Psalm 31:9–16 • Isaiah 50:4–9a • Philippians 2:5–11 • Matthew 27:11–54

Today’s theme is God rescues us from evil. For our call to worship psalm, we have a confident prayer for God’s mercy, for the Lord to deliver the one who puts his trust in God. Our Old Testament reading from Isaiah emphasizes the resolve of the suffering servant who waits for God’s vindication. We see God’s vindication in our reading from Philippians where Jesus is exalted above every name. The Gospel text in Matthew recounts a portion of the passion narrative that includes the trial and crucifixion of Jesus and concludes with the affirmation of faith by a centurion.

God Rescues Us from Evil

Matthew 27:11–54 NRSVUE

Passion Sunday is the day when we slow down and remember the story of Jesus’ suffering and death. We remember the crucifixion when Jesus was put to death on a cross. Passion Sunday points to the moment when the Son of God stepped into our world, into real time and real history. It changes everything for us. God rescues us from evil.

This is not a fairy tale. It happened in a world full of governments, armies, crowds, and ordinary people. Jesus entered that world with a mission of love from the Father. He came to bring salvation — rescue, healing, forgiveness, and new life. He came to draw near to us and to draw us close to him.

When we read Matthew’s story of the cross, we see two very different ways of being human or ways of living. We can call these ways of living light and darkness.

When you compare the light and darkness in this story in Matthew 27 you see the contrast very clearly. We see the darkness shaped by fear, pride, injustice, and violence. We see light shaped by love, truth, humility, and grace.

It’s good to pause and explain that in this case, when we talk about light and darkness, we mean goodness and evil: Light as a symbol of God and his goodness. Darkness as a symbol of evil and sin.

We use darkness to mean blindness to who God is and who we are. When we don’t know who we are, this blindness results in all kinds of distortions and harm. We miss the mark of the goodness and wholeness that God intended for us. We call missing the mark sin.

We are not saying that the dark of night is bad. God created the daylight and the night and called it good. The daily cycle of night with its darkness is important for rest and renewal.

Most people know that plants need sunlight to grow. But did you know that some flowers will not bloom without sufficient darkness? An orchid is one of those flowers; it needs time in complete darkness to produce a flower. The dark of night is not evil.

So, in our story today, we see a clear picture of the Trinity — God who is three-in-one, Father, Son, Spirit. We see the Light of the world, Jesus, crucified on a cross. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, Jesus keeps walking in quiet obedience to his Father. God rescues us from evil.

Let’s read the story. (Read or ask someone to read Matthew 27:11–54 NRSVUE now or during the “scripture reading” portion of the service.)

Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You say so.” But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he did not answer. Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many accusations they make against you?” But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed. Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted. At that time they had a notorious prisoner called Jesus Barabbas. So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over. While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about him.” Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” Pilate said to them, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” All of them said, “Let him be crucified!” Then he asked, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!” So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” Then the people as a whole answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” So he released Barabbas for them, and after flogging Jesus he handed him over to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and after twisting some thorns into a crown they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They spat on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him. As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry his cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And when they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots; then they sat down there and kept watch over him. Over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” Then two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to, for he said, ‘I am God’s Son.’” The rebels who were crucified with him also taunted him in the same way. From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “This man is calling for Elijah.” At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!” Matthew 27:11–54 NRSVUE

Reflecting on the Story

Each part of this story reveals something about the heart of God and how much we need God to rescue us from evil and darkness.

Matthew 27 describes Jesus’ death on the cross and is a crucial part of the story of how God saves us. At times, people speak about God’s saving action in the world using phrases like: Love wins. Or evil doesn’t win. When we talk about salvation in terms of win/lose language, it can give the impression of a contest or a battle with one side pitted against the other side.

We risk sounding like darkness, evil, the power of sin and death is an equal and worthy opponent of God. God versus evil. Light versus darkness. On the one side is Light; on the other side is darkness. Who will win?

Let’s be clear. When Jesus came and stripped death and sin of its power, it was not a contest. It was a rescue mission. Darkness never stood a chance.

This was not like a sporting contest where everyone is on the edge of their seat wondering which team will win, as if we have our fingers crossed hoping that team goodness will win. No!

God and his goodness have always existed. Light came first as humankind’s original way of existing. It’s reality. Light is the right-side-up, God’s original intent and will for us.

Only later did darkness enter the world as sin, hatred, selfishness, greed, and distrust of God. Darkness is upside-down; it’s unreality.

So, when Jesus saved us, he was recreating us. Jesus, the true Light of the world, restores what has always, already been true. God’s creation is intended to live in the light.

Jesus came to rescue us and bring us into new creation. Jesus didn’t come to battle it out with darkness. But that does not mean it was easy! Jesus is fully God and fully human, and he resisted darkness as a human. His real human body was beaten and wounded. He bled real blood. His final breath escaped his real lungs.

God saving us was never a contest with winners and losers. It was only ever a Creator rescuing his creation from darkness, bringing re-creation. He restored creation to its original goodness. God rescues us from evil.

Every group in the Matthew 27 story shows a part of the human heart that is blind and in darkness. We can probably see ourselves in them. We all are part of the darkness that Jesus came to save us from. We too need Jesus to rescue us.

The religious leaders are willing to twist the truth to stay in control. They push for violence. They use lies, manipulation, and fear to move the crowd.

The government official, Pilate, appears to know Jesus is innocent. Yet Pilate refuses to do what is right.

The crowd shouts, “Let his blood be on us and our children.” Those words sound terrifying, but Jesus has already said his blood is poured out “for the forgiveness of sins.” The crowd asks for judgment, but Jesus gives mercy. That is the heart of the gospel. Again and again, Jesus gives grace to people who do not ask for it and cannot earn it.

We see the soldiers mock Jesus, beat him, and dress him up as a fake king. Their actions show how far human cruelty can go.

At the center of it all stands Jesus. He remains silent. He remains steady. He remains faithful. He had faced temptations earlier in his ministry. He was tempted to use power, to avoid suffering, and to prove himself through displays of strength. Now those same temptations return through the voices around him: “Save yourself!” “Come down from the cross!” “If you are the Son of God …”

But Jesus refuses. He absorbs every cruel word without giving any back. He lets the worst of humanity fall on him so he can break its power forever.

He will not save himself because he has come to save us. He will not come down because his mission is to lift us up. He lifts us up into his life with the Father, by the Spirit. God rescues us from evil.

Jesus is the one person in this story who stays faithful. He does not argue. He does not fight back. He does not defend himself. He follows the Father’s path with a steady heart. And as he walks toward the cross, something mysterious and powerful happens. He draws out all the evil of the world — all the hatred, all the fear, all the cruelty — so he can destroy it through his love. As all that evil and darkness rises around him, he does not return darkness in return. He absorbs it and takes it to the cross.

And that is good news for us. Jesus draws out all the evil that stands against him, simultaneously draws us into the light and life he shares with the Father and the Spirit. His path to the cross exposes what is wrong with the world and with our hearts, and then his death breaks its power.

There is a small detail in the story that can help us understand Jesus’ love. The soldiers soak a sponge in wine and lift it to Jesus on a stick. There is a simple picture here. Jesus is taking in the cruelty of everyone around him. He is absorbing the hatred and fear we heap on him. In a way, he himself becomes like that sponge — lifting up all of our bitterness, soaking up all our sin, taking every drop of our brokenness into himself. He does this not to crush us but to free us.

Then Jesus takes all of that darkness to the cross. When he dies, it is like he wrings out that sponge and pours out the power of sin and death into the grave. Nothing is left. Nothing holds him. His death becomes the death of everything that holds us captive. Jesus broke the power of sin and death. God rescues us from evil.

At three o’clock, Jesus cries out with the words of Psalm 22: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” These words show that Jesus steps into the deepest human suffering. He embraces the cross as one who walks willingly into the place of deepest human need. In his cry of abandonment, he joins himself to every person who has ever felt abandoned. He knows what it feels like when God seems silent. He knows the weight of loneliness. He knows the pain of abandonment. But even in this cry, Jesus trusts the Father. He stays faithful to the very end.

When Jesus dies, creation responds. The curtain in the temple tears from top to bottom. The earth shakes. Rocks split open. Tombs open and people rise. These signs show that the death of Jesus is not just another tragedy. It is the turning point of history. The power of darkness is shaking. The old order of evil is breaking apart. A new creation is beginning.

Even the Roman centurion, a hardened soldier, sees what is happening and says, “Truly this man was God’s Son.” He sees something in Jesus’ death that reveals the truth.

Killing Jesus on the cross was meant for evil but becomes the very thing God uses for good.

This is not only a story about the past. This is a story that shapes our lives today. Jesus still draws us away from the lives in darkness we build on fear and pride. He still draws us out of shame and sin. God rescues us from evil.

And he still draws us into a life where we join his mission of healing the world. Jesus invites us to join him in simple, everyday ways. We can reflect God’s light through kindness, through listening, through forgiving others. We can choose peace over anger, stand beside people who are hurting, and work for justice.

The cross does not only save us; it sends us. It sends us into the world as people shaped by Jesus’ love. We then participate with God as he rescues the world from evil.

God rescues us from evil. Amen.

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Small Group Discussion Questions