
“Power in the blood”
(speak reflectively)
What can wash away my sin?
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
What are those hymns declare is that Jesus’ death isn’t just about:
Jesus’ bleeding and suffering and death.
Oh no.
The story is about:
- WHY Jesus suffered.
WHY He bled.
WHY He died.
And WHY did Jesus bleed and suffer, and die?
The Bible answers clearly that:
without the blood of Jesus
There is no forgiveness for our sins.
Revelation 1:5 declares: that Jesus…
“…loves us and has freed us from our sins BY HIS BLOOD.”
Ephesians 1:7 teaches that:
“In him we have redemption THROUGH HIS BLOOD, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”
And 1 Peter 1:18-19 tells us:
“… it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST, a lamb without blemish or defect.”
1. His PHYSICAL Suffering (X2)
Jesus shed His blood multiple times.
• In Gethsemane, as He prayed in agony, His sweat became like drops of blood.
• Before Pilate, He was flogged with whips laced with bone and glass.
• Mocked by soldiers, they crowned Him with thorns and struck His head.
• At Calvary, nails pierced His hands and feet.
• Upon His death, a spear was thrust into His side—blood and water flowed.
None of this was accidental.
This was God’s plan to save us
Again, and again and again, Jesus shed His blood FOR US.
Jesus' suffering reveals:
• The depth of God’s love
• The cost of our salvation
Matthew 27:32–35:
“As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene… They came to a place called Golgotha… When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.”
Jesus' suffering on the cross:
demonstrates the depth of God’s love and
the cost of our SALVATION.
Please remember….
Crucifixion was:
slow, humiliating, and excruciating.
Jesus took our place,
We deserved the punishment, but
Jesus took our punishment.
We remember how Jesus suffered and…
• His betrayal by Judas
• His abandonment by His friends
• The scourging that killed many
• The nails driven into His flesh
• His slow, painful, humiliating, suffocating death
We recall Spiritual Suffering:
1. He bore the weight of our sin
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us...” — 2 Corinthians 5:21
2. He was separated from the Father
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” — Matthew 27:46
3. He drank the cup of wrath
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me...” — Luke 22:42
Jesus took the full judgment of sin upon Himself:
- Why would anyone do that for us?
- why would anyone see our debt and pay it
Why would anyone endure that?
Why would anyone pay our debt?
There’s only one answer: LOVE.
“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
- Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)
A firefighter once:
rushed into a burning house to save a child.
He saved the child and
He was severely burned, but the child lived.
That is what Jesus did for us:
Jesus ran into the fire of judgment for us.
His scars are proof of His love.
When there comes a time in your life:
- where life is difficult and
- it seems like all hope is gone, and
- you are tempted to think no one can understand your suffering….
Jesus knows and understands your pain suffering
Remember that…
2. Jesus was MOCKED and REJECTED X2
“Sitting down, they kept watch over him there... Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads...‘He saved others,’ they said, ‘but he can’t save himself!’...In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.”
— Matthew 27:36–44 (NIV)
"The only sin Jesus ever had was ours, and
the only righteousness we ever have is His."
Jesus was:
falsely accused – Mark 14:56
Beaten and spit upon – Matthew 27:30
Crowned with thorns – Matthew 27:29
Despite being completely innocent:
JESUS was rejected, mocked, beaten, and
crucified for crimes He didn’t commit.
“He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
Yet to all who did receive him... he gave the right to become children of God.”
- John 1:11–12 (NIV)
He suffered wrongly:
Being punished and rejected
by those He intended to save.
Even as He hung on the CROSS:
the crowds failed to see Him
for who He truly was
Despite being misunderstood and mistreated:
Jesus remained focused on
offering grace and salvation.
He chose to forgive those who wronged Him.
Jesus’ said...
"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing"
- Luke 23:34
Application:
Jesus understands what it’s like:
to be mocked and rejected.
Are we willing to stand with Him
even when the world laughs?
Remember…
3. The WEIGHT of SIN X2
“From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land.
About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ (which means ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’)...”
— Matthew 27:45–46 (NIV)
Crucifixion was reserved for the worst of the worst:
This is the price of our sin
Jesus “had no sin”
He was perfect and pure
Yet it was Jesus, not US who bore:
• The full wrath of sin
• The judgment we deserved
• The separation we could never endure
Death by CRUCIFIXION was an excruciating way to die:
- Nails were driven into His flesh
- His joints were dislocated
- Victims often suffocated to death
- many died of the scouring that tore open His flesh
JESUS took our place on the CROSS…We deserved DEATH and Jesus offers life!
That should have been US on the cross
That should have been ME
That should have been YOU on the cross.
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
- 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV)
(Illustration) The Man with the Medal:
After WWII:
a man received a Medal of Honor for saving his unit.
His surviving friend would always say,
“I’m here because he gave everything.”
Remember….
4. Jesus’ Final VICTORY (x2)
“And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.”
- Matthew 27:50 (NIV)
John’s Gospel adds…
“When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”
— John 19:30 (NIV)
In Greek:
the word Jesus spoke was “Tetelestai.
It was a term used in business and legal settings meaning:
“Paid in Full.”
When a debt was fully settled:
they would write or stamp
“Tetelestai” across the invoice.
Jesus stamped that across the debt of your soul:
Every sin.
Every failure
Every regret.
PAID IN FULL
Jesus didn’t die in defeat—He died in triumph.
The price for sin was paid:
- The work of redemption was complete.
- And the way back to God was now wide open.
Romans 5:8:
“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Jesus didn’t wait for you to clean up your act.
He didn’t wait for you to be “good enough.”
He died while you were still lost, still running, still broken.
That’s love.
That’s victory.
Are You Living Like It’s Finished?
So many people live like they still owe something:
- They carry shame.
- They try to earn God’s approval.
- They live with fear that they haven’t done enough.
But Jesus said: “It is finished.”
That means you can:
• Stop trying to earn God’s love — You already have it.
• Stop carrying that old guilt — It was nailed to the cross.
• Stop running from God — The veil has been torn. The way is open.
Hebrews 4:16:
“Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence…”
You now have full access to the presence of God.
(The Bridge illustration):
Imagine a deep canyon separating humanity from God:
People try to cross the expanse
with morality or religion, but they fall short.
Only The cross bridges the chasm.
Just like a bridge must be costly and strong:
to carry people across,
our salvation cost Jesus everything.
Final Application: How Will You Respond?
“For the joy set before him he endured the cross... Consider him who endured such opposition... so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
- Hebrews 12:2–3 (NIV)
The Power of the Blood of Jesus
Years ago, in the city of Chicago:
o a global religious conference
o brought together representatives from nearly every major faith.
One by one, they presented their beliefs—most teaching the same idea:
Life is like a scale:
- Do enough good, and
- maybe it’ll outweigh your bad.
- But what if your sins are too heavy?
What if there’s nothing good enough to cancel them out?
During one session:
- a Christian named Joseph Cook stood up and said:
“Gentlemen, I introduce a woman in deep sorrow. Her hands are stained with blood—she’s committed murder. Nothing she does can remove the stain.
Is there anything in your religion that can truly forgive her and give her peace?”
The room fell silent:
Then Cook lifted his eyes and said,
“John, can you tell her?”
He paused—then declared:
“Listen, John speaks… ‘…the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.’”
- 1 John 1:7
Not some sin.
Not just small sin.
All sin.
No other religion offers this kind of hope.
Only Jesus offers complete forgiveness
not through your performance, but
through His sacrifice.
Jesus didn’t die for people who had it all together:
He died for the broken,
the guilty, the desperate.
JESUS died for you.
Invitation
Maybe you feel like that woman:
carrying guilt that runs deep.
you’ve tried to “balance” your life with good deeds…
and it’s never enough.
The truth is: You don’t need balance. You need blood.
“The blood of Jesus… cleanses us from all sin.”
You CAN BE forgiven, free, and made new today:
If you’ve never given your life to Christ,
Now is the time.
If you’ve drifted, today is your moment to return.
Will you come to the cross and trust Jesus—again, or for the first time?
- He’s already done the work.
- All that’s left is your “Yes.”
