(The Greatest Rescue continued)
6: Master Rescues Masterpiece
Plot Against Rescuer Unfolds
The office of High Priest was established by God through Moses to lead the people to honor God. But now the High Priest and his associates of God's house were self-centered instead of God-centered, and they were envious of Jesus. In fact they were so envious of Him that they looked for a way to kill Him! They did not realize He was God's Son, their Rescuer. Even one of the chosen 12 helpers, Judas, turned against Jesus.
Rescuer's Last Meal
It was the time for the Passover Celebration, when the Jewish people remembered their ancestors' rescue from slavery in Egypt. At the very first Passover, God had each family kill a perfect lamb and put the blood of the lamb over the door of their house to indicate that they wanted to be rescued. Jesus and His friends remembered that special night long ago as they ate the traditional meal and spoke the tradional words. But Jesus broke with tradition when He announced something new...
Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18 for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you."
—Luke 22:17-20 NKJV
Rescuer Betrayed, Arrested and on Trial!
Later Jesus went to a garden and in agony prayed to His Father in Heaven. He knew the time was near for the final part of His mission to make The Way for people to come back to God.
Suddenly a band of soldiers marched into the garden with torches and weapons. His friend Judas betrayed Him by leading the soldiers to Him. They arrested Jesus and tied his hands as they brought Him to trial before the High Priest and later the Govenor.
The Rescuer gives His life to rescue others
He was denied by another friend, stripped, crowned with thorns, mocked, spit on, whipped, beaten, lied about and hung on the cross between two thieves. As they nailed Him to the cross He said,
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
—Luke 23:34 NKJV
Jesus, the only man who never sinned, willingly laid down His life, as He became the once-for-all Passover Lamb who carried the the sin of the world.
Grief stricken His friends took His body off the cross and placed Him in a borrowed tomb for burial. As was the custom they rolled a very large stone across the entrance of the little room hewn out of rock.
The Rescuer is victorious
For three days Jesus' body laid in the tomb. But early Sunday morning, the earth shook, as an angel came from Heaven and rolled that stone away. Women had come to finish preparing His body for burial and heard the wonderful message from the angel, "He is not here, He is alive!" Jesus Christ overcame death, Hell, and the grave when He came alive from the dead and changed the world.
6: Master Rescue