For the past many Easters we have been hearing the same story of Christ dying on the cross for us again and again to the point where we are numb to it. For many of us, we think that we know who Jesus is, and that we have heard a lot about Him. But we often fail to obey His teachings and make mistakes. How does the Easter story remind us of how shall we respond to Jesus’s sacrificial love?
This week we will be looking at a disciple who was close to Jesus, Simon Peter. We will look at how Peter responded to the death of Jesus.
Worship @Home, we recommend the following steps….
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Join in the praise section of the English worship video @mykec.ca @10am
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Use the following content to explore Roman Centurion @ Golgotha.
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Click Here to read Matthew 27:45-55
Prologue -
Jesus was captured and brought before chief priests and the elders of the people. They delivered Him to Pilate, and when Pilate asked the crowd to choose between Barabbas, a notorious prisoner, and Jesus, the crowd chose Barabbas. Pilate saw that a riot was beginning, he delivered Jesus to be crucified.
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What have you discovered? Let’s pay attention to the Roman Centurion.
What did the Roman Centurion witness?
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There was darkness over all the land. (v.45)
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Jesus cried out. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (v.46)
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The curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. (v.51)
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Earth shook, and the rocks were split. (v.51)
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Tombs also were opened. (v.52)
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Bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. (v.52)
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They came out and went into the holy city. (v.53)
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Earthquake. (v.54)
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Keeping in mind that the Centurion might have witnessed a lot of crucifixions, but when those people died, these phenomena did not happen. When all these happened, it showed that when Jesus died a different death. These events might have helped the Centurion connect the things he has heard about Jesus.
How did the Centurion respond?
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He exclaimed, “Truly this was the Son of God!” (v.54)
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Centurion’s experiences
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We know little about this man, except that he probably was a hardened soldier that commanded a detachment of soldiers.
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It was probable that he was there since Jesus was captured.He would have been nearby when his men dressed Jesus in a robe, pressed a crown of thorns onto His head and walked Him to Golgotha. The Centurion would have given the order to proceed with the crucifixion.
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He would have seen many crucifixions, he would have seen criminals, thieves, and murderers, he would have seen their last moments before they died.
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Seeing a criminal die on the cross was a normal experience for the Centurion, but this time the entire event gave him a new perspective. Maybe the centurion noticed something different about Jesus, maybe he noticed the tender mercy in Jesus’ voice. Maybe it was how Jesus could still care for his mother even on the cross. But certainly the three hours of darkness that accompanied Jesus’ suffering made that day as an execution unlike any other.
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What have we learned?
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Each person’s experience with Jesus is different.
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The good news, mercy, and grace is for everyone, not just for the Jews, or the selected, but for everyone.
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When confronted with the truth, even those who did not believe would exclaim and confess that Jesus indeed is the Son of God.
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The scripture used the words "they were at awe.” (v.54)
After reading 4 different people’s stories and how they recognized Jesus’s deity through His death on the cross, what’s your response?
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Is Jesus your personal saviour? Or
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Is Jesus just a person in a famous old story?
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How can you respond?
It does not matter where you came from, you can come from a Christian family or from a non-christian family, the grace and mercy is all the same extent to you. When you are confronted with the truth, accept that and be filled with awe to confess that Jesus is the Son of God.
“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” Romans 10:10 (NIV)
When we confess, it means that we accept Jesus as our personal savior. Do you want to accept Jesus as your personal savior? I invite you to pray the following prayer:
“Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God.
That you died on the cross to rescue me from sin and death.
Please forgive me for my sins.
I accept you as my personal savior.
I ask that you take your place in my life as my savior and Lord.
Fill me with your love and help me to become a person like you.
Thank you, Jesus
In Jesus name,
Amen. “
If you have prayed and committed to follow Jesus, send us an email to Pastor Ava ava@koinoniachurch.ca or Pastor Canaan canaan@koinoniachurch.ca and we will reach out to you to help you to connect with our church community.
