The Centurion in charge of Jesus’ execution witnessed the way He died, along with the supernatural events surrounding it and declared, surely this man was the son of God. He probably didn’t mean it in the sense that we do as Christians. He probably thought of Jesus as an extraordinary “divine man” based on his pagan background. But unwittingly he acknowledged more than he understood.

Along with the soldiers and all those who had stood and passed by mocking Jesus, there was a group of women watching from a distance. This group of women had been following Jesus and ministering to Him. While the disciples had deserted Jesus, these women remained and were eyewitnesses to His death, burial, and resurrection.

It was Friday evening and the Sabbath was about to begin. There would be no work on the Sabbath so they needed to get Jesus buried before sunset. Joseph of Arimathea was a member of the Sanhedrin (the Jewish council). He had not approved of the council’s decision to kill Jesus (Luke 23:51) because he was looking for the kingdom of God—He saw Jesus as the Messiah and was a secret disciple. He took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus so He could be buried according to Jewish custom. Pilate was amazed that Jesus was already dead and called for the Centurion to confirm this. This is another sign that Jesus’ death was extraordinary. Confirming that Jesus was indeed dead, Pilate released Jesus’ body to Joseph. Joseph wrapped Jesus in a burial cloth and laid him in a tomb cut from the rock. A large stone was laid over the entrance. Two of the women saw where Jesus had been buried.

Following Jesus doesn’t mean you need to be a leader or a preacher or a prominent person of ministry. God uses faithful people who will minister as He has equipped them. The women who followed and ministered to Jesus didn’t have a prominent role in His story yet God used them to quietly witness the events around Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. They serve as important eye witnesses to these events that are foundational to Christianity. Wherever you are and whatever opportunity God gives you, no matter how small and seemingly insignificant, will you faithfully do what God gives you to do for Him?

Jesus was crucified between two robbers who were also convicted of insurrection against Rome and this fulfilled Isaiah 53:12.
As Jesus hung on the cross people jeered Him. Their taunt was that if He was who He said He was, then He should be able to save Himself. The chief priests said He saved others (through the miracles they could not deny) but could not save Himself. The reality was that He could save Himself, but if He chose to do that, He could not save others. Their claim was that if He saved Himself, then they would believe. But they didn’t lack evidence, they lacked faith.

Then darkness came over the land, probably a miraculous solar eclipse as a sign of God’s judgement on human sin. Jesus cried out in anguish as the weight of God’s rejection came upon Him. Jesus experienced the horror of separation from God who cannot look on sin (Hab 1:13). The Jews believed that Elijah came to the assistance of righteous sufferers and they waited to see if Elijah would come and take Jesus down. But Jesus cried out and breathed his last. This was not a typical death by crucifixion. Crucifixion was a long, slow death where the victim grew tired, suffered exhaustion, slipped into a coma and then died, usually over a few days. Jesus’ cry indicates that He gave up His life voluntarily. Then the curtain of the temple, most likely the inner curtain separating the holy place from the most holy place, was torn from the top to the bottom. The direction of the tear shows that God did the tearing and it was a sign that Jesus’ death ended the need for repeated sacrifices for sins and opened up free and direct access to God.

Jesus chose to go to the cross, take on the full weight of God’s wrath against our sin and die in our place that we might live. There is an overwhelming body of evidence that shows that Jesus is all He claimed to be. The question is do you believe? The next question is how do you live your life in response to so great an act of love shown to you by Jesus?

After flogging Jesus, the soldiers led Him away into Pilate’s residence. There the entire cohort (600) of soldiers mocked Jesus. They dressed Jesus in mock royal garb. Probably a faded military cloak with a crown made of thorns and a reed as a mock sceptre (Mat 27:29). Then they mocked Him. They pretended to honour Him, then spat on him and beat Him over the head with the reed driving the thorns into His head. When they were done, they dressed Jesus in His own clothes again and led Him out to be crucified.

He was too weak to carry the crossbeam of His cross, so they compelled a man, Simon of Cyrene to carry it for Him. Simon is noted as the father of Alexander and Rufus which suggests they were disciples known to Mark’s readers at the time. Jesus was led to the place of execution which was known as Golgotha (Place of a Skull) because the rocky layout resembled a skull. There He was offered a wine/myrrh mixture which was intended to help ease the pain, but Jesus refused it and endured his suffering without any impairment to His senses. Then they crucified Jesus and the execution squad cast lots to divide up his clothes amongst themselves (fulfilling Psalm 22:18). An inscription was put above Jesus’ head which read, “The King of the Jews.”

The Romans represent the depths of depravity man can go when He abandons God. The Romans weren’t treating Jesus this way because He was God’s son. They treated Him that way because that’s how they treated people. That is what Jesus died for. Jesus died for the depths of our depravity (Rom 5:8) to free us from that and return us to God. What does the way you treat other people, especially those who are “lower” than you, reveal about your heart?

Having been condemned for blasphemy under Jewish law, Jesus was then taken to Pilate to be tried for treason under Roman law. He was sentenced to death by the Jewish leaders but they were not able to execute Jesus, they needed the Romans to do that. Pilate asked Jesus if He was the King of the Jews because that claim could be a threat to Caesar. Jesus’ answer appears a bit obscure but it was a “yes.” Jesus’ concept of kingship differed from what Pilate was asking. And it is clear that Pilate didn’t believe Jesus was a threat because if he did, he would have acted immediately. Instead, Pilate listens to many accusations by the chief priests and is amazed as Jesus makes no defence to any of them.

It is clear that Pilate didn’t believe there was any political threat from Jesus because he offered to release Jesus as was customary during the Passover. He recognised that Jesus had been brought before him because of the chief priests’ envy, not because he was guilty. He saw an opportunity to have Jesus released. But the chief priests had stirred up the crowd who asked for Barabbas to be released instead. Barabbas was a political prisoner who had murdered and rebelled against Rome. Barabbas who had committed treason and was sentenced to death was released while Jesus who had not was sentenced to die. Pilate asked what he should do with Jesus, the one they call the King of the Jews, and the crowd called out “Crucify him.” Pilate asked what evil He had done but the crowd just shouted louder, “Crucify him!” Pilate, more concerned about the crowd and preventing a riot released Barabbas. Then he had Jesus scourged (beaten with a bone and metal laced whip) and delivered to be crucified.

The chief priests were driven by their desire to keep their positions of power. Pilate was driven by the need to keep the peace—so he would keep his job. The crowds were driven by the collective stirring of a mob (peer pressure). Not one of them was making a wise, considered decision. What is driving you to make the decisions you are making? What might you need to change to ensure your decisions are wise and God-honouring?

While Jesus was being accused, Peter was warming himself in the courtyard outside (v. 54). He was approached by a servant girl who pointed out that he had been with Jesus. He emphatically denied her accusation and moved to the gateway (so it might have been easier to get away). The rooster crowed for the first time but Peter didn’t pay any attention because it was a normal morning sound. The servant girl saw Peter again and this time let others around know that she was convinced he was one of Jesus’ disciples. Again he denied it. A little later the others were convinced he was a disciple because his accent gave him away as a Galilean. He swore (an oath before God that he was telling the truth) that he was not a disciple and didn’t know Jesus. Immediately the rooster crowed for the second time and its significance hit him. He remembered that Jesus had predicted that before the rooster crowed twice, he would deny Him three times. Peter broke down and wept.
While Peter had fallen for the temptation to lie and deny Jesus, his remorse at his sin opened the way for repentance and restoration. We will not always be able to avoid sin, but when we do sin, it is our quick confession (agreeing with God that it is sin) and repentance (the inner desire to do differently) and faith in Jesus for forgiveness that will quickly restore our relationship with God and prevent us from continuing down sin’s path to destruction (1 John 1:8-10). Is there any unconfessed sin you need to deal with today?

Jesus was taken to a gathering of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish council. They were gathered at night even though the Jewish legal system required trials to only happen during the day. They were rushing because it was Passover and they wanted to get Jesus in front of Pilate early and they probably wanted to get things done quickly before they faced any opposition to what they were doing. Peter had enough courage to remain close to Jesus and see what happened. The trial began with many witnesses trying to produce evidence against Jesus, but they could find none because none of the testimonies agreed with each other. Two witnesses did come forward to testify about Jesus’ claim to destroy the temple made with hands and build another not made with hands but even these witnesses did not have aligned testimonies. The high priest asked Jesus two questions in the hope of getting something to use against Jesus, but He remained silent. Finally, he asked Jesus, are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One. To this Jesus replied that He is the Messiah and that they, his earthly judges, would one day be judged by Him when He was exalted in heaven. The high priest reacted by tearing his clothes in horror at Jesus’ apparent blasphemy and declared that they needed no further witnesses. Then he called for a decision from the council and they all condemned Jesus to death. Then they spit on Him, hit Him, mocked Him, and handed Him over to the guards who beat Him.
The Jewish leaders’ foregone conclusion about Jesus led them to direct proceedings to the outcome they were looking for. If they had looked openly and honestly at the evidence, they would have seen that Jesus had done plenty to prove His claims to be the Messiah. Only one man can claim to be God and not be blaspheming and Jesus is that man. In what ways might you be blinded from God’s truth because of your own preconceived ideas?

While Jesus was still telling His disciples that His betrayer was coming, Judas arrived with a crowd armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent by the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. Judas told the crowd that the one he kissed was the one to arrest. Judas greeted Jesus calling Him Rabbi and kissed Him. This was a common greeting showing affection and honour to a teacher by a disciple, but Judas used it as his sign of betrayal. Peter (John 18:10) drew his sword to defend Jesus and managed to cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest (which Jesus healed, Luke 22:51), but it was a wrong move at the wrong time. Jesus asked them why they came to arrest Him like He was a robber when He had been teaching openly in the temple day after day and they didn’t seize Him. Jesus acknowledged that everything was happening as it was so that the prophecies about Him would be fulfilled. At that time everyone, including Peter, abandoned Jesus. Even Mark (most commentators believe that the young man mentioned was Mark himself) who had somehow come out at the news that Jesus was going to be arrested fled naked after an attempt to grab him.
Jesus went through some of the worst human experiences including being betrayed and abandoned by His closest friends. When Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus sympathises with our weaknesses, He not only knows what it’s like to face temptation but has personal, experiential knowledge, of what it’s like to go through the experiences we go through. When you pray, remember that Jesus knows what you’re going through.

Jesus took His disciples to a place called Gethsemane (“oil press”) which was a garden-like area in an olive grove on the Mount of Olives. It was a place Jesus liked to go and where Judas would know to find Him. He told the disciples to wait while He prayed, then He took Peter, James, and John a little further. There He confided in them that He was greatly distressed. His heart was heavy with everything that was about to happen, including the sins He would have to take on Himself, as well as the wrath and abandonment of God the Father He would have to bear. This burden brought Him to the brink of death. He told the three to watch (and pray) and He went further and prayed by Himself. Jesus’ prayer was a prayer based on the knowledge that God could prevent the things that were going to happen from happening. He knew all things are possible with God. Jesus felt the full weight of what He was about to endure—so much so that He would have preferred not to do it. But He knew the consequence of not doing it and He was fully surrendered to the Father’s will. Jesus’ prayer shows us that we can pray in full confidence that God both hears us and is able to do whatever we ask. But we must also pray in full submission to His sovereignty, completely willing to do things His way in faith that He knows better than we do (Eph 3:20). Jesus paused His praying to check on His disciples and found them sleeping. He was disappointed that they could not remain awake for one hour. He exhorted them to pray because that was how they would resist temptation. The spirit is willing (Peter was adamant that He would never desert Jesus) but the flesh is weak (in his own strength he was not going to be able to live up to his intention). Jesus went away and prayed again. He returned to find them sleeping again. A third time the disciples failed to remain awake and pray. Jesus said it was enough, the time had come and His betrayer had arrived. Three times Peter failed to pray and three times He would disown Jesus. This is a strong reminder that if we fail to pray and draw on God’s strength, we will fail to do things God’s way no matter how strong our spiritual desire to honour God.

At that final Passover meal, Jesus took the bread and the cup of wine and gave them new meaning, instituting what we now know as The Lord’s Supper, or Communion. He broke the bread and said it symbolised His body (broken for us). He gave them a cup of wine and they all drank from it. He said it represented His blood which He shed to secure the New Covenant. It is through His blood, His death, that we have salvation. Jesus concluded that He would not drink wine again until the kingdom of God is fully established. The Lord’s Supper is an opportunity for us to look back at the sacrifice of Jesus for our salvation but also to look forward with hope to His return.

Jesus told the disciples that they would all soon abandon Him as it was prophesied in Zech 13:7. But He promised that after He was raised, He would go ahead of them to meet them in Galilee. Peter boldly declared that He would not abandon Jesus even if all the others did. But before the night was out, he would not only abandon Jesus but deny Him three times. He insisted that even if he must die with Jesus, he would not deny Him. All the other disciples said the same thing.
When we make bold, brash statements, it is an indication of pride and living in our own strength. Prov 16:18 tells us that pride comes before the fall. Where do you need to humbly admit your frailty and depend more on God?

On the day of Passover and the beginning of the week-long celebration of the Feast of Unleavened bread, the disciples asked Jesus where they should prepare for them to eat the Passover. Jesus sent two of the disciples to what appears to have been a prearranged venue. A man carrying water was a sign easily seen because women would usually carry water.

That night Jesus ate the Passover meal with His disciples and while they were reclining at the table (the traditional way of eating at a table) He told them that one of the twelve eating with Him would betray Him. They couldn’t believe it and each one of them, Judas included, asked, “Is it I?” Jesus said that it was one who was eating with Him in fellowship—Jesus was going to be betrayed by a friend (Psalm 41:9). Then He told them that He would go through what had been prophesied about Him (Isaiah 53 being a key passage). Jesus would do the Father’s will. But woe to Judas, who was doing Satan’s will (Luke 22:3). Jesus chose to give up His life for us. Judas chose to give up another’s life for his own. Jesus’ choice resulted in Him being glorified and honoured. Judas’s choice led him to face God’s judgement, therefore, it would have been better if he had not been born. Even though Judas was used by God to accomplish what God intended, it was still Judas’s choice and he was responsible for his choice. Even as believers, our choices are not free from consequence. What corrective action do you need to take on choices you’ve made that you shouldn’t have?