HOLY WEEK SERIES: WHAT EXACTLY IS GOOD ABOUT GOOD FRIDAY?

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying His own cross, He went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). There they crucified Him, and with Him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek.

Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When He had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.”

With that, He bowed his head and gave up His spirit.

John 19:16b-20, 28-30

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Since Sunday, we have been moving through the final week of Jesus’ human life and ministry, a week often referred to as Holy Week. Today, we reach the day of His crucifixion, a day known widely as Good Friday.

I don’t know about you but this pairing of words has left me feeling uncomfortable on more than one occasion and I often even hesitate to say them because there’s something unsettling about what happened to Jesus on this day, an unsettling feeling that prevents me from feeling good personally or see the day as good at all from a literal perspective.

First, He was arrested for no good reason in Gethsemane’s garden. He then was falsely accused before the Sanhedrin and given a death sentence conviction. All that needed to happen was for the Jewish religious leaders to convince Pontius Pilate to do their dirty work for them through crucifixion, something we know they did successfully. Then, Jesus was brutally beaten and abused by Roman soldiers who took great pride in assaulting Him nearly to the point of death before making Him carry His cross to the place of execution, which is where we start with our message for today, drawn from the 19th chapter of John’s Gospel.  Look again at these words here:

So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying His own cross, He went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). There they crucified Him, and with Him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek.

Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When He had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.”

With that, He bowed his head and gave up His spirit. John 19:16b-20, 28-30

Crucifixion was one of the most barbaric, brutal executions in Jesus’ day. It was a long, slow spiral into death, nailed by the hands and feet to a cross to hang until the body gave out. This could take a day or several days, usually the latter than the former.

In Jesus’ case, it was only a matter of six hours, such a short time that Pontius Pilate was shocked when Joseph of Arimathea came with a request to bury Christ’s body. The scriptures tell us that Pilate wouldn’t believe Joseph until he had confirmed the death with one of his centurions (Mark 15:42-45).

Perhaps this could be considered somewhat good...for Jesus didn’t suffer for an extended time. Only His Father’s tender mercy and grace could have made it so.

In our passage, we are reminded that Jesus wasn’t crucified alone but was flanked on either side by a criminal who was actually receiving the punishment they deserved. One of the two recognized Jesus as who He was, an innocent man being put to death, and simply asked to be remembered when Jesus entered the kingdom. In response, Jesus let the criminal know that at that very moment, he had gained salvation and would one day be with Him in paradise (Luke 23:32-43).   

This could be counted as yet another good thing that came out of a dark day, and I mean literally dark for the sun stopped shining and the sky became literally black for the final three hours of Jesus’ life (Luke 23:44-45).

And then we come to the final three words that our Savior cried out from the cross:

“It is finished.”

After which time, we read where He “bowed His head and gave up His spirit”. Jesus was dead on that Friday of Holy Week but was that really good?

I go back to one of my many pastors through my lifetime who would always say this:

“We couldn’t have the joy of the resurrection without the solemn sorrow of the crucifixion.”

His words really started to put things into a different perspective for me for Jesus had to bear our sins on the cross so that our pardon could be purchased. He had to shed His blood to cleanse and purify us from our transgressions for there could be no forgiveness from sin without the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22). And He had to die and then conquer death and the grave, just as He defeated sin, in order to properly save those who would place their belief in Him as Savior.

Given this, what was always viewed as a negative, the crucifixion, should really be seen as a positive for it was all a part of God’s redemption plan for all people, whether Jew or Gentile. As my pastor shared, the death of Jesus set the stage for His glorious resurrection on the third day.

So when Jesus said that it was finished, He wasn’t just talking about His bodily life. For when it would come to anyone who would believe in Him afterwards, He meant that the following things would be finished at the moment any Christian believer took their last breath in this worldly existence:

1. Sin was finished. It will no longer have any power or impact on a person because of the justification of Jesus.

2. Suffering would be finished. Any affliction at the time of bodily death will absent in the resurrected believer, whether physical, emotional, or mental.

3. Heartache and heartbreak would be finished. Grieving will cease and no relationship would be anything but loving and supportive once in the company of the saints in Heaven.  

4. Since sin is gone after this life ends, so too is evil. There will be a day when crime will no longer exist and everyone can live without fear and danger.

5. Ultimately, death was going to be defeated for as soon as God resurrected Jesus in power, the blessed event we celebrate this coming Sunday, death lost its sting forever and all Christ believers gained the victory that comes through salvation, a salvation that ushers in eternal life.

Yes, Jesus’ death by crucifixion was horrific as He bore our sins and suffered in our place. But it was by His wounds that we are healed and saved, granted a part of the inheritance of Heaven where we will live with our resurrected Savior and the God who sent Him, the Almighty God who is the Maker and Master of all creation, forever.

When we consider all this in sum, this tragic Friday reminds us of all the good we gained because of what Jesus endured - and gained victory over - for us. Today, Good Friday, let us today remember our Savior Jesus, the Messiah, and give Him the proper praise and honor that He deserves.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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