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Share of an incident where you personally have seen someone dying:
Matthew 27:45-56
45 From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.
46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah."
48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink.
49 The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him."
50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.
52 The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.
53 They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!"
55 Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs.
56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.
1. If you were the editor of the Jerusalem Times, what headline would you pick to describe the events of the Scripture passage the next day?
Strange darkness descends / Earthquake rocks city / Temple curtain ruined / Dead people reported seen / Spiritual leader killed / Three thieves crucified.
2. How would you describe Jesus in his obituary?
Prominent civic leader / Controversial teacher / Trouble maker / Failure / Innocent victim / The so-called Messiah / Mysterious miracle worker.
3. Of Jesus own followers, how many do you think understood what was happening to Jesus on the day he died?
Not one / Maybe the women / The centurion / Only his disciples.
4. Why did darkness cover the land for three hours?
Just a coincidence / An eclipse of sun / God was mad at the world / The darkness of sin reigned
5. What caused Jesus to cry out "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
The physical pain He was suffering / The feeling that God had deserted Him / God really did turn His back on Him at that moment / God did not send his angles to rescue Him as He expected / He thought the whole world had turned against Him / He was angry with God
6. What is so significant about the curtain in the temple being torn in two?
The barrier between God and man was taken away / Everyone can approach God directly now / No more need for mystery / Fellowship restored between God and mankind.
7. When you think about the death of Jesus, what person in this story best describes you?
The temple crowd - detached, cynical / The one who brought the sponge-hostile
jokester? / One of the people raised from the dead / The centurion - terrified but awed / Women followers-sympathetic and caring
8. What remains a mystery to you about the death of Jesus?
Why it ever happened / How God could let it happen / Why nobody came to his rescue / Why the disciples didn’t understand / How the earthquake and the darkness happened.
9. At what point in your life did you come to realize that Jesus died for you?
As a child / Years ago / Just recently / Don’t know that I have
10. How would you describe the way the death of Jesus has impacted your life, life style and whole system of values?
A little bit / A whole lot / Not as much as it should / A lot more than it used to / I’m not sure.
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