Day 6: GOOD FRIDAY
Scripture
MATTHEW 27:32-56
As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).
When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”
Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”
Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
Devotion
This gruesome passage is difficult to stomach. It’s easier to imagine that Jesus, being deity, did not feel pain. However, the Scriptures reiterate that Jesus’ humanity was completely uncompromised. The soldiers failed to break Jesus’ will through humiliation so they rendered his body unrecognizable through torture. They compelled a foreigner to carry Jesus’ cross out of practicality, not mercy. On the cross, Jesus remained lucid and even his scorched throat offered no respite. His worshipful plea, “My God, why have you forsaken me?” bore his soul’s anguish. And from above, the cry of a parent losing their only Child shook heaven and earth.
Jesus’ undeniable suffering begs the question, why did Jesus choose to suffer the most violent and humiliating death? While a simpler death may have sufficed for our salvation, Jesus was determined to demonstrate the depth of his love through the depth of his suffering. Jesus denied himself the painkiller of wine and gall so that he could feel all the pain. He chose all the pain so that we would know all his love. When the crowds asked Jesus to come down from the cross to prove his deity, Jesus chose to remain in agony. In that moment, he prioritized being utterly loving over being utterly powerful.
Indeed, love expressed verbally comforts, but love proven through an act of willful sacrifice unleashes the power to transcend language and time. French intellectual Rene Girard interpreted the history of mankind through violent scapegoating. But, as he scoured countless civilizations, he encountered an absurd anomaly: a Judeo-Christian story of an innocent man willingly choosing to be the scapegoat. Girard became a believer because the subversiveness of a willing victim only made sense if it were true.
In another world, a North Korean found a forbidden scrap of Scripture with a single verse - John 3:16. His heart was so moved by the sacrificial love of God that he, knowing nothing else, chose to be martyred by the rolling of tanks over his body rather than renounce his faith.
So, let us not minimize our Savior’s suffering, but let us marvel in its depths. During a past worship conference, our worship leader paused midway through song and asked us to listen as he sang the lyrics to us, as words spoken from the heart of Jesus…
“…I’m madly in love with you. All of my life and nothing less, I offer to you, my righteousness.”
On this good day, Jesus proved that he is madly in love with you when he let nails be hammered into his body. He offered his life and nothing less when he took his last breath. And we became his righteousness when he declared, “it is finished!”
On this good day, can you hear this song?
Questions for reflection
SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY TODAY: To further contemplate Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross we invite you to come to our interactive art exhibit on the stations of the cross that allows you to prayerfully consider this event in more detail. More details for today’s “stations of the cross” event can be found here: Stations of the Cross >
Prayer
Jesus, You freely chose death so I could freely have life. You were alone in your suffering so that I would never be alone in mine. You are worthy of my life, my love, my all. Amen.
written by Jean Chan
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Family Devotional
Good Friday: Mark 14:32-41
For this devotional try to simulate darkness. A couple of ideas- go into a room and turn off all the lights and bring out a couple of flashlights. Or create a blanket fort to create a canopy.
As you read have your children draw something that is good but they find really difficult to do.
After reading, ask them to share their drawings and what they find difficult to do. In this Bible story Jesus is also struggling with something that he is supposed to do but is having a hard time. Do you know what He is asking God to take away from Him? Right, that he is supposed to die on a cross soon. This is a good thing he is doing for us because it is to save us but it is also a very hard thing. What do you think Jesus is feeling here in this story?
Take time to pray to thank Jesus that he did this hard but good thing on our behalf. Then pray that we would also have courage to do the good things God wants us to do no matter what.