Hello, my “Walking with Jesus” friends on this “Good Friday”,
This is a very special day each year as our world pauses to remember that it was on the Friday of Passover/Easter weekend, about 2000 years ago, that Jesus Christ was crucified. Will you join me again on that hill called “Golgotha” just outside Jerusalem? Over the past few days we’ve watched the unthinkable happen right before our eyes, as recorded for us in the Bible. Yesterday we watched Jesus die, as He said to God the Father: “Into Your hands I commit My spirit.” (Luke 23:46) Dr. Luke reports: “When Jesus said this, He breathed His last.” (Luke 23:46) Please remember, Dr. Luke, the author of both the Gospel of Luke and book of Acts, was a physician.
John the disciple was an eyewitness to the death of Jesus, standing at the cross with Mary, Jesus’ mother at his side. (John 19:25) John concludes his record of this death scene of Jesus with these important words: “The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true, and he testifies so that you may also believe. These things happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled…” (John 19:35,36)
John was led by the Holy Spirit to write that because God foreknew there would be skeptics who doubted, some who refused to believe that Jesus Christ actually died that day! But the death of Jesus Christ is essential to our Christian faith and our salvation. Why? Our sin penalty calls for death! Not the payment of money, not service projects, not good intentions… “The wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23)
As John watched the death of Jesus, I’m sure he remembered these words Jesus had said only a few weeks before: “I am the good shepherd… I lay down My life for the sheep…The reason My Father loves Me is that I lay down My life – only to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord…“ (John 10:14-18)
In full obedience to God the Father, Jesus willingly allowed His crucifixion; to pay our full sin debt so God could redeem us, forgive us of our sin and adopt us into His family. Jesus laid down His life, as our atoning sacrifice, in obedience to God the Father’s Redemption plan for humanity! (1 John 2:1,2; 4:9,10)
John was so overwhelmed by this remarkable reality that it is the main theme of all five books of the Bible which John wrote, especially the Gospel of John and John’s first little letter ‘1 John’.
As John watched, two men approached Jesus’ cross and took Jesus’ dead body, carefully wrapping it in a clean linen cloth. (Luke 23:53) Evidently while the crucifixion was happening one of the Jewish religious leaders named Joseph, from the town of Arimathea, had gone to Pilate requesting the privilege of taking the dead body of Jesus for burial!
This Joseph was actually part of the ruling council and may have been part of Jesus’ trial at the high priest’s house. But Joseph had become a believer in Jesus and even though fearful of retribution from the other religious leaders, Joseph courageously came forward to take care of Jesus’ dead body. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the Pharisee who had met with Jesus several months before, as John records in John 3, remember?
John records what he saw with these words: “Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about 75 pounds. Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb…and they laid Jesus’ body there.” (John 19:38-42) Matthew tells us it was actually Joseph’s own tomb and after placing Jesus’ body there Joseph and Nicodemus “…rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.” (Matt. 27:59-61)
It seems Matthew wants us to be sure Mary Magdalene was an eyewitness of this burial. That’s important, for you remember it was Mary who first went to the tomb on Easter morning!
Luke tells us: “The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and saw how His body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath day in obedience to the commandment.” (Luke 23:55,56) Clearly it was their intention to return to this tomb after Sabbath and add further burial spices and wrappings to the body of the Man who had profoundly impacted their lives.
Only Matthew tells us what happened on that Saturday which was an important Sabbath of Passover weekend. Chief priests and Pharisees went to Roman Governor Pilate asking that a guard be placed at Jesus’ tomb. A guard? Why? To be sure Jesus’ dead body remained untouched, but also because they remembered Jesus had predicted His resurrection on more than one occasion! So, the order was given, a Roman seal placed on the tomb, and around the clock guard posted at the tomb! (Matt. 27:62-66)
Pause. Reflect for a moment on the various people involved in the death of Jesus and how you imagine they were spending that Saturday? Pilate who had turned innocent Jesus over to the crowd because he feared an insurrection. The religious leaders who demanded Jesus’ death even though their lives were dedicated to leading the Jewish people in knowing the Torah and looking for their Messiah. The common people who had been caught up in the frenzy of both a ‘spontaneous parade’ on Palm Sunday, and then a mob shouting “Crucify Him”, only 5 days later!
The disciples, all of whom had abandoned Jesus as they ran from the Garden of Gethsemane, except John and Peter. Peter who had denied Jesus. John who had watched Him die. Mary, Jesus’ mother and Mary Magdalene, who had watched Jesus die! And what about the Roman centurion who had coordinated the execution and now these guards who stood watch at a sealed tomb?
And what about God the Father, and Jesus Christ who was with Him in Paradise! Can you imagine the conversation in heaven as they discussed what had taken place in Jerusalem that weekend and what was about to happen Easter Sunday morning!?
I leave you reflecting on all that my friends, as always with “Lessons Learned” notes to help you think and a worship song to help you pray about what we’ve experienced at Golgotha. And oh my, I look forward to meeting you at the EMPTY tomb this weekend!!!
Today’s Scripture: John 19:38-42; Matt. 27:62-66
Choose below to read or listen.
John 19:38-42
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Matt. 27:62-66
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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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