Introduction
Jesus is identified to the crowd of people who have come to take Him away by Judas, who has come to betray Him. Judas kisses Jesus, and Jesus responds by calling him “Friend” (Matt. 26:50). He was a friend of sinners until the end! Betrayed into the hands of the religious leaders, Jesus is led away to be questioned, lied about, treated unjustly, beaten, whipped, and finally, to be hung on a cross between two criminals.
Reading [You can read as much as you can, depending on your availability]
Luke 23:26-49
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Matthew 27:27-56
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Mark 15:16-41
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John 19:13-30
Meditating [Use these questions to start your thinking]
- As you read these passages, list all the ways in which Jesus suffered for us.
- What is Jesus modeling for us about leadership?
- As you reread the crucifixion story, what new insights do you discover?
- What other questions do you still have?
Sharing: Text ONE of your answers to the questions above to your team. Each team should post a sharing from a team member in the comments below.
There is not much I can say about the death of Jesus that has not been said hundreds of times, written about, and put up on the big screen. The obvious is that Jesus suffered in His humanity greatly in those last few hours. What may not be so obvious is how He suffered spiritually. He told His disciples the night before, “‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death’” (Matt. 26:38). Maybe the greatest suffering Jesus experienced was when He cried out, “‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” (Matt. 27:46). God the Father, at that moment, had placed all of our sin on Jesus, for it is written, “‘But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isa. 53:5). I think one of the biggest ways Jesus suffered was being forsaken by the Father, who had to turn His back on Him because He was carrying all the weight of our sin. His Father could no longer look at Him. Once for all time, the sacrifice had been made. The Passover Lamb of God had His blood shed and the veil of the temple was torn. Because of that sacrifice and that entrance into the holiest place in the temple, we now have access to the living God, face-to-face access to the throne room of heaven. Those who believe are adopted into this new family and have unlimited access into the presence of the Holy of Holies. Unbelievable!
The author of Hebrews puts it like this: “Therefore brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith” (Heb. 10:19-22). Because of Jesus’ sacrifice as the Lamb of God, we can now come to God our Father spotless, because Jesus took our spots and washed them white as snow. The place that was once forbidden to enter, the Holy of Holies, was now made available to all through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. How can it be that my God would die for me? It was the great exchange: I had a debt I could not pay; He paid a debt He did not owe. Jesus lived out His love as an example to us, because “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). He laid down His life for you and me! You and I are considered friends, worthy of that sacrifice. In that moment, the innocent died for the guilty, the holy for the unholy. He died for us!
I also want to remind you that not only did Jesus suffer for you at the end of His life, but He suffered His whole life for you. We’ve looked at this, but it’s good to remember what we’ve learned over the past weeks. Think about it. In heaven, Jesus was worshipped all the time by angels that adored Him. He was obeyed and believed in all the time there. As the greatest missionary ever, He left all that and came to Earth to be hated, disobeyed, mistreated, rejected and killed. The will of the Father was for Jesus to die on the cross. It was not the will of the Son, but Jesus was willing to submit to the will of the Father to show us the extent of His love. You see, the will of the Father is the same for us as it was for Jesus. The will of the Father is that we die to ourselves. This is the will of God for you that you die daily (1 Cor. 15:31). Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). When we follow Jesus and Paul’s examples, we exchange our sinful, self-centred lives for His holy, pure, glorious life. What an exchange! Are you willing to die to yourself? Are you willing to submit yourself to the will of the Father?
Leadership Jesus-style is a leadership that dies to one’s own desires, passions, and dreams and submits to the will of the Father. Have you died to yourself? Spend some time meditating on this. Even from our church Bible reading plan recently, the overwhelming message of the Apostle Paul is death to self and life in Christ Jesus. Talk with some other people about this today.
What is Jesus modeling for us about leadership?
Jesus demonstrates that even Him submitted to the Father’s will, no matter how great the cost is. When Jesus took all of our sins for us, it was so big that even God the Father forsaken Him. We are called to follow Jesus: to take up the cross , to die our old life, and to walk with Him everyday. For me, walking with God is never an easy task. I sometimes find myself returning to my old self. Even submitting to God sometimes can be too hard because of all the sacrifices I have to make to follow Him. But I know that in the end, it is worth it do follow God and walk with Him daily. Nothing greater than knowing where will I go in the future when I put my faith and hope in Jesus Christ. I pray that God will help me to become like Him everyday
In today’s reading, we see Jesus suffered in multiple ways. He was seized and force to carry the cross on His back to bear the physical pain and public humiliation. Then He was nailed and crucified onto the cross. And while hanging there for hours before His death, He was also mocked. He endured so much for us. What does it mean for us to die to ourselves? It’s about putting others first in terms of their needs over our own wants and comfort. It’s about not giving up on people and ministry when things get difficult. It’s about going through the difficult for a greater eternal good/God’s glory. I can only do these things because Jesus first died for my own sins and through His death I have life and strength.
As you read these passages, list all the ways in which Jesus suffered for us.
“they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand.”
He carried the weight of the cross.
& as He endured physical pain, He also faced mockery. He was ridiculed by the rulers. Soldiers mocked Him. Others rebukes Him.