Master 234: Good Friday Meditation

Here is a (slightly edited) copy of a series of readings that I got to deliver at one of the Holy Week services at my church. Thanks to my pastor and the worship leader and everyone else who helped for this opportunity and for putting together a great service. And perhaps others will find these reflections to be helpful in this season of celebration and solemn remembrance. (Scripture quotations are from the NASB, unless otherwise indicated.)

Good Friday and Happy Resurrection Sunday to you all!

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On Good Friday, we focus on that event towards which all the events of this Passion Week and of Jesus' entire life and ministry, were moving: His crucifixion and death. To do that, we'll look at the Seven Last Words or Statements of Jesus, spoken by Him as He hung on the cross. They all come from different gospels, but we bring them together in order to reflect and meditate on them, to consider what they reveal about what Jesus accomplished and what that means for us.

The cross stands at the center of what Jesus came to do on earth. At several places throughout the gospels, Jesus spoke of His future trials and sufferings. On one such occasion, we're told:

'...He took the twelve aside and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. For He will be delivered to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon, and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; and [on] the third day He will rise again."' (Luke 18:23)

And everything unfolded, just as Jesus foretold. But what does it all mean? Jesus' disciples didn't know; they only came to understand after everything had taken place. So we look to the words of Jesus, from the cross, and the events surrounding those words, to remind ourselves of what He did on that cross for us and for our salvation.

As we read and meditate, remember that these are not just words—a bunch of things that Jesus happened to say. But they reveal truths about what Jesus did, what He experienced, and what He accomplished on the cross for you and for me.


1. The first three of these last statements of Jesus draw our attention to His forgiveness, mercy, and compassion. The first of these comes from the gospel of Luke. There he reports that, on the night that He was betrayed, Jesus was led before the Jewish Council of Elders. After being questioned there, He was taken to Pilate, the Roman governor. From there He was sent to King Herod of Galilee and then back to Pilate, who, even though he could find no basis for a charge against Jesus—no law that He had broken, no good reason for sentencing Him—finally consented to the crowd's angry demand and ordered that He be crucified.

On His way from one trial to the next, Jesus was subjected to multiple beatings and abuse. We're told:

'The men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking Him, and beating Him, and they blindfolded Him and were asking Him, saying, "Prophesy, who is the one who hit You?" And they were saying many things against Him, blaspheming.' (Luke 22:63-65)

We're told that Herod and his soldiers mocked Jesus and treated Him with contempt, even dressing Him in a gorgeous robe before sending Him back, beaten and bloodied, to Pilate. And while He was on the cross, we're told:

'...even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His chosen One." And the soldiers also mocked Him... saying, "If You are the King of he Jews, save Yourself!"' (Luke 23:35, 37)

And Luke writes: 'But Jesus was saying, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing."' (Luke 23:34)

We may marvel at the humility, meekness, and heart that would look on these wicked, evil, cruel, men and pray for their forgiveness. But when you stop to think about it, in that oh-so-natural impulse to judge them, do we not judge ourselves? In condemning their blasphemy, villainy, and corruption, do we not condemn ourselves?

And aren't you glad that when Jesus looked down from heaven on a world in rebellion—full of people who had rejected Him, full of people obsessed with their own concerns and goals—, at a world that placed Him no higher than second place—that refused to acknowledge the rightful lordship and sovereignty of the one true God—, aren't you glad, that He chose to do what was necessary to bring us forgiveness.

The Apostle Paul reminds us that in Jesus "we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace." (Ephesians 1:7) And he writes in his letter to the Romans, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners [and in rebellion against Him], Christ died for us." (5:8)

We get a glimpse into the heart of God, the heart of Jesus, when, as He hangs on that cross, having endured that mockery and those brutal beatings, He prays, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing."


2. Jesus offers that forgiveness, that gift of mercy and hope of reconciliation to everyone. No one is beyond its reach. He offers it to the broken and diseased, the outcasts of society, to tax collectors and prostitutes, to Samaritans and Gentiles. He even offers it to the convicted criminal hanging beside Him. Luke records:

And one of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Jesus, saying, "Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!" But the other answered, and rebuking him said, "Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." (23:39-41)

What thoughts must be running through the mind of that man as he hangs there beside Jesus, looking back on his life, facing imminent death? What thoughts and questions come to him? Things like: How did I end up here? What have I done with my life? I never thought it would end this way? Looking back on squandered potential, wasted opportunities, bad decisions, a self-centered life, all the people that I've hurt and for what. And now it's just going to end.

Then to look at Jesus and recognize that this Man, who had devoted Himself to loving and caring for others, healed the sick, delivered those wracked by demons, preached a message of grace and forgiveness, was full of the Spirit of kindness and compassion, who had never done anything wrong—to realize that He is being subjected to this very same punishment—one that He doesn't deserve...

And he knows what he wants to say. He knows what he must ask. And I wonder how long he struggled before finally laying it out there. Jesus, I really messed up. I know that sounds so stupid to say. And I was always chasing after one thing or another but now I see that it was all a waste. And I've got nothing. I've done nothing, except take what God has given me and toss it in the dirt. Jesus. Jesus, I know I have no business asking you. I know I have nothing to offer you. I know I've only made a mess of everything I've ever been given, but I've got no hope and nowhere else to turn. Jesus, please, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!

And Jesus, through the pain and the anguish, the torture and the agony, says to him, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise." (Luke 23:39...)


3. When Jesus looks down from the cross, he sees the people who came to view the spectacle, He sees the religious leaders who mock and deride Him, the Roman soldiers who play dice for His clothes, He sees the disciple John, standing with some of the women who had followed Him, and He sees His mother, Mary, at the foot of that cross.

Jesus has assured that convicted criminal beside Him that they will be together in Paradise on that very day. But what about the rest of His followers? And what about His mother? What is she to do, once He is gone. He knows there will be a resurrection in three days but forty days after that He'll go up into heaven. And who will take care of those who are left behind to make their way in this dark and broken world.

Did Jesus overlooked that point? Did He have a plan for that? He did. During that last supper, on the night He was betrayed, He told His followers: "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth." He told them, "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." (John 14:16, 18) Jesus made sure to provide for His followers. He made sure to provide for you and me.

And He made sure to provide for His mother too. The apostle John writes:

When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" Then He said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her into his own household.


4. We see Jesus' forgiveness and mercy, His grace and compassion, His gentleness and provision. But do we understand what it cost? Do we understand the cost?

At about noon, the middle of the day, the gospel writers report that darkness covered the entire land for about three hours. In the middle of the day when the sun was at its peak, the whole sky became like night. And yet as bizarre, and unsettling as that must have been, it was nothing compared to the darkness that closed around the heart and person of Jesus Christ. Sin had to be atoned for. For there to be real forgiveness, real reconciliation, to really defeat the power of guilt and shame to separate us from God and us from one another, sin must be atoned for.

That's why Jesus went to the cross: to be that spotless sacrificial Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Paul says to the Galatian Christians, "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (5:21) The prophet Isaiah, speaking six hundred years earlier about what Jesus would accomplish, wrote:

'Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows,
Yet we considered him stricken by God,
Smitten by Him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The punishment that brought us peace was upon Him
And by His wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way
And the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.' (53:4-6 NIV)

King David, when he spoke about his own sin and wrongdoing said,

'Because of your wrath there is no health in my body;
My bones have no soundness because of my sin.
My guilt has overwhelmed me
Like a burden too heavy to bear.
My wounds fester and are loathsome
Because of my sinful folly.' (Psalm 38: 3-5 NIV)

If that's how King David described the experience of carrying around just His own sins, what must it have been like for Jesus to receive the weight of the sins of the world—of lies and deception, lust and envy, slander and gossip, sloth and indifference, malice, anger, bitterness, resentment, contempt, greed, pride, and arrogance... to name a few. And you know the pain that comes from these things: from betrayal, abandonment, abuse, rape, murder, torture, violence, enslavement. All of that was laid on His shoulders, and on top of that the loneliness and despair, hurt and pain, grief, sorrow, agony, anguish, torment, darkness, despair, confusion—"My God! My God! Why have you forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34)


5. Did God really forsake Him? Did God really abandon Him? That's hard to say. The author of Hebrews tells us that on the cross, Jesus offered Himself to His Father, through the Holy Spirit. (9:14) But even with His Father there, those were certainly His darkest and most lonely hours.

That's what sin does? It separates husbands from wives, parents from children, brothers from sisters, friends from friends, neighbors from neighbors. It separates us from God. Sometimes it's our own sin that creates that separation. Sometimes we may actually be at the center of God's will for us—as Jesus was—and still, because of someone else's sin or just because we still live in this broken, fallen world, God seems so distant. And we cry out in confusion and we beg for a touch from Him, for some relief. Jesus felt that too.

Jesus' torment on the cross was not an act. There were no Hollywood props and no Hollywood make-up. The blood and sweat and tears were real. Jesus felt. Jesus understood—what it's like when hard times have hit and just seem to keep on hitting us, when years go by and we're still alone, when you've been without a job for nine months, twelve months, eighteen months, when the doctor's appointments are just filling up your calendar, or the funerals, and you wonder when it will stop and you beg for some relief. Jesus understood that.

Think about this: angel's don't experience physical pain. Spirits don't hunger for food or drink. But Jesus wasn't like that. He was a man. And we're reminded by these next simple words that He knew what it was like to suffer, to keep on suffering, and to beg for even the slightest relief from these physical needs, when He said, "I am thirsty." (John 19:28)


6. Three hours of suffering and torture--longer and more severe than anything you or I have had to endure or ever will have to endure. But He did it for a purpose--for you and for me. He took our sins on Himself, so that sin would not have the final word in our lives. He endured our suffering, so that our suffering would not have the final word in our lives. So that the loneliness and brokenness that comes from sin would not have the final word.

And so even in His weakened, broken, bleeding, dying state, He could pronounce triumphantly, though only a few probably heard Him say it on that day, words that have echoed down through history--words of hope that are heard today by everyone who receives what He has given: "It is finished." (John 19:30)


7. He has given His all, to His heavenly Father, through the Holy Spirit, on our behalf. What now? What do you do when you've given everything you had to give, when you've got nothing left, when you're so exhausted and broken that you can no longer even lift your head? You do what Jesus did?

His body is broken so that nothing in nature or even the best medicine can possibly restore Him. There's no natural way for Him to come back from that. No amount of rest and recuperation, bandaging or physical therapy can restore the flesh and blood that have been shredded and drained. So what does Jesus do? The same thing that He's been doing every day of His life on earth. The same thing that He's been doing since before the foundation of the world. He surrenders Himself to His God and Father—the God and Father to whom He prayed, "Forgive them," the God and Father to whom He cried when He felt abandoned and alone: that is the same God and Father to whom He now surrenders Himself totally. He's not able to hold Himself up any more and so He says: "Father, into Your hands, I commit My spirit." (Luke 23:46)

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God is in this place,
And that reality, seen and understood by the grace of God in Jesus Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit, makes all the difference in the world.