Those who wish to read the whole terrible story of Christ’s death can do no better than to read one of the Gospel accounts directly, (on the following: Matthew, chapters 26 and 27; Mark, 14 and 15; Luke, 22 and 23; John, 17, 18 and 19).

Any one of these accounts, read slowly and prayerfully, will reveal the evil and horror of sin. Christ’s suffering and death is the result of sin against God by the men that He had made and loved. Such a reading will also show the love of God for His children. There is no limit to His love for us all - for me. ‘”God so loved the world, that He gave up His only – begotten Son, so that those who believe in Him may not perish, but have eternal life.”

“He through whom the world was made was in the world, and the world treated Him as a stranger. He came to what was His own and they who were His own gave Him no welcome.” Instead they treated Him like a common criminal.

Tragic as this story is, it shows one thrilling truth : God loves me and wants me. I am loved by God – wanted by God Himself. That is my real worth and value.

A BRIEF SKETCH

In these pages, we can only make a brief outline of the two terrible last days of Christ.

We have seen how the religious leaders grew in their hatred for Him, because He uncovered their greed and love for their own privileged positions. Finally, they decided to get rid of this threat to their power over the ordinary people.

They knew one of the close followers of Jesus, a man named Judas. They knew that he had a weakness for money and so, cleverly, they offered him 30 pieces of silver if he would betray Christ into their hands. Judas weakened, took the money, and Jesus was arrested at night in a garden with His dearest followers running away for fear of their own lives, just at the time when He needed their companionship.

He was brought before the priests; false witnesses were called; He was shamefully spat upon, made a fool of, ridiculed.

Next day, He was dragged before the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, who saw in his heart that He was innocent. Yet he was afraid to go against the crowd who had been stirred up by the enemies of Christ and were shouting for His blood.

Pilate tried to satisfy them by ordering that Christ be whipped and scourged until His flesh was cut and torn. When this was not enough, he offered to release a criminal from prison. He gave them the choice between Christ and Barabbas, a murderer. But they shouted for the release of Barabbas instead of Christ who had nothing but love for them in His heart.

Finally, when nothing less would satisfy them he ordered Christ to be crucified – a cruel Roman method of killing criminals by nailing them by the hands and feet to a wooden cross which was planted in the ground.