August 15, 2025 • 16 mins
In this powerful episode of The Wooden Cricket Podcast, we walk through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ the moment that changed history forever. Featuring full NLT scripture accounts, deeply moving reflections, and a heartfelt invitation to believe, this message reveals the depth, power, and tenderness of Gods love. The cross shows the price He paid. The empty tomb shows the victory He won. This is the most important message you will ever hear.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:04):
The wooden cricket. Today we step into the most
important story ever told. This is the hinge of history,
the moment the Son of God took the weight of the world's sin,
your sin and mine, and carried it to the cross.
And three days later, he walked out of the grave alive
(00:26):
forevermore. This isn't just a story of
death, it's a story of victory. A story that begins in darkness,
but ends in light, and that light still shines into your
life today. Let's read.
Let's feel it. Let's let the truth sink deep
(00:47):
into our hearts. Before we step into the
crucifixion itself, I want you to pause, close your eyes if you
can, and picture the scene. This was not a clean or quiet
execution. It was a storm of betrayal,
hatred and pain, all aimed at the One who had never sinned.
(01:09):
Only hours earlier, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus had
prayed so intensely that in Luke2244 it says His sweat was like
drops of blood. That's a real condition caused
by extreme emotional stress, thekind of stress that crushes a
person before the 1st lash is even struck.
(01:31):
Then Cambridge Rail a kiss from Judas, not a greeting of love,
but the signal to arrest him. He was seized in the darkness,
bound like a criminal and dragged before religious leaders
who had already decided his fate.
False witnesses stood up, twisting his words.
They spat in his face, struck him with their fists, and mocked
(01:54):
him. In Isaiah 50, verse 6 had
predicted this moment centuries before.
It says I offered my back to those who beat me.
I did not hide my face from mockery and spitting.
By morning he's handed over to the Romans to Pilot, who found
no guilt in him, yet caved to the crowds cries of crucify him,
(02:18):
crucify him. And then that's when the
physical torture began in full. He's stripped, tied to a post
and flogged with the Roman flagrum, so whip braided with
bone and metal. Each lash wasn't just a sting,
but it ripped flesh away, cutting deep bruising muscle,
(02:41):
leaving his back torn in a bleeding mess.
History tells us that many men never survive this stage, but
Jesus endured it. Then came the marking.
The soldiers twisted long, hard thorns into a crown and jammed
it into his head, blood running down his face as they draped A
(03:02):
robe across his shredded back. They knelt down before him in
fake worship. Hail King of the Jews.
Before spitting on him and striking him in the head with a
staff again and again, every hitdriving the thorns deeper.
And then the cross. He was forced to carry the heavy
(03:25):
horizontal beam, likely weighingover 75 lbs, through the streets
of Jerusalem toward the hill of execution.
Each step sending fire through his torn back as the rough woods
scraped his open wounds. The heat of the day, the blood
loss, the exhaustion all pressing down on him.
At one point he stumbled so badly the soldiers grabbed Simon
(03:45):
of Cyrene from the crowd to carry it the rest of the way.
This is where we find them now, beaten beyond recognition,
crowned with thorns, stripped ofdignity.
And yet he's still walking forward.
Why? Because he's walking towards
(04:07):
you. Every lash, every bruise, every
drop of blood was for love. Matthew chapter 27 verse 32
through 56. Along the way they came across a
man named Simon who was from Cyrene and the soldiers forced
(04:28):
him to carry Jesus cross and they went out to a place called
Golgotha which means place of the skull.
The soldiers gave Jesus wine mixed with bitter gall, but when
he had tasted it, he refused to drink it.
After they had nailed him to thecross, the soldiers gambled for
his clothes by throwing dice. Then they sat around and kept
(04:50):
guard. As he hung there, a sign was
fastened above Jesus's head announcing the charge against
him, it read. This is Jesus, King of the Jews.
Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his
right and one on his left. The people passing by shouted
abuse, shaking their heads in mockery.
(05:11):
Look at you now, the yelled at him.
You said you were going to destroy the temple and rebuild
it in three days. Well then, if you are the Son of
God, save yourself and come downfrom that cross the leading
priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders
who mock Jesus. He saved others, they scoffed,
(05:33):
but he can't save himself. So he is the king of Israel is
he? Let him come down from the cross
right now and we will believe inhim.
He trusted God, so let God rescue him now if he wants him.
For he said I am the Son of God.Even the revolutionaries who
were crucified with him ridiculed him in the same way.
(05:56):
At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until 3:00.
At about 3:00, Jesus called out with a loud voice.
Eli. Eli Lema Sabachthani.
Which means my God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was
(06:17):
calling for the prophet Elijah. One of them ran and filled the
sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a Reed stick so
he could drink, but the rest said, wait, let's see whether
Elijah comes to save him. Then Jesus shouted out again and
released his Spirit. At that moment, the curtain in
(06:41):
the sanctuary of the temple was torn into from the top to the
bottom. The earth shook, Rocks split
apart and tombs opened. The bodies of men, many godly
men and women who had died were raised from the dead.
They left the cemetery after Jesus's resurrection, went into
the holy city of Jerusalem and appeared to many people.
(07:03):
The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were
terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened.
They said this man truly was theSon of God, and many women who
had come from Galilee with Jesusto care for him were watching
from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene,
Mary, the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of James
(07:27):
and John, the sons of Zebedee. Here is the weight of love.
Isaiah 53, five says He was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be
whole. He was whipped so we could be
(07:50):
healed. The cross wasn't just Roman
brutality, it was the place for heaven's justice met heaven's
mercy. Jesus didn't hang there because
he couldn't save himself. He hung there because he was
saving you. When the curtain tore in two,
(08:12):
God was saying, the barrier is gone, my presence is now open to
you. Hebrews 10/19 says We now can
boldly enter heaven's most holy place because of the blood of
Jesus. Even the hardened Roman soldiers
saw the truth. This man truly was the Son of
(08:33):
God. The question is, do we see it?
The cross wasn't the end. It was Friday, but Sunday was
coming. Matthew chapter 27, verses 57
(08:53):
through Matthew chapter 28 verses 10.
As evening approached, Joseph, arich man from Amathea, who had
become a follower of Jesus, wentto Pilot and asked for Jesus's
body. Pilot issued an order to release
it to him. Joseph took the body and wrapped
(09:13):
it in a long sheet of clean linen cloth.
He placed it in his own new tomb, which had been carved out
of the rock. Then he rolled a great stone
across the entrance and left. Both Mary Magdalene and the
other Mary were sitting across from the tomb and watching.
The next day, on the Sabbath, the leading priests and
(09:34):
Pharisees went to see Pilot. They told him, Sir, we remember
what the Deceiver once said while he was still alive.
After three days I will rise from the dead, so we request
that you seal the tomb until the3rd day.
This will prevent the disciples from coming and stealing his
(09:54):
body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead.
If that happens, we'll be worse off than when we first were,
Pilot replied. Take guards and secure the best
you can. So they sealed the tomb and
posted guards to protect it. Early on Sunday morning, as the
new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary
(10:16):
went out to visit the tomb. Suddenly there was a great
earthquake, for an Angel of the Lord came down from heaven,
rolled aside the stone, and sat on it.
His face shone like lightning, and his clothes was as white as
snow. The guard shook with fear when
they saw him, and they fell intoa dead faint.
(10:39):
Then the Angel spoke to the woman, to the women, Sorry,
don't be afraid, he said. I know you are looking for Jesus
who was crucified. He isn't here.
He has risen from the dead, justas he said would happen.
Come see where his body was lying, and now go quickly and
tell his disciples that he was risen from the dead and he is
(11:01):
going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.
Remember what I have told you. The women ran quickly from the
tomb. They were very frightened, but
also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the
disciples the angels message. And as they went, Jesus met them
and greeted them, and they ran to him, grasped his feet and
(11:23):
worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, don't
be afraid, go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee and they
will see me there. The tomb was sealed, guarded,
and impossible to open from the inside unless you're the Son of
God. Revelation chapter one verse 18
(11:44):
says I am the living one. I died, but look, I have a life
forever and ever, and I hold thekeys of death in the grave.
When the Angel said don't be afraid, it wasn't about that
moment, it's about life itself. The resurrection means the worst
(12:04):
thing you face will never be thelast thing you face.
Notice the women's reaction, Fear and great joy mixed
together. That's what faith often feels
like when God does something beyond our understanding.
The resurrection wasn't the end of the story, It was the
beginning of a new chapter. And in that chapter Jesus began
(12:29):
appearing to his disciples and restoring their hope.
In John chapter 20 verse 19 through 29, that Sunday evening
the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they
were afraid of the Jewish leaders.
Suddenly Jesus was standing there among them.
Peace be with you, He said. As he spoke, he showed them the
(12:49):
wounds in his hands and his side.
They were filled with joy. When they saw the Lord again.
He said, Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I
am sending you. Then he breathed on them and
said, receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone sins, they
are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they
(13:09):
are not forgiven. One of the 12 disciples Thomas
nicknamed the Twin was not with the others when Jesus came.
They told him we have seen the Lord, but he replied, I won't
believe it unless I see the nailwounds in his hands, put my
fingers into them and place my hand into the wound in his side.
(13:32):
Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this
time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked, but
suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them.
Peace be with you, he said. Then he said to Thomas, Put your
finger here and look at my hands.
Put your hand into the wound in my side.
(13:53):
Don't be faithless any longer. Believe, my Lord and my God,
Thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him, You believe
because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe
without seeing me. Thomas gets a bad reputation as
the doubter, but here's the truth.
(14:13):
Jesus met him right in the middle of his doubt.
He didn't reject him or scold him or walk away.
He invited Thomas closer. And that's what Jesus does with
us. Your doubts don't scare your
questions. Don't push them away, he says.
Come closer, Look, touch, see for yourself.
(14:38):
And that last line? Blessed are those who believe
without seeing. That's for you and me today.
We haven't seen His hands with our own eyes, but we have His
Word, His Spirit, and the evidence of a changed life.
(14:59):
The cross shows the depth of God's love, the resurrection.
The resurrection shows the powerof that love, and the
appearances of Jesus show us thetenderness of that love.
He comes to the broken, the fearful, and the doubtful.
Even Ephesians. It says the same mighty power
(15:21):
that raised Christ from the deadis available to us who believe.
That means the resurrection isn't just an event, it's a
power you can walk in today, friend.
If he could conquer death, he can conquer your fear.
If he could roll away the stone,he could roll away whatever
stands between you and him. Jesus is alive and he's calling
(15:47):
your name. You don't have to wonder if he
loves you. The cross has already proved it,
and you don't have to wonder if he can save you.
The empty tomb is already provedit Run to him today.
Worship him like those women didthat morning.
Believe in him like Thomas did in that evening and go tell
(16:08):
someone he is risen. Thank you for joining me today
on the wooden podcast. This has been Lawrence this
episode spoke to your heart. Share with a friend and
remember, because he lives, you can face tomorrow.
I'm gonna catch you all next time.
There's been Lawrence police.
The wooden cricket. Today we step into the most
important story ever told. This is the hinge of history,
the moment the Son of God took the weight of the world's sin,
your sin and mine, and carried it to the cross.
And three days later, he walked out of the grave alive
(00:26):
forevermore. This isn't just a story of
death, it's a story of victory. A story that begins in darkness,
but ends in light, and that light still shines into your
life today. Let's read.
Let's feel it. Let's let the truth sink deep
(00:47):
into our hearts. Before we step into the
crucifixion itself, I want you to pause, close your eyes if you
can, and picture the scene. This was not a clean or quiet
execution. It was a storm of betrayal,
hatred and pain, all aimed at the One who had never sinned.
(01:09):
Only hours earlier, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus had
prayed so intensely that in Luke2244 it says His sweat was like
drops of blood. That's a real condition caused
by extreme emotional stress, thekind of stress that crushes a
person before the 1st lash is even struck.
(01:31):
Then Cambridge Rail a kiss from Judas, not a greeting of love,
but the signal to arrest him. He was seized in the darkness,
bound like a criminal and dragged before religious leaders
who had already decided his fate.
False witnesses stood up, twisting his words.
They spat in his face, struck him with their fists, and mocked
(01:54):
him. In Isaiah 50, verse 6 had
predicted this moment centuries before.
It says I offered my back to those who beat me.
I did not hide my face from mockery and spitting.
By morning he's handed over to the Romans to Pilot, who found
no guilt in him, yet caved to the crowds cries of crucify him,
(02:18):
crucify him. And then that's when the
physical torture began in full. He's stripped, tied to a post
and flogged with the Roman flagrum, so whip braided with
bone and metal. Each lash wasn't just a sting,
but it ripped flesh away, cutting deep bruising muscle,
(02:41):
leaving his back torn in a bleeding mess.
History tells us that many men never survive this stage, but
Jesus endured it. Then came the marking.
The soldiers twisted long, hard thorns into a crown and jammed
it into his head, blood running down his face as they draped A
(03:02):
robe across his shredded back. They knelt down before him in
fake worship. Hail King of the Jews.
Before spitting on him and striking him in the head with a
staff again and again, every hitdriving the thorns deeper.
And then the cross. He was forced to carry the heavy
(03:25):
horizontal beam, likely weighingover 75 lbs, through the streets
of Jerusalem toward the hill of execution.
Each step sending fire through his torn back as the rough woods
scraped his open wounds. The heat of the day, the blood
loss, the exhaustion all pressing down on him.
At one point he stumbled so badly the soldiers grabbed Simon
(03:45):
of Cyrene from the crowd to carry it the rest of the way.
This is where we find them now, beaten beyond recognition,
crowned with thorns, stripped ofdignity.
And yet he's still walking forward.
Why? Because he's walking towards
(04:07):
you. Every lash, every bruise, every
drop of blood was for love. Matthew chapter 27 verse 32
through 56. Along the way they came across a
man named Simon who was from Cyrene and the soldiers forced
(04:28):
him to carry Jesus cross and they went out to a place called
Golgotha which means place of the skull.
The soldiers gave Jesus wine mixed with bitter gall, but when
he had tasted it, he refused to drink it.
After they had nailed him to thecross, the soldiers gambled for
his clothes by throwing dice. Then they sat around and kept
(04:50):
guard. As he hung there, a sign was
fastened above Jesus's head announcing the charge against
him, it read. This is Jesus, King of the Jews.
Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his
right and one on his left. The people passing by shouted
abuse, shaking their heads in mockery.
(05:11):
Look at you now, the yelled at him.
You said you were going to destroy the temple and rebuild
it in three days. Well then, if you are the Son of
God, save yourself and come downfrom that cross the leading
priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders
who mock Jesus. He saved others, they scoffed,
(05:33):
but he can't save himself. So he is the king of Israel is
he? Let him come down from the cross
right now and we will believe inhim.
He trusted God, so let God rescue him now if he wants him.
For he said I am the Son of God.Even the revolutionaries who
were crucified with him ridiculed him in the same way.
(05:56):
At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until 3:00.
At about 3:00, Jesus called out with a loud voice.
Eli. Eli Lema Sabachthani.
Which means my God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was
(06:17):
calling for the prophet Elijah. One of them ran and filled the
sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a Reed stick so
he could drink, but the rest said, wait, let's see whether
Elijah comes to save him. Then Jesus shouted out again and
released his Spirit. At that moment, the curtain in
(06:41):
the sanctuary of the temple was torn into from the top to the
bottom. The earth shook, Rocks split
apart and tombs opened. The bodies of men, many godly
men and women who had died were raised from the dead.
They left the cemetery after Jesus's resurrection, went into
the holy city of Jerusalem and appeared to many people.
(07:03):
The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were
terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened.
They said this man truly was theSon of God, and many women who
had come from Galilee with Jesusto care for him were watching
from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene,
Mary, the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of James
(07:27):
and John, the sons of Zebedee. Here is the weight of love.
Isaiah 53, five says He was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be
whole. He was whipped so we could be
(07:50):
healed. The cross wasn't just Roman
brutality, it was the place for heaven's justice met heaven's
mercy. Jesus didn't hang there because
he couldn't save himself. He hung there because he was
saving you. When the curtain tore in two,
(08:12):
God was saying, the barrier is gone, my presence is now open to
you. Hebrews 10/19 says We now can
boldly enter heaven's most holy place because of the blood of
Jesus. Even the hardened Roman soldiers
saw the truth. This man truly was the Son of
(08:33):
God. The question is, do we see it?
The cross wasn't the end. It was Friday, but Sunday was
coming. Matthew chapter 27, verses 57
(08:53):
through Matthew chapter 28 verses 10.
As evening approached, Joseph, arich man from Amathea, who had
become a follower of Jesus, wentto Pilot and asked for Jesus's
body. Pilot issued an order to release
it to him. Joseph took the body and wrapped
(09:13):
it in a long sheet of clean linen cloth.
He placed it in his own new tomb, which had been carved out
of the rock. Then he rolled a great stone
across the entrance and left. Both Mary Magdalene and the
other Mary were sitting across from the tomb and watching.
The next day, on the Sabbath, the leading priests and
(09:34):
Pharisees went to see Pilot. They told him, Sir, we remember
what the Deceiver once said while he was still alive.
After three days I will rise from the dead, so we request
that you seal the tomb until the3rd day.
This will prevent the disciples from coming and stealing his
(09:54):
body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead.
If that happens, we'll be worse off than when we first were,
Pilot replied. Take guards and secure the best
you can. So they sealed the tomb and
posted guards to protect it. Early on Sunday morning, as the
new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary
(10:16):
went out to visit the tomb. Suddenly there was a great
earthquake, for an Angel of the Lord came down from heaven,
rolled aside the stone, and sat on it.
His face shone like lightning, and his clothes was as white as
snow. The guard shook with fear when
they saw him, and they fell intoa dead faint.
(10:39):
Then the Angel spoke to the woman, to the women, Sorry,
don't be afraid, he said. I know you are looking for Jesus
who was crucified. He isn't here.
He has risen from the dead, justas he said would happen.
Come see where his body was lying, and now go quickly and
tell his disciples that he was risen from the dead and he is
(11:01):
going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.
Remember what I have told you. The women ran quickly from the
tomb. They were very frightened, but
also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the
disciples the angels message. And as they went, Jesus met them
and greeted them, and they ran to him, grasped his feet and
(11:23):
worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, don't
be afraid, go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee and they
will see me there. The tomb was sealed, guarded,
and impossible to open from the inside unless you're the Son of
God. Revelation chapter one verse 18
(11:44):
says I am the living one. I died, but look, I have a life
forever and ever, and I hold thekeys of death in the grave.
When the Angel said don't be afraid, it wasn't about that
moment, it's about life itself. The resurrection means the worst
(12:04):
thing you face will never be thelast thing you face.
Notice the women's reaction, Fear and great joy mixed
together. That's what faith often feels
like when God does something beyond our understanding.
The resurrection wasn't the end of the story, It was the
beginning of a new chapter. And in that chapter Jesus began
(12:29):
appearing to his disciples and restoring their hope.
In John chapter 20 verse 19 through 29, that Sunday evening
the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they
were afraid of the Jewish leaders.
Suddenly Jesus was standing there among them.
Peace be with you, He said. As he spoke, he showed them the
(12:49):
wounds in his hands and his side.
They were filled with joy. When they saw the Lord again.
He said, Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I
am sending you. Then he breathed on them and
said, receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone sins, they
are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they
(13:09):
are not forgiven. One of the 12 disciples Thomas
nicknamed the Twin was not with the others when Jesus came.
They told him we have seen the Lord, but he replied, I won't
believe it unless I see the nailwounds in his hands, put my
fingers into them and place my hand into the wound in his side.
(13:32):
Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this
time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked, but
suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them.
Peace be with you, he said. Then he said to Thomas, Put your
finger here and look at my hands.
Put your hand into the wound in my side.
(13:53):
Don't be faithless any longer. Believe, my Lord and my God,
Thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him, You believe
because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe
without seeing me. Thomas gets a bad reputation as
the doubter, but here's the truth.
(14:13):
Jesus met him right in the middle of his doubt.
He didn't reject him or scold him or walk away.
He invited Thomas closer. And that's what Jesus does with
us. Your doubts don't scare your
questions. Don't push them away, he says.
Come closer, Look, touch, see for yourself.
(14:38):
And that last line? Blessed are those who believe
without seeing. That's for you and me today.
We haven't seen His hands with our own eyes, but we have His
Word, His Spirit, and the evidence of a changed life.
(14:59):
The cross shows the depth of God's love, the resurrection.
The resurrection shows the powerof that love, and the
appearances of Jesus show us thetenderness of that love.
He comes to the broken, the fearful, and the doubtful.
Even Ephesians. It says the same mighty power
(15:21):
that raised Christ from the deadis available to us who believe.
That means the resurrection isn't just an event, it's a
power you can walk in today, friend.
If he could conquer death, he can conquer your fear.
If he could roll away the stone,he could roll away whatever
stands between you and him. Jesus is alive and he's calling
(15:47):
your name. You don't have to wonder if he
loves you. The cross has already proved it,
and you don't have to wonder if he can save you.
The empty tomb is already provedit Run to him today.
Worship him like those women didthat morning.
Believe in him like Thomas did in that evening and go tell
(16:08):
someone he is risen. Thank you for joining me today
on the wooden podcast. This has been Lawrence this
episode spoke to your heart. Share with a friend and
remember, because he lives, you can face tomorrow.
I'm gonna catch you all next time.
There's been Lawrence police.
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