Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy that was set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Consider Him – when we look at someone we respect and how they live their lives, it has an impact on how we live. We don’t need to just fix our eyes on Jesus, we need to consider His life.

Jesus – Our Great High Priest

The picture in Hebrews of Jesus as our Great High Priest will be the framework for looking at the death and resurrection of Jesus. The aim here is to really think about the price Jesus paid for us and the reality of the resurrection.

Hebrews was primarily written for Jews and a lot of the imagery and examples would have been very familiar to any Jewish believer. As non-Jews we need to work a little bit harder to gain an understanding. The writer uses the imagery of the tabernacle, the temple and the high priesthood to explain who Jesus is. Doing a little bit of research into these subjects will bring richness and depth in your understanding of this amazing book.

Below are two passages that will be our entrance to considering the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus:

Hebrews 9:11 So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. 12 With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.

13 Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. 14 Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. 15 That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.

Hebrews 10:19 And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20 By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. 21 And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, 22 let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.

Hebrews 12:2 For the joy that was set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

As we look at the events of Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension, take your time on each part and consider how He endured the scorn and shame and was ultimately victorious. The Bible says that if we do that, we won’t lose heart. 

The Crucifixion (Matt 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, John 19)

• Then Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip
• Some of the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the courtyard of their headquarters (which was also the governor’s headquarters – called the Praetorium) and called out the entire regiment.
• They stripped him and put a scarlet (purple) robe on him.
• They wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head, and they placed a reed stick in his right hand as a sceptre. Then they knelt before him in mockery, saluted, and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!”
• They spit on him and grabbed the stick and struck him on the head with it.
• When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again.
• Then they led him away to be crucified, carrying His own cross.

The soldiers beat and mocked Jesus until they got bored of it – a period of approximately two hours.

• Along the way, they came across a man named Simon (the father of Alexander and Rufus), who was from Cyrene (a passerby, who at that moment was coming in from the countryside), and the soldiers seized him and forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. They put the cross on his back and made him carry it behind Jesus.
• A large crowd trailed behind, including many grief-stricken women. But Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children”.
• Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him.
• They went out to a place, near the city, called Golgotha (which means “Place of the Skull”).  The soldiers gave Jesus wine mixed with bitter gall (the drug myrrh), but when he had tasted it, he refused to drink it.

The cross was just a method of execution, like a firing squad or an electric chair, but it was very public, humiliating, extremely painful, and drawn out. At several points Jesus looks away from His own pain to address the needs of those around Him – the women of Jerusalem, the thief on the cross next to Him, His mother Mary and even those executing Him.

• After they had nailed him to the cross, the four soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. They also took his robe, but it was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.  So they said, “Rather than tearing it apart, let’s throw dice for it.” This fulfilled the Scripture that says, “They divided my garments among themselves and threw dice for my clothing.” So that is what they did.
• Then they sat around and kept guard as he hung there.  

Here is an example of the many Old Testament prophecies that were fulfilled when Jesus was crucified.

• A sign was fastened above Jesus’ head (posted by Pilate), announcing the charge against him. It read: “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”  The sign was written in Hebrew, Latin and Greek so that many people could read it.
• Then the leading priests objected and said to Pilate, “Change it from ‘The King of the Jews’ to ‘He said, I am King of the Jews.’” Pilate replied, “No, what I have written, I have written.”
• Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.
• It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him.
• Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”

• People passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery.  “Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, if you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross!”
• The leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders also mocked Jesus. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! So he is the King of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him! He trusted God, so let God rescue him now if he wants him! For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
• The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!”
• Even the revolutionaries who were crucified with him ridiculed him in the same way. One of them said, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!” But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

• Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home.

• At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. The light from the sun was gone.
• At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
• Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. 
• Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfil Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.”  A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they (one of them ran and) soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” 
• But the rest said, “Wait! Let’s see whether Elijah comes to save him.”
• Then Jesus shouted out again, “Father, I entrust My spirit into your hands”, bowed His head and he released his spirit (breathed His last).

When Jesus was on the cross He took on Himself everything that would separate mankind from God, past, present and future. It’s almost impossible to imagine the impact of the sin and sickness on His sinless soul and body.

• At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.
• The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.
• The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “This man truly was the Son of God!” The centurion overseeing the execution worshipped and said “Surely this man was innocent”.
• When all the crowd that came to see the crucifixion saw what had happened, they went home in deep sorrow.
• Jesus’ friends, including many women who had come from Galilee with Jesus to care for him, were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James and Joseph), and the mother of James and John (Salome?), the sons of Zebedee.

Several key things happened when Jesus gave up His spirit. The land had already been in darkness for three hours. There was an earthquake, tombs burst open and godly people came back to life (although they didn’t appear to anyone until after the resurrection). There was also an interesting contrast in the reactions of the people around the cross. Those who believed in Jesus either fled or left in great sorrow, the soldiers who crucified Him said that He was the Son of God. And then two secret followers of Jesus (when He was alive) came forward and asked for his body for burial.

• This all happened on Friday, the day of preparation, the day before the Sabbath.
• The Jewish leaders didn’t want the bodies hanging there the next day, which was the Sabbath (and a very special Sabbath, because it was Passover week). So they asked Pilate to hasten their deaths by ordering that their legs be broken. Then their bodies could be taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn’t break his legs.  One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. (This report is from an eyewitness giving an accurate account. He speaks the truth so that you also may continue to believe.) These things happened in fulfilment of the Scriptures that say, “Not one of his bones will be broken,” and “They will look on the one they pierced.”
• As evening approached, Joseph, a rich man from Arimathea who had become a secret follower of Jesus, who was a good and righteous man, an honoured member of the high council who disagreed with their decisions and actions. He took a risk and went to Pilate to ask for Jesus’ body. Pilate couldn’t believe that Jesus was already dead, so he called for the Roman officer and asked if he had died yet. The officer confirmed that Jesus was dead, so Pilate issued an order to release it to him. 
• Joseph bought a long sheet of linen cloth. Then he took Jesus’ body down from the cross. With him came Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night. He brought about seventy-five pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes. Following Jewish burial custom, they wrapped Jesus’ body with the spices in the long sheets of linen cloth. He placed it in his own new tomb (it was in a garden nearby and it was the day of preparation for the Jewish Passover), which had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance and left in the late afternoon – just before the Sabbath began.
• Both Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting across from the tomb and watching. The women from Galilee followed and saw the tomb where his body was placed. Then they went home and prepared spices and ointments to anoint his body. But by the time they were finished the Sabbath had begun, so they rested as required by the law.
• The next day, on the Sabbath, the leading priests and Pharisees went to see Pilate. They told him, “Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise from the dead.’ So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead! If that happens, we’ll be worse off than we were at first.”  Pilate replied, “Take guards and secure it the best you can.” So they sealed the tomb and posted guards to protect it.

Resurrection – Possible Order of Events

The day of the resurrection was pretty busy; we have angels and people heading in many different directions, and Jesus Himself appearing to at least five different individuals or groups. People consistently didn’t recognise Jesus physically and many people took a lot of convincing – even after Jesus had been appearing to them for forty days, some of them still doubted.

• Jesus is raised from the dead.
• Women including Mary Magdalene, Mary – mother of James, Joanna (Salome, Mary mother of Jesus) headed for the tomb just before daybreak – possibly not all together.
• As they were walking there was a great earthquake because an angel rolled the stone away and sat on it, his presence caused the guards to faint from fear.
• It’s likely that the guards recovered and left before any of the women appeared and the angel had moved into the tomb before Mary arrived.
• Mary arrived first, saw the stone rolled away, looked in the empty tomb and ran off to tell Peter, who was with John and some others, but probably not the other eleven disciples.
• The rest of the women arrived (possibly in two groups) and saw the stone rolled away, went in and saw at least one angel – they were terrified and bowed to the ground. They were given a message for the disciples (including Peter) and they fled the tomb, trembling and bewildered, too frightened to say anything to anyone.
• Peter and John ran to the tomb, but they only saw an empty tomb and left (John believed at this point).
• Mary Magdalene returned to the tomb, looked in and saw two angels and talked to them. She turned to leave and Jesus was standing there but she didn’t recognise Him. He spoke to her and she recognised Him. He gave her a message for the disciples. She went to the disciples but they didn’t believe her.
• Jesus appeared to the other women on their way to the disciples, and gave them the message that the disciples were to head for Galilee. The disciples thought it was nonsense and didn’t believe them either.
• The guards got to the city and the elders held a meeting and gave the soldiers a large bribe to say that the disciples stole the body while they were sleeping.
• Later that day Jesus appeared in different form to two of His followers who were walking to Emmaus. One of them was Cleopas. Jesus revealed Himself to them over a meal and then disappeared. They then left Emmaus and rushed back to Jerusalem to tell the others, but once again no-one would believe them. At that point Jesus appeared to the whole group, who were startled and frightened – as opposed to the women who were filled with joy. Eventually they were filled with joy and wonder but He still had to eat a piece of fish to prove He was real!
• At some point prior to this Jesus met with Peter alone (it seems he might not have been with the rest of the disciples at this meeting) but we have no details of this meeting. Also Thomas wasn’t there on this occasion.
• Eight days later Jesus appeared again to the eleven, who were behind locked doors but He appeared in the middle of them.
• Jesus appeared to the seven who were fishing (all night – caught nothing). They caught fish at Jesus’ instruction, but Jesus had fish and bread cooking on a fire. He served them breakfast, and even though they knew who He was no-one dared say anything.
• The eleven disciples went to Galilee,  to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted!
• At some point He was seen by more than 500 of His followers.
• At another point it’s recorded He appeared to James (his half-brother).
• Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven. So they worshiped him and then returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy. And they spent all of their time in the Temple, praising God.

Sacrifice

When we consider the death and resurrection of Jesus it should provoke a response in us. Sometimes that response is worship and praise but it should also impact the way we live. In Hebrews 12:1-2 it says that one of the results of fixing our eyes on Jesus and considering Him is that we can run the race marked out for us with perseverance and we won’t grow weary and lose heart.

In Romans 12:1 we read:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship.

Anything worthwhile requires sacrifice, and one of the responses that considering Jesus should bring out in us is a desire to live for Him and that will mean a cost, but He is always worth it.