Today we read the most moving words in all of literature (I believe), the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.   He was a sinless, innocent savior that suffered and died for me, and you.  Take it in.  Read it with fresh eyes and a tender heart.  Never forget the price that was paid for your sins and mine.

 Jesus Stands Trial before Pilate / 23:1-5

Early that morning, Jesus’ accusers rushed him to Pilate. To the high priests and the teachers of religious law, Jesus was very dangerous. He simply had to be eliminated. Therefore, they did not shrink from presenting completely false charges against Jesus. Pilate saw through their blatant lies. He knew Jesus was innocent.

23:1 The Jewish council had already decided that Jesus should die, but they could not, under Roman law, carry out the death penalty. Jesus would have to be tried and convicted in a Roman court. Thus, they took Jesus over to Pilate, the Roman governor. Pilate was the governor of Judea, where Jerusalem was located. Pilate’s normal residence was in Caesarea on the Mediterranean Sea, but he happened to be in Jerusalem because of the Passover festival. With the large crowds who had flocked to the city for that celebration, Pilate and his soldiers came to help keep the peace. He stayed in his headquarters, called the Praetorium.

23:2 The Jewish leaders had arrested Jesus on theological grounds—blasphemy; but they had to come up with a political reason for executing Jesus. The charges against Jesus in the Roman court were rebellion and treason. The irony is that the first accusation—that Jesus was leading the people to ruin—was completely unfounded. The second accusation—that Jesus told the people not to pay their taxes—was an outright lie (see 20:20-26). The third charge, that he was claiming to be the Messiah, a king, was absolutely true.

23:3-4 Pilate focused on the accusation about Jesus claiming to be a king, for that could amount to treason and be grounds for a death sentence. So Pilate asked the prisoner, “Are you the King of the Jews?” This question is identical in all four Gospels, and in all four the word “you” is emphatic. Jesus answered the question, “Yes, it is as you say.” To have said otherwise would have been to lie. Jesus was a king, but his kingship was not a threat to Pilate or to Caesar. At some point, Pilate realized that the religious leaders simply wanted to get rid of this man, so he said “I find nothing wrong with this man!” Pilate’s reluctance to prosecute Jesus was undoubtedly due more to his contempt for the Jews than for any particular consideration of Jesus.

23:5 The Jews’ plan was unraveling. Pilate wasn’t playing into their hands as they had hoped, and they became desperate. So they came up with more trumped-up charges. They claimed that Jesus was causing riots everywhere. Because Pilate was mainly charged with keeping peace, he would be interested in dealing with a man who was causing riots. If this charge were true, Pilate would have heard about Jesus long before this.

 Jesus Stands Trial before Herod / 23:6-12

Herod was ecstatic that he would be able to see Jesus. He had heard so much about this mysterious, miracle-working man from Galilee. But Herod was severely disappointed. Jesus remained silent. He would not answer Herod’s questions, much less perform any miracles.

23:6-7 When the religious leaders mentioned that Jesus had been in Galilee, Pilate wanted to know if Jesus was a Galilean. Jesus had grown up in Nazareth and later had made Capernaum his base; he was indeed under Herod’s jurisdiction. This was the Herod who had killed John the Baptist. Herod, also called Herod Antipas, was himself in Jerusalem that weekend for the Passover celebration, mainly as a tactic to please his subjects. Pilate hoped to pass Jesus off on Herod.

23:8-9 Herod may have been delighted to finally see Jesus, but he had already closed his window of opportunity to hear the message. John had spoken to him; Herod had killed John. Herod’s motivation here was only to see Jesus perform a miracle. He apparently saw Jesus as no more than an amazing traveling sideshow. When Jesus was brought before him, Herod asked him questions, but Jesus refused to answer. Herod is the only person to whom Jesus said nothing at all. Herod had not listened to John; Jesus had nothing to add to what John had said. Cold and cruel, Herod had a hard heart. Jesus knew this and remained silent.

23:10 The religious leaders had hoped for a quick sentence from Pilate so they could return to their religious duties during this important Passover celebration. But they had already had to trek with Jesus from Pilate’s residence over to Herod’s palace, and now Herod was wasting more time. So they shouted their accusations, probably with more of the same kinds of lies (23:2, 5). They hoped their accusations would sway Herod, so they would get a verdict from him that would be as good as one from Pilate.

23:11-12 With this prisoner refusing to answer, and looking very little like a great miracle worker, Herod and his soldiers began mocking and ridiculing Jesus. Angry at Jesus’ refusal to even answer questions for him, Herod resorted to mocking Jesus. To make fun of Jesus’ claim to be a king, Herod put a royal robe on him. Herod did not even take the charge seriously. So he neither released the prisoner nor made a judgment about his guilt. He simply sent him back to Pilate. Herod and Pilate had a rather tenuous relationship. But because neither man knew what to do in this predicament, their common problem made them friends that day.

 Pilate Hands Jesus over to Be Crucified / 23:13-25

According to the Roman custom of releasing a criminal during the Passover season, Pilate presented Jesus to the people. Pilate did not want to bear the responsibility of putting an innocent man to death. But the crowd insisted on Barabbas’s freedom. That Jesus literally died in Barabbas’s place vividly illustrates the ultimate significance of Jesus’ death. He took the place of not only Barabbas but all who stand condemned before God’s perfect standard and trust in Christ for salvation.

23:13-14 Pilate thought he had gotten rid of his problem, only to have Jesus sent back. The decision still rested on his shoulders. So he attempted to let this innocent man go by telling Jesus’ accusers that he found him innocent.

•  LIFE APPLICATION – DO WHAT’S RIGHT
• When the stakes are high, it is difficult to stand up for what is right, and it is easy to see opponents as problems to be solved rather than as people to be respected. Had Pilate been a man of real courage, he would have released Jesus regardless of the consequences. But the crowd roared, and Pilate buckled. People are like Pilate when they know what is right but decide not to do it. When you have a difficult decision to make, don’t discount the effects of peer pressure. Realize beforehand that the right decision could have unpleasant consequences: social rejection, career derailment, public ridicule. Then think of Pilate and resolve to stand up for what is right no matter what other people pressure you to do.

23:15 Pilate could back up his decision with Herod’s conclusion about Jesus. Herod had mocked Jesus, but apparently had sent back word to Pilate that he could find nothing worthy of the death penalty. Jesus was tried a total of six times, by both Jewish and Roman authorities, but he was never convicted of a crime. Even when condemned to execution, he had been convicted of no felony.

23:16 The word flogged may not indicate the severe flogging that Jesus received after being sentenced, prior to the crucifixion (as noted in Matthew 27:26; Mark 15:15), although John 19:1 reports Jesus being flogged and then brought before the crowd. Pilate may have hoped that the flogging would appease the crowd, and they would pity the man and let him go. Pilate was planning to release Jesus, but first he would punish him—to pacify the Jews and teach the prisoner a lesson to stay out of trouble in the future.

 23:18-19 The suggestion that Pilate was going to release Jesus (23:16) sent the leaders into a frenzy. Pilate had wanted to release Jesus as the Passover gift (Mark 15:8-9). This had been a public announcement, so many people in the crowd cried out that Jesus must be put to death. The prisoner they wanted set free was a man named Barabbas, who may have been somewhat of a hero among the Jews for his acts of rebellion against Rome. He was a true rebel and revolutionary and had even committed murder. The religious leaders had tried to pin this accusation on Jesus in order to have him put to death, but they chose a man who had done such acts and wanted him set free. Clearly their actions had no logic. They merely wanted Jesus put to death and would go to any lengths to make sure it happened.

• LIFE APPLICATION – THE DEBT
• If you were heavily in debt—to the point where you could never pay it off on your own—and someone offered to pay your debt for you, what would you say? Or if you were sentenced to life in prison, and someone offered to serve your sentence for you, how would you respond? That is what Jesus has done for believers in his death on the cross. He has paid a debt that they could never repay; he has served a sentence that they deserved. Jesus was sentenced to death by crucifixion, a horrible form of death normally reserved for slaves and non-Roman citizens. In addition, the Old Testament taught (Deuteronomy 21:23) that anyone who died by hanging on a tree was cursed. His death atoned for our sins and fulfilled the requirements for breaking the covenant with God. How do you respond toward the one who has done all that for you? The only appropriate response is to live a life of gratitude and obedience before him.

23:20-21 Pilate really wanted to release Jesus. Matthew recorded that even Pilate’s wife had experienced a dream about Jesus and had urged Pilate to let Jesus go (Matthew 27:19). Pilate must have been in a tight spot, because for some reason he put himself in the position of bargaining with the crowd. He had the authority to let Jesus go and then get on with his day; instead, he argued with them, but to no avail. They wanted Jesus to be crucified.

23:22 Pilate tried for the third time. He could not fathom why the crowd so badly wanted this man’s death. Jesus had not committed any crime, so there was no reason to sentence him to death. There are two reasons why Luke stressed these three attempts Pilate had made to release Jesus. First, Luke wanted to show through his Gospel the innocence of Jesus before Roman law. Luke was giving evidence to prove the acceptability of Christianity to his Gentile readers. Second, he was establishing the Jewish mob’s guilt for Jesus’ death.

23:23-24 Pilate wanted to release Jesus, but the crowd shouted louder and louder, so Pilate sentenced Jesus to die. No doubt Pilate did not want to risk losing his position, which may already have been shaky, by allowing a riot to occur in his province. As a career politician, he knew the importance of compromise, and he saw Jesus more as a political threat than as a human being with rights and dignity.

23:25 Pilate released Barabbas and delivered Jesus over to them to do as they wished. Matthew’s Gospel explains that Pilate took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd to symbolize his innocence in condemning Jesus (Matthew 27:24), but this act was no more than self-deception. Jesus may have been surrendered to the will of the mob, but this was still a purely Roman execution. Pilate had to command it in order for it to happen.

 Jesus Is Led Away to Be Crucified / 23:26-31

Severely beaten and worn out from the previous night’s ordeal, Jesus could not carry his cross to the crest of Golgotha. So Simon was drafted to carry Jesus’ cross. The image of Simon shouldering the cross graphically pictures what every follower of Christ should be willing to do: to take up his or her own cross daily to serve Christ (see 14:27).

23:26 Jesus was led away from Pilate and out to the place where he would be executed. Condemned prisoners had to carry the crossbeam of their own cross on their shoulders through the streets of Jerusalem and to the execution site outside the city. Jesus started to carry his cross, but, weakened from the beatings he had received, he was physically unable to carry it all the way. A man named Simon from the country of Cyrene (in northern Africa, see Acts 2:10) was coming into the city. He may have been a Jew coming on a pilgrimage to the city for the Passover, or he may have been from Cyrene but resided in Palestine. Soldiers were free by law to coerce citizens at any time. So this stranger was forced to follow Jesus and carry his cross.

 23:27-28 Luke alone wrote of the Jewish women shedding tears for Jesus while he was being led through the streets to his execution. Not everyone wanted Jesus to die. Seeing him on his way to be executed caused many, especially women along the way, to mourn and wail for him. Jesus told them not to weep for him but for themselves and for their children. He knew that in only about forty years they would face great suffering and would then mourn, weep, and wail, for at that time Jerusalem and the Temple would be destroyed by the Romans. This was Jesus’ third lament for the city of Jerusalem (see also 13:34-35; 19:41-44).

23:29-31 The days are coming indicates a key time in God’s judgment about to unfold (21:23). While being childless was normally a curse, the coming days in Jerusalem would be so difficult that it would be considered a blessing not to have had children. Punishment would be so great that people would want the mountains and hills to fall on them and kill them. Death would be preferred to the judgment that they would face and its accompanying misery.

This proverb about the green wood and dry wood is difficult to interpret. Some think it means that if the innocent Jesus (green wood) suffered at the hands of the Romans, what would happen to the guilty Jews (dry wood)? The “green wood” is hard to burn, so if fire burns it up, what chance has dry wood? God would not spare the rebellious hard-hearted Jewish nation from judgment. Thus, Jesus expressed his grief over the nation for the last time.

 Jesus Is Placed on the Cross / 23:32-43

Even during the final hours of Jesus’ life, when he struggled in agony for his last gasp of air, people reacted to him in a variety of ways. Even the two men who were being crucified with Jesus had starkly different reactions to Jesus.

23:32-33 Jesus was not the only “criminal” executed that morning. Two others were also led out to be crucified. In his death, Jesus truly was numbered among transgressors (22:37; Isaiah 53:12). The place called The Skull may have been a regular place of execution. It was prominent, public, and outside the city along a main road. Executions held there served as examples to the people and as deterrents to criminals.

The words are direct, but the full meaning was horrific: all three were crucified there. Instituted by the Romans, crucifixion was a feared and shameful form of execution. It was designed to prolong the gruesome pain. There were several shapes of crosses and several different methods of crucifixion. Death would come by suffocation as the person would lose strength and the weight of the body would make breathing more and more difficult. Crucifixion was the harshest form of capital punishment in the ancient world.

23:34 Jesus spoke only a few times from the cross, and his prayer of forgiveness were the first words he said. Jesus asked his Father to forgive his killers. Jesus lived and died by the words he preached: “Love your enemies” (6:27-28). They don’t know what they are doing refers most likely to the Jews, not the Roman soldiers, although all who participated in Jesus’ death were included in his prayer for forgiveness. The Jews made a serious mistake, for they failed to realize God’s plan for their nation.

Roman soldiers customarily would divide up the clothing of executed criminals among themselves. When they gambled for Jesus’ clothes, they fulfilled the prophecy in Psalm 22:18. Jesus was crucified naked. John recorded that four soldiers divided the garments (John 19:23).

23:35 These men, hanging in extreme pain and humiliation on their crosses, provided hours of grisly entertainment for spectators. Luke pointed specifically at the leaders who had followed Jesus to the execution site, watched him be crucified, and now laughed and scoffed at him. Jesus had gone about the countryside healing people, but he could not save himself. They assumed that if he truly had God’s divine favor as he had claimed, then he would be able to get himself out of his present predicament. Jesus’ position there on the cross proved to them that he was not any kind of Messiah. Unfortunately, they missed the fact that this entire episode had been prophesied (Psalm 22:6-8) and was all proceeding exactly as God had planned.

• LIFE APPLICATION – FORGIVE THEM
• What is the most amazing thing you have ever seen or heard? Perhaps it was witnessing the birth of a child. Life is filled with astounding events, personal and public. But the twelve most amazing words ever spoken are found in Luke 23:34: “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” Jesus was suffering the most horrible, painful death ever devised by sinful man, and he looked at the people responsible for his suffering and prayed for their forgiveness. Amazing, astounding, unbelievable—choose your adjective. Then choose to live for this remarkable Savior and to extend his grace, mercy, and compassion to others.

23:36-37 The soldiers (presumably the Roman soldiers who had carried out the execution) had the duty that day of sitting and waiting until the men on the crosses died. They had already divided up the clothing, and then began mocking the man on the cross who had claimed to be a king. Only Luke wrote of this offer of sour wine as part of the soldiers’ mockery. They too called up to him to save himself, if he were indeed the King of the Jews.

23:38 This signboard stated the condemned person’s crime and was placed on the cross as a warning. According to John, Pilate wrote this sign in three languages: Aramaic, Latin, and Greek. The three languages meant that people of any nationality passing that way would be able to read the sign. Because Jesus was never found guilty, the only accusation placed on his sign was the “crime” of calling himself King of the Jews. Perhaps this was another way for Pilate to show contempt for the Jews—here was their king, stripped and executed in public view.

23:39 One of the criminals scoffed at Jesus, even though the three of them were facing the same horrible deaths. One of them seems to have picked up on the taunts of the religious leaders: if Jesus were indeed the Messiah, then he should save himself and them. Obviously these words were no more than barbed sarcasm. All three were beyond hope, beyond the point of being saved—physically.

• LIFE APPLICATION-PERSPECTIVE
• Have you ever listened to two people describe an event from completely different perspectives—a car accident, perhaps, or a political debate? Their descriptions sound so divergent that you may wonder if they are talking about the same thing. Luke recorded something like that in 23:39-41: two criminals, dying the same horrifying death, on opposite sides of the cross of Christ. The first man (apparently) died in his sins; the second received forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life. Perspective makes all the difference. Ask God to help you get or maintain proper perspective in your walk with him—that of a forgiven sinner made clean by the grace of God.

23:40-43 The other criminal, however, protested, pointing out that they deserved their sentence, but Jesus did not. There, on the cross, receiving punishment for what his deeds deserved, this criminal faced himself, feared God, and said: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” The dying criminal had more faith than all the rest of Jesus’ followers put together. By all appearances, the Kingdom was finished. How awe-inspiring is the faith of this man who alone saw beyond the present shame to the coming glory!

• LIFE APPLICATION- NEVER TOO LATE
• As this criminal was about to die, he turned to Christ for forgiveness, and Christ accepted him. This shows that deeds don’t save—faith in Christ does. It is never too late to turn to God.  Jesus had mercy on this criminal who decided to believe in him. People’s lives will be much more useful and fulfilling if they turn to God early, but even those who repent at the very last moment will be with God in paradise. Help others see that “today” is the time of opportunity. Bring them to Christ for his forgiveness.
• LIFE APPLICATION – SAVING FAITH
• Sometimes churches or individual believers give the impression that becoming a Christian is a complicated process. You must ascribe to a certain set of beliefs, join a particular church, and read a specific translation of the Bible. Contrast that with the simple cry of a dying thief: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” And with those words, the man received a response that has brought comfort and relief to countless men and women ever since: “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Such simplicity in those words, and yet such power! Christians should study, be faithful church members, and read God’s Word—and never forget how simple salvation really is.

Jesus Dies on the Cross / 23:44-49

It seemed to most onlookers that day that a poor, deluded man had been executed without good reason. But on that Friday, a huge spiritual battle was being waged unseen. Satan rejoiced that Jesus was going to die. The angels in heaven looked on in sorrow, held back from intervening by the hand of God. God himself looked away from his Son as the sins of the world descended upon him. But Jesus was actually gaining a huge victory. His death and resurrection would strike the deathblow to Satan’s rule and would establish Christ’s eternal authority over the earth. Few people reading the sign that bleak afternoon understood its real meaning, but the sign was absolutely true. All was not lost. Jesus is King of the Jews—and the Gentiles, and the whole universe.

23:44 Jesus had been placed on the cross at nine o’clock in the morning. Three hours had passed, hours of excruciating pain and physical agony. Then, it was noon, and at the height of the day, an eerie darkness fell across the whole land for three hours. How this darkness occurred is unknown, but it is clear that God caused it to happen. All nature seemed to mourn over the stark tragedy of the death of God’s Son. The darkness was both physical and spiritual—for while nature mourned, this was also the time when darkness reigned (22:53).

23:45 Obviously the darkness that covered the land meant that somehow the light from the sun was gone. Luke did not explain it, but clearly God controlled these events. Most significant and symbolic was an event that occurred in the city of Jerusalem, in the Temple, right in the inner area called the Holy Place.

The Temple had three parts: the courts for all the people; the Holy Place, where only priests could enter; and the Most Holy Place, where the high priest alone could enter once a year to atone for the sins of the people (Leviticus 16:1-34). In the Most Holy Place, the ark of the covenant and God’s presence rested. As Jesus suffered on the cross and as darkness covered the land, the thick veil hanging in the Temple was torn apart. The veil (curtain) that was torn was the one that closed off the Most Holy Place from view. Symbolically, that curtain separated holy God from sinful people. The writer of Hebrews saw this tearing of the curtain as God’s way of removing the barrier between himself and humanity. Now sinful people could approach the holy God directly through Christ (Hebrews 9:1-14; 10:19-22). From then on, God would not reside behind a curtain in the Temple, he would take up residence in his people.

23:46 In committing his spirit to the Father, Jesus died, fulfilling the words of Psalm 31:5. Jesus did not faint; he did not become unconscious only to be revived later—he breathed his last. Jesus died as a human being—voluntarily, sacrificially, in the place of sinners.

23:47 Matthew, Mark, and Luke all point to the head Roman soldier, the captain, who had apparently been in charge of carrying out this execution. Upon seeing what had happened, he realized that Jesus had been no ordinary person. Presumably this soldier had carried out other such executions, but never had he experienced what he did at this one. This Gentile soldier understood something that most of the Jewish nation had missed: Surely this man was innocent. The captain understood that Jesus had not deserved what he received, yet Jesus had borne it all with dignity, courage, and even words of forgiveness.

23:48 Miracles had occurred out there on the hill—darkness, an earthquake, dead people walking, and the torn veil in the Temple that no one had probably heard about yet. Perhaps the crowd expected, through all that, to see Jesus come down off the cross and be their Messiah. But he didn’t. He died. The onlookers in the crowd, who had come to see the spectacle of this execution went home in deep sorrow.

23:49 The women who had followed Jesus from Galilee are named in 8:2-3. John wrote that besides himself, Jesus’ mother was also there, as well as others (John 19:25-26). Perhaps Jesus’ mother, watching at a distance, finally understood Simeon’s words from years before (2:35). Among Jesus’ disciples, only John was at the cross.

Jesus Is Laid in the Tomb / 23:50-56

Sometimes the worst circumstances bring out the best in people. In this case, two secret disciples—Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus (according to John 19:38-39)—openly expressed their allegiance to Jesus. Joseph was a member of the council, and Nicodemus was a Pharisee.

23:50-51 The scene shifts away from the cross to a man, a member of the Jewish high council who had not agreed with the decision and actions of the other religious leaders. Apparently the death sentence for Jesus had not been a unanimous vote. Joseph had been against it, as had another member of the council named Nicodemus (John 3:1; 19:38-42). Both of these men came to bury Jesus’ body. Their commitment to Jesus forced them out of hiding.

Joseph was from the town of Arimathea, about twenty-two miles northwest of Jerusalem. Joseph was a secret disciple of Jesus (John 19:38) who was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come (suggesting that he was a Pharisee, not a Sadducee). The disciples who had publicly followed Jesus had fled, but Joseph boldly took a stand that could cost him dearly. He cared enough about Jesus to ask for his body so he could give it a proper burial.

23:52 Joseph had to go to Pilate to ask if he could have Jesus’ body in order to give it a proper burial. Apparently Pilate alone could give this permission, and this may not have been an easy thing to do—going back to Pilate who was already furious at the Jewish leaders. Mark recorded that Pilate was surprised that Jesus was already dead and asked the Roman captain for verification (Mark 15:44-45).

• LIFE APPLICATION – NONCONFORMITY
• In every organization, every institution, every society, there is an “inner circle,” a privileged few who seem to have disproportionate power and influence over others in that field. Most long to be in that “inner circle” and to have the power and enjoy the prestige that come with it. Unfortunately, some will do almost anything to become a part of it and, once in, almost anything to stay in it. Contrast this with Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Jewish Council and a secret believer in Jesus. He was a member of the “inner circle,” yet he risked giving it all up when he asked to be given Jesus’ body for burial. This must have put Joseph at odds with the other Council members and possibly even caused them to ostracize him. He was willing to risk it all for Jesus. How much are you willing to risk for the one who gave his life for you?

23:53 Joseph had to hurry; Sabbath was fast approaching. Fortunately he had help. John wrote that Nicodemus, another member of the council, brought spices for the burial. Probably along with the help of several servants, Jesus’ body was carefully taken down from the cross, washed, wrapped in layers of linen cloth with the spices in between, and laid in a tomb. Jesus was given a burial fit for a king.

The tomb was likely a man-made cave cut out of one of the many limestone hills in the area around Jerusalem. Such a tomb was large enough to walk into. Some caves were large enough to hold several bodies, but this tomb had never been used—in fact, it was owned by Joseph himself (Matthew 27:60). Such tombs were for wealthy people. So Jesus had a proper burial. After Jesus’ burial, a large stone was rolled across the entrance to the tomb (John 20:1).

23:54 Friday of every week was the day of preparation for the Sabbath—all necessary work had to be completed before Sabbath began at sundown on Friday. Sabbath ended at sundown on Saturday. Jesus died just a few hours before sundown on Friday. Joseph had to hurry in order to complete this burial before the Sabbath began.

23:55-56 The women from Galilee who had been at the cross followed Joseph to the tomb. This way, they would know exactly where to find Jesus’ body when they would return after the Sabbath with their spices and ointments. Anointing a body was a sign of love, devotion, and respect. Bringing spices to the tomb would be like bringing flowers to a grave today. Since bodies were not embalmed in Israel, perfumes were normally used. The women undoubtedly knew that Joseph and Nicodemus had already wrapped the body in linen and spices. They were probably going to do a simple external application of the fragrant spices. After seeing where the body was laid, they went home and rested as the law required, planning to return at first light on Sunday morning.

• LIFE APPLICATION – DO WHAT YOU CAN
• These women could not do “great” things for Jesus—they were not permitted to stand up before the Jewish Council or the Roman governor and testify on his behalf—but they did what they could. They stayed at the cross when most of the disciples had fled, and they got ready to anoint their Lord’s body. Because of their devotion, they were the first to know about the Resurrection. Believers may feel that they can’t do much for Jesus. But they must take advantage of the opportunities given to them by doing what they can do and not worrying about what they cannot do.

Wow, that was moving.  Thank God death is not the end for Jesus Christ.  The best is yet to come. Sunday is on the way!  Darrell

Sources: Life Application Bible Commentary, Life Application Concise New Testament Commentary

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