The Gospel Highlighter
The Crucifixion, Death, and Burial of Jesus
Matthew 27:32-61, Mark 15:21-47, Luke 23:26-56, John 19:16-42
The Gospels According to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John show how Jesus’ time on earth affected all different kinds of people. The four writers wrote with their own styles, personalities, and focuses, but some stories were so impactful that they are highlighted in all four gospel accounts. In this series, we’ll be looking at those stories, and comparing how they affected the writers differently, and what the through-line is between them all.
As we get into our text today, I want to acknowledge that this isn’t your normal Psalm Sunday message. If you are interested in hearing the message on the Triumphal entry, I encourage you to check it out on the church center app. Instead, today we are going to kick Holy Week off with the end in mind. Today, we will get into the Crucifixion, death, and burial of Jesus.
After the betrayal of Jesus by Judas and His arrest, Jesus stood trial before the Governor and the Council. As the Governor presided over the hearing, Jesus took every single accusation that was hurled at Him. So much so that Pilate asked him, “Do you understand the gravity of the situation?” Jesus sat still and Quiet.
Next came the tradition of releasing a guilty prisoner. Again, a possible moment for the Son of God, a blameless man, to be set free. Again, the crowds were convinced it was better to let a serial thief named Barabbas go rather than Jesus.
16 The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. 17 They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. 18 And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” 19 Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. Mark 15:16–20.
Crucifixion of Jesus:
21 A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. 22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.
25 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26 The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews.
27 They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. [28] 29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 come down from the cross and save yourself!” 31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! 32 Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him. Mark 15:21–32.
Death of Jesus:
44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, 45 for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” j When he had said this, he breathed his last.
47 The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” 48 When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. 49 But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things. Luke 23:44–49.
Burial of Jesus:
38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40 Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. John 19:38–42.
Throughout all 4 Gospels, there are 7 specific sayings that Jesus speaks on:
- Forgiveness: "Father, forgive them..." (Luke 23:34).
- Salvation: "Today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43).
- Relationship: "Woman, behold your son..." (John 19:26-27).
- Abandonment: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46). Jesus endures the separation we deserved.
- When God feels far off and distant, or when we struggle to feel connected to Jesus, these words can help remind us of just how human Jesus was.
- Have we not all felt forsaken at times?
- In this, his most human and vulnerable moment, Jesus is quoting Psalm 22, which we sing on Good Friday.
- When we feel abandoned, as Jesus did when he cried out to his Father, the conclusion of Psalm 22 reminds us that darkness does not get the final word.
- All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations. All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him— those who cannot keep themselves alive. Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it! Psalm 22: 27-31
- Humanity: "I thirst" (John 19:28).
- Victory: "It is finished" (John 19:30). The Greek Tetelestai—the debt is paid in full.
- “I thirst” spoke both of physical and spiritual agony, for Christ suffered the torment of hell for our sins. He thirsted that we might never thirst. “It is finished!” is one word in the Greek text—tetelestai. The word was a common one and was used by merchants to mean “The price is all paid!” Shepherds and priests used it when they found a perfect sheep, ready for sacrifice; and Christ died as the perfect lamb of God. Servants, when their work was completed, would use this word when reporting to their masters. Christ, the obedient Servant, had finished the work the Father gave Him to do. Christ willingly and deliberately gave up His life; He laid down His life for His friends. - Warren W. Wiersbe,
- Trust: "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" (Luke 23:46).
1. I will take time to reflect on the sacrifice of Jesus on my behalf and take time to thank Him for saving me each day this week.
2. I will discuss Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross with those in my life who “don’t know what they’re doing”.
3. I will commit to reading through the 4 Gospels between now and the end of the Gospel Highlighter series. (Reading Plan on the App)