His Final Victorious Hours

Well, it is a wonderful time of year to take a look at scripture at the deeply meaningful time and all the depth of meaning that these days, these spring holy days, bring with it. So we're going to continue in our preparation and our focus onto these days for a title for our main sermon today. The title, His Final Victorious Hours. His Final Victorious Hours. We're going to take a look at the period of time leading up to those hours leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Last time I was with you, we took a look at and turned our focus on to that time where Jesus Christ was in the garden praying as we looked at that time at our suffering Savior. Today we're going to turn to the set of scriptures and begin essentially from that time and look at the hours leading up to His crucifixion and then the discovery of the empty grave, the empty tomb. To be, I would like to turn along with me. We're going to begin in John chapter 18 verse 1. This is where we're going to begin.

While you turn there, let me just set the scene a little bit and remind ourselves what we're turning to here. You know, all of the Gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, as the recording Jesus Christ's movement and His birth and His movement into His ministry, they all, to a person, slow down the narrative here and give a tremendous amount of space and time in their Gospel accounts to this moment leading up to His crucifixion. These are hours that are victorious and that they lead to the alteration of the course of human history itself. As here, we will lead up to a moment where the sinless Son of God ultimately puts away sin's penalty by the sacrifice of Himself.

We're going to look in a moment-by-moment way beginning here with the betrayal of Judas Iscariot all the way to the discovery of the empty tomb. While each of the Gospel writers give their own unique impressions and unique details, what we're going to see today is that they all are absolutely in perfect harmony. Now, I want you to first, before we begin reading here, I want you to picture in your mind on the calendar Tuesday evening. This Passover week at the time of Jesus Christ here began on a Tuesday evening when He would institute the Passover symbols of the bread and wine. And you'll note that this week actually begins and mirrors the same as we are going to observe the Passover on Tuesday evening as well. Here we have Judas, the devil already having put in his heart to betray Jesus. Judas has left this upper room. He was there for Jesus Christ to wash his feet, but he is now left before the partaking of the bread and the wine symbols, a betrayal for 30 pieces of silver. Judas has now left. He's gone to tell the high priest where they can find Jesus. And Jesus Christ and His disciples now leave the upper room where all of that took place. John 18 verse 1, John picks up the recording at this moment. John 18 verse 1, when Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples over the brook Kidron where there was a garden. That's the garden Gethsemane where He prayed, which He and His disciples now entered. Let's stop there for a moment. The brook Kidron, this was a brook that ran parallel to the walls of Jerusalem there. Jesus and His disciples walk out of this area along the temple area there to the garden, it says. And I'll just have you note, of course, this is that Passover season. Historians write that the records indicate that there were as many as a quarter million lamb slain in a typical Passover season. That's 250,000 lamb slain. That would be a lot of blood, of course. A lot of blood mingled with the ritual cleansings. Why is that important? Well, this blood and this water would then be drained from the altar area. It would be carried down to the Kendrin Valley just outside the temple walls. Kidron means black brook or gloomy brook. No doubt there would have been crimson stained walls on the banks of this valley. Again, this is where the blood of the sacrificial animals poured out to this channel, the brook Kidron. So again, Jesus and His disciples now cross over this stream, a stream that would have no doubt been blood-read. Would the washed feet from the upper room now mingle with the stream of blood from the sacrificial animals? Perhaps. We don't know. But nevertheless, this would have been a stark reminder of the cup that He would now drink. Coming to the Garden Gethsemane, continuing here in verse 2 and 3, it picks up with the narrative of Judas, verse 2. And Judas, John records, who betrayed Him, Jesus, also knew of this garden, this place, for Jesus often met there with His disciples. Verse 3, the first part, then Judas having received a detachment of troops here. So Judas knew of this place. He was putting forth his testimony to now this place where Jesus would be. This was a place that this detachment would come to arrest Jesus Christ. This garden had once been, as noted there, a gathering of joy. You know, you can imagine Jesus and His disciples when they were in this area of the garden, daily going there, taking their sandals off, sitting, and recounting the day's events and the work they were doing for God. This joyous place would now become a place of darkness and betrayal. A detachment could be anything from 200 to 300 troops. This is a large group here of troops. You know, often if your deeds are dark, you prefer to be surrounded by a great majority.

And you can imagine, you know, if you're one of the disciples, seeing your friend, seeing your spiritual brother who once stood with you, now standing with them. This is the picture that they now saw as Judas, while he was just one of the 12. Now he is the man leading this troop to come and arrest Jesus Christ. Whose troops are these? You know, the high priest did not have troops, so these would have been the Roman guards. So at this time, this tells us that the high priest is now working with the Roman authorities. No doubt there is the charge that Jesus was a traitor, and so he would have been charged with creating an insurrection at this moment. So we have this religious and governmental entities now forming an unholy union to come against the Son of God. You know, this should project your thoughts onto future prophecy, when we will have just the same, an unholy union of a governmental entity hanging and hanging with a religious entity. So this is a projection of that to come. The second half of verse 3 here, the officers, you'll notice, and the chief priests and Pharisees came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. You know, perhaps they would have been convinced that they would have had to scour the garden for a hiding Jesus Christ. That's not so. Look at verse 4, because Jesus, therefore, knowing all these things would come upon him, went forward and said to them, whom are you seeking? So while at our last study, we did see a picture of a recoiling Jesus Christ, just in his humanity, asking the Father if there's any other way. He is not a reluctant Jesus Christ, you see, and we made that clear last time. He's not shrinking from this moment. Just the opposite. Though the Father had answered his prayer and given him his answers, it was time to stand up and to move toward the purpose to which he came. Now, you'll notice this question here. Whom are you seeking? Verse 5 then says they answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. And you'll notice there in verse 7, he asked it again. Whom are you seeking? And they said Jesus of Nazareth. So this is a moment that we don't want to miss. This is a punctuation for us that he is the great substitute. You know, if you think back from the very beginning of the story of the Bible, we have that picture of Abraham and the sacrifice of his son Isaac. And Abraham declaring the Lord is God who will provide. And just before that sacrifice there in the thicket, and Ram is caught and Abraham is able to unbind his son and substitute. God had provided a substitute for the death of his son. Well, here it is again. You know, Jesus is saying, whom do you seek? And they said, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. That's right. You seek me. And he asked it again. Leave them alone. Let them be. I am the great substitute he's saying in this moment. Great love. He's protecting. He's going toward these final hours on behalf of his beloved. I'm the one. I am the great substitute. It's me you want.

Verse 5, they answered him again, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said to him, continuing here, I am he. And Judas, who betrayed him, also stood with them. Again, he once stood with Jesus and his brothers, his spiritual brothers. Now he stood with them.

Now, verse 6, when he had said to them, I am he. They drew back and fell to the ground. And he asked them again, here it is, whom are you seeking? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. Verse 8, Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he. Therefore, if you seek me, let these go their way. Again, I'm the great substitute here. It's me you want. Now, in passing, I'll just have you note that the word he is in italics here. So that's not part of the original. So what we have here in verses 5, 6, and 8 is Jesus simply answering, I am. I am. And for your notes, of course, he is the great I am. We won't turn there, but Exodus 3, verses 6, verses 13 through 14. We have the recording of Moses being sent to the Egyptians. Moses asking there, whom shall I say sent me? And God said to Moses, Exodus 3, verse 13, I am who I am, and thus ye shall say to the children of Israel, I am has sent me to you. So this is the great declaration here. He is declaring that he is the pre-existing one here. He is the God of the Old Testament.

I am. And they draw back and fall to the ground. Now, we don't have a recording here that any, not one of them, perhaps there was, but we don't have any indication that anyone turned at this point to repent and say, no, this isn't right, and to stand with Jesus and the disciples. This would have been an opportunity for any of those troops, perhaps for Judas himself. Now, they knew what this proclamation meant. The original charge against Jesus Christ was blasphemy, because this is who he was declaring he was, the God of the Old Testament. Continuing here and here, in John 18, verse 10 and 11, moving on into the narrative here, then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it, struck the high priest's servant, cut his right ear off, and the servant's name was Malchus. So Jesus, though, seeing this transpire, said to Peter, put your sword into its sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which my father has given me? You know, this is Peter, of course.

Now, I've said this before. Fishermen are not necessarily known for their sword-wielding aptitude, we could say. So perhaps Peter wasn't too skillful with the sword, we don't know, and he was probably going for Malchus's head, Malchus tilts his head, and he gets the ear.

John doesn't record this, but other accounts detail the fact that Jesus Christ picks up the ear, dusts it off, places it back on Malchus's head, and heals it instantaneously at the spot there. That would have also been a moment, and I just always picture these pregnant pauses, you know, where Jesus Christ would give individuals the opportunity to witness these sayings and make a choice. Make a choice. Are you going to continue to stand with them, or are you going to come and stand with us, me and my people? Again, no indication that anyone, even at that witnessing the healing of the ear, repented and turned to Christ. And I'll just say, as a side note, all along in the journey of our life, often God will intervene in our lives, and it is for the purpose—that grace is for the purpose for us to be pricked in our heart to turn to Him in a greater and more intentional way. So use interventions, use miracles in your life, use those times in which God is getting our attention to turn back to Him in a greater way. Well, the narrative moves forward here from verse 12 on, and what we find is that they do arrest Jesus Christ. It's a complete sham. They take Him first to Annas, who was the high priest at one time. He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas. Caiaphas was the current reigning high priest at this time. If you go down to verse 24 here, we find that Annas transfers Jesus to Caiaphas. Verse 24, then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas, the high priest. And Jesus hadn't been charged. Again, this is a complete mockery of justice here. He hadn't been convicted, but they still bind him. This is completely illegal here.

So let's think about our calendar here at this moment. We are now moving into what we would call the early hours of Wednesday. Okay, early hours of Wednesday. The foot washing, the passover symbols had been instituted by Jesus Tuesday evening. Jesus had been up all night in the garden, and we're now moving into what we would call the early hours of Wednesday morning.

This is probably just before sunrise here, perhaps around 6 a.m. Wednesday morning. We will see that 6 a.m. Wednesday morning. What we read here now from Annas to Caiaphas. With Caiaphas, there would have been the Sanhedrin. That is the governing council of elders who direct and legislate the nation of Israel. And we know that he is transferred to the high priest Caiaphas' home, and not the actual court. Not the actual Sanhedrin court.

This is perhaps an interesting detail to note. If you'll turn with me to Matthew's recordings now, picking up at this moment, Matthew 26. Let's turn to Matthew 26 here. We'll pick up the story at this point where Jesus is transferred to the high priest Caiaphas, and he now is coming to Caiaphas' home, and not the actual court. Just further indicating the complete mockery of justice here. Matthew 26. Let's look at verses 57 and 58. Matthew 26, verses 57 and 58. And those who laid ahold of Jesus led him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders assembled, that legislative group.

But Peter followed him, Jesus, at a distance to the high priest's courtyard, where he went in and set with the servants to see the end. Let's stop there. So again, Peter follows at a distance here. The indicator that this is the high priest's home is the fact that the Sanhedrin did not have a courtyard. So this could not have been the Sanhedrin court. Again, there in verse 58 is the high priest's courtyard. So no doubt, this is the early hours of what we would call Wednesday morning. This is a rush to judgment.

They're moving things on here in a complete sham of justice here. Again, we have Peter. We'd be remiss not to just read briefly of Peter's denial of Jesus. I have made many denials of Jesus in various ways in my life, and I'm glad it's not recorded for others to read. But we are very thankful to Peter because we can very glean from his stumbling. Ultimately, we know Peter did have his strength and courage and commitment back to Christ. But skipping down to verse 73, they're near the courtyard. Verse 73, and a little later, those who stood by to watch the end came up and said to Peter, Surely you are one of them, for your speech betrays you.

So there in verse 73, you don't speak like one of the native people in Jerusalem. You must be with one of them. You must be with Jesus Christ. Verse 74, then he, Peter, began to curse and swear, saying, I do not know the man. And immediately a rooster crowed. So let's just stop there for a moment. You know, this would have been a sinking feeling in Peter's stomach because Jesus had prophesied that you will deny me three times before the rooster crows.

And here it is. You know, you see that in verse 34 there, if you want to allow your eyes to go up. That prophecy of Jesus and the crowing rooster there. So again, where Wednesday morning we would have been right around sunrise, in a moment we're going to see that it probably was or was around 6 a.m., roosters crow at sunrise, right? But more importantly, this rooster crowed because Jesus prophesied it as much.

So Jesus had been delivered to up to Caiaphas here, taken to the high priest's home. And now continuing in the narrative, he's going to be transferred over to Pontius Pilate. Again, we're here in the early morning, Wednesday morning hours, around 6 a.m., staying here Matthew 27 in verse 1 and 2. Matthew 27 verse 1 and 2, When morning came, all of the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put him to death. And when they had bound him, they led him away and delivered him to Pontius Pilate, the governor. So now from Caiaphas to Pontius Pilate here, continuing verse 3 through 10 here, we now, Judas comes back into the storyline, verses 3 through 10, picking back up with Judas.

Then Judas, his betrayer, seeing that he, Jesus, had been condemned, was remorseful, brought back the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders. He brought that money back, saying, I have sinned. So this is Judas saying this. I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.

And they, there, said, What is that to us? You see to it. Then he, Judas, verse 5, threw down the pieces of silver into the temple and departed and went and hanged himself. Verse 6, But the chief priests took the silver pieces, those 30 pieces, and said, It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood. And they consulted together and brought with and bought with them these 30 pieces, the potters' field, to bury strangers in. Therefore that field had been called the field of blood to this day, then was fulfilled what Jeremiah the prophet prophesied, saying, Then they took the 30 pieces of silver, the value of him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced, and gave them for the potters' field, as the Lord directed me.

Let's stop there. So you can look at that prophecy of Jeremiah. All of this is prophesied to come. And it's so remarkable we see Judas there in his reflection, remorseful. In his heart, he knew Jesus shouldn't die. I don't know what his expectation was. We're not told if he thought Jesus would not die, perhaps, or maybe he just didn't think about it in his greed and betrayal. But notice again after the Judas's remorse, the high priest and the elders there, what is it to us? Verse 4.

Judas threw those pieces into the temple. He was not a priest, so he couldn't enter into that part. So perhaps the door was open or the opening was there, and he just this dramatic moment of throwing the 30 pieces back in there departs and hangs himself. Very sad.

And what hypocrisy here, you know, there in verse 6, it's not lawful for us to put them back into the treasury because they are the price of blood, you know. Who made them the price of blood? Well, they did. Complete hypocrisy here.

Again, a very sad ending to Judas's physical life. I am thankful for his remorse there. You know, we'll put Judas's destiny in the hands of God, you know. It could have been different.

But we'll, yeah, again, we will put him and his destiny, his future, into the loving hands of God. Moving back to Jesus and our narrative here, as we noted, he is brought to the governor-ponscious Pilate there. They go on to change the charge officially to treason and not blasphemy. They needed a charge by which they could crucify him for. So back to our narrative here, Matthew 27, verse 11. Then Judas stood before the governor-ponscious Pilate. And the governor asked him, saying, Are you the king of the Jews? And Jesus says, It is as you say. The it is as is in italics. So really, Jesus's response is, You say that. So the charge was that of being a traitor, a treason, creating an insurrection. Continuing here, verse 12 through 14. And while he was being accused by the chief priests and elders, he answered, saying nothing. Then Pilate said to him, Do you not hear the many things that they testify against you? But he answered him, saying, Not one word. So the governor marveled greatly.

You know, not one word. He didn't defend himself. This is the reason to which he came. For your notes, this also is fulfilling prophecy. Isaiah 53.7. Isaiah 53.7. The prophet Isaiah prophesied, He opened not his mouth, like a lamb led to slaughter, like a sheep before his shearers, is silent. So Jesus Christ is the great Lamb. Prophesied by Isaiah there. Isaiah 53.7. Continuing here, verse 15 and 16. Now at the feast, now at the feast, this is the reference to the first day of unleavened bread, the days of unleavened bread, now at the feast, the governor was accustomed to releasing the multitude to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished. And at that time, they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. Let's stop there. So Barabbas had already been convicted. He was guilty. He was sentenced to death. So here you have Barabbas and Jesus standing before the crowd, verse 17 and 18. Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, whom do you want me to release to you? So he's going to, one of these is going to be spared. Barabbas or Jesus, whom they called Christ. For he knew they had handed him over because of envy. So even Pilate could see that there was no real charge here against Jesus Christ. So he says, I'm able to release one of these here at this feast. It's custom. I can release and therefore spare one individual from being crucified. Surely he was thinking that they would want Jesus to be spared from crucifixion. Not so. Going down to verse 26 here, then he released Barabbas to them. To his surprise, they chose to free Barabbas and instead crucified Jesus. Continuing here, verse 26, and when he had scourged Jesus, prepared him for crucifixion, he delivered him to be crucified. So they delivered Jesus to be crucified. The innocent one, rather than the guilty one, charged and condemned to death. They released Barabbas. Again, it's a great, awesome picture of Jesus Christ as the great substitute. Here is one Barabbas condemned for death and Jesus is now taking his place, the innocent one.

Allow your mind to go back to Abraham, unbinding Isaac, the one set for sure death. Jesus is the great substitute. We see this picture. He who was innocent died for us so that we could have death lifted from us and have eternal life. So this now, this scourging of Jesus and Pilate delivering him over to be crucified, this brings us to this moment of Christ's crucifixion. The record really begins to slow down at this point. For this part of the record, let's turn over to John 19. John 19. Again, this is a great study to go back and forth between the Gospel writers, John 19 now, and see how there is perfect harmony. Again, while each one brings out their own unique details and perspectives, they are all in perfect harmony. We will see.

It's a great exercise to look at the different Gospel accounts, different accounts from the previous year in your studies.

We're picking up here in John 19 and verse 14. We're going to come to a moment where there is great misunderstanding, great doctrinal confusion, amongst mainstream Christianity. If you were kept up by the storms last night, if you would like to take a break and go get some coffee, you're welcome to do so. We're going to really need to engage our brains here for a moment. The final stretch of our message here in our study. John 19 verse 14. Here, let's pick up the details beginning with Christ's actual crucifixion here. John 19.14. Now, it was the preparation day of Passover, of the Passover, about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, this is Pilate, Behold, you're king. So they had spared Barabbas. Now Pontius Pilate is delivering him over to crucifixion here. Preparation day, preparation day. What do you know about preparation day before a Sabbath? Well, most would conclude that preparation day, or be most familiar with preparation day, being the Friday before a weekly Sabbath, right? But bear in mind, we have not left Wednesday morning yet. It's very historical. We can prove this week. Jesus Christ instituted the Passover symbols Tuesday evening. We have not left Wednesday morning at this point here. So we're still Wednesday early. So preparation day can either mean the preparation day before a weekly Sabbath, or it can mean a preparation day before a high Sabbath, or an annual Sabbath, or in other words, a holy day. Okay? So this is Wednesday, preparation day for the first day of Unleavened Bread, which will follow on Thursday, just like this week that will be upcoming. So this is not a Friday preparation for a weekly Sabbath. This is Wednesday preparation for a high Sabbath, which would occur on Thursday, the first day of Unleavened Bread. And again, this is a point of confusion for well-meaning, mainstream Christianity, where they need to try to fit three days and three nights between Friday and Thursday. Friday and Sunday morning, and somehow fit three days and three nights into that period of time, and get all twisted and twist their calculator in such a way to do so. But not so. We don't have to twist our calculators by knowing the sequence of events, and by knowing this is a preparation day before the Sabbath, the high Sabbath, the first day of Unleavened Bread, we can easily then get to where Christ is in the grave three days and three nights. And we'll get to that in just a moment. But staying here with John 19 verse 14, here is Wednesday morning, verse 14. Now it was preparation day of the Passover, about the sixth hour, and he, Pontius Pilate, said to the Jews, Behold, you're keen. So he's handing them over about the sixth hour. This would have been around 6 a.m., okay, Wednesday morning. Now let me give you a little bit of education class.

The Jews in the Romans, when you start to read about different hours, the sixth hour, like we see here, it's important to note that the Jews in the Romans used different standards of reckoning of hours, okay? The Jews in Romans used different standards of reckoning the hours of the day. Well documented. While both systems break their day up into 12-hour periods, a new day for the Romans began at midnight, just as it does for us, okay? So if we break our days up into 12-hour segments, so our days, just like the Romans, midnight to noon, noon to midnight, okay? That's how we start our new day, or reckon our new day, where the Jews began their day at the evening, or sundown, what we might call 6 p.m. So the Jews would say 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. There's a 12-hour period, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., you see? So the Jews in the Romans used different standards of reckoning hours. Both systems used two 12-hour periods of day, the new day for the Romans begins at midnight, as it does for us, a new day for the Jews would begin at sundown, which we could just say, which is approximately 6 p.m. John here is using the Roman system, all right? Our system, when he references the six-hour. So Pilate hands over Jesus, John 19 verse 14, about the sixth hour. So from midnight, this would have had Pontius Pilate handing over Jesus at 6 a.m., all right? 6 a.m., 6 a.m. Wednesday morning. John, using the Roman time reckoning, it makes sense if you look at who he wrote to, he would write to those outside of Palestine to a Hellenistic audience. They would have understood that time reckoning. So John begins the whole account here with Pilate handing Jesus over around 6 a.m., and it makes sense if you back up just a little bit. John 1828, it says that he refers to the early morning hours here. John 1828. They led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium in the early morning. And then even verse 27, we have the John 18 verse 27, we have the rooster crowing, you see. So again, here is the preparation day and about the sixth hour. So we can feel confident this is about 6 a.m. Wednesday morning.

Now there's other indications that the other Gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, in their recordings, they reckon time in the Jewish time reckoning, okay, where a new day would begin at sundown. So they have 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. excuse me, yeah, 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. So whenever you see the other Gospel writers using hours, you want to keep in mind, Mark, Matthew, Mark, and Luke use the Jewish system. And we're going to see that in just a moment. So John has Pilate handing over Jesus for crucifixion at 6 a.m. Now in Mark's account, Mark has Jesus on the actual stake at 9 a.m. 3 hours later. Let me show you this. Mark 15 verses 25. Let's look there. Mark 15 verse 25. Here, Mark 15 verse 25. Mark's going to have in his recordings Jesus on the stake at 9 a.m. So Mark's going to refer to the third hour, which using the Jewish time reckoning would be the third hour from 6 a.m. Mark 15 verse 25. Mark 15 verse 25. Mark records, now it was the third hour, and they crucified him. Okay, so again, there's harmony here. John has Pilate handing over, behold your king at the 6th hour, 6 a.m., using the Roman time reckoning. Mark, using the Jewish time reckoning, has Jesus on the stake 3 hours later, which would have been 9 a.m.

So we're seeing harmony as long as you have a good base foundation of the perspectives of the Gospel writers here and the time reckonings. All right, now staying here in Mark 15, going down to verse 33 and 34. Mark 15 verses 33 and 34. So Mark on the third hour has Jesus on the stake, that would be 9 a.m., 3 hours from 6 a.m., and now Mark 15 verse 33. Now when it was the sixth hour, noon, when noon had come, the sixth hour, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. So that would have been around 3 p.m. So from noon to 3 p.m., from the sixth hour, from 6 a.m., the sixth hour would have been noon. To the ninth hour, that would have been around 3 p.m. At the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "'Eli, Eli, lema, sabachthani,' translated, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" And then moving down to verse 37, verse 37, and Jesus cried out with a loud voice and breathed his last. Okay, so he was handed over at around 6 a.m. At around 9 a.m. he's on the stake. From noon to 3 p.m., there's darkness over the whole land.

And then there at the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with this loud voice, breathed his last breath, and died. So there on crucifixion week, there about 3 p.m., Jesus died, 3 p.m. on that Wednesday. We won't go on to read the narratives, but quite remarkable. The veil tour, earthquakes, rocks split in two, graves are opened. All this is taking place when Jesus Christ breathed his last breath here. So these are the final hours, his final hours. It would have looked quite hopeless at this point.

Not for long, though. We'll see in a moment. Now, at this time, this was the preparation day around Wednesday at 3 p.m. The first day of Unleavened Bread was about to begin at sundown. And to continue here, let's turn over to John 19 verse 31 to read of the concluding narrative here. A narrative which won't end with Jesus remaining in the grave.

John 19, 31. John records of this moment Jesus breathed his last breath. It was there around 3 p.m. on that Wednesday of crucifixion week. John 19 verse 31, Jesus had died, so therefore, because, John 19, 31, because it was the preparation day, that the body should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath. For that Sabbath was a high day, of course, first day of Unleavened Bread. Again, the Holy Day, the first day of Unleavened Bread, was coming beginning at sundown. They needed to get his body into the grave here. This is Wednesday afternoon, late afternoon. Going down to verse 42, John 19 verse 42, they began that process. So there, in the grave, they laid Jesus because of the Jews' preparation day, where the tomb was nearby.

So Jesus is dead. He's laid in the tomb before the high day was coming at sundown. So this is late Wednesday afternoon. He's in the tomb late Wednesday afternoon, just before sundown, so that this wouldn't violate the high Sabbath, the first day of Unleavened Bread, which we know on crucifixion week began there at sundown on that Wednesday.

So he's in the tomb late Wednesday afternoon, just before sundown. So let's count forward, right? A child could count forward with what we're about to do here. Three days, three nights. Number one was Thursday, just before sundown. Friday, just before sundown. Saturday, just before sundown. Jesus would be resurrected. Jesus would be resurrected Saturday, the Sabbath, just before sundown. Three days, three nights. He is the Lord of the Sabbath. He was resurrected on the Sabbath day. Saturday, just before sundown. And this is where much of the confusion happens in mainstream Christianity. And if you listen to any of those who put forth the notion of a Sunday morning resurrection, erroneously, what they will say is, one of their great justifications on meeting on a Sunday, where they feel empowered to change the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday, they say the fact that Jesus Christ rose on a Sunday morning, that fact stamped Sunday as the new day of worship, they say. Erroneously, say. And we see here that's just not the case. And if Jesus's resurrection, if it's stamped any day, what day did it stamp? It stamped the Sabbath, Saturday, the very day that Jesus Christ, the Word, the I AM, the pre-existing one, back in creation week, after he did all that work, he rested and sanctified that Sabbath, that seventh day. And here he is, fast forwarding, with the love of the Father being resurrected on the great and holy Sabbath day here.

Resurrected. These are the final hours, and they are victorious hours, as we see here.

We don't have to be in any confusion on this. And while there are very many well-meaning Christian observers out there in mainstream Christianity who are going to be, in their error, worshiping Christ's resurrection with a Sunday morning sunrise, the fact is they are not worshiping God in spirit and truth.

And we have to worship God in spirit and truth. And we, as a congregation, the United Church of God, we are a people who are growing in grace and knowledge, but I want you to be proud of the fact that you are part of a group that strives to worship God in spirit and truth.

And we will continue to do that until his return.

Well, this is we come now to the empty tomb here, the resurrection, and let's conclude our narrative here in John 20 verse 1. John 20 verse 1. Now, the first day of the week, this further stamps the fact that Jesus was raised just before sundown on the Sabbath day. John 20 verse 1. Now, the first day of the week, we could say that is Sunday. What we know is Sunday. Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early while it was still dark, of course, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So he had been raised already. It was just before sundown Saturday. So while it was still dark, they now come upon the tomb. And this incredible scene here, you know, they had gone to get spices when the Sabbath was over. The narrative says, and I encourage you to, in your preparation for Passover in the Days of 11 bread, read the gospel accounts of this. But the gospel writers go on to say that the ladies after sundown had gone to get spices.

And while it was still dark, they were navigating the narrow streets of Jerusalem streets here to the street vendors, no doubt. They make their journey back to the tomb. I don't know what they would have been thinking with these spices. In their heart, were they faithfully longing to find Jesus Christ raised? Were they thinking they were going to come up to a tomb that was still closed? Well, no matter what they were thinking, instead of finding a stone, instead of being confronted with a stone, the narrative goes on to tell us that the stone had been rolled away, and there they were confronted in the darkness there with an angel, radiant, a symbol of victory, now sitting on top of this stone, on top of it. In this picture of just a radiant, glorious scene of victory there. And as we conclude, if you'll allow me, I just want to use a little conjecture. You know, we're not given in any of the Gospel accounts of a narrative between the angel and the ladies. These are very faithful ladies, I believe. But I can imagine in all love and care, the angel sitting there with the stone rolled away, the empty tomb, and the angel looking down upon these ladies and saying, oh, I see that you brought spices. No need for the spices, ladies. No need. Because while they can drive nails into his hands, while they can bind him and put him up against a sham of a trial, while they can laugh and ridicule him, I'll have you know that there is no power on earth that could ever keep your Savior in that grave. Because you have a Savior who's made this incredible journey. It is finished. He finished those final hours. He is our risen Savior. He made that journey. And these are His final, victorious hours.