Holy Week Guide | Friday
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Friday
MATTHEW 27 : 27- 50
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.
As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself ! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
Jesus was arrested in the wee hours of Good Friday. He endured a series of harsh and unlawful trials that would extend until dawn. The sleeplessness and agony of the garden had weakened his body. His fatigue was exasperated in anguish throughout the long day to come. Caiaphas and Annas, the former and current high priests prompted false testimony and pronounced their judgment. The Sanhedrin pressured the Pseudo-Jewish King, Herod, and the Roman Governor, Pilate, to crucify the Lord of glory. Throughout the evening and early morning, he was mocked and beaten both by temple guards and Pilate’s soldiers.
Scourged and exhausted, Jesus struggled to bear his cross. The path outside the northern gates was very rough. Our Lord passed old quarries formed to build the city’s walls. The uneven ground led to the top of an ignoble hill resembling a skull. There, at about 9am, Jesus was nailed to a cross. In stark contrast to the insolence spewed at the creator, our Lord spoke forgiveness, provision, and encouragement. He cared for even the lowliest of sinners hanging next to him.
Then something incomprehensible shook the Trinity. The Father, willing our iniquity to be cast away, laid the multitude of our sins upon the Son and forsook him. Though Jesus’ words were few, his creation gave testimony to the cosmic calamity. We see how with a weary and supernatural darkness cloaked Jerusalem from noon until 3pm. In the verses that follow our passage, the ground trembled, the soldiers cowered, the temple curtain split in two, and graves gave up their dead as Jesus gave up his spirit. The calls of hosanna that began the week, turned now to an earthly groan.
APPLICATION
We call this “Good Friday,” and so it is: bitter and good. How desperate were our circumstances that he could make atonement for us only in this manner? We have sinned, failed at every standard of righteousness, and railed against our Maker. Yet, he took on flesh and yielded himself to redeem us. By his stripes, we are healed. To apply the lessons of Good Friday is to recognize our relatedness to Peter. He, one of Jesus’ closest friends and followers, denied Christ three times in the fearful hours of that morning, was later restored, and then dedicated the remainder of his life to God’s service. We have all betrayed our Lord, yet he gently restores and calls us to take up our cross and follow him. Will you live for the one who, without contest, has earned the name that is above all other names? In the light of his sacrifice, our living must be given to his purpose. He must be our all in all.
PRAYER
God of heaven, for the glory of your Son, strengthen us to live our whole lives in dedication to your gospel. Help us to remember and declare that Jesus took our sins upon himself and provided for our reconciliation. To him be the glory forever and ever! Amen.
FAMILY DEVOTIONAL
THINK
What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word CROWN? King, Queen, Princess, gold, jewels, kingdom, and royalty are all words that immediately pop into my mind. A crown is a beautiful object that a person of royalty wears that represents his/her power or reign over a kingdom. Now, think of the word THORNS. I thought about words like ugly and sharp. Did you? Now put those words together – CROWN OF THORNS. It’s hard to think of something beautiful like a crown and ugly like thorns going together, isn’t it? But that is exactly the type of crown that Jesus, the King of Kings, wore for us.
READ
MATTHEW 27:27-31
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. 28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.
Today’s scripture is sad to read and may be hard to think about. But it’s important that we know the details of this story so that we can truly understand how much Jesus loves us. He was beaten, spit on, made fun of, and endured great physical pain and death so that our sins could be forgiven for all time. We are all guilty and deserve punishment for our sins. But God’s love for us is so great that He allowed His perfect Son, Jesus, to take the punishment for our sins so that we don’t have to be guilty anymore. As the King of Kings, Jesus’ death is the greatest example of love the world will ever know.
SAY
“Dear God, thank you for enduring pain and suffering for my sins and for making a way for me to know you as the King of Kings. Amen.”
DO
Using chalk, write a list of sins on the sidewalk. Then as you spray the list with water from a hose, be reminded of how Jesus washed away our sins.