Good Friday morning to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
I probably don’t have to bring to your attention what today is, do I? Today is “Good Friday”, of Easter weekend, 2024. Normally I produce ONE edition of “Walking with Jesus” for the weekend, but this special weekend I’ll have one for today Good Friday, and one for tomorrow, “Dark Saturday” and a third one for “Easter Sunday”. That will give you a very special 5 edition series of “Maundy Thursday” through the Monday after Easter. I hope you’ll join me for all five of them!
Of course on this “Good Friday” humanity has the opportunity every year to memorialize one of the cornerstone days of Christianity. In fact, of all days in human history, from the beginning of time past, to the end of time future, what took place on that Friday in Jerusalem, about 2000 years ago, when Jesus Christ was crucified, sets this day apart from all other days.
All four Gospel writers give us their unique perspective of this crucifixion day, as they were led by the Holy Spirit to write their account. Matthew’s account of Good Friday is found in Matthew 26:36-27:61. Mark’s account is found in Mark 14:32-15:47. Luke’s account of Good Friday is found in Luke 22:39-23:56 and John’s account is found in John chapters 18 & 19.
All four accounts begin with the departure of Jesus and His disciples from the upper room; and then through their time in the Garden of Gethsemane; the betrayal of Jesus by Judas and His arrest by the angry mob sent by the Jewish religious leaders; the three denials of Peter; the late night trials of Jesus by several authorities; His appearance before both Governor Pilate and Jewish King Herod; the horrible abuse and flogging of Jesus by both Roman soldiers and the High Priest guards; the crowd’s demand for the release of convicted criminal Barrabas; the agonizing walk of Jesus up to Golgotha, the ‘hill of the skull’, with His cross; His horrific crucifixion experience which included His receiving the full wrath of God the Father upon Jesus for the sins of humanity; and finally His death; and burial of the dead body of Jesus the Christ.
We presume the upper room Passover meal had begun around sundown on Thursday evening as is the Jewish tradition, and we presume Jesus and His disciples left the upper room, walking through quiet Jerusalem and across the Kidron valley, going into the Garden of Gethsemane about 9pm or a bit later on that Passover Thursday evening. (Matt. 26:36-46) Perhaps Judas and the mob arrived in the Garden of Gethsemane about an hour or so later. (Matt. 26:47-56) The betrayal and arrest of Jesus would have been swift and after being bound, Jesus would have arrived before Annas perhaps around 10:30pm, or a bit later. (John 18:12-14)
All through the night Jesus was harassed, questioned, dragged from one ‘trial’ to another and beaten. Finally on Friday morning, shortly after sunup, Jesus was brought before Roman Governor Pilate. (John 18:28-19:16) Most Bible scholars believe it was around 9am or a bit later Friday morning that Jesus arrived at the hill Golgotha and was crucified. (John 19:17-37)
As you may know, ‘crucifixion’ is about the cruelest form of execution ever invented by mankind. Many articles have been written giving a modern scientific and medical analysis of what Jesus Christ experienced through the brutality of that long Thursday night and Friday morning, and ultimately the nearly indescribable agony Jesus endured emotionally, physically, spiritually and medically during the hours He hung on that brutal cross, that Friday, on the hill of Golgotha, just outside the city walls of Jerusalem. I’m including a link to one of those articles, but I warn you it’s graphic and hard to read, but it may give you an even greater understanding of what Jesus suffered for you and me, and all humanity, as He paid the death price God required for sin forgiveness.
That crucifixion was also the ultimate expression of total rejection of Jesus by Jewish religious leaders representing all Jews; and by Governor Pilate and the Roman soldiers, representing the entire Roman Empire and all Gentiles; and by Satan and the demons, representing all the fallen angels and spiritual dark kingdom; and finally God the Father’s judgment, as God’s wrath was poured out on His Son Jesus, as divine justice for the sinful rebellion of the human race against God.
In excruciating pain, Jesus spoke seven powerful phrases while hanging on that cross, each very significant then and every moment since then:
First, Jesus spoke to God the Father as the soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross: “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)
Jesus was advocating, interceding for sinful people who simply do not understand how lost they are, as Jesus does right now, in His resurrected body, at the right hand of the throne of God. (Romans 8:34)
Next, Jesus spoke to the repentant thief crucified on a cross near Jesus, assuring the thief He would be forgiven of His sin and after death he would spend eternity with God: “I tell you the truth, today you will be with Me in paradise.” Jesus said. (Luke 23:43)
It’s a hopeful promise for every repentant person who looks to Jesus to save them.
Thirdly, Jesus spoke to His mother and His friend/disciple John, who were among those standing near the cross watching His crucifixion and grieving His death.
Jesus, Mary’s eldest son, was giving responsibility for His mother to His close and trusted friend John. “Woman, here is your son.” And to John, Jesus said from the cross: “Here is your mother.” (John 19:26,27) John tells us that from that moment John assumed responsibility for Mary and took her into his home.
As the heat of the day and blood loss drained Jesus, He cried out: “I am thirsty” (John 19:28)
Three simple yet powerful words that described the agony Jesus was experiencing physically, emotionally and spiritually as He hung on the cross bearing the sin of the world, and the wrath of God was poured out upon Him.
Matthew tells us an unexplainable darkness came over Jerusalem and all that region about noon that Friday and lasted for three hours. (Matt. 27:45)
It was, I believe, a God sent darkness symbolizing the terrible reality that our world would be living in if God abandoned humanity and we had no God provided opportunity for deliverance from our sin bondage or our sin condemnation. It was terrifying to the people of Jerusalem and in the midst of that darkness, Jesus cried out from the cross: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matt. 27:46) Jesus, God the Son, was for the first time, experiencing the reality of the word “PERISH“, (John 3:16) as the wrath of God was poured out upon Jesus separating Him from God the Father.
Knowing that Jesus was completing the Redemption mission God the Father had sent Jesus to earth to accomplish, as Jesus became the atonement sacrifice paying the death price for the sins of humanity, with almost His last breaths, Jesus cried out from the cross: “It is finished!” (John 19:30)
And with everything complete, Jesus, with His final breaths spoke again to God the Father, “Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit.” (Luke 23:46)
And with those words, Jesus Christ breathed His last and His body died on that cross. As the Passover Lamb was sacrificed and it’s blood splashed on the doorframes of the homes of those Hebrew slaves in Egypt who trusted God would protect them from the angel of death and deliver them from inescapable slavery; (Ex. 12) so in His death, Jesus’ paid the full sin penalty for any person who will believe that God will accept the death payment of Jesus as sufficient for their sin and deliver them from their sin bondage and sin condemnation.
This Friday is called “Good Friday” because of the outrageously GOOD thing Jesus did in His Incarnation, coming from heaven to earth to live a sinless life, proclaim God’s truth and give His life, so humanity can be rescued from our rebellion against God!
As we reflect on the evidence of profound wickedness all around us in this world and how deserving of God’s judgment we are, we should be overwhelmed that God Himself paid the ultimate price so we could be forgiven of our sinful rebellion against God! I hope you’ll find time today, my friends, to read the Biblical account of Jesus’ crucifixion, spending some extended time imagining yourself there that Friday, watching it all happen!
And I hope this amazing rendition of the song “Were YOU There?”, with strings and voices, will draw you to a place of deep worship with God. Oh friends, what do you and I have to say to God the Father who watched His Son die that day; and God the Son, as He gave His life that day; and God the Holy Spirit who experienced the unimaginable that day. . .all for you and me!
And I’ll meet you back here tomorrow, Dark Saturday, as we consider what happened after Jesus breathed His last.
Today’s Scripture: John 19.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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