Behold the Son of God

Jesus’ Identity as the Propitiation for sin is displayed at the Cross (Matt. 27:45-46)

Explanation: After being thrown under the bus by Pilate and His own countrymen, Jesus is taken to be scourged, and then sent to Golgotha to be crucified. The crucifixion of Jesus can be divided into two(2) periods. The first period runs from 9am to noon (Mark 15:25) and it is during this time that Jesus is mocked by the Leaders, the people, and the other two criminals. This is when Jesus asks God to pardon the bystanders, tells John to look after His mother, and talks with the believing thief.

The second phase of the Crucifixion begins at noon and runs to 3pm (Matthew 27:45). During these three long hours, Jesus took on the essence of sin. He drank the cup of God’s settled wrath against sin in order to become the propitiation for the debt of humanity (Isaiah 53:5-6; Romans 3:25; 1 Peter 3:18)

As Jesus took on the sin debt of humanity, He began to sense a separation between Himself and the Father. In His holiness, God will not look on sin (Habakkuk 1:13) and in some sense that we as humans cannot fully comprehend, Jesus felt abandoned by the Father. We hear this in His cry from the Cross when He says “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” What a chilling statement to hear from the lips of the 2nd person of the Trinity!

Application: During this season of Easter, reflect on the high cost that Jesus paid in terms of anguish and suffering as He absorbed the wrath of God for cur sin debt. We cannot, of course, fully comprehend the extent of this altering of the relationship between the Father and the Son, but it should give us pause to consider how lightly we as believers take our sinful actions and attitudes.

Jesus’ Identity as the Messiah is confirmed through fulfillment of Prophecy during the Crucifixion (Matt 27:46)

(Psalm 22, Isaiah 53:3-6)

Jesus echoes the cry of the Psalmist (22:1)

The Jewish leaders and the people mocked Him and told Him to save Himself (Matt 27:41) as predicted much earlier (Ps 22:8)

He suffered terrible physical deprivation on the Cross - and the pain is described in the (Psalm 22:14, 16b)

The soldiers casts lots for Jesus’ clothing - recorded in Matt 27:35 as previously predicted ( Ps 22:18)

Jesus’ was thirsty (John 19:38) as predicted in Psalm 22:15 and as was specified in Ps 69:21)

Argument: There are many in our world who reject even the idea of a Creator God who is personally involved in His creation. They refuse to consider any type of religious or spiritual thought and think those who do are simple-minded. At least with this crowd, you know where the lines are.

A more subtle and dangerous group is the one who has the folks who accept Jesus as a historical figure, but downplay His divinity. The Gospels do not present Jesus as simply a good man and a great teacher. Jesus is presented as fully human and fully God. In the Passion narratives it is astounding at how many prophecies are fulfilled by Jesus. No way this is coincidence or chance!

This is an authoritative and public display of Jesus’ identity as the Messiah.

Application: There is a wealth of evidence that leads the honest questioner to the conclusion that Jesus IS God. It is only the mind hardened to a pre-conceived notion that religion is for the weak or foolish.

For those who are IN Christ - we can be confident that Jesus really IS the Messiah. Knowing the biblical truths can and will strengthen our faith as we live in an increasingly hostile and secular world.

Jesus’ Authority as the Son of God was on full display at the Cross (Matt 27:50-53)

Explanation: After being betrayed by a close associate, arrested and put through a fake trial, deprived of sleep, mocked, spit upon, and smacked about, Jesus was then taken to Pilate who had Him whipped and beaten, and then placed under a death sentence. He was forced to carry His own cross, and then was crucified on it. After 6 hours of hanging on the Cross, Jesus was still able to do some amazing things:

He cried out with a loud voice (twice)

We can easily overlook the importance of this detail, but crucifixion process was one that worked on the victim’s ability to breathe. The pain in the hands and feet made it extremely difficult to hold oneself upright. When the person attempted to relieve some of the pain, the body would slump down, but when it did, the lungs would fill up and it would be extremely difficult to speak or to even breath. For Jesus to be able to cry out loudly, not once, but twice after at least 3 or 4 hours on the Cross spoke to His amazing power.

He chose the time of His own death (Luke 23:46)

Jesus was in control of the situation right up until the time He chose to depart from this world’s realm. Most victims of crucifixion died slow lingering deaths that could be speeded up by the breaking of the legs. The legs of Jesus remained unbroken because He chose to leave when He had accomplished His mission.

God demonstrated the significance of His Son’s death by several awe-inspiring events

An Earthquake. Quakes were viewed as direct acts of God, and were seen as His judgment upon sin in an area of in a people group. God WAS passing judgment as He poured out the cup of His wrath on Jesus

The Veil in the Temple. The veil in the Temple separated the inner sanctum of the Holy of Holies from the outer holy place. The High Priest was only allowed to go behind the veil to enter the Holy of Holies one time a year to make atonement for himself and for the people. The veil was a wall of separation that was at least 40 feet high and possibly up to 4 inches thick. The force required to rip the veil in half was tremendous.

It is also very important that the veil was rent from top to bottom. This signifies that it was an act of God. The rending of the veil from the top reveals that God has opened up access to Himself. No longer would just one earthly High Priest need to stand in for others in the process of the annual sacrifice that was repeated countless times over the century.

Response:

The manner of Jesus’ death on the Cross reveals His identity as the Messiah through the fulfillment of prophecy. His sovereignty over His death and the accompanying signs display His Power and Authority as the Lord of Glory. These truths should encourage believers in our faith Journey. When we struggle with the hardships of life and sense that God has forgotten us, we can know that Jesus has already gone there so we will never ever have to! We may FEEL like we have been abandoned, but the reality is that thowe who are IN Christ will never experience it.

If you are still outside of a relationship with Jesus, the Cross is the ultimate display of God’s love for lost humanity. when you finally realize that you are in direct rebellion against a Holy God and that you deserve death and Hell, allow the Grace of God to overwhelm you! You don’t deserve forgiveness and a heavenly inheritance, but that’s why it’s called Grace!

Response: It is good to know the history of the crucifixion, it is good to know the reality of Jesus’ suffering on behalf of humanity, and it good to know the theological significance of His death and how it opened access to the father.

It is good to know these things, but more importantly for you is how you respond to the death of Jesus. Let’s close by looking at the Centurion’s response. This was a hardened Roman soldier who probably had taken part in or overseen many, many crucifixions. He may have been able to put the cries of agony and pain into his background noise and simply ignored the shouts for mercy. He was not able to ignore the death of Jesus, however. This man was amazed at what he witnessed. He had never seen a victim of crucifixion who was able to cry out loudly at the end. He had never witnessed the darkening over the entire land for three hours, he had never experienced an earthquake at time of death and he had never seen a victim with the power over his own death. All of these taking place simultaneously led him to the