"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength."[Proverbs 17:22]
I have a little game I play with my granddaughters. When we are out and about, I ask them the question, "Do you want to go the regular way or do you want to go the secret way?"
Of course, they excitedly squeal, "The secret way, Papa, the secret way!" And that is the way we go.
Oh, by the way, there really is no "secret way" to speak of. If we are in a car, it's simply an alternate route. Or if we are going into a restaurant, I may take them in a side door instead of the front.
The idea is, let's have fun when and where we can.
Life is hard enough without making it harder. Sometimes we have rough days, and sometimes life is hard—very hard. Especially for a person who has lost a loved one and is in the depths of grief.
I speak to many of these people every day because I am a fellow griever, and we always seem to find each other.
I have found that a little humor can really help. One person said, "Laughter is a temporary vacation from grief."
I like that. Or we could just call it "the secret way."
The Bible says "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength" (Proverbs 17:22NLT).
So try to laugh today. Or instead of going the regular way to where you need to go, try to go "the secret way."
Share this today:
Weekend Bible Reading
2 Samuel 17:1 Achitofel said to Avshalom, “Let me now choose 12,000 men, and I will pursue David tonight. 2 I’ll fall on him unexpectedly when he’s tired and powerless. I’ll frighten him, all the people with him will flee, and I’ll attack only the king. 3 Then I will bring back to you all the people; and when they have all returned, except the one you are seeking, all the people will be at peace.” 4 What he said pleased Avshalom and all the leaders of Isra’el.
5 Then Avshalom said, “Now call also Hushai the Arki, and let’s give equal hearing to what he has to say.” 6 When Hushai appeared before Avshalom, Avshalom said to him, “Achitofel has said such-and-such. Should we do what he says? If not, you tell us.” 7 Hushai said to Avshalom, “The advice Achitofel has given this time is not good. 8 You know,” continued Hushai, “that your father and his men are powerful men, and that they are as bitter as a bear deprived of her cubs in the wild. Moreover, your father is a military man, and he won’t camp with the rest of the people — 9 right now he’s hidden in a pit or somewhere. So what will happen is this: when they begin their attack, and whoever hears about it says, ‘A slaughter is taking place among Avshalom’s followers,’ 10 then even the strongest among them, someone whose courage is that of a lion, will completely collapse! For all Isra’el knows that your father is a powerful man, and those with him are powerful men. 11 Rather, I advise that you summon all Isra’el to come to you, from Dan to Be’er-Sheva, numbering as many as sand grains on the seashore; and then you go to battle, yourself. 12 In this way we’ll come upon him wherever he is, and we’ll fall on him as the dew falls on the ground; of him and all the men with him we won’t leave even one alive. 13 If he withdraws into a city, then all Isra’el will bring up ropes to that city, and we will drag it into the riverbed until not even a pebble is left.” 14 Avshalom and all the men of Isra’el said, “The advice of Hushai the Arki is better than the advice of Achitofel” — for Adonai had determined to frustrate the good advice of Achitofel, so that Adonai could bring disaster on Avshalom.
15 Then Hushai said to Tzadok and Evyatar the cohanim, “Achitofel gave such-and-such advice to Avshalom and the leaders of Isra’el, but I advised so and so. 16 Now therefore send quickly and tell David, “Don’t stay tonight in the desert plains; but, whatever it takes, move on from there! Otherwise, the king and all the people with him will be engulfed.” 17 Y’honatan and Achima‘atz were staying at ‘Ein-Rogel; a female servant was to go and tell them, and they in turn were to go and tell King David — for it would not do to have them seen entering the city. 18 But a boy saw them and told Avshalom; so both of them took off quickly and came to the house of a man in Bachurim who had a cistern in his courtyard; and they went down into it. 19 His wife spread a covering over the cistern’s opening and scattered drying grain on it, so that nothing showed. 20 Avshalom’s servants came to the woman at the house and asked, “Where are Achima‘atz and Y’honatan?” The woman answered them, “They’ve crossed the stream.” After searching and not finding them, they returned to Yerushalayim.
21 After they had left, the two climbed out of the cistern and went and told King David, “Get up and cross the river, because Achitofel has given such-and-such advice against you.” 22 David and all the people with him got up and crossed the Yarden; by dawn every one of them had crossed the Yarden. 23 When Achitofel saw that his advice was not being followed, he saddled his donkey, set out, and went home to his own city. After setting his house in order, he hanged himself; he died and was buried in his father’s tomb.
24 David had reached Machanayim by the time Avshalom and all the men of Isra’el crossed the Yarden. 25 Avshalom had put ‘Amasa in charge of the army in place of Yo’av. ‘Amasa was the son of a man whose name was Yitra the Isra’eli, who had had sexual relations with Avigal the daughter of Nachash, Tz’ruyah’s sister and Yo’av’s mother. 26 Isra’el and Avshalom pitched camp in the land of Gil‘ad.
27 After David had arrived in Machanayim, Shovi the son of Nachash, from Rabbah of the people of ‘Amon; Machir the son of ‘Ammi’el from Lo-D’var and Barzillai the Gil‘adi from Roglim 28 brought beds, basins, clay pots, wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils, roasted millet, 29 honey, curdled milk, sheep and cheese made of cow’s milk for David and the people with him to eat; because they said, “These people are hungry, tired and thirsty from the desert.”
Psalm 71:1 In you, Adonai, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
2 In your righteousness, rescue me;
and help me to escape.
Turn your ear toward me,
and deliver me.
3 Be for me a sheltering rock,
where I can always come.
You have determined to save me,
because you are my bedrock and stronghold.
4 My God, help me escape from the power of the wicked,
from the grasp of the unjust and ruthless.
5 For you are my hope, Adonai Elohim,
in whom I have trusted since I was young.
6 From birth I have relied on you;
it was you who took me from my mother’s womb.
7 To many, I am an amazing example;
but you are strong protection for me.
8 My mouth is full of praise for you,
filled with your glory all day long.
9 Don’t reject me when I grow old;
when my strength fails, don’t abandon me.
10 For my enemies are talking about me,
those seeking my life are plotting together.
11 They say, “God has abandoned him;
go after him, and seize him,
because no one will save him.”
12 God, don’t distance yourself from me!
My God, hurry to help me!
13 May those who are opposed to me
be put to shame and ruin;
may those who seek to harm me
be covered with scorn and disgrace.
14 But I, I will always hope
and keep adding to your praise.
15 All day long my mouth will tell
of your righteous deeds and acts of salvation,
though their number is past my knowing.
16 I will come in the power of Adonai Elohim
and recall your righteousness, yours alone.
17 God, you have taught me since I was young,
and I still proclaim your wonderful works.
18 So now that I’m old, and my hair is gray,
don’t abandon me, God, till I have proclaimed
your strength to the next generation,
your power to all who will come,
19 your righteousness too, God,
which reaches to the heights.
God, you have done great things;
who is there like you?
20 You have made me see much trouble and hardship,
but you will revive me again
and bring me up from the depths of the earth.
21 You will increase my honor;
turn and comfort me.
22 As for me, I will praise you with a lyre
for your faithfulness, my God.
I will sing praises to you with a lute,
Holy One of Isra’el.
23 My lips will shout for joy;
I will sing your praise, because you have redeemed me.
24 All day long my tongue
will speak of your righteousness.
For those who are seeking to harm me
will be put to shame and disgraced.
Matthew 26:1 When Yeshua had finished speaking, he said to his talmidim, 2 “As you know, Pesach is two days away, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be nailed to the execution-stake.”
3 Then the head cohanim and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of Kayafa the cohen hagadol. 4 They made plans to arrest Yeshua surreptitiously and have him put to death; 5 but they said, “Not during the festival, or the people will riot.”
6 Yeshua was in Beit-Anyah, at the home of Shim‘on, the man who had had tzara’at. 7 A woman who had an alabaster jar filled with very expensive perfume approached Yeshua while he was eating and began pouring it on his head. 8 When the talmidim saw it, they became very angry. “Why this waste?” they asked. 9 “This could have been sold for a lot of money and given to the poor.” 10 But Yeshua, aware of what was going on, said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing for me. 11 The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. 12 She poured this perfume on me to prepare my body for burial. 13 Yes! I tell you that throughout the whole world, wherever this Good News is proclaimed, what she has done will be told in her memory.”
14 Then one of the Twelve, the one called Y’hudah from K’riot, went to the head cohanim 15 and said, “What are you willing to give me if I turn Yeshua over to you?” They counted out thirty silver coins and gave them to Y’hudah.[a] 16 From then on he looked for a good opportunity to betray him.
17 On the first day for matzah, the talmidim came to Yeshua and asked, “Where do you want us to prepare your Seder?” 18 “Go into the city, to so-and-so,” he replied, “and tell him that the Rabbi says, ‘My time is near, my talmidim and I are celebrating Pesach at your house.’” 19 The talmidim did as Yeshua directed and prepared the Seder.
20 When evening came, Yeshua reclined with the twelve talmidim; 21 and as they were eating, he said, “Yes, I tell you that one of you is going to betray me.” 22 They became terribly upset and began asking him, one after the other, “Lord, you don’t mean me, do you?” 23 He answered, “The one who dips his matzah in the dish with me is the one who will betray me. 24 The Son of Man will die just as the Tanakh says he will; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for him had he never been born!” 25 Y’hudah, the one who was betraying him, then asked, “Surely, Rabbi, you don’t mean me?” He answered, “The words are yours.”
26 While they were eating, Yeshua took a piece of matzah, made the b’rakhah, broke it, gave it to the talmidim and said, “Take! Eat! This is my body!” 27 Also he took a cup of wine, made the b’rakhah, and gave it to them, saying, “All of you, drink from it! 28 For this is my blood, which ratifies the New Covenant, my blood shed on behalf of many, so that they may have their sins forgiven. 29 I tell you, I will not drink this ‘fruit of the vine’ again until the day I drink new wine with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”
30 After singing the Hallel, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 31 Yeshua then said to them, “Tonight you will all lose faith in me, as the Tanakh says, ‘I will strike the shepherd dead, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’[b] 32 But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you into the Galil.” 33 “I will never lose faith in you,” Kefa answered, “even if everyone else does.” 34 Yeshua said to him, “Yes! I tell you that tonight before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!” 35 “Even if I must die with you,” Kefa replied, “I will never disown you!” And all the talmidim said the same thing.
36 Then Yeshua went with his talmidim to a place called Gat-Sh’manim and said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took with him Kefa and Zavdai’s two sons. Grief and anguish came over him, 38 and he said to them, “My heart is so filled with sadness that I could die! Remain here and stay awake with me.” 39 Going on a little farther, he fell on his face, praying, “My Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me! Yet — not what I want, but what you want!” 40 He returned to the talmidim and found them sleeping. He said to Kefa, “Were you so weak that you couldn’t stay awake with me for even an hour? 41 Stay awake, and pray that you will not be put to the test — the spirit indeed is eager, but human nature is weak.”
42 A second time he went off and prayed. “My Father, if this cup cannot pass away unless I drink it, let what you want be done.” 43 Again he returned and found them sleeping, their eyes were so heavy.
44 Leaving them again, he went off and prayed a third time, saying the same words. 45 Then he came to the talmidim and said, “For now, go on sleeping, take your rest. . . . Look! The time has come for the Son of Man to be betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Get up! Let’s go! Here comes my betrayer!”
47 While Yeshua was still speaking, Y’hudah (one of the Twelve!) came, and with him a large crowd carrying swords and clubs, from the head cohanim and elders of the people. 48 The betrayer had arranged to give them a signal: “The man I kiss is the one you want — grab him!” 49 He went straight up to Yeshua, said, “Shalom, Rabbi!” and kissed him. 50 Yeshua said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they moved forward, laid hold of Yeshua and arrested him.
51 At that, one of the men with Yeshua reached for his sword, drew it out and struck at the servant of the cohen hagadol, cutting off his ear. 52 Yeshua said to him, “Put your sword back where it belongs, for everyone who uses the sword will die by the sword. 53 Don’t you know that I can ask my Father, and he will instantly provide more than a dozen armies of angels to help me? 54 But if I did that, how could the passages in the Tanakh be fulfilled that say it has to happen this way?”
55 Then Yeshua addressed the crowd: “So you came out to take me with swords and clubs, the way you would the leader of a rebellion? Every day I sat in the Temple court, teaching; and you didn’t seize me then. 56 But all this has happened so that what the prophets wrote may be fulfilled.” Then the talmidim all deserted him and ran away.
57 Those who had seized Yeshua led him off to Kayafa the cohen hagadol, where the Torah-teachers and elders were assembled. 58 Kefa followed him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the cohen hagadol; then he went inside and sat down with the guards to see what the outcome would be.
59 The head cohanim and the whole Sanhedrin looked for some false evidence against Yeshua, so that they might put him to death. 60 But they didn’t find any, even though many liars came forward to give testimony. At last, however, two people came forward and said, 61 “This man said, ‘I can tear down God’s Temple and build it again in three days.’” 62 The cohen hagadol stood up and said, “Have you nothing to say to the accusation these men are making?” 63 Yeshua remained silent. The cohen hagadol said to him, “I put you under oath! By the living God, tell us if you are the Mashiach, the Son of God!” 64 Yeshua said to him, “The words are your own. But I tell you that one day you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of HaG’vurah and coming on the clouds of heaven.”[c] 65 At this, the cohen hagadol tore his robes. “Blasphemy!” he said. “Why do we still need witnesses? You heard him blaspheme! 66 What is your verdict?” “Guilty,” they answered. “He deserves death!” 67 Then they spit in his face and pounded him with their fists; and those who were beating him 68 said, “Now, you ‘Messiah,’ ‘prophesy’ to us: who hit you that time?”
69 Kefa was sitting outside in the courtyard when a servant girl came up to him. “You too were with Yeshua from the Galil,” she said. 70 But he denied it in front of everyone — “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” 71 He went out onto the porch, and another girl saw him and said to the people there, “This man was with Yeshua of Natzeret.” 72 Again he denied it, swearing, “I don’t know the man!” 73 After a little while, the bystanders approached Kefa and said, “You must be one of them — your accent gives you away.” 74 This time he began to invoke a curse on himself as he swore, “I do not know the man!” — and immediately a rooster crowed. 75 Kefa remembered what Yeshua had said, “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times”; and he went outside and cried bitterly.[Footnotes:
Matthew 26:15 Zechariah 11:12
Matthew 26:31 Zechariah 13:7
Matthew 26:64 Daniel 7:13; Psalm 110:1]
2 Samuel 18:1 David took a census of the people who were with him and appointed over them commanders of thousands and of hundreds. 2 Then David dispatched the people, a third of them under the command of Yo’av, a third under Avishai the son of Tz’ruyah, Yo’av’s brother, and a third under Ittai the Gitti; and the king said to the people, “I will also go out with you, myself.” 3 But the people replied, “Don’t go out; because if we flee, they won’t care about us. Even if half of us die, they won’t care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us; so it is better now that you stay in the city and be ready if we need help.” 4 The king answered them, “I will do whatever you think best.” So the king stood at the side of the gate, while all the people went out by hundreds and by thousands. 5 The king gave orders to Yo’av, Avishai and Ittai, “For my sake, deal gently with young Avshalom.” All the people were listening when the king gave all the commanders this order concerning Avshalom.
6 So the people went out into the field against Isra’el; the battle took place in the forest of Efrayim. 7 The people of Isra’el were defeated there by David’s servants; there was a terrible slaughter that day of 20,000 men. 8 For the battle there was spread all over the countryside; the forest devoured more people that day than did the sword.
9 Avshalom happened to meet some of David’s servants. Avshalom was riding his mule, and as the mule walked under the thick branches of a big terebinth tree, his head got caught in the terebinth, so that he was left hanging between earth and sky, as the mule went on from under him. 10 Someone saw it and told Yo’av, “I saw Avshalom hanging in a terebinth.” 11 Yo’av asked the man who told him, “Here now, you saw it; so why didn’t you strike him to the ground then and there? I would have had to give you ten pieces of silver and a belt besides.” 12 The man replied to Yo’av, “Even if I were to get a thousand pieces of silver, I still wouldn’t raise my hand against the son of the king! After all, while we were listening, the king ordered you, Avishai and Ittai, ‘Be careful that no one touches young Avshalom.’ 13 Or, if I had pretended that I didn’t know, the king would have known otherwise anyway; and you wouldn’t have interceded for me either.” 14 Yo’av said, “I can’t waste time arguing with you!” He took three darts in his hand and rammed them through Avshalom’s heart while he was still alive, hanging from the terebinth. 15 Then Yo’av’s ten young armor-bearers surrounded Avshalom, struck him and killed him.
16 Yo’av sounded the shofar, and the people returned from pursuing Isra’el, because Yo’av held back the troops. 17 They took Avshalom and threw him into a big pit in the forest and piled a big heap of stones over him. All Isra’el fled, each one to his tent. 18 In his own lifetime Avshalom had taken and raised for himself the pillar which stands in the King’s Valley; because he said, “I don’t have a son to preserve the memory of my name.” So he named the pillar after himself, and it’s called Avshalom’s Monument to this day.
19 Then Achima‘atz the son of Tzadok said, “Let me run now and bring news to the king that Adonai has judged in his favor by releasing him from his enemies.” 20 Yo’av said to him, “You are not to be the one to bring the news today; you can convey news another day; but today you will not bring news, because the king’s son is dead.” 21 Then Yo’av said to the Ethiopian, “Go, tell the king what you saw.” The Ethiopian bowed to Yo’av, then ran off. 22 But Achima‘atz the son of Tzadok said again to Yo’av, “Come what may, please let me also run after the Ethiopian.” Yo’av answered, “Why do you want to run, my son? You won’t receive any reward for bringing the news.” 23 “I don’t care — whatever happens, I want to run.” So he said to him, “Run.” Then Achima‘atz ran by the road through the desert flats and outran the Ethiopian.
24 David was sitting between the two gates. A watchman went up to the roof of the gate and out onto the wall, raised his eyes, looked, and saw there a man running by himself. 25 The watchman cried out and told the king. The king said, “If he’s alone, he has good news to tell.” As he ran along and came close, 26 the watchman saw another man running and called to the gatekeeper, “There’s another man running by himself.” The king said, “He too must have good news.” 27 The watchman said, “The first one runs like Achima‘atz the son of Tzadok.” The king said, “He’s a good man, he comes with good news.”
28 Achima‘atz called to the king, “Shalom,” prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground and said, “Blessed be Adonai your God, who has handed over the men who rebelled against my lord the king.” 29 The king asked, “Is everything all right with young Avshalom?” Achima‘atz answered, “When Yo’av sent the king’s servant and me your servant, I saw a big commotion; but I didn’t know what it was.” 30 The king said, “Go, and stand over there.” So he went and stood there. 31 Then up came the Ethiopian, and the Ethiopian said, “There’s good news for my lord the king, for Adonai has judged in your favor and rid you of all those who rebelled against you.” 32 The king asked the Ethiopian, “Is everything all right with young Avshalom?” The Ethiopian answered, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rebel against you in order to harm you be as that young man is.”
Psalm 56: (0) For the leader. Set to “The Silent Dove in the Distance.” By David; a mikhtam, when the P’lishtim captured him in Gat:
2 (1) Show me favor, God;
for people are trampling me down —
all day they fight and press on me.
3 (2) Those who are lying in wait for me
would trample on me all day.
For those fighting against me are many.
Most High, 4 (3) when I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.
5 (4) In God — I praise his word —
in God I trust; I have no fear;
what can human power do to me?
6 (5) All day long they twist my words;
their only thought is to harm me.
7 (6) They gather together and hide themselves,
spying on my movements, hoping to kill me.
8 (7) Because of their crime, they cannot escape;
in anger, God, strike down the peoples.
9 (8) You have kept count of my wanderings;
store my tears in your water-skin —
aren’t they already recorded in your book?
10 (9) Then my enemies will turn back
on the day when I call;
this I know: that God is for me.
11 (10) In God — I praise his word —
in Adonai — I praise his word —
12 (11) in God I trust; I have no fear;
what can mere humans do to me?
13 (12) God, I have made vows to you;
I will fulfill them with thank offerings to you.
14 (13) For you rescued me from death,
you kept my feet from stumbling,
so that I can walk in God’s presence,
in the light of life.
Matthew 27:1 Early in the morning, all the head cohanim and elders met to plan how to bring about Yeshua’s death. 2 Then they put him in chains, led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor.
3 When Y’hudah, who had betrayed him, saw that Yeshua had been condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the head cohanim and elders, 4 saying, “I sinned in betraying an innocent man to death.” “What is that to us?” they answered. “That’s your problem.” 5 Hurling the pieces of silver into the sanctuary, he left; then he went off and hanged himself.
6 The head cohanim took the silver coins and said, “It is prohibited to put this into the Temple treasury, because it is blood money.” 7 So they decided to use it to buy the potter’s field as a cemetery for foreigners. 8 This is how it came to be called the Field of Blood, a name it still bears. 9 Then what Yirmeyahu the prophet spoke was fulfilled, “And they took the thirty silver coins, which was the price the people of Isra’el had agreed to pay for him, 10 and used them to buy the potter’s field, just as the Lord directed me.”[a]
11 Meanwhile, Yeshua was brought before the governor, and the governor put this question to him: “Are you the King of the Jews?” Yeshua answered, “The words are yours.” 12 But when he was accused by the head cohanim and elders, he gave no answer. 13 Then Pilate said to him, “Don’t you hear all these charges they are making against you?” 14 But to the governor’s great amazement, he did not say a single word in reply to the accusations.
15 It was the governor’s custom during a festival to set free one prisoner, whomever the crowd asked for. 16 There was at that time a notorious prisoner being held, named Yeshua Bar-Abba. 17 So when a crowd had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to set free for you? Bar-Abba? or Yeshua, called ‘the Messiah’?” 18 For he understood that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over. 19 While he was sitting in court, his wife sent him a message, “Leave that innocent man alone. Today in a dream I suffered terribly because of him.” 20 But the head cohanim persuaded the crowd to ask for Bar-Abba’s release and to have Yeshua executed on the stake. 21 “Which of the two do you want me to set free for you?” asked the governor. “Bar-Abba!” they answered. 22 Pilate said to them, “Then what should I do with Yeshua, called ‘the Messiah’?” They all said, “Put him to death on the stake! Put him to death on the stake!” 23 When he asked, “Why? What crime has he committed?” they shouted all the louder, “Put him to death on the stake!” 24 When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water, washed his hands in front of the crowd, and said, “My hands are clean of this man’s blood; it’s your responsibility.” 25 All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released to them Bar-Abba; but Yeshua, after having him whipped, he handed over to be executed on a stake.
27 The governor’s soldiers took Yeshua into the headquarters building, and the whole battalion gathered around him. 28 They stripped off his clothes and put on him a scarlet robe, 29 wove thorn-branches into a crown and put it on his head, and put a stick in his right hand. Then they kneeled down in front of him and made fun of him: “Hail to the King of the Jews!” 30 They spit on him and used the stick to beat him about the head. 31 When they had finished ridiculing him, they took off the robe, put his own clothes back on him and led him away to be nailed to the execution-stake.
32 As they were leaving, they met a man from Cyrene named Shim‘on; and they forced him to carry Yeshua’s execution-stake. 33 When they arrived at a place called Gulgolta (which means “place of a skull”), 34 they gave him wine mixed with bitter gall to drink; but after tasting it, he would not drink it. 35 After they had nailed him to the stake, they divided his clothes among them by throwing dice. 36 Then they sat down to keep watch over him there. 37 Above his head they placed the written notice stating the charge against him,
THIS IS YESHUA
THE KING OF THE JEWS
38 Then two robbers were placed on execution-stakes with him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 People passing by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads[b] 40 and saying, “So you can destroy the Temple, can you, and rebuild it in three days? Save yourself, if you are the Son of God, and come down from the stake!” 41 Likewise, the head cohanim jeered at him, along with the Torah-teachers and elders, 42 “He saved others, but he can’t save himself!” “So he’s King of Isra’el, is he? Let him come down now from the stake! Then we’ll believe him!” 43 “He trusted God? So, let him rescue him if he wants him![c] After all, he did say, ‘I’m the Son of God’!” 44 Even the robbers nailed up with him insulted him in the same way.
45 From noon until three o’clock in the afternoon, all the Land was covered with darkness. 46 At about three, Yeshua uttered a loud cry, “Eli! Eli! L’mah sh’vaktani? (My God! My God! Why have you deserted me?)”[d] 47 On hearing this, some of the bystanders said, “He’s calling for Eliyahu.” 48 Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, soaked it in vinegar, put it on a stick and gave it to him to drink.[e] 49 The rest said, “Wait! Let’s see if Eliyahu comes and rescues him.” 50 But Yeshua, again crying out in a loud voice, yielded up his spirit.
51 At that moment the parokhet in the Temple was ripped in two from top to bottom; and there was an earthquake, with rocks splitting apart. 52 Also the graves were opened, and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life; 53 and after Yeshua rose, they came out of the graves and went into the holy city, where many people saw them. 54 When the Roman officer and those with him who were keeping watch over Yeshua saw the earthquake and what was happening, they were awestruck and said, “He really was a son of God.”
55 There were many women there, looking on from a distance; they had followed Yeshua from the Galil, helping him. 56 Among them were Miryam from Magdala, Miryam the mother of Ya‘akov and Yosef, and the mother of Zavdai’s sons.
57 Towards evening, there came a wealthy man from Ramatayim named Yosef, who was himself a talmid of Yeshua. 58 He approached Pilate and asked for Yeshua’s body, and Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 Yosef took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen sheet, 60 and laid it in his own tomb, which he had recently had cut out of the rock. After rolling a large stone in front of the entrance to the tomb, he went away. 61 Miryam of Magdala and the other Miryam stayed there, sitting opposite the grave.
62 Next day, after the preparation, the head cohanim and the P’rushim went together to Pilate 63 and said, “Sir, we remember that that deceiver said while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will be raised.’ 64 Therefore, order that the grave be made secure till the third day; otherwise the talmidim may come, steal him away and say to the people, ‘He was raised from the dead’; and the last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You may have your guard. Go and make the grave as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the grave secure by sealing the stone and putting the guard on watch.[Footnotes:
Matthew 27:10 Zechariah 11:12–13, where Hebrew yotzer means “treasury”; here it means “potter” (see v. 7).
Matthew 27:39 Psalm 22:8(7)
Matthew 27:43 Psalm 22:9(8)
Matthew 27:46 Psalm 22:2(1)
Matthew 27:48 Psalm 69:22(21)]
Harvest Ministries with Greg LaurieP.O. Box 4000
Riverside, Califormia 92514-4000 United States
Phone: 1-800-821-3300
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