The Cross

IIT UBF - University Bible Fellowship at IIT

The Cross

Date: Nov. 23, 2021

Passage

Matthew 27:27-44 (ESV)

27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. 28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.

32 As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. 33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. 36 Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. 37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38 Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.

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Daily Bread

Key Verse: 27:32

As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross.

Christianity without the cross is a shallow consolation to those who are wounded and suffering from the sins of the world. The author puts a spotlight on the cruelty of man and Jesus who is on the receiving end. Jesus, fully inhabiting the frailty of his human body, was mocked, beaten and crucified. Jesus, who suffered so much, is carrying the weight of all those who suffer under an oppressive system, controlled by sin and Satan in its various forms.

While harsh and even painful to see, the depiction of suffering also holds power to awaken the senses of those who have for too long kept silent in the face of injustice. Today, when we see injustice captured in the news or on someone’s smartphone in social media, it has a power to lead a movement of change and accountability. In the same way, Jesus on the cross came to unearth our deepest fears, wounds and sins. Whether we choose to face it, run from it, or justify it is up to us. Like Simon of Cyrene, we should be the one to carry the cross of Jesus as well.

Prayer: Prayer: Lord, I am the oppressor and I am the one suffering. May I face this darkness with courage and conviction to repent and find hope, healing and salvation.

One Word: One Word: Carry the cross of Jesus.

A Plague of Hungry Locusts

Joel 1:1-20

Key Verse: 1:4

  What the cutting locust left,
    the swarming locust has eaten.
  What the swarming locust left,
    the hopping locust has eaten,
  and what the hopping locust left,
    the destroying locust has eaten.

Today's Question

What are we specifically taught in the first commandment by the words before me?

See answer and references