Sermons

What Jesus’ Death Teaches Us about Following Him Week 83 – Matthew 27:45-61 – 10/26/25

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Sermon Series: We are currently going through a sermon series in the Gospel of Matthew. Today, we’re talking about the passage of Scripture where Jesus dies on the cross. 

The Death of Jesus

45 Now from the sixth hour[a] there was darkness over all the land[b] until the ninth hour.[c] 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” 48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.

51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised,53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son[d] of God!”

55 There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

Jesus Is Buried

57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

In this part of God’s Word, we see Jesus being crucified. Even though they are witnessing it first hand, many of the observers don’t really understand what is happening. Sadly, many people today make the same mistake. By taking a close look at Jesus’ death, we can learn what it really looks like to follow Him:

Truly Following Jesus involves recognizing: 

  1. Jesus is the light of the world

Matt. 27:45, John 1:1-5, 8:12, 9:5, Ps. 119:105, Matt. 5:14-16

  1. God gave up everything for us

Matt. 27:46, John 3:16-17, Rom. 8:32, 1 John 4:10

  1. God wants a personal relationship with us

Matt. 27:47-51, 11:28-29, Rev. 3:20, James 4:8

  1. Jesus offers us new life

Matt. 27:52-53, John 10:10, 17:3, 2 Cor. 5:17, Rom. 6:4, Gal. 2:20, Eph. 2:4-5

  1. It’s more than just knowing the right answers

Matt. 27:54, James 2:19, Luke 4:34, Acts 16:17, 19:15

  1. God uses who the world calls lowly

Matt. 27.55-56, 11:25, 1 Cor. 1:20, 27, James 2:5

  1. The need to go all out for Jesus

Matt. 27:57-61, 10:39, 16:24, Rev. 12:11, Eph. 2:10

 

Reflecting on God’s Word

Getting Started

  • Take some time to read over Matthew 27:45-61 and pray. 
  • Have you ever read or heard about this before? What stood out to you as we were talking about it? 
  • What surprised you as we talked about it?
  • As you reflect on this part of God’s Word, put yourself in the place of the crowd. How do you think you have reacted? Why?

 

Diving In 

  1. Read Matthew 27:45. How does it change your outlook on life to know that Jesus is the light of the world, and that if you accepted Him as your Lord and Savior, you have Him living within you? Read Matthew 5:14-16. 

 

  1. Read Matthew 27:51. The curtain splitting in two is significant. This curtain was used to separate God’s holy dwelling place. When Jesus died, He undid that separation that sin caused, and made it possible to have a personal relationship with God. How does that change the way you view your faith?  

 

  1. Read Matthew 27:52-53. Jesus’ death and resurrection also gives us new life in Him. Read 2 Corinthians 5:17. How does it change the way you live your life to know that Jesus offers you new life? Read John 10:10. 

 

  1. Have you ever struggled with not feeling good enough? Read Matthew 27:55-56. During this time, women were looked upon as second class citizens. What does it teach you that Jesus invited these women to follow Him? How does that change the way you follow Jesus?

 

  1. Read Matthew 27:57-61. Tombs like this were very expensive. Yet, Joseph deemed it necessary to honor Jesus by giving Him the tomb. What in your life do you need to hand over to Jesus? 

 

Applying the Scripture

What are your biggest takeaways from this passage of God’s Word? 

  • What practical step(s) do you need to implement in your life to apply what God has taught you in this passage of Scripture? 
  • How would applying this affect your life and your relationship with the Lord? 
  • Who can you ask to keep you accountable to applying this to your life?



 

 

Small Group Guide:

Open with prayer.

Go around and give everyone a chance to share about how the past week has been. What’s one highlight? What’s one lowlight?

If your small group has talked about it before, feel free to use this time to hold people accountable to what they’ve asked to be held accountable for previously, and go through the “missional” part of this discussion guide.

Prayer Time:

Pray for each other in your small group to be faithful take the step(s) that you shared above. Pray for each other and the interactions that they have with those who don’t know Jesus. Pray that God would soften the people’s hearts to what He has for them. Pray that God would give everyone opportunities to share the Gospel.

Staying Missional:

Share spiritual/missional conversations you’ve had where you live, work, and play:

Who did you have a conversation with that took a spiritual/missional turn this week?
What questions did you ask to discover where God is at work in their life, even if they are not aware?
How were you able to share your story of life change or how you have experienced Jesus?
How can you be intentional this week with people where you live, work, and play to have spiritual/missional conversations if the opportunity arises?
Who in your life do you think could be discipleable or open to spiritual/missional conversations?

What’s next?

Discuss the next step for your small group. When will we gather again and what purpose will it fulfill?