Holy Week in Real Time: Good Friday
Open Your Bible
Matthew 27:1-61, Isaiah 52:13-15, Isaiah 53:1-7
BY Guest Writer
Text: Matthew 27:1-61, Isaiah 52:13-15, Isaiah 53:1-7
Today is the sixth day of the portion of the church calendar commonly known as Holy Week.
In the coming days, we will slow our pace, walking through the events that took place between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. Rather than offer personal, written responses to each day’s Scripture reading, we’ve asked our friend, Pastor Russ Ramsey, to provide a real-time summary of the week’s events. Our prayer is that this more descriptive approach will usher you into the narrative and allow space for you to fully engage the beauty and ache of Holy Week.
Take this week slowly and reverently. It is a somber time, but let us never forget: Sunday is coming.
___
Good Friday, the Friday of Holy Week, puts to us this question once again: Who do you say Jesus is?
Late Thursday night in Gethsemane, Jesus was arrested—betrayed by one of His own disciples and abandoned by His others. The Chief Priests and the Sanhedrin called for secret trials in the dead of night, and the verdict was handed down that Jesus would be crucified (Mark 14:53-65). This was an official order the Roman Prefect, Pontius Pilate, would have to give. And reluctantly, on Friday morning, he did (Mark 15:1-15).
After a severe beating, Jesus was nailed to a cross where He would remain for six hours until dead (Matthew 27:27-44).
He was crucified between two thieves. As He hung there, weak, bloody, and exposed, people from the crowd taunted and mocked Him—scoffing that if He really was the Son of God, then why didn’t He come down from the Cross (Matthew 27:40)? They could not begin to fathom the irony of their logic. That cross was the reason the Son of God had come, and His place as our atoning sacrifice was one only He could occupy. It was Jesus’ presence on the cross, not His ability to come down from it, that would prove His divinity. They knew not what they did.
One of the thieves started in with contemptuous words of his own, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself. Save us!” But the gravity of the scene settled on the other thief as he watched Jesus take the brutality of His captors to God in the form of a prayer for mercy. The thief also watched Jesus give His own grieving mother to His treasured friend. Seeing the grace by which Jesus received this death, the second thief broke into sobs, saying to Him, “Forgive me. I am here for the wrongs I have done, but You have done nothing. Please, remember me when You pass from this place into Your waiting kingdom” (Luke 23:39-43, my paraphrase).
At around 3:00pm, Jesus died (Luke 23:44-46).
Never before or since has more been lost and gained at the same time as at Jesus’ crucifixion. The world gained the atoning sacrifice of Christ. But for many of those present, their hearts broke because the One they believed to be the Savior of the world was dying at the hands of Rome. They couldn’t stop it, and they didn’t yet realize—He was dying for them. Many had put their hope in Jesus, and though He had told them earlier that He would suffer many things and rise three days later (Mark 8:31), how could they possibly have known this was what He meant?
The reactions of the condemned men crucified on either side of Jesus and those gathered at the foot of the cross tell the story of every man and woman when it comes to what we make of Christ’s crucifixion. The cross of Jesus confronts us all with the question of the true identity of Jesus Christ. Times of desperation can harden us or soften us, but the question of Easter never goes away: Who do you say that Jesus is?
written by Russ Ramsey
adapted from Behold the King of Glory
79 thoughts on "Holy Week in Real Time: Good Friday"
-
How close would I have been to Jesus? Passing by, glimpsing at the event (one of the anonymous crowd)? At a safe distance (the chief priests, scribes, elders), not wanting to be associated? Beside Him (the thief), wanting Him to just meet my urgent need? At His feet (the centurion and soldiers), just doing my job, nothing more, nothing less?
How close would I have been?How close am I to Jesus today?
An observer? Head knowledgeable but not heart knowledgeable? Using Jesus as a genie in a bottle to grant my wishes? Doing the Christian thing but not too much?
Forgive me, Lord!
You did nothing wrong. You are innocent. I am guilty. I deserve punishment. Forgive me! You really are God’s Son!That fact makes all the difference.
That fact draws me oh so close.
That fact sets me free.
That fact lifts me up.
It’s a good Friday.-
Churchmouse, your words are always so encouraging and get me right in the heart. Thank you for taking the time to write in these community posts! Hugs to you friend!
-
Love this…
-
-
Good Friday. My flesh rebels from that “good”. I don’t like to see pain and suffering. I don’t like to see humiliation. And to imagine this Jesus, whom I love, subjected to that. And to know that he was thinking of me.
He did it for me.
My flesh longs for it to not be so. Couldn’t I have been the one who was ‘good’ enough not to need Jesus’ sacrifice?
And in those thoughts I see the lies my flesh would like me to believe. The lie that says “I’m not THAT bad”. But the truth is that ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Jesus is the only way to have life. And not even life just muscled through but ABUNDANT life! And so, I humble myself and kneel in awe and adoration at the foot of the cross and the Jesus who would do this, who would make the ultimate sacrifice for me, while I was yet a sinner.
Thank you, my Jesus for loving me! -
The Lord did not endure that pain so that we would all continue living in chains. Be free. Galatians 5:1
-
I love this!
-
Amen!! I need this reminder daily.
-
Me tooo
-
-
-
Tears. “He Himself bore our sicknesses, and He carried our pains; but we in turn regarded Him stricken, struck down by GOD (emphasis mine)… BUT, He was pierced because of OUR transgressions, crushed because of OUR iniquities; punishment for our peace was ON HIM, and we are healed by His wounds…He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughter and like a sheep before her shearers, He did not open His mouth.” Humbled this morning as I walk through the hard reality of Jesus’ death. And knowing He did it willingly and lovingly because of my sin and separation, not because of His.
-
“The reactions of the condemned men crucified on either side of Jesus and those gathered at the foot of the cross tell the story of every man and woman when it comes to what we make of Christ’s crucifixion”
Talk about a moment when your heart and eyes just open up; this hit me hard. Good Friday brings us (all people) face to face with the whole message of our faith and Christianity. We either respond like the high priests (vengeful, hypocritical and never seeing their wrongs) Matthew 27:41-43, crowds (remorseful and deeply affected) Luke23:48 , thief 1 (scoffing and full of ridicule) Luke 23:39, thief 2 (ashamed and repentant) Luke 23:40 or the soldiers (immediately regretful) Mark 15:39.
I always find Good Friday difficult and emotional; but the one thing I love about today that it gives me the opportunity to put my faith into perspective as walk forward to the cross, kneel under it, confess my sins, reaffirm my faith and walk away with my brethren.
We can be either of these people at any one time of our Christian lives but it is about how we follow through from today. Today is a truly sad and heart wrenching day but the glory of Sunday is just around the corner. Without today, we have no resurrection Sunday.
Have a blessed Easter weekend ladies
-
“Never before or since has more been lost and gained at the same time as at Jesus’ crucifixion.”
I absolutely love this quote! It is finished. Thank you Lord
-
What a life we live, what a God we have. What a promise to hold fast to. It’s h fathomable the depth of grace and I’m so unbelievably thankfully we were chosen and held and SAVED!
-
It is finished! Thank you Jesus. What a Savior. So thankful.
Post Comments (79)