March 2020 Messenger Newsletter

"They shouted all the more, 'Let him be crucified!' "
(Matthew 27:23)

Sunday of the Passion/Palm Sunday

Jesus Faces Pilate

Mat 27:11 Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus said, "You say so."
Mat 27:12 But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he did not answer.
Mat 27:13 Then Pilate said to him, "Do you not hear how many accusations they make against you?"
Mat 27:14 But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

Taking the Place of Barabbas

Mat 27:15 Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted.
Mat 27:16 At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Jesus Barabbas.
Mat 27:17 So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?"
Mat 27:18 For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over.
Mat 27:19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, "Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about him."
Mat 27:20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed.
Mat 27:21 The governor again said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Barabbas."
Mat 27:22 Pilate said to them, "Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?" All of them said, "Let him be crucified!"
Mat 27:23 Then he asked, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Let him be crucified!"
Mat 27:24 So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves."
Mat 27:25 Then the people as a whole answered, "His blood be on us and on our children!"
Mat 27:26 So he released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.

The Soldiers Mock Jesus

Mat 27:27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him.
Mat 27:28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,
Mat 27:29 and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"
Mat 27:30 They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head.
Mat 27:31 After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

The King on a Cross

Mat 27:32 As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry his cross.
Mat 27:33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull),
Mat 27:34 they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it.
Mat 27:35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots;
Mat 27:36 then they sat down there and kept watch over him.
Mat 27:37 Over his head they put the charge against him, which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews."
Mat 27:38 Then two bandits were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.
Mat 27:39 Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads
Mat 27:40 and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross."
Mat 27:41 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him, saying,
Mat 27:42 "He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him.
Mat 27:43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to; for he said, 'I am God's Son.'"
Mat 27:44 The bandits who were crucified with him also taunted him in the same way.

Jesus Dies on the Cross

Mat 27:45 From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.
Mat 27:46 And about three o'clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Mat 27:47 When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, "This man is calling for Elijah."
Mat 27:48 At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink.
Mat 27:49 But the others said, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him."
Mat 27:50 Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last.
Mat 27:51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split.
Mat 27:52 The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.
Mat 27:53 After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many.
Mat 27:54 Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, "Truly this man was God's Son!"

NSRV & Believer's Study Bible (BSB) Notes

[Mat 27:45] (vv. 45, 46) The "sixth hour" reckoned according to Hebrew time would be 12 o'clock noon. A strange darkness engulfs the land. A natural eclipse, unlikely at Passover, does not completely explain the phenomenon. The darkness signifies a miracle of God designed to draw attention to the darkness of the hour when men crucified the Savior of love. The Lord's cry from the cross, a mixture of Aramaic and Hebrew quoting Ps. 22:1, is in many respects as impenetrable as the darkness of the hour. All that is involved can never be known. This much can be ascertained: in that black hour the judgment of the sins of the entire world was placed upon Jesus in isolation. He alone must drink the cup of God's indignation against sin.

[Mat 27:51] The tearing of the veil refers to the heavy curtain which separated the holy place from the Most Holy Place. The curtain barred the way to the presence of God, and the Law allowed only the high priest to enter and then only on one day each year. The tearing of the veil from top to bottom (indicating that God did the tearing) was symbolic of the open access that all men have to God through the death of Christ. No longer is the priesthood or an annual sacrifice necessary. Christ is both the eternal Sacrifice and the eternal High Priest (cf. Heb. 7-10).

NSRV & Believer's Study Bible (BSB) Notes

Readings for the week of April 12th
Easter Sunday
First: Acts 10:34-43
Psalm 118:1-12, 14-24
Second: Colossians 3:1-4
Gospel: Matthew 28:1-10

Sunday Worship Services at 10:00am
Sunday School at 9:00am

Thursday Bible Study (Library) 10:30 am
Holy Communion Service (Sanctuary) Noon