Bible On Tour...Israel Devotional

Israel Devotional Preparation
One Week before your visit

Lead Me to Calvary
MATTHEW 26:57 - 28:10

The Events of the Crucifixion
A. The Cross (26:57-27:56)

1st. The trials (26:57-27:26)

1. The trial before the Sanhedrin (26:57-75)
NOTE: Peter denied Jesus during the time Jesus was appearing before the Jewish leaders in the high priest's house. Peter had followed at a distance, but when confronted, he denied his Lord.
2. The trial before Pilate (27:11-26)
NOTE: Although the exact location is uncertain, tradition says that Jesus appeared before Pilate in the Fortress of Antonia that looked over the northwestern edge of the temple. From here Jesus began His walk to "The Place of the Skull."

2nd. The torture (27:27-31)
NOTE: The Romans flogged Jesus (v. 26), a lashing so severe that prisoners sometimes died from this punishment before being crucified. Jesus was then stripped, mocked, spat on, and beaten on the head with a staff. All this was "preparation" for the actual crucifixion.

3rd. The crucifixion (27:32-56)

1. Jesus' journey to Golgotha (27:32-44) NOTE: Jesus likely carried a beam of the cross until, weakened by the flogging, He collapsed. The Romans forced a Jewish passerby to carry the beam the remainder of the way. From the cross Jesus could look out at soldiers gambling for His clothes, religious leaders mocking His death, and thieves sharing His dreaded fate.
2. Jesus' death on the cross (27:45-56) NOTE: Crucifixion was a lengthy, torturous death. And yet, after paying for humanity's sin, Jesus "gave up his spirit." He did not die from the crucifixion. As He had said earlier, "I lay down my life - only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again" (John 10:17-18).

B. The Grave (27:57-66)

1st. The burial at the tomb (27:57-61)

1. Joseph of Arimathea boldly requested the body of Jesus (vv. 57-58)
2. Joseph placed Jesus' body in his own new tomb (vv. 59-61)
NOTE: In a "coincidence" prepared by God, Joseph's new tomb had been dug in the same area where Jesus was crucified. According to John's Gospel, "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" (John 19:41).

2nd. The guarding of the tomb (27:62-66)

1. The request came from the religious leaders who remembered Jesus' words (vv. 62-64)
2. The order came from Pilate and was carried out by his soldiers (vv. 65-66)
NOTE: The belief that the disciples stole Jesus' body contradicts this key fact: Jesus' tomb was sealed and under Roman guard. The frightened disciples would have been no match for experienced soldiers. In effect, God put the tomb under protective custody to validate the truth of the Resurrection.

C. The Empty Tomb (28:1-10)

1st. The opening of the tomb (28:1-4)

2nd. The announcement to the women (28:5-10)

1. Jesus is risen
2. The tomb is empty
3. You will see Him
Conclusion: God's "good news" for us is that Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures. His death was validated by His burial. He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. His resurrection was validated by His appearances to His disciples. Paul said this was the "good news" that he preached and by which we are saved (1 Cor. 15:1-8). During your visit to Jerusalem, you will walk the Via Dolorosa, stand at Calvary, and gaze into the empty tomb. And as you do, remember that Jesus suffered, died, and rose again . . . for you.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All material in this section comes from
The Christian Traveler's Guide to the Holy Land
by Charles H. Dyer and Gregory A. Hatterberg, Published by: Broadman & Holman Publishers; Nashville, TN 1998