Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, John 19

It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left.

It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. Knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

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

Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”

Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished. Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”  With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

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

When 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!”

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. 

Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, and secretly a disciple of Jesus, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body.

Taking Jesus’ body, Joseph and Nicodemus wrapped it with the spices, in strips of linen in accordance with Jewish burial customs and then lay Jesus in the new tomb.  There, his body lay for three days.

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Matthew 28

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he is risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee.”

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

HE IS RISEN!!!!  Come on, together now.  Let's give Jesus some praise!  Ready?  HE IS RISEN!!!!  Jesus Christ physically resurrected from death to eternal life!

Yes, Jesus lived a sinless life and then chose to give up His life on the cross for you and I.  Just paid the price He did not owe in order to pay the debt for your sin and mine.  This is incredibly significant.

However, someone dying doesn't exactly motivate us to follow them or give us a whole lot of hope.  We're all going to do that someday and none of us are going to be sinless when we do it. 

Jesus physically resurrected from death to life.