Matthew 27

Inspirational illustration of Matthew 27:45-54 -- From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and

"Now it was the governor's custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner to the crowd — anyone they wanted. This year there...."

"When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver....."

"At noon [when Jesus was being crucified], darkness fell across the whole land until three o'clock. At about three o'clock, Jesus called out with a..."

We do so it so casually, so carelessly, and in doing it, we forget! Max Lucado reminds us during this special week to remember to put the lessons of Jesus' passion to work in our own daily lives.

"Dear Seeker, On the day after My death and while My body was still in the grave, Pilate received a request from the chief priests and the..."

"Some of the governor's soldiers took Jesus into their headquarters and called out the entire regiment. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on..."

"The next day [after Jesus' crucifixion], on the Sabbath, the leading priests and Pharisees went to see Pilate. They told him, "Sir, we remember what....."

"[When the crowd asked for Barabbas to be released,] Pilate responded, "Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?" They shouted....."

"As evening approached [after Jesus' crucifixion], Joseph, a rich man from Arimathea who had become a follower of Jesus, went to Pilate and asked for....."

"Now Jesus was standing before Pilate, the Roman governor. "Are you the king of the Jews?" the governor asked him. Jesus replied, "You have said..."

"The leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders also mocked Jesus. "He saved others," they scoffed, "but he can't save himself! So...."

Is there a higher gamble that one can make in life? Phil Ware shares some thoughts on the soldiers who gambled over Jesus' garments as he died and then later came to faith.

"Two revolutionaries were crucified with [Jesus], one on his right and one on his left. The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads....."

"At [the moment when Jesus died,] the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart,....."

"After they had nailed [Jesus] to the cross, the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. Then they sat around and kept guard as he hung..."

"Along the way [to crucify Jesus, the soldiers] came across a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus' cross....."

What do you mean, Easter comes more than once per year? Jesus' tomb was simple and unadorned, yet the place everything changed for all of us.

"Very early in the morning the leading priests and the elders of the people met again to lay plans for putting Jesus to death. Then they bound him, led..."

"The Roman officer and the other soldiers at [Jesus'] crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, "This man..."

God is at work even when nothing appears to be happening! Max Lucado reminds us during this special week of a day that is so often neglected: Saturday, the Sabbath, when everything appears to be silent and that Satan has triumphed, yet lying still in the grave, Jesus' body belies the truth of God.

"Among [the women at the cross when Jesus was crucified] were Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James and Joseph), and the mother of James and John,...."

"No mean miracle was wrought in the rending of so strong and thick a veil; but it was not intended merely as a display of power-many lessons were..."

"He had never been slow of speech when he could bless the sons of men, but he would not say a single word for himself. "Never man spake like this man,"..."

Jesus died. He was buried. He was raised from the dead. Each one of those facts reminds us that Jesus was not some antiseptic hero from a distance. James Nored and Phil Ware remind us that Jesus died and was buried and that his burial has special significance for us.

There is more to the crown of thorns Jesus carried than meets the eye at first glance. Max Lucado reminds us of the grace and love shown to us in the crown of thorns Jesus wore to the cross.

This seemingly innocuous transitional passage in the gospel of Luke is one of those hidden gems we often overlook! Phil Ware continues his reflections on his daily reading in the gospels, this time focused on Luke 8:1-3 and how this forgotten gem opens our eyes to the importance that women played in Jesus' ministry.

What could change everything? Bill Sherrill writes about God's clearest message through Jesus on the Cross and through the Gospel of John.