Today's main idea: Jesus remains on the cross and gives his life for sinners. His suffering reveals the cost of our forgiveness, and his death begins to reveal his victory over sin and death.
Read Slowly
Main reading: Matthew 27:32–63
Follow Jesus from the road to Golgotha to the tomb. Notice what people say about him, what happens when he dies, and who remains nearby.
In Day 27, Jesus remained faithful while Peter denied him and Pilate condemned him. Now the faithful King bears the sentence. The mercy we have heard him promise becomes visible in what he endures.
Jesus Stays on the Cross to Save Others
The soldiers compel Simon of Cyrene to carry Jesus' cross. At Golgotha, they crucify Jesus, divide his clothing by casting lots, and sit down to watch him. The charge over his head identifies him as the King of the Jews. Two robbers are crucified beside him.
People passing by insult Jesus. The religious leaders join them, and so do the robbers. They challenge him to come down from the cross and prove that he is God's Son. They treat escape from suffering as the test of whether he can save.
Their words expose how little they understand his mission. Stanley Saunders observes that Jesus' saving work requires him to confront death for others. The very act his enemies regard as failure belongs to the rescue he came to accomplish.1
Jesus has already explained this death. At the supper, he said his blood would be poured out for the forgiveness of sins, in Matthew 26:28. He remains on the cross as the Savior who gives himself for people who need forgiveness.
This changes how we come to him. We bring the sins we would rather excuse or hide, trusting the mercy that cost him his life. His love also teaches us that faithfulness can be costly. Immediate relief is not the only measure of whether we are walking with God.
Remember: I can bring my sin honestly to Jesus because he willingly bore the cost of my forgiveness.
Jesus Brings His Anguish to God
Darkness covers the land from noon until three in the afternoon. Jesus cries out to God with the opening words of Psalm 22:1–2. He asks why God has forsaken him. Some nearby mistake his words for a call to Elijah. One offers sour wine, and others wait to see whether Elijah will rescue him. Jesus cries out again and dies.
The psalm gives us language for the depth of this suffering. Its earlier picture of people mocking a sufferer's trust in God, in Psalm 22:6–8, also matches the insults around the cross. The words we read at the beginning of this journey now sound from Jesus' own lips and from the people who reject him.
Jesus' anguish is real. He bears the suffering through which he saves us. Isaiah 53:4–6 helps us understand the cost: God's servant bears the wrongdoing of people who have gone their own way. Our forgiveness reaches us through his suffering.
Notice also that Jesus addresses God in the middle of his anguish. This gives us courage to pray honestly when pain is difficult to understand. We can bring grief, fear, and unanswered questions to the Savior who has entered human suffering so deeply.
Remember: I can speak honestly to God in my pain because Jesus knows the depth of suffering.
Jesus' Death Opens the Way to God
When Jesus dies, the temple curtain tears from top to bottom. The earth shakes, rocks split, and tombs open. Matthew also tells of saints, people belonging to God, who are raised and appear in Jerusalem after Jesus' resurrection.
The scene carries both the weight of judgment and the promise of life. Even as Jesus enters death, Matthew shows that death's hold is being broken. The raised saints anticipate the victory that will become clear when Jesus rises.
The torn curtain matters for our relationship with God. Hebrews 10:19–22 explains that Jesus' blood gives his people confidence to enter God's presence and draw near with sincere hearts. Jesus' sacrifice provides the access we need.
We can therefore come to God with repentance, meaning an honest turn from sin toward him. We do not have to wait until we feel impressive enough to pray. The reason for confidence is what Jesus has done. We can confess a specific wrong, ask for cleansing, and begin to obey him.
Remember: Because Jesus gave his life, I can draw near to God with an honest heart.
People Begin to Recognize the Son They Have Rejected
The centurion and the soldiers watching Jesus see the earthquake and what happens. Filled with awe, they confess that Jesus truly was God's Son.
Earlier, people used his claim to be God's Son as a reason to mock him. Now the soldiers guarding him name that identity with awe. Douglas Sean O'Donnell notes the striking change from ridicule to acknowledgment among the Roman soldiers.2
This invites us to consider our own response. It is possible to know the words Christians use for Jesus and still hold him at a distance. The cross calls for a personal answer: will I receive him as the Son of God who gave himself for me?
Recognizing him changes whose judgment carries the most weight. The crowd's contempt did not make Jesus less than God's Son. We can listen to him and follow him even when people around us dismiss him.
Remember: Knowing Jesus means letting who he is change how I respond to him.
Love Remains Present When There Is Nothing to Fix
Women who followed Jesus from Galilee and served him watch from a distance. Matthew names Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
When evening comes, Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy disciple, asks Pilate for Jesus' body. He wraps it in clean linen, lays it in his own new tomb, and rolls a large stone across the entrance. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary remain opposite the tomb.
These followers cannot undo the crucifixion. Yet their love takes concrete form. Joseph gives care, effort, and a place for burial. The women remain present. Their witness also connects the death of Jesus with the place where he is buried.
Their actions help us recognize an ordinary form of faithfulness. When someone is grieving, we may have no explanation that can relieve the loss. We can still stay, listen, bring a meal, or help with something practical. Love can serve faithfully before it understands what will happen next.
Remember: When I cannot remove someone's sorrow, I can still offer faithful presence and practical care.
Jesus' Promise Remains After His Burial
The next day, the chief priests and Pharisees go to Pilate. They recall that Jesus said he would rise after three days. They call him an impostor, but in repeating his words they place his promise before us again.
Our reading ends with Jesus buried and his promise remembered by opponents. The stone is in place. His followers have witnessed his death. Yet his words about rising remain part of the story.
We will meet the risen Jesus in the next study. For now, this ending teaches us to keep listening to what he has actually promised when circumstances feel final. We can hold to his word even while we grieve and wait.
Remember: A painful circumstance does not erase a promise Jesus has made.
What We Learn About Jesus
Jesus gives himself for people who need forgiveness. His willingness to remain on the cross shows the depth of his obedience and love. His suffering is personal and costly.
He is God's Son even in humiliation. Through his death, we receive a way to draw near to God, and the signs surrounding his death point toward life beyond the grave. We can trust him with our sin, our sorrow, and our hope.
How the Reading Fits Together
The passage moves from mockery to confession, from the cross to the tomb, and from Jesus' death to a reminder of his promise to rise. People challenge his identity, but their insults cannot determine who he is.
This day also brings us back to Day 1. The suffering servant and the rejected sufferer of Psalm 22 help us recognize Jesus at the cross. What began as a promise in Scripture has brought us to the Savior giving his life.
Take a Moment with Jesus
- What sin do I need to confess, trusting the forgiveness Jesus gave his life to provide?
- What sorrow or unanswered question have I been reluctant to bring honestly to God?
- Who needs my presence or practical help while they face something I cannot fix?
Prayer
Jesus, thank you for giving your life for me. I confess that I have gone my own way and need your forgiveness. Help me draw near to God with an honest heart. Teach me to trust you in sorrow and to care for others with patient, practical love. Amen.
One Thing to Do
Choose one person facing grief or a hard wait. Offer one specific act of care, such as bringing a meal, making time to listen, or helping with an errand. Let your care be a response to the love Jesus has shown you.
Carry This with You
Jesus gave his life to bring me near to God. I can come to him honestly and trust his word even in the hardest hours.
Next: Day 29 - Jesus Is Risen and Calls Us to Believe
Related study: Matthew 27 study
Sources Consulted
Source citations
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Stanley Saunders, Commentary on the crucifixion, Working Preacher, Luther Seminary, April 19, 2019. On the irony of the demand that Jesus save himself and the saving purpose of his death. ↩
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Douglas Sean O'Donnell, Matthew commentary, The Gospel Coalition, section “Life in His Death.” On the soldiers' acknowledgment of Jesus as God's Son after the mockery. ↩
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