YEA Lesson Library

The Lesson

The Israelites of Jesus’ time were looking earnestly for the Savior. They had been told that He would come and be their King and would fulfill the promises that had been given to their forefathers. Jesus did not fit their image of a King. He was not fighting for their freedom; He was not leading the revolt against the Romans in the way they expected. He was calling the Pharisees and Sadducees hypocrites; He was telling them that their way of worshiping God was misdirected. Rather than listening to His message, they became angry – extremely angry!


The entire council took Jesus over to the residence of Pilate, the Roman Governor, after He was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. They began to accuse Him. Pilate asked Him, “Are you the Messiah?” Jesus replied that he was. After that, He remained silent through many accusations against Him. Pilate knew that they looked on His teachings as a threat to their way of doing things.

While Jesus’ trial was taking place, Pilate’s wife sent him a message saying that she had a dream to leave Jesus alone. It was Pilate’s custom to release one prisoner during the Passover season. And Pilate’s wife was hoping that he would release Jesus. Jesus and Barabbas were the two prisoners being considered to be released that day. But in the meantime, the Jewish religious leaders persuaded the crowds to ask for the release of Barabbas, who was a notorious prisoner. So Pilate asked the crowd, “Which of these two shall I release to you?” The crowd shouted back, “Barabbas!” Then Pilate asked, “What shall I do with Jesus, your Messiah?” The crowd shouted, “Crucify Him!” Pilate demanded to know why, but the crowd kept shouting, “Crucify! Crucify!"

Riots were developing, and Pilate saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere. So he washed his hands in a bowl of water to show he wanted nothing more to do with the matter. The people said, “His blood be on us and on our children?” They stripped Jesus and put a scarlet robe on Him. Pilate laid open Jesus’ back with a leaded whip, and the soldiers made a crown from long thorns and forced it down on His head causing Him to bleed. They put a stick in His hands saying, “This is your scepter.” They knelt before Jesus and mocking said, “Hail, King of the Jews.” They spit on Him and beat Him on the head with sticks. When they finally tired of this sport, they took the robe off and put His clothes back on Him. Then they led Jesus to be crucified. Simon of Cyrene was coming in from the country, and they forced him to carry Jesus’ stake to Golgotha. Roman soldiers nailed Him to the stake and thrust the stake, with Jesus nailed to it, into a hole. He was suspended between heaven and earth to die.

While the soldiers watched Him die, they gambled for the clothes He wore. They put a sign above His head that said, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” People passed by and shouted abusive remarks about Jesus. The Chief Priest and Jewish leaders also mocked Him. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself!” At noon the earth became dark as night. About three o’clock, Jesus shouted “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani,” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Even His Father turned His back on Jesus because He had to suffer the full penalty for our sins. Someone ran and dipped a sponge in vinegar, put it on a stick and held it up for Jesus to drink. When Jesus tasted it, He wouldn’t drink it. He cried out again, then He died. The curtain in the Temple, which secluded the Holy of Holies, split from top to bottom, and an earthquake shook the ground.

The Holy Day began at sunset, and the Jewish leaders didn’t want the victims to still be hanging there. So Pilate gave orders to the soldiers to break their legs to hasten their deaths and to finish this horrible process before the Feast day began at sunset. When they got to Jesus, they found that He was already dead. A soldier pierced His side with a sword and blood and water flowed out. This fulfilled the Scripture that said not one bone would be broken. There was even more to it than just fulfilling this Scripture. It was necessary for His blood to be shed for you to have forgiveness of your sins (Hebrews 9:22).

Jesus lived a perfect life. Yet, He died an excruciating criminal’s death. Why? John 3:14-17 says, “And as Moses in the wilderness lifted up the bronze image of a serpent on a pole, even so I must be lifted up upon a pole, so that anyone who believes in me will have eternal life. For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his son into the world to condemn it, but to save it” (TLB).

It’s all too easy to think how awful and cruel the Roman soldiers and Jewish leaders were who killed Jesus. Yes, they were, but what about you? Acts 2:36 and Acts 4:10 tell us that we too crucified Jesus. If you or I had been the only sinner on this earth, He would still have died for our sins. How can we ever make it right with our crucified and resurrected Savior? “Each one of you must turn from sin, return to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; then you also shall receive this gift, the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38 TLB). God gave His Son in order that you can be saved from the death you deserve because of your sins. But you must believe on Him; you must repent; and you must be baptized. “I call heaven and earth to witness against you that today I have set before you life or death, blessing or curse. Oh, that you would choose life; that you and your children might live! Choose to love the Lord your God and to obey him and to cling to him, for he is your life and the length of your days” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20 TLB).