We are having a special Easter Celebration called "Three Days with Jesus"

If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.—1 John 2:1.

Come celebrate with us on March 30 - April 1, 2018 the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ!

Friday at 7:00pm
Saturday at 11:am (Communion)
Sunday at 10:00am (Prayer Brunch) — at Grandview SDA Church.

Please stay up to date with all that is happening on our website:
https://austellgrandviewga.adventistchurch.org

and on facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/gviewsda/

a heart-breaking, gut wrenching statement is made

“Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged/scourged, and handed him over to be crucified.”

Flogging was a beating administered with a whip or rod, usually on the person’s back.

It was a common method of punishing criminals and of preserving discipline. Flogging is endorsed in the Old Testament (Deut. 25: 1– 3), and later rabbinic tradition gave extensive prescriptions for flogging offenders in the synagogue (cf. Matt. 10: 17; 23: 34).

But Roman flogging was different from Jewish flogging.


This was a horrific method of torture.
The flogging in the Jewish synagogue was limited to forty lashes (see Deut. 25: 3), no were no restrictions on Roman flogging.

Flogging weakened the accused before crucifixion.

The soldiers strip Jesus of his own clothing and put on him a scarlet robe.
Roman soldiers in Jerusalem at the time were known to play a cruel games with condemned prisoners.

Because of his charges as Messiah (anointed one), “King of the Jews”. The soldiers dress him up and mock him as “the king of the Jews.”

A “scarlet robe” worn by one of the Roman soldiers becomes a mock royal robe.

Braided branches with thorns become a mimic crown, perhaps inflicting wounds to his head but certainly becoming a malicious imitation of a Roman emperor’s crown.

A common wooden “staff” is a nasty hoax for a ruler’s scepter. This staff is used to beat Jesus again and again around the head as they spit at him and hurl abuses.

Jesus suffered similar cruel treatment in the house of Caiaphas after he was condemned.

There the high priest’s guards played a brutal game with Jesus in order to ridicule his claim to prophecy (26: 68); here the Roman soldiers play an even more brutal game to ridicule his claim to be the messianic king of Israel (27: 29).

Isaiah also prophesied the scourging and mocking that He would suffer.

Prophesied: “I gave My back to the smiters [scourgers], and My cheeks to them that plucked off the hair; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting” (Isa. 50:6).

CRIMINALS CONDEMNED TO die were customarily required to carry to the scene of crucifixion the heavy wooden crosspiece (patibulum), on which they were to be nailed.

Jesus had already been scourged (27: 26), bringing him close to death. The scourging and loss of blood had so weakened Jesus that he could hardly walk and carry the cross because of the tremendous injury to his skin, muscles, and internal organs.

Simon of Cyrene (27: 32).
After all the scourging, mocking and the beating over the head, the soldiers recognize that Jesus will not be able to carry the cross to the execution site.

Randomly they force a man named Simon from the city of Cyrene to carry the cross.


Wine and gall (27: 34). At the crucifixion site the Roman soldiers offer Jesus “wine . . . mixed with gall.” But after Jesus tastes the mixture, he refuses to drink it.

The practice was done out of compassion.

Prophesied: “They also gave Me gall for My food; and in My thirst they gave Me vinegar to drink” (Psa. 69:21).

Crucifixion was a painful and slow means of execution.

Those passing by hurled insults at the crucified one (cf. 27: 39).
A victim usually died after two or three agonizing days— of thirst, exhaustion, and exposure.


The hands were often nailed or tied to the crossbeam, which was then hoisted up and affixed to the upright stake, to which the feet were then nailed.


Death was sometimes hastened by breaking the legs, but not in Jesus’ case, since he is so weakened by the earlier flogging that he is already near death (cf. John 19: 33).

It is the most painful death ever invented by man and is where we get our term "excruciating." meaning to torture.

It was reserved primarily for the most vicious of male criminals.

Jesus was stripped naked and His clothing divided by the Roman guards.

This was in fulfilment of Psalm 22:18, "They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots."The Crucifixion of Jesus guaranteed a horrific, slow, painful death. Having been nailed the Cross, Jesus now had an impossible anatomical position to maintain.

Jesus' knees were flexed at about 45 degrees, and He was forced to bear His weight with the muscles of His thigh, which is not an anatomical position which is possible to maintain for more than a few minutes without severe cramp in the muscles of the thigh and calf.

6,Jesus' weight was borne on His feet, with nails driven through them. As the strength of the muscles of Jesus' lower limbs tired, the weight of His body had to be transferred to His wrists, His arms, and His shoulders.

7,Within a few minutes of being placed on the Cross, Jesus' shoulders were dislocated. Minutes later Jesus' elbows and wrists became dislocated.

8,The result of these upper limb dislocations is that His arms were 9 inches longer than normal, as clearly shown on the Shroud.

9,In addition prophecy was fulfilled in Psalm 22:14, "I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint."

10,After Jesus' wrists, elbows, and shoulders were dislocated, the weight of His body on his upper limbs caused traction forces on the Pectoralis Major muscles of His chest wall.

11,These traction forces caused His rib cage to be pulled upwards and outwards, in a most unnatural state. His chest wall was permanently in a position of maximal respiratory inspiration. In order to exhale, Jesus was physiologically required to force His body.

12,In order to breathe out, Jesus had to push down on the nails in His feet to raise His body, and allow His rib cage to move downwards and inwards to expire air from His lungs.

13,His lungs were in a resting position of constant maximum inspiration. Crucifixion is a medical catastrophe.

14,The problem was that Jesus could not easily push down on the nails in His feet because the muscles of His legs, bent at 45 degrees, were extremely fatigued, in severe cramp, and in an anatomically compromised position.

15,Unlike all Hollywood movies about the Crucifixion, the victim was extremely active. The crucified victim was physiologically forced to move up and down the cross, a distance of about 12 inches, in order to breathe.

16,The process of respiration caused excruciating pain, mixed with the absolute terror of asphyxiation.

17,As the hours of the Crucifixion wore on, Jesus was less and less able to bear His weight on His legs, as His thigh and calf muscles became increasingly exhausted. There was increasing dislocation of His wrists, elbows and shoulders, and further elevation of His chest wall, making His breathing more and more difficult Within minutes of crucifixion Jesus became severely dyspnoeic (short of breath).

18,His movements up and down the Cross to breathe caused excruciating pain in His wrist, His feet, and His dislocated elbows and shoulders.

19,The movements became less frequent as Jesus became increasingly exhausted, but the terror of imminent death by asphyxiation forced Him to continue in His efforts to breathe.

20,Jesus' lower limb muscles developed excruciating cramp from the effort of pushing down on His legs, to raise His body, so that He could breathe out, in their anatomically compromised position.

21,The pain from His two shattered median nerves in His wrists exploded with every movement.

23,Jesus is covered in blood as a result of the Scourging that nearly killed Him, and the sweat as a result of His violent involuntary attempts to effort to expire air from His lungs.Throughout all this He was completely naked, and the leaders of the Jews, the crowds, and the thieves on both sides of Him were mocking, swearing and laughing at Him.In addition, Jesus' own mother was watching.

25,Because Jesus could not maintain adequate ventilation of His lungs, He was now in a state of hypoventilation (inadequate ventilation).

26,His blood oxygen level began to fall, and He developed Hypoxia (low blood oxygen). In addition, because of His restricted respiratory movements, His blood carbon dioxide (CO2) level began to rise, a condition known as Hypercapnia.

27,This rising CO2 level stimulated His heart to beat faster in order to increase the delivery of oxygen, and the removal of CO2

29,Jesus' physiological reflexes demanded that He took deeper breaths, and He involuntarily moved up and down the Cross much faster, despite the excruciating pain. The agonising movements spontaneously started several times a minute, to the delight of the crowd who jeered Him, the Roman soldiers, and the Sanhedrin.

31,The twin forces of Hypoxia (too little oxygen) and Hypercapnia (too much CO2) caused His heart to beat faster and faster, and Jesus developed Tachycardia.

32,Jesus' heart beat faster and faster, and His pulse rate was probably about 220 beats/ minute, the maximum normally sustainable.

33,Jesus had drunk nothing for 15 hours, since 6 pm the previous evening.

34,He was bleeding from all over His body following the Scourging, the crown of thorns, the nails in His wrists and feet, and the lacerations following His beatings and falls.

35,Jesus was already very dehydrated, and His blood pressure fell alarmingly.
36,His blood pressure was probably about 80/50.
38,By about noon Jesus' heart probably began to fail.
39,Jesus' lungs probably began to fill up with Pulmonary Oedema.
40,This only served to exacerbate His breathing, which was already severely compromised.
41,Jesus was in Heart Failure and Respiratory Failure.
42,Jesus said, "I thirst" because His body was crying out for fluids.
43,Jesus was in desperate need of an intravenous infusion of blood and plasma to save His life
44,Jesus could not breathe properly and was slowly suffocating to death.
45,Plasma and blood gathered in the space around His heart, called the Pericardium.
46,This fluid around His heart,further prevented his' heart from beating properly.
48,Because of the increasing physiological demands on Jesus' heart, Jesus probably eventually sustained Cardiac Rupture. His heart literally burst. This was probably the cause of His death.
49,To slow the process of death the soldiers put a small wooden seat on the Cross, which would allow Jesus the "privilege" of bearing His weight on his sacrum.
50,The effect of this was that it could take up to 9 days to die on a Cross.
51,When the Romans wanted to expedite death they would simply break the legs of the victim, causing the victim to suffocate in a matter of minutes. This was called Crucifragrum.
52,At three o'clock in the afternoon Jesus said, "Tetelastai," meaning, "It is finished." At that moment, He gave up His Spirit, and He died.
53,When the soldiers came to Jesus to break His legs, He was already dead. Not a bone of His body was broken, in fulfilment of prophecy (Ps.34.20; Exod.12.46).

SPIRITUAL:

“While the soldiers were doing their fearful work, Jesus prayed for His enemies, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” His mind passed from His own suffering to the sin of His persecutors, and the terrible retribution that would be theirs. No curses were called down upon the soldiers who were handling Him so roughly. No vengeance was invoked upon the priests and rulers, who were gloating over the accomplishment of their purpose. Christ pitied them in their ignorance and guilt. He breathed only a plea for their forgiveness,—“for they know not what they do.” DA 744
“That prayer of Christ for His enemies embraced the world. It took in every sinner that had lived or should live, from the beginning of the world to the end of time. Upon all rests the guilt of crucifying the Son of God. To all, forgiveness is freely offered. “Whosoever will” may have peace with God, and inherit eternal life.” DA 745


Once Jesus has been nailed to the cross and hoisted in place, the guards sit down to watch, probably to make sure that none of Jesus’ many followers attempt to rescue him.
Only Matthew records this detail, which prepares the way for his insights to the later details of the guards’ reactions to Jesus’ death and resurrection (27: 54, 62– 66; 28: 11– 15).

The two robbers (27: 38). Jesus is not alone at Golgotha. On his right and left are two “robbers” (lestes). These are not common thieves but political insurrectionists (cf. comments on Matt. 27: 16).
Had the people not selected Barabbas over Jesus, Barabbas may have been crucified with these partners in rebellion.
Instead, Jesus, falsely accused of those political crimes, receives a rebel’s execution.
The two sons of Zebedee had requested the privilege of being seated at Jesus’ right and left hand side in his kingdom (20: 21); with bitter irony, Matthew records that two rebel criminals form Jesus’ right-and left-hand attendants on a cross, not a throne.

“To Jesus in His agony on the cross there came one gleam of comfort. It was the prayer of the penitent thief. ...For long hours of agony, reviling and mockery have fallen upon the ears of Jesus. As He hangs upon the cross, there floats up to Him still the sound of jeers and curses. With longing heart He has listened for some expression of faith from His disciples. He has heard only the mournful words, “We trusted that it had been He which should have redeemed Israel.” How grateful then to the Saviour was the utterance of faith and love from the dying thief! While the leading Jews deny Him, and even the disciples doubt His divinity, the poor thief, upon the brink of eternity, calls Jesus Lord. Many were ready to call Him Lord when He wrought miracles, and after He had risen from the grave; but none acknowledged Him as He hung dying upon the cross save the penitent thief who was saved at the eleventh hour.” DA 751

“Christ's position between the thieves was to indicate that He was the greatest criminal of the three. Thus was fulfilled the scripture, “He was numbered with the transgressors.” Isaiah 53:12. But the full meaning of their act the priests did not see. As Jesus, crucified with the thieves, was placed “in the midst,” so His cross was placed in the midst of a world lying in sin.” DA 751

“And now the Lord of glory was dying, a ransom for the race. In yielding up His precious life, Christ was not upheld by triumphant joy. All was oppressive gloom. It was not the dread of death that weighed upon Him. It was not the pain of the cross that caused His inexpressible agony. Christ was the prince of sufferers; but His suffering was from a sense of the destructive nature of sin, a knowledge that through familiarity with evil, man had become blinded to its enormity. Christ saw how deep is the hold of sin upon the human heart, how few would be willing to break from its power. He knew that without help from God, humanity must perish, and He saw multitudes perishing within reach of abundant help.

Upon Christ as our substitute and surety was laid the iniquity of us all. He was counted a transgressor, that He might redeem us from the condemnation of the law. The guilt of every descendant of Adam was pressing upon His heart. The wrath of God against sin, the terrible manifestation of His displeasure because of iniquity, filled the soul of His Son with consternation. All His life Christ had been publishing to a fallen world the good news of the Father's mercy and pardoning love. Salvation for the chief of sinners was His theme. But now with the terrible weight of guilt He bears, He cannot see the Father's reconciling face. The withdrawal of the divine countenance from the Saviour in this hour of supreme anguish pierced His heart with a sorrow that can never be fully understood by man. So great was this agony that His physical pain was hardly felt.”

Isaiah also foretold Jesus Christ’s crucifixion as the sin offering for the world.Prophesied: (Isa. 53:4-6, 10-11).“Surely He has borne our infirmities, and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we ourselves are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned each one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.... Yet the LORD willed to crush Him and He has put Him to grief: You shall make His life an offering for sin. He shall see His seed; He shall prolong His days, and that the purpose of the LORD might prosper in His hand. He shall see of the travail of His soul. He shall be fully satisfied. By His knowledge shall My righteous Servant justify many; and He shall bear their iniquities”

Jesus gives up his spirit (27: 50).

He cries out again in a loud voice. Jesus’ final cry, is one final agonizing experience of separation from the Father as he bears humanity’s sin-punishment.

Matthew shows that to the very end Jesus maintains volitional control over his destiny.

He approaches his death willingly (cf. John 10: 17– 18). John 10:17-18 (NKJV)17 “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”Jesus comes to the recognition that he has paid in full the debt for sin; with a shout of victory Jesus cries out, “It is finished” (John 19: 30).

John uses a single word tetelestai to record this triumph, a phrase used often in this sense on ancient Greek receipts, “PAID IN FULL.”

“That He might sanctify the people with His own blood,” Christ “suffered without the gate.” Hebrews 13:12. For transgression of the law of God, Adam and Eve were banished from Eden. Christ, our substitute, was to suffer outside the boundaries of Jerusalem. He died outside the gate, where felons and murderers were executed. Full of significance are the words, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us.” Galatians 3:13.

The redemption that Jesus came to achieve was accomplished once for all.
Hebrews 10:5-10Christ’s Death Fulfills God’s Will5 Therefore, when He came into the world, He said:“Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,But a body You have prepared for Me.6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sinYou had no pleasure.7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—In the volume of the book it is written of Me—To do Your will, O God.’”8 Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), 9 then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. 10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

The Lord’s Supper —

The Supper/Communion is a reminder that "on the night when he was betrayed" (1 Cor. 11:23), on the night He was taken to Pilate and the priests, on the night before He was crucified, Jesus gave a solemn message to His disciples that they need to remember that the bread and the wine are symbols of His body about to be broken and His blood about to be shed for the remission of sins (see Matt. 26:28).

The broken body and the shed blood were not acts of a martyr suffering and dying for the vindication of his life or faith. Jesus was not a Lincoln dying for the preservation of a people and a concept; He was not a Gandhi dying for the emergence of a nation.

Jesus was God's redemptive activity for the problem of sin.
Jesus ordained the Lord's Supper and commanded that it be kept until He returns.

He is saying today, remember my sacrifice and know that I love you!

— Hebrews 9:24-28 (NKJV)
24 For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another— 26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

Closing Hymn — #633 "When We All Get to Heaven"


Offering for the poor — An offering for the poor is often taken, please feel free to give online.