3 min
MATTHEW: Day 39 MATTHEW: The King in Jerusalem
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- Christianity
Right up to the end, people are testing Jesus in order that they might know if he really was who he said he was (although it’s likely that for many, their intention was far less sincere). There has already been all the evidence necessary, yet it seems clear that so many people only desire to come to God on their own terms rather than God’s. But right at the last, a strange darkness falls over the land.
We don’t know how it occurred, but Matthew wants us to have a clear sense that Jesus’ death is of cosmic consequence – with Jesus’ death there is both a physical and spiritual darkness as the true light is extinguished. As Jesus cries out from the cross (quoting Psalm 22), he is not despairingly questioning God. His cry reflects that as he carries the sin of the world, he is completely cut off from the Father. We cannot even begin to imagine what this would have been like for Jesus. This is what he would have been most dreading as he prayed in the garden. Jesus and the Father had been in perfect relationship forever.
Yet in this moment on the cross, as Jesus carries the guilt of the world upon his shoulders, that perfect relationship is broken, in order that the judgment for sin and punishment of death can be carried in him. It’s sobering to recognise that it was all our sin that put him in that position. Yet it is in that moment that a new way is opened up for relationship with God. That’s what the Temple curtain being torn in two is all about. This giant curtain separated the Most Holy Place where only the High Priest could enter once a year to make sacrifices to atone for the sins of the nation. Yet in Jesus’ death, that barrier is now torn open to allow anyone to come to God through Jesus. AL
Questions
What is the most significant aspect of Jesus’ death to you? What difference does it make to you that Jesus actually died? Take some time to think about how Jesus must have felt to be cut off from the Father. How valuable does that make our potential for relationship with God?
Prayer
Loving and merciful Lord, thank you that you loved us so much that you would die for us. Thank you that Jesus’ death is not the end, but that through it, life has been opened up to all who trust in him. Amen.
Right up to the end, people are testing Jesus in order that they might know if he really was who he said he was (although it’s likely that for many, their intention was far less sincere). There has already been all the evidence necessary, yet it seems clear that so many people only desire to come to God on their own terms rather than God’s. But right at the last, a strange darkness falls over the land.
We don’t know how it occurred, but Matthew wants us to have a clear sense that Jesus’ death is of cosmic consequence – with Jesus’ death there is both a physical and spiritual darkness as the true light is extinguished. As Jesus cries out from the cross (quoting Psalm 22), he is not despairingly questioning God. His cry reflects that as he carries the sin of the world, he is completely cut off from the Father. We cannot even begin to imagine what this would have been like for Jesus. This is what he would have been most dreading as he prayed in the garden. Jesus and the Father had been in perfect relationship forever.
Yet in this moment on the cross, as Jesus carries the guilt of the world upon his shoulders, that perfect relationship is broken, in order that the judgment for sin and punishment of death can be carried in him. It’s sobering to recognise that it was all our sin that put him in that position. Yet it is in that moment that a new way is opened up for relationship with God. That’s what the Temple curtain being torn in two is all about. This giant curtain separated the Most Holy Place where only the High Priest could enter once a year to make sacrifices to atone for the sins of the nation. Yet in Jesus’ death, that barrier is now torn open to allow anyone to come to God through Jesus. AL
Questions
What is the most significant aspect of Jesus’ death to you? What difference does it make to you that Jesus actually died? Take some time to think about how Jesus must have felt to be cut off from the Father. How valuable does that make our potential for relationship with God?
Prayer
Loving and merciful Lord, thank you that you loved us so much that you would die for us. Thank you that Jesus’ death is not the end, but that through it, life has been opened up to all who trust in him. Amen.
3 min