Read Matthew 27:32-50
What do you notice about Matthew's account of the crucifixion of Jesus? What are the images/themes that stand out to you?
Read Psalm 22
How do the words of this Psalm echo into Matthew's account of the crucifixion?
How does knowing this help the reader to understanding what Matthew is describing?
Read Matthew 27:51-61
Here Matthew paints a quick series of pictures to help the reader to understand the meaning of this moment. What do you think each of these things signifies:
The temple curtain torn in two from top to bottom
The earthquake (with rocks split in two)
The dead raised to life (which Matthew says happened after the resurrection, so why mention it here?)
The centurion's awestruck response
The women as witnesses
Joseph of Arimathea taking Jesus' body, embalming it and placing it in his own new tomb.
Read Matthew 27:62-66
What is the significance of these five verses?
Read Matthew 28:1-10
Having engaged with Matthew's crucifixion account in detail, how does his description of the resurrection sound to you now? What do you notice about the tone of Matthew's writing here? What do you think he want to get across to his readers?
See if you can draw together some of the themes and ideas that have come out of your observations in this bible study. What has particularly stood out to you as you've read Matthew's account together?
How will you take these things and continue to meditate on them this Easter? And is there anything from this that you could share with someone in your life who needs to to hear it this Easter (whether they are a Christian yet or not)?
Spend some time praying together about the things that stood out to you in your reading and discussion together. Praise God together for giving us His Son, and for the new life we have in him.
A note from Johnny: There are four historical accounts of the Easter event, the death and resurrection of Jesus. As we have been reading through Matthew's Gospel this term, hopefully we are becoming familiar with his style as an author, and the elements of the story he wants to highlight in his own unique way. In this bible study, we will be discussing not just the historical event of Jesus's death and resurrection, but also Matthew's story-telling style - we will consider what he chooses to include in his account, and how he describes the events. I encourage you this Easter season to read the other three Gospel accounts in a similar way, and to examine these four accounts of the central event of all History, which give us a fuller understanding by combining each perspective.
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