The Passion Of The Christ As Told By The Gospel Of Matthew

Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split.

​Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, "Truly this man was God's Son!"

101 verses. 2813 words. That’s how long it takes Matthew to tell the story of Jesus’ betrayal, arrest, abandonment, trial, torture, and execution. Most of us would say this would take too long to read in one sitting at worship service, but that is exactly what we are going to do.

Holy Week is a time to sit through some difficult text, to reflect on what Jesus did for us. As brutal and painful is it to listen to the story in its entirety, it pales in comparison to what Jesus endured, and how far God was willing to go, out of great love for us.

As many of you might know first hand, whenever there is great love, there will be suffering. We’ve been learning through this Lenten pilgrimage, sometimes it’s in our suffering, we lean on God more, drawing ourselves closer to where the Holy Spirit is leading our hearts.

This morning, we will take the uneasy path, walking with the prescribed lectionary text. I did not prepare any words per se because this story is a sermon all on its own. I would like to invite you to put yourself in this story. Because this story is about us, and our frail human nature.

You can play a big role or just be a spectator as the story moves from a small room to a fragrant garden, to a private home and royal palace before we walk a dirt pathway to the cross. The very place our Lenten pilgrimage has been taking us.

​This is the passion gospel of Jesus Christ according to Matthew. May God bless your hearing and understanding.

​Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What will you give me if I betray him to you?" They paid him thirty pieces of silver.

And from that moment he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.

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Judas receiving thirty pieces of silver for betraying Jesus, by János Pentelei Molnár, 1909.

Judas Iscariot retiring from the Last Supper. Carl Heinrich Bloch, late 19th century.

On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?" He said, "Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, 'The Teacher says, My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.'"

So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal. When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve; and while they were eating, he said, "Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me."

And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, "Surely not I, Lord?" He answered, "The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born."

Judas, who betrayed him, said, "Surely not I, Rabbi?" He replied, "You have said so."

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The Last Supper, after Leonardo da Vinci by Rembrandt van Rijn 1634–35

While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is my body." 

Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom." When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Then Jesus said to them, "You will all become deserters because of me this night; for it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you to Galilee."

Peter said to him, "Though all become deserters because of you, I will never desert you." Jesus said to him, "Truly I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times."
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GETHSEMANE BY JORGE COCCO

Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated.

Then he said to them, "I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me." And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want."

Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, "So, could you not stay awake with me one hour? Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Again he went away for the second time and prayed, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done."  Again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.

So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words. Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand."

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While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people.

Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him." At once he came up to Jesus and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him.

Jesus said to him, "Friend, do what you are here to do." Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested him. Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.

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Kiss of Judas (1304–06), by Giotto, Scrovegni Chapel, Padua, Italy

Christ Before Caiaphas by Giotto Scrovegni, 1305

Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, in whose house the scribes and the elders had gathered. But Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest; and going inside, he sat with the guards in order to see how this would end.

Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they might put him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward and said, "This fellow said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.'"

The high priest stood up and said, "Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?" But Jesus was silent. Then the high priest said to him, "I put you under oath before the living God, tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God."

Jesus said to him, "You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven."

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Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant-girl came to him and said, "You also were with Jesus the Galilean." But he denied it before all of them, saying, "I do not know what you are talking about."

When he went out to the porch, another servant-girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth." Again he denied it with an oath, "I do not know the man."

The Denial of Saint Peter by Caravaggio

After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, "Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays you."

Then he began to curse, and he swore an oath, "I do not know the man!" At that moment the cock crowed. Peter remembered what Jesus had said: "Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly.
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When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus in order to bring about his death. They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate the governor.

Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus said, "You say so." But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he did not answer.

Then Pilate said to him, "Do you not hear how many accusations they make against you?" But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

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Pilate Washing His Hands, from Passio domini nostri Jesu Christi by Urs Graf, the Elder, c. 1503. Art Institute of Chicago

Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted. At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Jesus Barabbas. 

So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?" For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over.

While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, "Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about him."

Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. The governor again said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Barabbas." 

​Pilate said to them, "Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?" All of them said, "Let him be crucified!"

So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves."

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The Mocking of Christ by Matthias Grünewald, c. 1505

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him.

They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"
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They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him.

​Then they led him away to crucify him.

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As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry his cross.

And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it.

And when they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots; then they sat down there and kept watch over him.

Over his head they put the charge against him, which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews." Then two bandits were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.

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Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross. By Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo (1727 - 1804)

The Crucifixion with the Converted Centurion. Lucas Cranach the Elder, (1472 - 1553)

From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o'clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sa-bach-thani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

At once, one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last.

At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split.

​Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, "Truly this man was God's Son!"
 
May God bless your hearing and understanding.