What is so great about GoodFriday?
TWO THOUSAND years ago when Jesus Christ was crucified on Mount Calvary outside the city walls of Jerusalem the event marked a turning point in the history of the world. We believe that God incarnate suffered and died on the cross as a propitiation for the sins of all mankind. The eternal Son of God was slain. The loveliest Person who ever walked the face of this earth was crucified. Twenty centuries have passed since the Crucifixion Day, yet the Bible account enables us to visualize the event with a great deal of accuracy. It was a turbulent afternoon in the spring. An execution was taking place. A surging crowd stood by. It was the eve of a great annual festival that had brought thousands to Jerusalem. The earth had been rocked by an earthquake. The sky was darkened by a supernatural eclipse. There were three crosses on Golgotha. On the right and on the left were two robbers crucified for rebellion and murder. On the center cross hung a sinless Sufferer! He was dying for the sins of the world.
Jesus faced the cup of God’s wrath upon sin on that hideous cross. It is incredible to consider all that He endured in those 18 hours. The physical suffering was horrific but the spiritual war within the three hours of darkness is something we cannot comprehend. In those three hours, when utter darkness engulfed the cross, Jesus faced the sins of the world placed upon Him. Hell was unleashed to vent its furry against the Son of God.
The final words of a dying loved One are most precious. We recall them at our moments of trial, discouragement or challenge; seeking strength, encouragement and even direction from them. Jesus spoke seven times during the closing moments on the Cross. Before the darkness descended on the scene, Jesus spoke three times. During the darkness, He spoke once. And after the darkness had passed, He uttered three more sentences of love. The seven utterances of Jesus from the cross, the seven `Words' as they are known are of eternal significance to those who listen to them, a heroic confrontation of evil inspiring millions the world over. When we examine what our Savior exclaimed on the cross, we can learn about His true character and His integrity before the Father. We can see the love that pours out from His wounds, directed at us! Neither the heat, nor the sweat mixed with the blood, nor the agony and emotional distress distracted Him from having you and me on His mind that day. From these Seven Words of Jesus we can draw strength and courage for our own walk on this earth as we follow His call to be His disciples. He suffered the extreme penalty of death that we may live!
The final words of a dying loved One are most precious. We recall them at our moments of trial, discouragement or challenge; seeking strength, encouragement and even direction from them. Jesus spoke seven times during the closing moments on the Cross. Before the darkness descended on the scene, Jesus spoke three times. During the darkness, He spoke once. And after the darkness had passed, He uttered three more sentences of love. The seven utterances of Jesus from the cross, the seven `Words' as they are known are of eternal significance to those who listen to them, a heroic confrontation of evil inspiring millions the world over. When we examine what our Savior exclaimed on the cross, we can learn about His true character and His integrity before the Father. We can see the love that pours out from His wounds, directed at us! Neither the heat, nor the sweat mixed with the blood, nor the agony and emotional distress distracted Him from having you and me on His mind that day. From these Seven Words of Jesus we can draw strength and courage for our own walk on this earth as we follow His call to be His disciples. He suffered the extreme penalty of death that we may live!
THE FIRST WORD
"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."
Gospel of Luke 23:34
THE SECOND WORD
"Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
Gospel of Luke 23:43
On that fateful day in the history of the world, it happened that there were two thieves who were crucified alongside Jesus. This fact isn’t just recorded to give a bit of color to the dark scene. It’s not just to round up the story, but as a piece of evidence that what was happening was part of God’s plan of salvation. It was conceived before the world existed and revealed through God’s messengers, centuries before. The particular prophecy that was being fulfilled is recorded in Isaiah 53 where, among many other predictions, the prophet declared that the coming Suffering Servant of the Lord was he who "was numbered with the transgressors" (53:12).One of the criminals who was crucified with Christ, had recognized who Jesus was and expressed faith in him as Savior. Here we see grace poured out through faith, as Jesus assured the dying man of his forgiveness and eternal salvation.THE THIRD WORD
"Jesus said to his mother: "Woman, this is your son".
Then he said to the disciple: "This is your mother."
Gospel of John 19:26-27
The Second Word from the Cross ministered salvation to the penitent sinner, but the Third Word introduces us to the wider implications of this great salvation. It illuminates relationships as seen through the cross of Jesus, especially that of love. A psychologist once said, "there are two things that men want: power and love." At the very heart of all our wanting is the love that Jesus gave us on the cross. The disciple that Jesus refers to in his word is John, and his gospel contains several of the most important statements that Jesus made on love. "Greater love has no one than this that one lays down his life for his friends" (15:13). "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (3:16).
This Third Word from the Cross also reveals the relationship of Jesus with his disciple John, the one who had been closest to him. It didn’t require a long explanation for John to know what was meant. We read that from that hour John took Mary into his own home. The question might be raised, "But why was not Mary committed into the care of one of her other children?" The answer is probably because they as yet hadn’t received him by a living faith. John was ready and acted without hesitation. It has been said that this Word from the Cross is the least theological, but practical application of the gospel must never be separated from its message. It is only as theory is translated into practice that relationship with Christ becomes a living reality. This Word tells us that there’s love for you in the cross, and it’s a love which having been received, is to be shared with others.
THE FOURTH WORD
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34
In the darkest hours of his suffering, Jesus cried out the opening words of Psalm 22. And although much has been suggested regarding the meaning of this phrase, it was quite apparent the agony Christ felt as he expressed separation from God. Here we see the Father turning way from the Son as Jesus bore the full weight of our sin.THE FIFTH WORD
"I thirst"
Gospel of John 19:28
The hours of torture on the Cross took a tremendous toll on the body of Jesus. Execution by crucifixion was not a sudden death like being shot by a firing squad. It was a long drawn out, lingering death carried out under the Eastern sun. His wounded hands and feet would be quickly inflamed, resulting in a fever of thirst and His body would soon be dehydrated. The prophetic 22nd Psalm which anticipated our Lord’s passion speaks graphically of his condition, "I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth" (14,15). Yes, our Saviour’s sufferings were real. Although Jesus was divine he was also uniquely man and felt all the emotions and pain as we feel them.Jesus refused the initial drink of vinegar, gall and myrrh (Matthew 27:34 and Mark 15:23) offered to alleviate his suffering. But here, several hours later, we see Jesus fulfilling the messianic prophecy found in Psalm 69:21. As I reflect on Jesus’ statement, “I am thirsty,” I keep thinking of my own thirst. It’s nothing like that of Jesus. Rather, I am thirsty for him. My soul yearns for the living water that Jesus supplies (John 4:10; 7:38-39). I rejoice in the fact that he suffered physical thirst on the cross – and so much more – so that my thirst for the water of life might be quenched.This Fifth Word from the Cross serves to tell us that there is suffering in the Cross.
THE SIXTH WORD
When Jesus had received the wine, he said,
"It is finished";
and he bowed his head and handed over the spirit.
Gospel of John 19:30
The 6thword Consists of one single word in the Greek - "Finished, accomplished." It was a loud cry that rang out over the ghastly scene. What did Jesus mean? What was finished? Was he referring to his sufferings or his life’s work? Certainly it was those things, but even more. It was the end of an era. The Old Testament contains a long list of prophetic utterances, beginning with the first family of mankind, when God told the serpent in the Garden of Eden that he would "put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head and you will strike his heel" (Gen 3:15). It was this great conquest that was being enacted. Jesus’ cry was proclaiming his victory over the evil one. In the gigantic struggle between good and evil the Son of Man had suffered grievously but he had finished the work of redemption that his Father had committed to him. He didn’t say "I am finished" but rather "It is finished." It was a shout of victory over sin, death and hell.The word from the Cross said "finished" to the rituals of the Jewish religion. There was nothing wrong with them because they had been given by God, but now they had served their purpose as a holding operation until the appointed time of the coming of the Messiah. The sacrifices and ceremonies of the Old Testament order were but types pointing to the Christ, but now he had come, shadow had given way to substance; that which had been promised centuries before had at last been realised. The work of man’s redemption was finished, accomplished. Jesus had offered himself without spot or blemish to God, and by that one sacrifice for sin, once and for all he had done all that was required to reconcile the world unto God."It is finished." The Word tells us there is nothing left for man to do but to enter into the results of Christ’s finished work. The Greek word for “finished” was used in business life of the time to indicate that a debt had been paid. It’s like the message of a rubber stamp bearing the words ’Payment received’ when stamped across a bill. That’s what Jesus was proclaiming from the Cross - "it is paid, man’s account with God has been settled, the debt is wiped out." That is the very essence of the Gospel. The Redeemer has paid the price for our redemption. Salvation has been obtained for all who accept and rely upon the finished work of Calvary. “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished” (John 19:30). The men at the foot of the Cross gave Jesus vinegar (when He cried “I thirst”) so that His throat might burn even more. And then when He had received the vinegar, He uttered with a loud voice those great words, “it is finished.” The endless hours of suffering were about over. The Saviour was about to die. It was for this cause that Jesus came into the world, and now He raises His voice in a triumphant shout: “it is finished!” The penultimate utterance after this great suffering is a triumphant affirmation of a task completed, the suffering undergone on behalf of all mankind, "It is finished." These words resound down the corridors of time as each martyr makes the supreme sacrifice for a cause.Jesus knew he was suffering the crucifixion for a purpose. Earlier he had said in John 10:18 of his life, "No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father." These three words were packed with meaning, for what was finished here was not only Christ's earthly life, not only his suffering and dying, not only the payment for sin and the redemption of the world—but the very reason and purpose he came to earth was finished. His final act of obedience was complete. The Scriptures had been fulfilled.
THE SEVENTH WORD
Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
"Father, into your hands I commend my spirit":
Gospel of Luke 23:46
The seventh utterance is one of total abandonment to God who is supreme: "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." Then he died. It is the affirmation of the great truth that all events are ordained by God. Man's role in the plan of God is to submit courageously to the Divine Will. As the great Italian poet Dante said, "In His Will is My Peace."For six hours Jesus had been hanging on the Cross, and now we get a last look at His suffering face. His whole body is drooping and shivering with the last chill. His breath is growing feebler and feebler – until He gives one long, deep, last sigh – “Father into Thy hands I commend my spirit.” Here Jesus closes with the words of Psalm 31:5, speaking to the Father. We see his complete trust in the Father. Jesus entered death in the same way he lived each day of his life, offering up his life as the perfect sacrifice and placing himself in God's hands.Jesus was always submitting Himself to God, and when He died, He died just as He had lived. Jesus commits his eternal souls to the Father, which meant submitting and humbling Himself unto death, even death on a cross. Jesus saw His physical life on earth as a clear mission directed from Heaven. He used His life on earth and did not allow Himself to be used or manipulated by anything, including the fleshly temptations He faced. This is why in His death He entrusted Himself to the Father. We too are told to “Commit our way unto the Lord; trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass.” like Stephen in Acts 7 cry with his last breath, “Lord Jesus receives my spirit.”On the cross Jesus demonstrated loving discernment of human ignorance, selfless concern for a fellow sufferer, filial care, intimate relationship with God, acute deprivation, disciplined obedience to the will of God, and the unquestioning dedication of oneself to God.
The followers of Jesus believe that He rose from the dead on the third day. Instead of debating this it would be well to consider the magnificent role model on the cross who reaches out to every man and woman on this planet and teaches that the only way to peace despite our sufferings is virile obedience to the will of God.
The First Word from the Cross begins with Jesus addressing His Father - "Father forgive" and now it begins the last. God, the Father, had accepted the sin offering made by Jesus, as would soon be demonstrated by his resurrection from the dead. Jesus had come from his Father and to his Father he would return, but first he had to die physically. These words tell us that his life didn’t just ebb away - in fact Jesus had previously said that no one could take his life "but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father" (John 10:18). And so it was that Jesus consciously gave his life. He laid it upon the altar, just as the burnt offering of the Old Testament which had spokenThis last Word from the Cross is in fact a quotation from Psalm 31 (v.5). It was composed by David when, in some great trouble, he put his trust in his God. Jesus could identify himself with David’s affliction and anguish of soul, having been treated with utter contempt by his enemies and deserted by his friends. Like David he could still say "but I trust in you, 0 Lord, I say ’You are my God’, my times are in your hands" (14, 15). "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." This speaks of his confidence in God, his Father. He found security in his Father’s hands and in so doing pointed the way to all who die believing. The first Christian martyr, Stephen, left this life with the same security. "Lord Jesus" he said, "receives my spirit." They have been used by countless believers in Christ ever since. This is the security that comes from knowing "him whom we have believed and are persuaded that he is able to keep that which we have committed unto Him." Yes, there is eternal security in the Cross.The death of Jesus calls out to us to choose life in the light of eternity. A life of compassion not resentment, a word of acceptance not rejection, a heart of forgiveness not revenge, a life to share not hoard.. Jesus' death springs open that door in our hearts where God has written God's Law - the Law that calls us to choose life over death, and love over evil. The way to conquer evil is through good. Similarly, violence can be overcome only by non-violence and hatred by love. Good Friday gives us the assurance that Jesus has defeated the power of Evil and death. Hence we can demonstrate the divine love for the unlovely, peace, joy and happiness that is deep and lasting, kind word in response to insult, gentleness when our world is harsh. May God’s divine love, gives us His marvelous grace to overcome the narrowness, the intolerance, and the selfishness which dominates the world.
The single most valuable Prayer you can pray from the depth of your heart to God is: Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner I believe that Lord Jesus Died for my Sins, Thank you for taking all of my sin upon yourself on the cross. I want to receive your forgiveness and enter into a relationship with you. I ask you to come into my life as my Savior and Lord, to be my God from this day forward, and to make me into the person you've intended me to be. The author is the Bishop of Believers Church, Patna Diocese.