Memory Text: Matthew 27:46 KJV “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

Sunday – The Early Days
Luke 2:7 CEV “she gave birth to her first-born son. She dressed him in baby clothes and laid him on a bed of hay, because there was no room for them in the inn.”
Luke 2:22-24 -- New American Bible “22 When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 just as it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord, 24 and to offer the sacrifice of a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,’ in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.”
Matthew 2:1-18 God’s Word to the Nations “1 ¶ Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea when Herod was king. After Jesus’ birth wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem. 2 They asked, "Where is the one who was born to be the king of the Jews? We saw his star rising and have come to worship him." 3 When King Herod and all Jerusalem heard about this, they became disturbed. 4 He called together all the chief priests and scribes and tried to find out from them where the Messiah was supposed to be born. 5 They told him, "In Bethlehem in Judea. The prophet wrote about this: 6 Bethlehem in the land of Judah, you are by no means least among the leaders of Judah. A leader will come from you. He will shepherd my people Israel." 7 Then Herod secretly called the wise men and found out from them exactly when the star had appeared. 8 As he sent them to Bethlehem, he said, "Go and search carefully for the child. When you have found him, report to me so that I may go and worship him too." 9 ¶ After they had heard the king, they started out. The star they had seen rising led them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 They were overwhelmed with joy to see the star. 11 When they entered the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary. So they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 God warned them in a dream not to go back to Herod. So they left for their country by another road. 13 ¶ After they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. The angel said to him, "Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, because Herod intends to search for the child and kill him." 14 Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and left for Egypt that night. 15 He stayed there until Herod died. What the Lord had spoken through the prophet came true: "I have called my son out of Egypt." 16 ¶ When Herod saw that the wise men had tricked him, he became furious. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys two years old and younger in or near Bethlehem. This matched the exact time he had learned from the wise men. 17 Then the words spoken through the prophet Jeremiah came true: 18 "A sound was heard in Ramah, the sound of crying in bitter grief. Rachel was crying for her children. She refused to be comforted because they were dead."”
John 1:46 -- Simple English “Nathanael said to him, ‘Is it possible for anything good to come from Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see !’”

Monday – Despised and Rejected of Men
These texts help us understand Jesus’ sufferings on this earth:
Matthew 12:22-24 CEV “22 ¶ Some people brought to Jesus a man who was blind and could not talk because he had a demon in him. Jesus healed the man, and then he was able to talk and see. 23 The crowds were so amazed that they asked, "Could Jesus be the Son of David?" 24 When the Pharisees heard this, they said, "He forces out demons by the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons!"”
Matthew 12:24 SDA BIBLE COMMENTARY Apparently the flickering hope of the people that Jesus might prove to be the Messiah of prophecy angered the Pharisees. Mark speaks of these Pharisees as “the scribes which came down from Jerusalem” (Mark 3:22), probably spies sent out by the Sanhedrin to observe and report on Christ. These wary foes of Jesus could not deny that a genuine miracle had been performed, for the healed man “spake and saw” (Matt. 12:22). The greater the evidence of the divinity of Jesus, the greater became their anger and hatred, which led eventually to the commission of the unpardonable sin by some of Jesus’ enemies…. Beelzebul may thus mean “Baal is prince.” It has been suggested that the Jews may have changed the name from Beelzebul to Beelzebub, “lord of flies,” out of contempt for this pagan deity, the patron god of Ekron.
Luke 4:21-30 Holman “21 He began by saying to them, “Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled.” 22 They were all speaking well of Him and were amazed by the gracious words that came from His mouth, yet they said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” 23 Then He said to them, “No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me: ‘Doctor, heal yourself.’ ‘All we’ve heard that took place in Capernaum, do here in Your hometown also.’” 24 He also said, “I assure you: No prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25 But I say to you, there were certainly many widows in Israel in Elijah’s days, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months while a great famine came over all the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them—but to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. 27 And in the prophet Elisha’s time, there were many in Israel who had serious skin diseases, yet not one of them was healed—only Naaman the Syrian.” 28 When they heard this, everyone in the synagogue was enraged. 29 They got up, drove Him out of town, and brought Him to the edge of the hill their town was built on, intending to hurl Him over the cliff. 30 But He passed right through the crowd and went on His way.”
John 8:58-59 -- New American Standard “58 Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.’ 59 Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself, and went out of the temple.”
Matthew 23:37 -- Living Bible ``O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets, and stones all those God sends to her! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn't let me”

Tuesday – Jesus in Gethsemane
Mark 14:34 -- New American Standard “And He said to them, ‘My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch.’”
Mark 14:34 COMMENTARY THE FOURFOLD GOSPEL The sequel shows that the phrase "even unto death" was no figure of rhetoric. The nervous prostration of Jesus was such as to endanger his life, and the watching of the apostles may have been doubly needful. Not only did he require their sympathy, but he may also have looked to them to render him assistance in the case of a physical collapse.
These texts talks about Jesus’ suffering in Gethsemane:
Matthew 26:39 -- Simple English ‘Then Jesus went forward a short distance and bowed down to pray. He said, ‘My Father, if it is possible, take this cup away from me--but what You want is more important than what I want.’”
Mark 14:33-36 Holman “33 He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be deeply distressed and horrified. 34 Then He said to them, “My soul is swallowed up in sorrow—to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake.” 35 Then He went a little farther, fell to the ground, and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. 36 And He said, “Abba, Father! All things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me. Nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.””
Luke 21:41-44 Moffatt NT “41 42 say ing, "Father, if it please thee, take this cup away from me. But thy will, not mine, be done." 43 And an angel from heaven appeared to strengthen him; 44 he fell into an agony and prayed with greater intensity, his sweat dropping to the ground like clots of blood.”

Wednesday – The Crucified God
Matthew 27:45 -- Simple English “There was darkness over the whole land from noon until three o'clock in the afternoon.”
Matthew 27:45 COMMENTARY BY ALBERT BARNES The only cause of this was the interposing power of God--furnishing testimony to the dignity of the Sufferer, and causing the elements to sympathize with the pains of his dying Son. It was also peculiarly proper to furnish this testimony when the Sun of Righteousness was withdrawing his beams for a time, and the Redeemer of men was expiring. A dark, thick cloud, shutting out the light of day, and clothing every object with the darkness of midnight, was the appropriate drapery with which the world should be clad when the Son of God expired, This darkness was noticed by one at least of the pagan writers. Phlegon, a Roman astronomer, speaking of the fourteenth year of the reign of Tiberius, which is supposed to be that in which our Saviour died, says, that "the greatest eclipse of the sun that was ever known happened then, for the day was so turned into night that the stars appeared."
Matthew 27:51-52 20th Century NT “51 Suddenly the Temple curtain was torn in two from top to bottom, the earth shook, the rocks were torn asunder, 52 the tombs opened, and the bodies of many of God’s People who had fallen asleep rose.”
Matthew 27:51 COMMENTARY BY BARNES This was doubtless the veil, curiously wrought, which separated the holy from the most holy place, dividing the temple into two apartments.
Mark 15:38 -- New Jerusalem Bible “And the veil of the Sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.”

Thursday – The Suffering God
Acts 14:22 -- New International “strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. ‘We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,’ they said.”
Philippines 1:29 -- Simple English “You not only have the privilege of believing in Christ, but also the privilege of suffering for Christ.”
2 Timothy 3:12 -- New Jerusalem “But anybody who tries to live in devotion to Christ is certain to be persecuted.”
But our rewards!
John 10:28 NRSV “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.”
Romans 6:23 -- Revised Standard “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Titus 1:2 -- Simple English “This is based on hope--hope for eternal life. God promised this before time began; and God does not lie!”
1 John 2:25 -- New American Standard “And this is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life.”

Friday – Further Study on the Sufferings of Christ
Ellen White, Desire of Ages, p. 744 – “The Saviour made no murmur of complaint. His face remained calm and serene, but great drops of sweat stood upon His brow. There was no pitying hand to wipe the death dew from His face, nor words of sympathy and unchanging fidelity to stay His human heart.”
Ellen White, Desire of Ages, p. 745 – “As soon as Jesus was nailed to the cross, it was lifted by strong men, and with great violence thrust into the place prepared for it. This caused the most intense agony to the Son of God.”
Ellen White, Desire of Ages, p. 746 – “The enemies of Jesus vented their rage upon Him as He hung upon the cross. Priests, rulers, and scribes joined with the mob in mocking the dying Saviour.”
Ellen White, Desire of Ages, p. 749 – “To Jesus in His agony on the cross there came one gleam of comfort. It was the prayer of the penitent thief.”
Ellen White, Desire of Ages, p. 750 – “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 [BEGIN P.751] brink of eternity, calls Jesus Lord.”