For Our Good

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

FOR OUR GOOD

Matt 27:32-40

32 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. 33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). 34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.   36 And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. 37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 38 Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!"

NIV

Although Matthew did not give us many details about the suffering under the hands of the Roman soldiers, and the actual crucifixion itself, he does go into more detail about the time Jesus was on the cross. This scene at a place called Golgotha was a spectacle. There was a large variety of people. The Roman soldiers were casting lots for his robe. Then there were the Jews, the chief priests having their glorious moment of victory, along with the teachers of the law, the Pharisees, and the elders, all having a certain smugness about them. There were also these two robbers on crosses on each side of Jesus and perhaps some of their family members, friends, or perhaps their victims spitting on them and hurling insults at them, as the Jews were doing to Jesus. Then there would have been Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Mary of Magdala along with at least one disciple, John. It would have been more like a three-ring circus, and there was Jesus, the Lamb of God, doing that which he came to do, redeeming His creation, the very people who wanted him dead. Matthew does leave out some of the details other accounts record. The one robber asking Jesus to remember him, and Jesus telling him that today he would be in paradise with him. This is most interesting that Luke records these words of Jesus. Although the traditional thinking that when the body of Jesus was in the tomb he went to preach to the lost souls in hades, Luke records that Jesus made sure the robber who recognized Jesus for who he was, that the man would be in paradise with Jesus this very day. If that is true, and the words of Jesus as true, which they always are, then when Jesus gave up his spirit, he went on to be in paradise until the time for him to return to his body, for it to be resurrected, or for him to take it up again in a glorified state. Jesus was no victim, nor was he forced to do anything, for He is also God, and all His actions are for the benefit of His creation. People today are still hurling insults at Jesus, refuting that He is God and that He did all this for us. But we who love the Lord have the assurance that the very day we take our last breath, we will be in paradise with Him. He has assured us that He has gone ahead to prepare a place for us and as surely has He has done that, He will return to take us where he is also. Once again, with Jesus on the cross, having those insults hurled at him, defying him, denying him, we still call this day in remembrance of all that happen there are the place called Golgotha, “Good Friday”, for He did for our good.