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Light Reflections...The Gospel
“Let your light shine...” (Matthew 5.16)
The Crucifixion
“There was a man walking by, coming from work, Simon from Cyrene, the father of Alexander and
Rufus. They made him carry Jesus’ cross. The soldiers brought Jesus to Golgotha, meaning “Skull
Hill.” They offered him a mild painkiller (wine mixed with myrrh), but he wouldn’t take it. And they
nailed him to the cross. They divided up his clothes and threw dice to see who would get them.
They nailed him up at nine o’clock in the morning. The charge against him—THE KING OF THE JEWS—
was scrawled across a sign. Along with him, they crucified two criminals, one to his right, the other
to his left. People passing along the road jeered, shaking their heads in mock lament: “You bragged
that you could tear down the Temple and then rebuild it in three days—so show us your stuff! Save
yourself! If you’re really God’s Son, come down from that cross!” The high priests, along with the
religion scholars, were right there mixing it up with the rest of them, having a great time poking fun
at him: “He saved others—but he can’t save himself! Messiah, is he? King of Israel? Then let him
climb down from that cross. We’ll all become believers then!” Even the men crucified alongside him
joined in the mockery. At noon the sky became extremely dark. The darkness lasted three hours. At
three o’clock, Jesus groaned out of the depths, crying loudly, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which
means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” Some of the bystanders who heard him
said, “Listen, he’s calling for Elijah.” Someone ran off, soaked a sponge in sour wine, put it on a
stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down.” But Jesus,
with a loud cry, gave his last breath. At that moment the Temple curtain ripped right down the
middle. When the Roman captain standing guard in front of him saw that he had quit breathing, he
said, “This has to be the Son of God!”
Taken to a Tomb
There were women watching from a distance, among them Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of
the younger James and Joses, and Salome. When Jesus was in Galilee, these women followed and
served him, and had come up with him to Jerusalem. Late in the afternoon, since it was the Day of
Preparation (that is, Sabbath eve), Joseph of Arimathea, a highly respected member of the Jewish
Council, came. He was one who lived expectantly, on the lookout for the kingdom of God. Working
up his courage, he went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate questioned whether he could be
dead that soon and called for the captain to verify that he was really dead. Assured by the captain,
he gave Joseph the corpse. Having already purchased a linen shroud, Joseph took him down,
wrapped him in the shroud, placed him in a tomb that had been cut into the rock, and rolled a large
stone across the opening. Mary Magdalene and Mary, mother of Joses, watched the burial.
The Resurrection
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought
spices so they could embalm him. Very early on Sunday morning, as the sun rose, they went to the
tomb. They worried out loud to each other, “Who will roll back the stone from the tomb for us?”
Then they looked up, saw that it had been rolled back—it was a huge stone—and walked right in.
They saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed all in white. They were completely taken
aback, astonished. He said, “Don’t be afraid. I know you’re looking for Jesus the Nazarene, the One
they nailed on the cross. He’s been raised up; he’s here no longer. You can see for yourselves that
the place is empty. Now—on your way. Tell his disciples and Peter that he is going on ahead of you
to Galilee. You’ll see him there, exactly as he said.” They got out as fast as they could, beside
themselves, their heads swimming. Stunned, they said nothing to anyone.” (Mark 15:21–16:8
Message)
Easter Blessings, Rev’d Karen Christ Centered...Kingdom Focused
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