46About three in the afternoo...

46About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" (which means "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?").

47When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He’s calling Elijah."

- P32

51At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split

52and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.

53They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

54When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!"

- P33

Darkness sweeps over the land and the people realize that a supernatural event is taking place. Jesus cries out to God, and some mishear Him, thinking that He is crying out to the powerful prophet Elijah to save Him. In actuality, Jesus is praying Psalm 22, which starts with anguish but ends with God’s deliverance and dominion over the world. On this Good Friday, we remember that Jesus’ anguish on the cross was the beginning of a great victory. - P34

May we not take the suffering of Christ for granted for even a single moment. Let us remember His sacrifice and all He suffered so that His people could receive salvation, forgiveness, and eternal life through Him.k - P34

Divine Signs (27:50-56)forf-rightethecry, temple curtain tears from top toAs soon as Jesus gives His finalopen, and people whobottom. The earth shakes, rocks split, tombs breakdied are raised to life. Even the Romans who mocked and beat Jesus exclaimthat He must have truly been the Son of God. The women who traveledfrom Galilee with Jesus also see what is happening. Jews and Gentilesalike all bear witness that Jesus‘ death was no ordinary crucifixion.  - P34

Thesupernatural events at Jesus‘ death serve as signs that confirm His divinity.
barrierAnd the curtain torn in two signifies that there is no longer anybetween God and His people. The blood of Jesus is more than enough toatone for sin for all of eternity. - P34

Two thousand years later, billions of people continueto believe in Jesus as the Christ because of the evidence presented in theGospels, in archaeological findings, and in our personal lives through theHoly Spirit and the grace of God.
On this Good Friday, may we remember this powerful moment, reflectingon every detail that the Gospel of Matthew carefully records for us. Thesigns that day revealed Jesus‘ true identity to both His followers and thosehostile to Him. Let us pray that more people today would see these andother signs and recognize the truth of the gospel. - P35

Dear God, thank You for the many signs and witnesses that confirm that Jesus Christ is truly Your Son. Today, I rededicate my life to loving and serving Him and sharing His gospel at every possible opportunity. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen. - P35

27Then the governor’s soldier...

27Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him.

28They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,

29and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said.

30They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.

31After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

32As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross.

33They came to a place called Golgotha (which means "the place of the skull").

34There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it.

35When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

36And sitting down, they kept watch over him there.

- P28

37Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews.

38Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.

39Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads

40and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!"

41In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him.

42"He saved others," they said, "but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.

- P29

43He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’"

44In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

- P29

A whole company of Roman soldiers jump at the opportunity to mock Jesus. They hear that He is accused of calling Himself the King of the Jews, so they strip Him, put a robe and thorny crown on Him, spit on Him, and strike Him on the head multiple times. They do not realize that they actually are abusing a king. Many of us may never face this level of mockery and abuse, but Christians around the world today bear literal scars for their faith. They accept their suffering as their participation in Christ’s suffering. - P30

Let us pray for our brothers and sisters who face persecution and pray that we ourselves might respond to persecution like our Lord did, knowing that He is worth it all.
- P30

Father, thank You for sending Your Son out of love and commitment to Your people. I remember and honor Him for His extreme sacrifice today and every day. May I bring Him glory as I demonstrate sacrificial love to others. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen. - P31

Judas Iscariot is filled with...

Judas Iscariot is filled with regret as he sees his innocent teacher bound and handed over to the Roman governor. Judas tries to return the money he received for betraying Jesus, but the religious leaders dismiss him. Judas throws the money into the temple and hangs himself. In the midst of these tragic circumstances, the thirty pieces of silver become a part of the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. - P26

This passage is one of many in Matthew’s Gospel that highlight the fulfillment of Scripture as evidence that Jesus is truly the Messiah His people have been waiting for. Two thousand years later, billions of Christians continue to acknowledge Jesus with the assurance that Scripture across many centuries affirm that He is indeed our Savior. - P26

Pilate sees that Jesus‘ case is different from the others he has tried. He isamazed that the accused does not defend Himself. Pilate recognizes thatJesus has been falsely accused, but he allows injustice to prevail becausehe feels the pressure of his job as a Roman official to prevent a riot. Whenthe crowd demands Jesus‘ crucifixion, Pilate washes his hands to denyresponsibility for an innocent man‘s blood, and the crowdon the consequences of crucifying Jesus.  - P26

Pilate is driven by fear and theagrees to takecrowd by anger. Although God is sovereign over this situation, it shows thatinjustice persists when people allow fear or anger to rule them. In addition,
when fear or anger motivate us, we easily fail to recognize God. - P26

The Gospel of Matthew makes a concerted effort to convey that Jesus isthe Messiah, the Son of David that the Jewish people have been waitingfor. Several times, the word "fulfill" in Greek is used to highlight that Jesusis the true Savior that the prophets throughout Scripture have anticipated.
Among the many Scriptures cited throughout the Gospel, Matthew usesIsaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, Micah, Zechariah, and the Psalms to show thatJesus is the long-awaited Savior.  - P27

For example, Matthew 1:22-23 showsthat Jesus fulfills words from Isaiah 7:14 that the Messiah will come from avirgin birth, and Matthew 2:15 shows that Jesus fulfills words from Hosea11:1 that the Messiah will at one point be in Egypt. This emphasis on thefulfillment of Scripture assures both readers from a Jewish background andthose who are less familiar with Jewish Scripture that there is somethingdifferent and special about this Jesus: His life and ministry align with somuch of what the prophets foretold
- P27

Although some of us in the modern age may not fully appreciate theimportance of referring to ancient prophets of Israel, we should recognizeand marvel at the fact that Jesus fulfills all of these words.  - P27

Centuries beforeJesus‘ arrival on earth, the prophets of God spoke about a Son of David whowill one day deliver His people, and only one person, Jesus, has matchedall these prophecies. We see the detailed nature of God‘s faithfulness andsovereignty in sending His Son and ensuring that He meets every word everforetold about Him. - P27

Dear Lord, I praise You for silently accepting the injustices committed against You so that I might receive righteousness through You. When my emotions try to rule over me, incline my heart to reflect Your character instead. In Your name I pray, amen. - P27

5 So Judas threw the money in...

5
So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.
6
The chief priests picked up the coins and said, "It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money."
7
So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. - P22

8That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day.

9Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: "They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of Israel,

10and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me."

11Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" "You have said so," Jesus replied.

- P23

15Now it was the governor’s custom at the festival to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd.

16At that time they had a well-known prisoner whose name was Jesus Barabbas.

17So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, "Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?"

18For he knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him.

19While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: "Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him."

20But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.

21"Which of the two do you want me to release to you?" asked the governor. "Barabbas," they answered.

- P24

22"What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?" Pilate asked. They all answered, "Crucify him!"

23"Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!"

24When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. "I am innocent of this man’s blood," he said. "It is your responsibility!"

25All the people answered, "His blood is on us and on our children!"

26Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

- P25

Peter watches Jesus being con...

Peter watches Jesus being condemned and abused from a safe distance. While Jesus stands firm before false accusers, it takes only the questions of two servant girls and a few people to provoke Peter’s vehement denials. Earlier that night, Peter had insisted he would rather die with Jesus than desert Him, but when his loyalty was tested, his best intentions failed. - P152

Our faith is tested not only in hostile circumstances, but also in the mundane moments where living it out openly becomes inconvenient. Yet Jesus succeeded where we fail so that we might be restored and empowered to share and profess our faith again; just as Peter would do shortly after Jesus’ resurrection. - P152

The Christian life can be defined as a life of remembrance, but sometimeswe remember the wrong things. Like Peter, it is easy to focus only on oursin, on how we betrayed Jesus in our hearts, denying Him in momentsof trials and adversity. Such remembrance can bring grief and despair.
- P152

However, Passion Week calls us to remember more than our failures. Itreminds us that Jesus bore the cross to forgive and cleanse our sins.  - P152

Whenwe recall our shortcomings, we must also remember that Jesus succeeded forour salvation. We rightly weep over our sins, but Jesus transforms our guiltinto tears of joy because what He has endured has secured our restoration. - P152

Jesus shows us a different way of journeying through Passion Week. Itbegins with remembering that He sustains us, as He instructed us to dowhen we take the bread and the cup. From remembrance flows vigilantprayer which allows us to recognize God‘s authority over all things. Jesus‘
suffering was not accidental; it fulfilled our redemption.  - P153

Jesus is the meansof our confession and forgiveness. The best way to go through Passion Weekis by following Him in worship and prayerful remembrance. Only then canwe face our sins with the assurance of His grace and with an ever-presenthope and peace. - P153

Dear God, strengthen me to live out my faith in every place and circumstance. And when I fail, help me to look from my sin to Your unfailing grace. Thank You for Your love that restores me. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen. - P153