Sunday Services
Morning service: 10.45am
Evening service: 6.00pm
“Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around Him. They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on His head. They put a staff in His right hand. Then they knelt in front of Him and mocked Him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. They spat on Him, and took the staff and struck Him on the head again and again. After they had mocked Him, they took off the robe and put His own clothes on Him. Then they led Him away to crucify Him.” Matthew 27v27-31NIV
The journey towards Golgotha and Jesus’ crucifixion is well documented in all four gospels[1]. Sometime before 9am, Jesus was walked to the place known to us more commonly by its Greek name, Calvary. After going through beatings so horrendous, He was unable to carry or drag the cross that was intended for Him, so it was given to another to carry behind Him.
Surrounding the cross the angry crowds hurled abuse, insults and continued to mock Jesus, the Son of God, as He slowly died in agony. For three hours Jesus’ mother Mary, along with others such as the apostle John, had to endure watching this scene. Then, as Jesus looked up, we read of one tender moment;
“Near the Cross of Jesus stood His mother, His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw His mother there, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.” John 19v25-27NIV
At noon the earth became dark; was there confusion, did it silence the crowd? None of the accounts tell us how people reacted except that Jesus cried out quoting Psalm 22v1 “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”. At 3pm, Jesus finally shouted out in a loud voice one last time “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” (Luke 23v46) and died. The earth shook, and the curtain in the Temple which separated the Most Holy Place, and therefore direct access to God from everyone except the High Priest, was torn in two from top to bottom. In that moment our access to God changed; all those who believe on Jesus have direct access to God because Jesus is our High Priest and Saviour.
Good Friday was a day packed with betrayal, arrest, desertion, mock trials and death. To us it is history but for Jesus’ disciples, family and followers this was all happening in agonising real time. There was only a small band of them who stayed near the cross and it’s not hard to understand that they felt so shattered by what they had seen that they weren’t sure what to do next. We must remember however, that this was just the start of the outworking of the most merciful plan ever devised.
“Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.” John 16v20 NIV
[1] Further reading: Matthew 27v32-44; Mark 15v21-32; Luke 23v33-43; John 19v18-27; consider also John 3v16-18