Rooted in God's Word Together
Today, the final day in our Easter series, is one of celebration, for Jesus Christ conquered death and rose from the grave after giving His life as a ransom for many. We left Good Friday with faces stained by tears, for we could feel just a touch of the physical and emotional pain Jesus endured that night more than 2,000 years ago. Today's hymn, sung by Jamie Harms, Joanna Sheppard, and Brianna Hines in 2021 declares that death had no hold on our Jesus.
On this day wedged between the greatest sorrow — the death of Jesus Christ — and greatest joy — His resurrection, we pause to pray, remembering this day nearly two millennia ago. We praise Him for being our Rescuer on Friday, our Comforter on Saturday, and our Risen Lord on Sunday. He frees us from the grip of sin and death, meets us in our distress and grief, and gives us an eternal hope. Listen now to a 2021 recording by Brianna Hines of "Sweet Hour of Prayer" that reminds us of the gift of talking to our Lord in prayer.
As Jesus gasped His final breath upon the cross, a rich man named Joseph of Arimathea made a risky decision. He, a Jew and member of the council of religious leaders who had called for Jesus’ death, would request a word with Pilate, the Roman governor. Joseph would dare to give voice to a request that would forever link him to this religious fanatic and would upend his standing as a respected member of the religious establishment.
It was a dark day for the four Roman centurions assigned to the crucifixion the morning following the Jewish Passover. They and their legionnaires led three men — Jesus of Nazareth and two robbers — to a hill outside Jerusalem, the one known as Golgotha, or Place of a Skull.
As Simon of Cyrene neared the gates of Jerusalem on the morning following the Passover feast, his route into the city was suddenly blocked by an angry crowd. Like a sheep dog corralling its sheep, the crowd pressed hard behind Roman soldiers who led a bloody and bruised man out of the city. The sickening scent of sweat and blood hung in the air, and the prisoner gasped for breath as he stumbled under the weight of a rough wooden beam.