The Blessings of Truth: An Easter Story Part One

I thought I’d do a little Easter special for everyone, and release them differently than I usually do. Two pieces, one on Friday, one on Sunday.

Part one goes over Jesus’ death, and way each of the Gosples are different but still the same.

Part two goes over promises and the way God is true to His word, and how He has done good in giving us a Redeemer.

Part One of The Blessings of Truth

Truth is amazing.

Truth is good.

Truth is real.

God is truth.

Your mind must never be taken from the truth. Stay loyal to God, remembering Him in the midst of your struggles. We must never be taken away, never carried from the goodness He has shared with us.

And it all began on Good Friday.

On this blessed day, I want to share with you some things I’ve learned. Or, some things I’m learning. Let’s not waste our time and dive right in:

Jesus is our Saviour because he saved us from our sins. And, the only way He could do that was by dying on a cross. He has taken the blame.

And today, I’m looking at the ways that the four Gospels translated that moment.

Through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, we follow Jesus through his life…and death. And, although each of those gospels are different, they’re all really, actually the same (Especially Matthew and Mark, in some sense).

Because it doesn’t matter What translation you use, they’re all the same thing, the same story, the same death. Jesus died, and will rise again.

Note: my Bible is the Eastern Standard Version (ESV), so it might be different than any of your other translations

Table of contents:

1- Matthew

2- Mark

3- Luke

4- John

Overview

Farewell

1) Matthew 27: 45-47 says: ‘Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.* And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why had you forsaken me?**” And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.”’

*The ‘sixth hour’ was considered noon. Imagine that, dark at noon. So, the ‘ninth hour’ is 3 pm, three hours later.

**Here, go ahead and reread Jesus’s words. Yes, God did forsake Jesus. Why? Well, think about it. If we were to pile all our sins into one person, all the things we have done without God’s goodness as our guide, we would be convicted. Convicted to crucifixion. This is only good for the single reason that God brought Him back.

He brought Jesus back.

(Also, make sure to remember ‘Elijah’, is God.)

When you fall on you knees, when you’re at your lowest, and you call out to God, saying “Abba, Abba,” (Father, Father) God will not turn His back on you. When you repent, when you turn from the sins you have done and show your weakness, you will not be ignored.

Jesus cried out in pain and anguish, calling God and asking Him why. Do you think God ignored Him? (that’s a rhetorical question, if you were wondering)

2) Mark 15: 33-34, ‘And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.”’

I want to take a moment and look at the language Jesus spoke, especially how to pronounce it. ‘Eli’ is pronounced ‘Ee-loy’ and ‘lema’ is like the word lama in English (L-ah-ma). ‘Sabachthani’ it said like ‘Sa-bak-tha-Nee.’ (Jesus was speaking Aramic on the cross.) I hope that helps.

When there is darkness, when there is pain and anger, call out saying, ‘My God, my God.’ When you feel like there is nothing left to cry, when you have no reason to keep going, remember what Jesus rose. He was crucified on a literal cross, and He still called out, knowing that His Father would not leave Him in His darkest time.

Death is not worth anything anymore, because my God rose from the grave.

3) In the translation of Luke, we see the same thing.

Luke 23:44-47, ‘It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having breathed his last. Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certianly this man was innocent!”’

It takes a lot of brain power to read through all these translations and realize they're all the same thing, happening at the same time.

What I like about this passage, though, is the connections. Especially the way the centurion (probably the bystander for the other translations) saw the way they had done wrong and realized Jesus had told the truth. When the centurion realized they were really, really wrong.

4) Finally, we come to our last Gospel translation. John.

John 19:28-30, ‘After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gaze up his spirit.’

That gave me the chills. Goosebumps, if you will. The words “It is finished” are underrated. The simplicity people take for granted in those few words breaks my heart. Too many people take Jesus’ death for granted. He died to save you, to give you what you could call another chance.

PRAISE HIM! PRAISE HIM AND SHARE HIS WORD AND WORSHIP THE GOD WHO GAVE YOU HOPE!

*clears throat*

You have been given all the resources you need to repent, to change your ways and turn to God. Don’t forget that.

Overview:

Okay, now I kind of went off track there, let’s get back to the point.

Matthew and Mark are really similar, while Luke and John speak of things a little differently.

Each of these passages have their own ways of describing how things happened, yes. But they’re also really similar.

I mean, if course they're similar, they’re just said differently. It is the same story, the same person dying to save us.

So, the point is: Jesus died on a cross to save you. It doesn’t matter how you say it, it doesn’t matter what Jesus said on that cross. All that matters is that He did. He died, spending three days in the hell you should live in for an eternity so that you don’t have to see—to feel—the things He felt. The Creator of the universe gave up His throne to sit in fire so you could have a glimpse of glimmering pearly gates.

Remember that Jesus offers you a place at his table. He offers you a way in. Into resurrection, into rebirth, into realization that you were wrong, and you will never be right. We’re humans, and all we can do is share God’s truth, praising Him wih everything we have, and more. And we must always remember that there is a plan. A plan laid out in the perfectly correct order, and all by hands greater than our pwn

Farewell:

Don’t lose your faith because you’re afraid.

I’m sure Jesus was afraid. On that cross, bleeding like a man would.

But he still remembered God. He didn’t struggle. He didn’t fight. Even in Gethsemane, when the soldiers took Him in, He was quiet as a lamb.

And for one reason: He knew the Lion would come.