Easter Bible Study Lessons — Matthew 27:45-56
The pivotal point of Easter is when Jesus actually dies on the cross.
This is Good Friday
It’s a time when darkness falls over the earth and He takes on the sins of man, including yours and mine.
We celebrate the season but this Bible study lesson shows what Christ had to endure.
Read with a solemn mind.
Good Friday – The Death of Jesus Christ
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?”
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.
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.
And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split.
The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.
Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
Many women were there looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee while ministering to Him.
Among them was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. – Matthew 27:45-56 NASB
The Darkest Day – Good Friday
When Jesus died on the cross a darkness fell over the earth. This has two meanings.
1. A Physical Darkness – The sky actually darkened at the time of His death leaving many in fear and wonder, some admitting this was the Son of God.
2. A Spiritual Darkness – The best way I can describe it is that the light of the earth went out for a few moments.
The light was Christ who offered the world a chance to accept Him yet, they rejected Him and finally killed His human form.
A Curtain is Torn
This message from Matthew has many parts to be interpreted but I’d like to focus on the torn curtain.
The Jewish temple had a room called the Most Holy Place ( Holy of Holy ).
Only the high priest was allowed inside and the event only occurred once per year. He would go in to atone the nation’s sins.
An Open Door to God
Looking back on this, the curtain represented the separation of the people from God. The intermediary was the high priest.
When Christ died and the curtain was split in two, the door was opened to allow people (us) direct access to God.
Because of the sacrifice Jesus made, we are now allowed to talk directly to God through Christ.
How Do We Get Accepted?
All we have to do is, admit that we are sinners and that we sometimes stumble in our goals to be better people, believe that He died and rose again on the third day to wipe away our sins and decide to accept Christ as our Lord and Savior.
You and I may have already taken these steps to become followers of Jesus but sometimes we need to be reminded of what this means to us.
And, if you haven’t considered it until now – or you would like to understand it better; take a moment to get more information here ..
Let’s take a moment to pray and ask God to help us renew our faith and belief in Him.
Love in Christ
– Bob
If you would like to know more about how to receive the love and life-changing experience of Jesus Christ, please take a moment to read John 3:16.