April 5th, 2026 - Easter - The Cross

The account follows Jesus’ final week from triumphal entry through death and resurrection, tracing the events and their theological meaning. A crowd acclaimed the coming Messiah on Palm Sunday, then quickly turned against him as religious leaders grew anxious. Jesus cleansed the temple, taught publicly, and prepared a Passover meal that he transformed into a church meal: bread as his body and wine as his blood, inaugurating the new covenant that rests not on human effort but on his righteousness. At that supper he washed feet, modeled servant love, and identified the one who would betray him.

Betrayal in the garden led to arrest, a night of illegal trials, and public humiliation. Peter’s bold promises collapsed into three denials. Jewish leaders pressed charges of blasphemy; Roman authorities reframed those charges as political sedition. Pilate found no fault but bowed to pressure, releasing a rebel named Barabbas and handing Jesus over after a brutal scourging. Soldiers mocked him with a crown of thorns and a purple cloak, then forced him to carry the crossbar to Golgotha.

On the cross Jesus endured physical agony and spiritual depth. He prayed for his enemies, promised paradise to a repentant thief, entrusted his mother to a disciple, and cried out Psalm 22’s opening words — not to signal abandonment but to recite scripture that foretold these sufferings and their purpose. Darkness fell, the temple curtain tore, graves opened, and a centurion confessed Jesus as the Son of God. Death came with seismic signs; a soldier pierced his side, and the body received an honorable burial.

Guards sealed the tomb, but three days later the women found the stone rolled away and the body gone. Angels announced the fulfillment of his promise: he rose. Encounters with the risen Christ — first to Mary Magdalene, then to the disciples including Thomas — confirmed bodily resurrection and commissioned a living witness. The cross and empty tomb together declare both judgment and mercy: judgment on sin and God’s decisive rescue through substitution and vindication.

The narrative ends with a call to decision. The events demand a response that goes beyond ritual or season. The resurrection offers an account of rescue available to those who trust in the finished work and receive the new covenant by faith.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. based spirituality and insists on faith’s decisive character: a single cry recognized by Christ suffices for reception. This challenges assumptions about prerequisites and invites urgent, simple trust. [25:41]
  Resurrection rewrites fear into mission
  The empty tomb transforms despair into conviction and sends witnesses into the world with authority and courage. Appearances to Mary and the disciples convert mourning into proclamation and give a tangible ground for hope beyond death. Resurrection makes the new covenant active: forgiveness moves from proclamation to power that reorients life toward mission. [25:41]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:34] - Approach to the Gospels
• [01:17] - Palm Sunday: Triumphal Entry
• [01:47] - The Crowd Turns Against Jesus
• [02:50] - Preparing Passover and Cleansing
• [04:07] - Foot Washing and the Last Supper
• [07:57] - Gethsemane: Prayer and Arrest
• [09:17] - Betrayal and Arrest
• [11:09] - Trials Before Annas and Caiaphas
• [13:25] - Peter’s Denial and the Rooster
• [18:27] - Pilate, Barabbas, and the Crowd
• [21:15] - Scourging, Mockery, and the Cross
• [27:49] - Darkness and the Cry of Forsakenness
• [29:43] - Veil Torn, Earthquake, and Signs
• [31:44] - Burial by Joseph of Arimathea
• [33:56] - Empty Tomb Discovered
• [35:10] - Mary Meets the Risen Lord
• [36:14] - Why He Suffered: For Us
• [43:49] - Invitation: Respond to the Cross
• [44:20] - Closing Prayer

Bible reading: Psalm 22:1-18 (ESV)
My God, my God, why have you forsorted me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts. On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother’s womb you have been my God. Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help. Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me; they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet— I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.

Observation questions

1. What specific details in Psalm 22 are described as happening to Jesus during his crucifixion? [37:44]
2. What was the traditional explanation for Jesus’ cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” and what is the alternative explanation offered? [37:03]
3. What did the Roman centurion say and do after witnessing the events surrounding Jesus’ death? [30:43]
4. What did Jesus promise the repentant thief on the cross next to him? [25:41]

Interpretation questions

1. Why is it significant that Jesus was quoting a specific Psalm from the cross rather than expressing a feeling of personal abandonment?
2. The religious leaders changed their charges against Jesus from blasphemy to political sedition when they went to Pilate. What does this reveal about their motives and the nature of the threat Jesus posed?
3. The sermon states that Jesus’ death was not a surprise but a plan that fulfilled specific prophecies. How does this perspective change the way we view suffering and evil in the world?
4. The thief on the cross was saved by a simple, desperate cry of faith. What does this tell us about the nature of salvation and the role of human effort?

Application questions

1. The new covenant rests on Jesus’ righteousness, not our own effort. In what areas of your life are you still trying to be “good enough” for God instead of resting in his finished work?
2. Jesus washed the feet of the one who would betray him. [04:37] Who is someone in your life that is difficult to love or serve, and what would it look like to show them Christ’s servant love this week?
3. The centurion’s confession came after witnessing Jesus’ death. [30:43] What events or moments in your life have most powerfully revealed the truth of who Jesus is to you?
4. The crowd that celebrated Jesus on Palm Sunday quickly turned against him. [01:47] How can we guard our own hearts against a faith that is based on what Jesus can do for us rather than on who he is?
5. The sermon ended with a call to move beyond ritual to a personal response. [43:49] If you were to stand before God today, what would be your answer to his question about the free gift of salvation?
6. The resurrection transformed the disciples’ fear into a mission. [33:56] What is one fear that currently holds you back from sharing your faith, and how does the reality of the resurrection empower you to overcome it?
7. Jesus’ prayer from the cross was, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” [24:26] Is there someone who has wronged you that you need to extend forgiveness to, recognizing that they may not have understood the full impact of their actions?