Good Friday
Open Your Bible
Mark 15:1-47, Isaiah 52:13-15, Isaiah 53:1-7
BY Rebecca Faires
Why did they crucify Jesus? Because it was a part of God’s eternal redemptive plan, for starters, but what did they write down in their court records? What was His crime? He was King of the Jews.
Jesus attests to this identity, as does Pilate, and later, the Roman soldiers. The magi came to Bethlehem, seeking Him by this title, and it was the written charge against Him as He hung on the cross (Matthew 27:37). He wasn’t the king the Jewish people expected, nor was He the king they wanted. When “Pilate asked him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ He answered him, ‘You say so’” (Mark 15:2). He made no defense because it was His very person that offended, His Kingship itself is an offense to every sinful heart. The Cornerstone is the stumbling block, the rock of offense. They mocked Him as He hung on the cross, but their tongues unwittingly confessed Him as “Messiah, the King of Israel.”
In his letter to the Romans, the indictment that Paul brings against unbelievers is not that they do not know the truth, but that they know it, and yet suppress it: “For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth” (Romans 1:18). Though He came to humanity in flesh and blood, “he was despised, and we didn’t value him” (Isaiah 53:3).
Pilate and the Jewish people did not need more evidence of who Jesus was in order to believe. They rejected the evidence that was right in front of them. Indeed, when at the end “Jesus let out a loud cry and breathed his last,” even this testified to who He is in such a way that when the centurion witnessed His death, the soldier said, ‘“Truly this man was the Son of God!’” (Mark 15:37,39).
Each Lenten season, the Church remembers the long journey Christ walked to the cross. Each year, we encounter the same evidence, the same professions of Jesus’s Messiahship, the same hardened hearts that do not like the truth before them. The goodness of Good Friday is that Christ came to redeem blind, deaf, and rebellious people just like us. He came to bear upon Himself the guilt of our sin:
“He was pierced because of our rebellion,
crushed because of our iniquities;
punishment for our peace was on him,
and we are healed by his wounds” (Isaiah 53:5).
The goodness of Good Friday is that because He walked silently to the cross, like a Lamb to slaughter, not protesting the punishment meted out upon Him, we have hope. He was rejected by God that we might be made acceptable to God, a people for His own possession. This was the promise given through Jeremiah: “I will be their God, and they will be my people” (Jeremiah 31:33). See as the centurion did, the truth that is already before our eyes, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and He has purchased our salvation! Thanks be to God!
58 thoughts on "Good Friday"
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Thank you, Jesus. Thank you.
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Even with all of the craziness that is going on in our world, God is still on the throne. He is still on control, and He is the best at turning crucifixions into resurrections. I praise God that we don’t need to stay in this place of mourning. We can move onto a time of celebrating his resurrection.
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There are so many significant details in this story, many of which you all have so thoughtfully pointed out. No matter how many times I read this story, I’m always left in awe at the horrors of the crucifixion and how Jesus willingly drank the cup of God’s wrath so that we might be made right with Him.
Side note: I also thought it was really neat to see the little note about the women watching from a distance (Mark 15:40). I just think it’s really beautiful how women are included in the Gospel story. Jesus sees women, treats them with dignity, and gives them an important role in advancing his kingdom. Thankful for the women of the faith that have gone before us and for our little community here as well!
Dorothy, you have been on my heart and mind these last few days. Praying for grace upon grace for each moment this weekend. Praying that you would have a deep sense of Jesus’ nearness to you!
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The hope and love Jesus died for is what I need and want right now. If it weren’t for COVID-19, I would be packing up to move to a new place. The memories of this apartment are great but they are hard to live with day in and day out. I’m glad I still have a job I can go to to get me away part of the day Monday through Friday. Sisters please pray for me this weekend. My son will be bringing one of my grand dogs to stay with for a while and so I will be able to get out with her if the weather is good but the way the weather here the Kansas City area has been lately I don’t know.
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I’m praying for you. Dorothy. May you experience God’s love and comfort, and may he wrap you in his loving arms this weekend.
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I am weeping as I read the scripture today. This year, I dove deep into my faith, more than ever before. I have never truly understood the magnitude of His love for us until now. Because of Him, I am free. I am forgiven. I am so, so loved. I do not have to worry about tomorrow, because He cares for me. Thanks be to God!
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❤️
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This makes me think of a few things:
– What if, because of our hearts being blinded by sin, we don’t see the Messiah for who He truly is? What if we, like the priests and those who accused Him, reject Jesus as true King because He doesn’t come the way WE expect Him to? Victory doesn’t look much like victory hanging from a cross….victory doesn’t look like victory clothed in suffering. However, this moment of despair is literally the greatest victory accomplished for us who believe. Jesus says there is hope, victory, and rejoicing in suffering. I only hope that today, we can remember His work on the cross, and rejoice in suffering and tribulation. We rejoice with our King today. And we pray, Lord, open our eyes to Your great love for us, and Your intentions for us. We thank You for Your magnificent work on the cross that looked like failure, but was OUR HOPE, OUR JOY, OUR VICTORY. -
“It was His very person that offended.” And it still is. It’s acceptable to believe in and talk about God but people get nervous and offended when we talk about Jesus. It seems too personal, too intimate. And it is personal. Jesus walked that path to Golgotha and endured the cross for me. Thank you Jesus!
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Amen!!!
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Diana, how it hurts my humble heart that because people understand and interpret the doctrine of Christ differently they are said to be rebellious and heard of heart. Thus conclusion you drew from the articles you read may not be a fair conclusion. My church believes something similar to the things you are saying and I am a humble, devout follower of my Savior Jesus Christ. He is my Redeemer and my hope, my total faith and existence rests. I am one of the STR sisters who reads and feels a closeness to all the women who share personal spiritual experiences here. We may not all believe or interpret the teachings of Christ exactly the same but we are all followers of Jesus Christ. My prayer is the same as yours, that this Easter season many will will hear the message of His gospel
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I feel the same way, Robin. May God bless you.
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