Truth Encounter: Passion of the Messiah

What do we do when we lose one of our loved ones in death- we visit the grave and weep or we plow on with life and weep far away from the grave. There is one time in human history when loved ones arrived at the grave to cry and they ended up bursting with joy.

The Romans crucified thousands during the high point of their 400 year rule, but there is one cross that will never be forgotten. It is Easter –the time when even the calendar calls us to Calvary.

From a religious standpoint and a political standpoint, the religious and political leaders who tried Jesus might not have believed that He was important, but time and history have proven them wrong.

New Testament scholars have spilled pages of ink blaming Jesus death on Romans and exonerating the 1st Century Sanhedrin. Before we blame either side, let’s take another hard look at the evidence.

Jesus had a lot more than ten reasons not to go the cross when He prayed in Gethsemane, yet He poured out His emotions, His hesitation in the face of death, and finally His total submission to His Father’s will. Jesus came apart in Gethsemane so that He could be strong in the Trial of Golgotha – a lesson about what real life is and how to make it through temptation.

Who killed Jesus? Why did He die? Who is Jesus? Many of our personal and nationwide debates in the big scheme of things mean little. But these questions about a man who lived two thousand years ago stir deep passions and they should. Let’s look at Matthew’s passion narrative and ask him to answer our questions about who did it and why.