This entire Easter message series includes:
#1 - Betrayed and sentenced - John 18:1 - John 19:6
#2 - Dead and Buried - Matthew 27:27-61
#3 - Alive and Risen - Matthew 28:1-10
INTRODUCTION
Last week we saw in the scriptures how Jesus Christ was betrayed by Judas, deserted by his disciples, scorned by the chief priests, beaten by the Romans, and sentenced to death by Pilate. This morning we will see the death and burial of Jesus Christ as God tells it through the apostle Matthew.
I. THE BEATING OF JESUS – MATTHEW 27:27-31
A. Matthew gives the timing of this event after the release of Barabbas where both Mark and John give the timing of this event before. There are two possible ways to look at this:
1. Matthew wrote this so that emphasis would be placed on the torture that Jesus Christ went through.
2. Jesus actually went through this ordeal twice.
The most important thing to remember is not the order of events, but the fact that all three gospels agree that he suffered pain and ridicule at the hands of the soldiers.
B. What took place?
1. The whole band of soldiers gathered. This would have been somewhere between 200 and 600 men.
2. They stripped him.
3. They placed a purple robe upon him.
4. They made a crown of thorns, placed it upon his head, placed a reed in his hand, and mocked him by calling him King of the Jews.
5. They spit upon him.
6. They beat him on the head with the reed.
7. They stripped him again, placed his own clothing back on him, and led him away to be crucified.
II. THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS – MATTHEW 27:32-44
A. Jesus was in so much pain and was so weak that they had to get another to carry his cross for him.
B. Vinegar mingled with gall was a substance that would have relieved some of the pain. Jesus refused to drink it.
C. They crucified him and parted his garments as he hung upon the cross. This was foretold in Psalm 22:18.
D. Matthew 27:36 – And sitting down they watched him there.
1. What did they see?
a. They saw the Son of God as he suffered for all humanity.
b. They saw humanity itself mock and curse his name.
c. Perhaps they saw into the eyes of Jesus as he looked at them.
E. “This is Jesus the king of the Jews.”
E. He was crucified between two thieves.
1. This is a symbol substitutionary atonement. It should have been Barabbas
on the cross, but Jesus Christ took his place.
F. Jesus was mocked:
1. By those who passed by.
2. By the chief priests.
3. By the two thieves.
III. THE DEATH OF JESUS – MATTHEW 27: 45-56
A. Jesus Christ was crucified at the third hour, or 9:00 a.m. (Mark 15:25). There was darkness over all the land from the sixth hour until the ninth hour, or 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
1. The darkness represents the sin that was placed upon Jesus Christ.
2. The darkness shows us what our world would be like without God in it.
3. The darkness shows us the emptiness that Jesus Christ was feeling as God turned his back on his only son.
B. After three hours of darkness Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “My God, my
God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
1. The eternal God of the universe turned his back on his Son because he was bearing the sins of the entire world. Past, present, and future - Jesus bore them all.
C. When he had cried out again he yielded up the ghost.
1. Jesus Christ gave up his life; it was not taken from him.
D. After the death of Jesus some miraculous things happened.
1. The veil of the temple was torn in half from the top to the bottom.
a. The veil divided the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. This is a symbol of the permanent opening of God’s presence to man by the atoning death of Jesus Christ.
2. There was an earthquake and the rocks split.
3. The graves were opened and many bodies of the saints arose.
4. The centurion and those with him recognized Jesus as the Son of God. NOTE: These were the same men who were watching Jesus on the cross. What had they seen?
a. They saw the Son of God as he suffered for all humanity.
b. They saw the three hours of darkness.
c. They saw Jesus suffer and heard him call out to God.
d. They saw the earthquake and felt its power.
e. They saw the Son of God give his life for sinful man.
f. They saw the most important event that ever took place in history.
E. The women watched from far off.
IV. THE BURIAL OF JESUS – MATTHEW 27:57-61
A. Joseph of Arimathae asks for the body of Jesus, cleans him up, wraps him in burial linen, places him in the tomb, and rolls the stone in front of it.
CONCLUSION – READ PSALM 22:1-20
There are not enough words to adequately express what Jesus Christ did for us by suffering and dying on a cruel cross 2,000 years ago. As hard as we may try our minds really cannot fathom what he went through. What is even harder to imagine is why he did it. Why O why would he give up his life for me? I do not know why. I only know that I am glad he did.
Because of my sinful heart I sometimes find myself straying away from the love of Jesus Christ. At times like that I look back to his death and think about the pain and suffering he so willingly took upon himself. It doesn’t take long to remember how blessed I am to have a loving Savior who was willing to sacrifice everything for me, a wretched, sinful man.
Through the scriptures you have seen Jesus Christ beaten, ridiculed, mocked, and hung on a cross. You watched as he gave up his life and died for the sins of the world. Can you be like the Roman centurions and recognize him as the Son of God?
