“And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split” (Matthew 27:51).

That which covered the Holy of holies was thrown open.  The unapproachable God (or so it was perceived) is now approachable.  God is with us.  God is for those who repent and turn in grace to Christ.  The power which created all things reminds us that it is He who holds all power and authority.  The signs are given.  The faithful see them and tremble, the unfaithful shrug them off with some sort of excuse.

Lord, the unbelieving in this world do not see the things that You make so clear.  They do not want to believe and so they reject every effort to see what is plain to see.  Help us, Lord, so that the faithful see the signs that You give.  There is no longer a veil that hinders our ability to draw near to You.  Lead us so that we draw near to You, who is the truth, and the way to the eternal life made possible through the cross.

Lord Jesus, the curious want to know where You went.  Help me to have fewer and fewer questions and more and more trust in You, my Lord and Savior.  You died the death I deserve for me to live the life for which I was created.  You have opened the way to learn right living.  Guide me, Jesus, for I need help every step of the way, including that final step in this age when I shall die.  Thank You, Jesus, for the salvation You offer.  Amen.

“But the rest of them said, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him.”  And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit” (Matthew 27:49-50).

Who is in control?  The illusion of this age is that we can have power and control.  It is an illusion, which is why the wicked are such control freaks.  They do not really have power, so they intimidate to make others think they do.  That is the way of the wicked one.  Our Lord has all authority and power.  Life was not taken from Him; He willingly gave it up.  “And He yielded up His spirit.”

Savior of the world, all authority and power are Yours.  You have come to rescue the lost and forsaken.  You have come not to control, but to take us out of the chaos of this age into the order of the eternal goodness of the Father.  The sinful ways of this world become clearer as the faith You give grows deeper.  Your peace surpasses this world’s because it reminds us that You have always been in control amidst all this rebellion.

Guide me always, Lord Jesus, into the calmness of Your intentionality.  Even in the worst of circumstances – Your dying on the cross – You displayed Your eternal power by giving it up for us.  You gave up Your Spirit.  Lord Jesus, only You have that ability.  All ability I have comes through You.  Abide in me, Jesus, so that I may live the life the Father intends.  Teach me how to become like You in all things You give me to do.  Amen.

“And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, “This man is calling for Elijah.”  Immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink” (Matthew 27:47-48).

There were those around Jesus who thought He was delusional.  They treated Him with contempt.  If Jesus is not God in the flesh, then it would be delusional, but Him being God, we are left with an entirely different pondering over the mystery of why God would suffer these indignities.  The One through whom all things have their being suffered beyond our ability to bear for the cause of offering us the ability to join in His eternal love.

Lord, Your willingness to suffer not only pain in Your body, but the anguish of taunting and rejection is beyond my ability to comprehend.  It continues with each person who rejects You and lives to themself.  Teach me appreciation for all You accomplished.  You are the One who has taken away the sin of the world.  Now and always, help me to see what You have done and grow in gratitude.  Thanks be to God!

Lord Jesus, taunted by the world, guide me to accept the suffering You allow in my life so that I may mature in faith through every experience You give to become more like You.  I do not like it, but I cannot imagine You did either.  Help me to learn how to live in the Father’s will and abide in You as You abide in me.  Lead me now and always, my gracious Savior, in the way of everlasting life.  Amen.

“Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour.  About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:45-46)

We live in an age that is oppressed with wickedness.  The Lord has allowed all this so that we, who deserve condemnation, might have the opportunity to repent and be united in love with Him.  We live in an age that seems forsaken; except for Christ, it is.  Our hope is in the One who declares both the forsaken nature of this age and offers the only hope which is ours through faith.  Sin separates us from God.  Jesus, who became our sin experienced that absolute separation that sin brings.

Lord, I hear Your cry.  You knew You were loved, but the separation that sin brings, You took upon Your body.  Our sin is a grief that cries out through eternity.  I hear the anguish of an unanswerable “why?” crying out.  Why have we forsaken You, the One through whom all things have their being.  The pain of this world is great, but greater still is the love of the Father which grants us access through the Son.

Lord Jesus, some mock You and say that because You are God it was easy for You.  Only because You are God could You do this, for the anguish caused by sin is more than we are able to bear.  It kills us.  Only You could die for our sins and be resurrected for our sake.  My Lord and my God, unite me with You that I may die to sin and never be separated from You.  Unite me with You that I may be resurrected to new and everlasting life.  Amen.

“He trusts in God; let God rescue Him now, if He delights in Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”  The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words” (Matthew 27:43-44).

If God loves you, He will . . . .  Stop that kind of thinking.  God loves you!  This is what Scripture says.  Therefore, there can be no other conditions.  Sin is in the world, and you have the promise that our Lord will work things out for your good because He loves you and you love Him.  Beyond that, there is sin in the world and sin is destructive.  The hope is not in our situation, but in the truth that nothing created will ever be able to separate you from God’s love.

Heavenly Father, You wonderfully created all that You have made.  You delight in the good creation You have made.  You gave Your only begotten Son, begotten, not made, for the sake of those who would join in the love which You and the Son have.  Love trusts the One loved.  The Son loves You and You love the Son.  What happens in this age does not change that.  Lead me into Your love knowing that nothing can separate me from You.

Lord Jesus, You so loved all of us so much that You willingly paid the price for us to be redeemed.  Help me so that I am not bound by the circumstances of this world but live into the love and life which You offer through the salvation You have purchased from the cross.  Guide me, dear Lord, in this life and help me ignore the taunting and jeers of unbelievers in this age.  Lead me always in Your eternal love.  Amen.

“In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him” (Matthew 27:41-42).

Jesus, if you do this or that, I say that I will believe in You.  We place ourselves in the position of thinking that we are in control.  But we are the created and He is the Creator.  Jesus gave up His life on the cross.  He gave it up.  Angel armies could have stopped it, but this was the Father’s will.  Mocking the Lord only brings further condemnation upon the ones created. You can either mock Him, or fall at His feet and worship Him.

Lord, this sounds so simple, but it is not easy.  Love is not easy.  You so loved us that You were willing to die, even on a cross, to take away our sin.  Help me see with humility and simplicity that the battle of my soul is one that battles for control.  I am not in control.  You are.  Lead me in the way of everlasting life which bows to You knowing that You are God, the Creator of all things.

Lord Jesus, You have such great love for everyone that You were willing to suffer the pain, indignity and humiliation  for the sake of as many as would believe in You.  Guide me in the way I need to go so that I humbly submit to You, my Savior and Maker.  Make of me what You know I need to be so that I may continue the path of becoming more like You.  Guide me, Jesus, in the way of true and everlasting life.  Amen.

“At that time two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left.  And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross” (Matthew 27:38-40).

Criminals were crucified with Jesus.  This is as Scripture foretold.  They were receiving punishment for what they had done.  Jesus was innocent.  Are we not like those abusers?  There are those who mock and tell God, “If you are God, fix this.”  Elsewhere in Scripture it says that one of them crucified with Him repented and asked Jesus to remember him.  We are presented with two possibilities.  Either this is God who took away the sin of the world, or else there is no God and we are left to our circumstances.

Lord God, all things are in Your hands, and the story of the cross has been told throughout all the generations since it happened.  The world promotes wickedness, yet, amid the wickedness, You provide hope and salvation.  The world mocks You, but You endured all the mockery for the sake of those who hear Your voice of love, humbly come to the cross and join You in dying to self, sin, and the devil.

Lord, there is so much that happens in this world which I do not understand.  Guide me so that I may humbly come to You and join You where You are.  You must be the One who leads me, for I do not know how to walk the path before me in this life.  Through Your death on the cross, You have overcome all that stands in the way of everyone who believes in You.  Help me to believe in the truth You have revealed.  Amen.

“And above His head they put up the charge against Him which read, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS” (Matthew 27:37).

Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.  He is the One who has all power and authority.  The world may mock Him, but even in mockery, the truth is spoken.  The scepter of the throne of David did pass to Jesus.  He is the true and right King and the One who gives hope to all who believe.  It is not just a charge, but a reality declared.  There are those who do not want Him to be the  king, but He is.

Lord, this world continues to mock You and tells me that I am crazy and weak for believing that You are the true King.  Though they mock, help me always see what is true.  Guide me in Your mercy and grace to live the life You have given me, knowing that only by Your grace do I have access to Your throne.  Where these words trouble me, help me to come to You in every time of affliction.

Lord Jesus, You willingly went to the cross for the sake of Your sheep.  Your sheep know Your voice and they follow You.  Lead me by Your Spirit so that I may hear more clearly Your voice as You speak.  Guide me to know that in You, the author and finisher of my faith, I have hope upon hope and can live the life which You intend that I live.  Abide with me always Jesus, especially when things seem bleak and, in this world, hopeless.  Amen.

“And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among themselves by casting lots.  And sitting down, they began to keep watch over Him there” (Matthew 27:35).

The Lord told us in Scripture that this would happen.  The Lord, who knows all things, tells us these things ahead of time so that we may trust that His word is true.  In a world filled with deceit, trust that the Lord will accomplish all that He promised.  Like those soldiers, we watch unaware of who is present.  But we are always before the Lord.  Are we looking the other way while He dies on the cross?

Everything was created by our Lord, yet we appropriate what is His as if it were our own.  We are stewards and He is the owner.  The world put Him on the cross to be rid of Him, but those who hear His word know that by this very cross, we are forever reconciled by and to Him.  The question that divides is the one that asks, “Will you live for yourself, or for the One who made you?”  Will you look to the cross or away from it?

Lord Jesus, I do not want to think about the horror of what has been done to you.  I know that I have had my part, for You needed to go to the cross for me.  Guide me on the way I need to go so that I see things as they are.  Lead me now and always to humbly come into Your presence and live the way You know I need to live.  Through this death on the cross comes the hope and promise You give.  Keep me in the hope You give.  Amen.

“And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull, they gave Him wine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink” (Matthew 27:33).

One more indignation as the executioners lifted the cleaning mixture to His lips: this world cannot cleanse us of wickedness.  Only The One who has taken our sin from us can cleanse us.  Jesus has gone to the cross and He alone takes our sin.  He alone is able to make us clean.  He alone will prepare us to be with Trinity forever.  He alone is our hope.  Come to the Lord, and walk in the salvation which is in and through Him.

Lord, to this world, all that You have done is beyond comprehension.  Without the revelation of Your Holy Spirit, it is a mystery which cannot be comprehended.  You have shown us the light shining in the darkness. Guide all who come by faith to walk always closer to the light, to the source, to You.  Such pain in this world is overcome by Your suffering and pain.  Bring us into the light and restore the peace and  joy You intend for all the faithful to have.

Lord Jesus, I cannot fathom the price You paid.  I read the words and see the picture of You hanging on the cross.  I see the world and the suffering and destruction that wickedness brings upon humanity.  Help me to see through the obvious and see the beauty of the restoration You bring by grace through faith.  Let that beauty take hold of me so that Your light may shine in and through me.  Amen.