Good Friday
Today is Good Friday, the day Jesus was crucified. And that's what I want to talk about. I know some of you aren't Christian, but I ask that you at least listen. Let's get started.
First off, this is the story of what happened on Good Friday. It starts with Jesus in Gethsemane, praying that there's another way aside from his death and it ends with his burial. We'll talk about his resurrection on Sunday.
Like with my Holy Week blog (which you should go read before you read this one), I'm not a pastor, so don't expect this to be pretty. Feel free to comment with any questions, feedback, suggestions, or corrections!
I would like to warn you that crucifixion is a very graphic and horrible way to die. There are no graphic descriptions, but I would advise you not to look up what it is if you are sensitive.
Jesus Prays in Gethsemane
Jesus went out to pray, bringing his closest friends with him. He knew he was going to die soon, and he prayed that God would find a different way. But he was willing to do whatever God wanted.
The ESV Bible, in Matthew 26:36-46, reads:
Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, "Sit here, while I go over there and pray." And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me." And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will. And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, "So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done." And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.
The full story can be found in:
• Matthew 26:36-46
• Mark 14:32-42
• Luke 22:39-46
• John 17:1-26
Jesus is Arrested
When Jesus was done praying, Judas showed up, bringing guards with him. He kissed Jesus, which was a sign to the guards on who to arrest.
The ESV Bible, in Luke 22:47-53, reads:
While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus said to him, "Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?" And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?" And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said, "No more of this!" And he touched his ear and healed him. Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."
The full story can be found in:
• Matthew 26:47-56
• Mark 14:43-50
• Luke 22:47-53
• John 18:1-11
The Council
The guards took Jesus to the high priest first, where they get mad that he claims he's God (It's true!).
The ESV Bible, in Mark 14:53-65, reads:
And they lead Jesus to the high priest. And all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together. And Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he was sitting with the guards and warming himself at the fire. Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none. For many bore false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree. And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying, "We heard him say, 'I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.'" Yet even about this their testimony did not agree. And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, "Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?" But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" And Jesus said, "I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven." And the high priest tore his garments and said, "What further witnesses do we need? You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?" And they all condemned him as deserving death. And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to strike him, saying to him, "Prophesy!" And the guards received him with blows.
The full story can be found in:
• Matthew 26:57-68
• Mark 14:53-65
• Luke 22:66-71
• John 18:19-24
Peter's Denial
Peter, one of Jesus's disciples, went with Judas's group. While sitting by the fire in the courtyard, he had to deny knowing Jesus to save his life.
The ESV Bible, in Luke 22:54-62, reads:
Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest's house, and Peter was following at a distance. And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, "This man also was with him." But he denied it, saying, "Woman, I do not know him." And a little later someone else saw him and said, "You also are one of them." But Peter said, "Man, I am not." And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, "Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean." But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are talking about." And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, "Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly.
The full story can be found in:
• Matthew 26:69-75
• Mark 14:66-72
• Luke 22:54-62
• John 18:15-18, 25-27
Pilate
Jesus was taken to Pilate Pontius, the Roman procurator of Judaea. He had the power to sentence people to death.
The ESV Bible, in Mark 15:1-15, reads:
And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. And Pilate asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" And he answered him, "You have said so." And the chief priests accused him of many things. And Pilate again asked him, "Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you." But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.
Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. And he answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?" For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. And Pilate again said to them, "Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?" And they cried out again, "Crucify him." And Pilate said to them, "Why? What evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Crucify him." So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
The full story can be found in:
• Matthew 27:11-26
• Mark 15:1-15
• Luke 23:1-25
• John 18:28-19:16
Jesus is Mocked
After he was sentenced to crucifixion, Jesus was mocked and tortured by the guards. This section is to show just how poorly our savior was treated.
The ESV Bible, in Matthew 27:27-31, reads:
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.
The full story can be found in:
• Matthew 27:27-31
• Mark 15:16-20
• Luke 22:63-65
• John 19:1-5
The Crucifixion of Jesus
After mocking him for a bit, the guards brought him out to be crucified. The majority of the crowd was happy, because they didn't realize Jesus was their savior. But Mary, Jesus's mother, and his disciples were also there.
The ESV Bible, in Luke 23:26-43, reads:
And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of woman who were mourning and lamenting for him. But turning to them Jesus said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, 'Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!' Then they will begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us," and to the hills, 'Cover us.' For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?"
Two others, who were criminals, were lead away to be put to death with him. And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!" The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!" There was also an inscription over him, "This is the King of the Jews."
One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!" But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." And he said to him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise."
The full story can be found in:
• Matthew 27:32-44
• Mark 15:21-32
• Luke 23:26-43
• John 19:16-27
Jesus's Last Words
Jesus said many things while he dying on the cross. They are all very important to hear, so take a look:
• "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." - Luke 23:34
When Jesus says this, he is looking past the evil these people are doing against him and seeing them as people. He understands the shortsightedness of humans.
• "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise." - Luke 23:43
There were two other criminals being crucified on that day. One of them mocked Jesus, telling him to save himself if he was so powerful. The other said that he and the other criminal are deserving of crucifixion, but that Jesus did nothing wrong. He asked Jesus to remember him, and it's highly likely he ended up in heaven.
• "Woman, behold, your son!", "Behold, your mother!" - John 19:26-27
Jesus is still caring for his mother. He made sure she would be taken care of in his absence.
• "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" - Mark 15:34
Jesus's death was the ultimate sacrifice to pay for the sins of the world. When he was on the cross, God had to leave him because he could not be near all the sin. God was pouring out all his wrath against the sin.
• "I thirst." - John 19:28
Jesus fully experienced pain, hunger, and thirst during his time on earth. I flinch to think about what his crucifixion was like, and this statement proves that Jesus felt the same pain as us.
• "It is finished." - John 19:30
Jesus's mission was finished. He had payed for our sins. His death was the ultimate sacrifice.
• "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" - Luke 23:46
Jesus fully surrendered to God, just like us Christians should do: give ourselves to God.
Jesus's Death
When Jesus died, the ground literally shook. The whole earth was dark. In the temple, they had a veil protecting the Most Holy Place, where God resided. When Jesus died, this veil was torn because humanity was no longer separated from God.
The sixth hour refers to noon, and the ninth hour refers to 3:00 PM.
The ESV Bible, in Mark 13:33-41, reads:
And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" And some of the bystanders hearing it said, "Behold, he is calling Elijah." And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, "Wait, let us see wether Elijah will come to take him down." And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!"
There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.
The full story can be found in:
• Matthew 27:45-56
• Mark 13:33-41
• Luke 23:44-49
• John 19:28-30
The Burial
Jesus was then buried in a tomb, where he would lay until his resurrection.
The ESV Bible, in John 19:38-42, reads:
After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciples of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.
The full story can be found in:
• Matthew 27:57-61
• Mark 15:42-47
• Luke 23:50-56
• John 19:38-42
Sources and Extra Information
Articles I used:
• https://www.crosswalk.com/special-coverage/easter/what-is-holy-week.html
• https://www.christianity.com/wiki/holidays/a-time-line-of-the-passion-week.html
• https://www.christianity.com/wiki/jesus-christ/jesus-last-words.html
The story of Holy Week can be found in 4 books of the Bible. You don't have to read all of them, but you get different things from each one.
• Matthew 21-28
• Mark 11-16
• Luke 19-24
• John 12-21
I used the English Standard Version (ESV) translation of the Bible for the above stories.
Shout out to Christian Youth Group for helping me with this blog, especially @SweetPeaBuddy and @SoulMate333!
