Today, the day of this publication is Good Friday. It’s an unusual name. We call the day of our Savior’s corrupt trial, beating, and death by crucifixion a “Good” day. It is a day of hope because it leads to Easter Sunday, commemorating Jesus’ resurrection, and victory over sin and death. In that regard, it was the ultimate sacrifice made by Jesus to redeem humanity. Let’s ponder for a moment that day and see how great that sacrifice was.
The characteristics of God are beyond human understanding. While humanity is finite, God is infinite. God is self-existent, without origin or dependence on anything. God exists eternally, existing everywhere simultaneously. God’s knowledge is perfect, knowing all things, past, present, and future. His character is unchanging, pure, existing with moral perfection, and separated from sin. The character and eternal nature of God existed even before creation. He exists beyond the limits of the material universe. God is timeless, existing without the constraints of the past, present, and future. Humanity falls short in even describing His glory, beauty, and majesty. Yet, God so loved His creation, that He sent His one and only Son to save us, His creation.
The concept of one God in three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is mysterious and beyond human analogy or comprehension. The idea of God, or part of God limiting Himself to become a human is the mystery of the Incarnation. Jesus, God in human form, lives as we do and dies as we must.
(Romans 8:15)1NIV New International Version Translations – “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
At the birth of Jesus, God becomes a Father. And now, we can begin to relate to God. Fatherhood brings love, unwavering support, and a desire to protect, instilling values such as integrity, responsibility, perseverance, kindness, and patience. Jesus would model His Father in many ways. Jesus remained sinless throughout His life and even unto death. Jesus’ ministry on earth is filled with signs and wonders that can only be attributed to His Father. On the evening before Jesus’ death, what we call Maundy Thursday, His Father would watch His Son abandoned by those whom Jesus mentored. Sharing a last meal, disciples, men mentored by Jesus, remained confused about who Jesus was. After the meal, Jesus would go to the garden of Gethsemane to pray before His arrest. He takes Peter, James, and John with him and asks them to keep watch while He prays. However, they fall asleep repeatedly, despite Jesus’ request to stay awake (Matthew 26:36-46). This is followed by Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’ disciples, approaching the chief priests and agreeing to betray Jesus in exchange for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14-16).
God would then see Caiaphas, a Jewish high priest, oversee a trial, conviction, and crucifixion, accusing Jesus of blasphemy (Matthew 26:63-66). The death of Jesus would be overseen by so-called “men of God.” Jesus’ trial did not adhere to the principles of justice and fairness outlined in Jewish law, and it would be characterized by irregularities, bias, and a lack of due process. Jewish law required trials to be conducted during daylight hours, not at night. The full Sanhedrin (court) was not present as required. The witnesses brought forward against Jesus during his trial were contradictory and unreliable. Jesus was not provided with a proper defense. He was questioned and accused, but He was not allowed to defend Himself adequately. The outcome of the trial was predetermined, with the religious leaders seeking Jesus’ death regardless of the evidence presented. The Bible verses that support the points made above are: (Timing and Composition of the Court: Matthew 26:57-68; Mark 14:53-65; Luke 22:54, 66-71; John 18:12-14, 19-24) (Witnesses: Matthew 26:59-61; Mark 14:55-59; Luke 22:67-71; John 18:19-23)(Defense and Outcome: Matthew 26:62-64; Mark 14:60-64; Luke 22:67-71; John 18:29-40; 19:1-16)
Peter, the disciple who would become the anchor of the future Christian Church, would cower in fear. He would deny his association with Jesus three times. Yes, three years of friendship, all those miracles, even watching Jesus raise the dead to life, would not be sufficient to bolster Peter’s bravery. What must God have thought when that rooster crowed (Matthew 26:69-75)?
Then came the insults. The Sanhedrin turned Jesus over to the Roman governor, who had Jesus stripped and given a scarlet robe, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on His head. They put a staff in His right hand. The Romans knelt in front of Him and mocked Him (Matthew 27:27-31). Then Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, took Jesus and had Him flogged. Jesus was stripped of His clothing, and bound to a post, with His back and shoulders fully exposed to the blows of the scourge. The Roman flogging used a flagrum, a whip, consisting of multiple leather thongs or cords attached to a wooden handle. At the end of each thong were pieces of bone, metal, or sharp objects designed to inflict deep wounds with each blow. Vicious blows were given to the back, shoulders, chest, and legs with full force, tearing into the flesh with each strike. It continued until Jesus was near death. Can you imagine any father watching His son endure this injustice and suffering? God watched and endured for us.
Are you still reading? It’s hard, isn’t it? Reading about the extent of God’s Grace to humanity. Just think of what it must have been like to be a witness. Jesus would then be forced to carry His cross through a taunting crowd to Golgotha, which means “place of the skull” in Aramaic. There, He would be nailed to it. Nails were driven through His wrists and feet. For hours, Jesus would hang, bleeding, dying. Even the Son of Man called out for mercy.
(Mark 14:36) – “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
The Creator of the Universe was watching His one and only Son take upon Himself, the sins of the world, our sins! Jesus did this for you and me! A Father watches His Son suffer and then finally die, leaving His earthly presence behind. Yes, God so loved His creation, that He sent His one and only Son to die for us. If Friday ended there, it is doubtful that anyone would ever call it good. But it didn’t end. With the removal of our sins through Jesus’ sacrifice, we could now have a relationship again with our God. Sunday would come and change history forever. The tomb would be empty. “Jesus had risen.”
From that moment on, we could look forward, as Adam and Eve first did, to living forever and eating from the “Tree of Life” (Genesis 2:9). In the Book of Revelation, the Tree of Life reappears as part of the new Jerusalem, symbolizing eternal life and healing for those who are faithful to God and for those who place their faith and trust in Jesus.
(Revelation 22:1-2) – “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.”
How do you spend Good Friday? Tradition is to use 12 noon to 3 pm (the traditional time of the crucifixion) for quiet reflection and prayer. I do remember one year while living in Illinois, my church teamed up with another, and the men of the churches carried a cross through the main street of our town, Belvidere. People lined the street to watch as the men carried the cross about a mile from one church to the other. While we took turns with the heavy cross, the experience left a permanent place in my heart for Good Friday. It will never be an ordinary day for me. The goodness of Good Friday lies in the Christian understanding that, through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, believers are offered the opportunity for forgiveness of sins and eternal life. The first Good Friday paved the way for salvation and redemption for humanity. Despite the somber nature of the crucifixion, Good Friday can now be viewed as a day of hope because it leads to Easter Sunday, Jesus’ resurrection, and victory over death. The promise of eternal life became real!
(2 Corinthians 6:18) – “And, ‘I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.’”
(See Other Lostpine Good Friday Studies: Are you a “Leftist” or a “Rightist?” – Is the Resurrection of Jesus True?)
Contemplations
- What do you do on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter?
- Ideas to Explore: Each day represents an opportunity to reflect upon the gift of Grace that humanity has received. Many attend services. On Sunday, Easter, make it a celebration of Hope!
- History confirms that Jesus lived and was crucified. Where do you place Jesus’ sacrifice in your life’s priorities?
- Ideas to Explore: Church, prayer, family gatherings, special events, etc.
- How do you teach your children about Good Friday?
- Ideas to Explore: The day was real; the death and resurrection were real. As children mature and understand more about God and Jesus, it is important to appropriately share the full story.
- 1NIV New International Version Translations