Ultimate Sacrifice

Let us not forget the meaning of Easter.

"They stripped him (Jesus) and put a scarlet robe on him. They made a crown of long, sharp thorns and put it on his head, and they placed a stick in his right hand and a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mockery, yelling, "Hail! King of the Jews!" And they spit on him and grabbed the stick and beat 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.

After they had nailed him to the cross, the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. Then they sat around and kept guard as he hung there. A signboard was fastened to the cross above Jesus' head, announcing the charge against him. It read: "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews."

At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o'clock. Then, at that time Jesus called out with a loud voice, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last.

This all happened on Friday, the day of preparation, the day before the Sabbath. Joseph bought a long sheet of linen cloth, and taking Jesus' body down from the cross, he wrapped it in the cloth and laid it in a tomb that had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone in front of the entrance. Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Joseph saw where Jesus' body was laid." (Matthew, Mark NLT)