04/10/2020
What is good about good Friday?
What is good about someone being betrayed, falsely accused,mocked and ridiculed, brutally beaten, and hung on a cross as a criminal to die a humiliating and painful death,deserted by most of his followers.
Since we live on this side of the cross and will celebrate one of, if not the most important day in human history in a few days. We know why we call it good Friday. But put yourself in the place of Jesus' followers. Many of them have been with him over the past 3 years. They have seen miracles upon miracles,they have had their eyes and hearts opened to the knowledge that this is not just another person but is the Christ the Savior of the world.
Let’s go back to Thursday, they are spending this wonderful intimate time with Jesus, he has washed their feet, they are sharing the passover together then Jesus drops a bomb. One of you is going to betray me, they are left perplexed and wondering who it is that is going to be the betrayer. Especially in the gospel of John we see such a sweet, humble and loving Jesus giving this wonderful discourse starting in chapter 13 going through chapter 17. I would highly encourage you to read those chapters and see the last things Jesus is instructing and encouraging his followers before his betrayal. Now the plot to kill Jesus has begun and he is getting falsely accused by the religious leaders, most of his followers have already abandoned him. Peter, one of his closest followers has just denied him 3 times.
It’s Friday morning now, Jesus is brought to Pilate, again being falsely accused and a robber is set free instead of Jesus. He is beaten, spit on, crowned with a crown of thorns and a purple robe to make a mockery of him being the King of the Jews. Through it all Jesus hardly says anything, he doesn't defend himself. At one point strikes fear into Pilate by telling him “ You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given to you from above.” Jesus by now has been beaten probably nearly to death, but to have enough life to still feel the pain of crucifixion.(if you don’t know much about death by crucifixion,look it up it wasn’t a pleasant death) Jesus is now on the cross with his charge above his head: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. He is hanging on the cross getting mocked and ridiculed even by the robbers that hang next to him. Yet even at that moment Jesus is caring for people telling one of the robbers today you will be with me in paradise. Now there is darkness over the land and all of the physical pain Jesus is experiencing is not nearly as painful as what He is going to experience from the spiritual pain he is about to endure. The physical pain Jesus went through was horrendous and is important, but don’t miss the spiritual agony that he went through because that is the ultimate point of the cross and that is why Jesus cries out My God, My God why have You forsaken me. Jesus understood the wrath of the Father and willingly took it upon himself, so by grace you would never have to experience that wrath. Now Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and willingly gave up his spirit and the veil of the temple was torn in two. This veil separated the holy place and the most holy place, no one was allowed to enter the most holy place except the high priest once a year. But Jesus tore it in two signifying the removal of the separation between God and the people. The one thing that I love that the most of the gospel writers point out is during this time almost all of Jesus’ closest followers have run and hid or are watching these events unfold from a distance. We see a gentile centurion and those with him proclaim “Truly this was the Son of God.” Amazing truly amazing. Feel the weight of this moment for a second pretty much everyone has abandoned Jesus, his people the Jews are behind him hanging on a cross and we have a roman centurion who has probably seen hundreds of crucifixions standing under the cross saying “Truly this was the Son of God.”
Wrapping up Jesus has now been taken down from the cross placed in a tomb and stone is rolled shut. Now place yourself in the place of his followers. What is good about this? Many of them have just given the last couple years of their lives to follow this man who now lays motionless in a tomb. They may have prophecy and the words of Jesus, but at this point the story is over. It is black and there is nothing but silence inside the grave.
Silence……...This is the end of the story,everything we gave our lives to over the last couple years is over. All of the religious leaders are going to persecute us and we will never be allowed to be in the temple again. We may have spent the last few years chasing around just another man given over to death and not the Messiah. What did we really witness, did all of these miracles really happen? Oh Jesus how we loved you, why did you abandon us.
Darkness………...Silence…………………….
