Good Friday is typically much different than a normal Sunday gathering. This once-a-year gathering is designed to be very short, very somber, and very dark. It is designed to be short, somber and dark because it is the night that we observe and think deeply about the events leading up to and culminating in the death of Jesus as our perfect, innocent, substitute on the cross of Calvary so that we might find forgiveness for our sins. The events of this night, a few thousand years ago, were more brutal than most of us can imagine.
In Mark chapter 14, Israel’s religious leaders hatch a plot to kill Jesus. Likewise, Judas partners with those religious leaders to betray Jesus (something Jesus predicts will happen), and Jesus warns Peter that he will soon deny ever knowing him. This is a painful story of betrayal at the highest levels. Let he depths of this betrayal sink into your heart and soul as you think about the ways you are planning to betray Jesus or are in danger of denying Jesus in your daily life.
Mark 14
(Vss. 1 – 2) It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, for they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people.”
(Vss. 10 – 11) Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him.
(Vss. 17 – 21) And when it was evening, he came with the twelve. And as they were reclining at table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, “Is it I?” He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the dish with me. For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”
(Vss. 26 – 31) And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” Peter said to him, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.” And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” But he said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same.
Our second Scripture reading describes Jesus’ agonizing prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, Judas’ kiss of betrayal, the arrest of Jesus in the garden by the religious leaders, and then the kangaroo court trial where Jesus was mocked and spit upon and beaten. In this part of the story, many witnesses give false testimonies about Jesus even though he claims to be the Son of Man and then ultimately claims to be the one true God who will return on the clouds of Heaven.
This statement from Jesus is the final straw that leads the religious leaders to call for his execution for the supposed crime of blasphemy. Ultimately, the religious leaders were unwilling to bow their knees to Jesus as their Lord/King and Savior. They rejected him completely and delivered him to the death penalty.
As you read this part of the story, it is important for you to ask the Spirit of God to reveal any unwillingness inside of your heart to surrender fully to Jesus. It is possible that you have been resisting the calling of God on your life to be obedient to him in some area such as finances, relationships, vocation, or even in ministry. When you and I resist God’s call to holy obedience, we are acting the same way as Judas and the religious leaders did… we are mocking him and saying that his death was worthless. Hear the Word of God now and let the story convict you of your sinfulness.
Mark 14
(Vss. 32 – 50) And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” And again, he went away and prayed, saying the same words. And again, he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him. And he came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard.” And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, “Rabbi!” And he kissed him. And they laid hands on him and seized him. But one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled.” And they all left him and fled.
(Vss. 53 – 65) And they led 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.
Our third set of Scriptures, from Mark’s gospel in chapters 14 and 15, describes Peter’s painful denial of Jesus, Pilate’s pathetic verdict, and the soldiers’ shameful mocking and beating of Jesus. In this section of the story, Peter wimps out, Pilate becomes a coward, and the soldiers treat Jesus shamefully with contempt.
As you hear this part of the story, ask the Spirit of God to reveal areas of your life where you have begun to wimp out, act like a coward, and even treat Jesus shamefully with contempt. We are guilty of these things every time we sin but we are definitely guilty of these things when we fail to speak the truth of the gospel and when we take credit for things instead of honoring God for what only he can do. Listen to God’s Word and think about how you are prone to wimping out, acting cowardly, and treating Jesus with shame and contempt.
Mark 14
(Vss. 66 – 72) And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came, and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.” But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you mean.” And he went out into the gateway and the rooster crowed. And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” But again, he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.” And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.
Mark 15
(Vss. 1 – 20) 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. And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion. And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.
We now arrive at the central passage for our time together this evening in Mark 15:21 – 41, where Jesus is horrifically crucified and dies. It is not a passage to take lightly. Nor should this passage be read flippantly. We must understand that what takes place in this short account (one which only takes a few moments to read) is something that took many hours to complete; the crucifixion and death of Jesus was something that took place over the course of a few horrendous hours.
Here Is the question. How do we allow the hours of excruciating, horrendous suffering, to affect us to the very depths of our souls in such a way that we are moved so emotionally that it actually affects change in our lives? I think one of the best ways to invite the kind of attention and introspection this passage deserves, is to approach it slowly, repetitively, and prayerfully. So, I encourage you to take a deliberate journey of prayerfully slowing your heart and mind down to fully contemplate and feel the weight of the crucifixion and death of Jesus.
Begin by praying, asking God to remove distraction and center your heart and mind upon his Word and then read the account of the crucifixion and death of Christ slowly and thoughtfully. Then, repeat this rhythm a few more times until it seems right to move forward. Begin with prayer…
Mark 15:21 – 41
21And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. 22And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). 23And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. 25And it was the third hour when they crucified him. 26And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” 27And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. 29And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30save yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. 32Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him. 33And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34And 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?” 35And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” 36And 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 whether Elijah will come to take him down.” 37And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. 38And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39And 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!” 40There 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. 41When 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.
As I have contemplated this passage with you, I am struck by a couple things.
#1: Simon helps carry Jesus’ cross (vs. 21). This reminds me that Jesus was so worn out from the beating he had taken that he did not have the energy to carry his own cross. His cross was carried the final distance by someone he was dying to save.
#2: The place called Golgotha (vs. 22). The Place of the Skull, or the place of death, outside the city, removed from community, placed in a stinking trash heap, is the place where Jesus – the King of the Jews – died in our place. It should have been you and me in that rotten dump full of decaying bodies.
#3: Jesus refused the wine (vs. 23). Wine was used as medicine to help deaden the pain a little – not to lighten the suffering, but to prolong impending death – and Jesus chose no medication, no escape from the pain, no device to lessen his suffering. He bore the full weight of the suffering that each of us deserves because of our sin.
#4: They crucified him and divided his garments among them (vs. 24). Jesus was nailed to the cross, after his clothing was ripped off of him, and then he was hoisted up high so that everyone could see the shame of his naked, bloody body. Jesus’ blood ran down that bloody cross and gathered in a pool next to those who gambled for his clothing in their lunacy. Do we not do the same as those lunatic soldiers when we allow the vices of our lives to control us instead of kneeling in that pool of blood and receiving the new life that is promised to us?
#5: The charge against him “The King of the Jews” (vs. 26). The fact that this was thew charge against Jesus that resulted in his crucifixion and death is ample evidence that the human race despises bowing our knees to anyone or anything other than our own sinful desires.
#6: Crucified between two robbers (vs. 27). Jesus was counted among the criminals even though he was perfectly innocent. He was counted as criminal so that real criminals – like you and me – could be set free by grace, through faith, in Christ’s sacrifice, according to the Scriptures, for the glory of God alone. An innocent man – the innocent God – gave his life so that true criminals could have their slate wiped clean.
#7: They mocked him with sarcasm to save himself (vss. 29 – 32). The irony of this portion of the story is so tangible. If Jesus had taken himself off that cross, he would not have fulfilled the work that was needed to save those who were mocking him. No one is too far gone for Jesus to save and to transform.
#8: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (vs. 34). If you have ever felt totally alone, it is comforting to know that Jesus felt the same. But his aloneness far surpasses any of the loneliness you and I have ever faced because he felt completely separated from the presence of God – something he had never felt. He experienced this aloneness so that you and I would never have to experience it.
#9: The curtain of the temple was torn in two (vs. 38). This curtain in the temple represents the separation from God that results from our sins. Only the Priests of Israel were allowed to go behind that curtain, and only after intense purification ceremonies. The death of Jesus caused that curtain to be torn in two because he now fulfills the high priestly role on behalf of all believers. Because of Christ’s death, all who believe upon his name and his work at the cross of Calvary, can come boldly before the throne of God and soak in the perfect presence of the living God. The one whom we sinned against, provided the way for us – by tearing the thing that separated us (namely sin) in two – so that we can come into his perfect presence where true life can be found.
#10: Truly this man was the Son of God (vs. 39). This proclamation came from the Roman Centurion who was in charge of Jesus’ crucifixion. He literally oversaw Jesus’ execution by crucifixion and the effect of doing this horrific job left him in a place where all he could utter were the words, “Truly this man was the Son of God”. The point here is that God used Christ’s executioner to proclaim the Deity of Christ in his death.
#11: The women who witnessed all of this (vss. 40 – 41). All throughout Scripture, God uses “the least of these” to testify to the power of the cross. Here, God uses women who typically were not utilized in the courts of law. God takes what the world deems as unworthy and undependable, substantiates their worth through the work of his Son at the cross of Calvary and then transforms them into humble and mighty people who testify of the work of Jesus at the cross.
In summary, when we observe the cross of Christ and his horrific death upon that instrument of torture, we have to come to grips with the fact that though Jesus was too weary to carry his own cross and needed help getting to the top of Golgotha, he still did it willingly and joyfully. He literally died in the trash-heap in my place. And on top of that, he chose not medicate himself to escape the pain; he chose to feel and to endure every last drop of that bitter experience.
He suffered horrifically, naked, and shamefully fully exposed in front of an audience of strangers and enemies because we refuse to surrender to the One True King who deserves our full surrender. His love and commitment for us was on full display as he hung dying among criminals who mocked him so that everyone would know that no one is too beyond the power of the blood to ransom and redeem them, as the thief on the cross proves.
He tasted the bitterness of total loneliness as he bore the penalty of our sins and tasted of the separation from the presence of God that every one of us deserves and he experienced this so that no one would ever have to experience it. He absolutely destroyed what once separated us from the Father and then he proved that he uses the least of us to proclaim his glory in death.
Jesus truly is the King of kings and the Lord of lords who gave his life as a ransom so that sinners could become saints. The weight of this story should be heavy on your soul as you continue to contemplate the horror of the death of Jesus by execution on the cross of Calvary as we think about the final scene in our story from Mark 15:42 – 47.
Mark 15:42 – 47
42And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. 45And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. 46And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.
Let us remember the horrific events of this night a few thousand years ago. Jesus is dead and buried in a borrowed tomb. His flesh was ripped from his body. He was crucified in our place. His blood was poured out on our behalf.
I pray that the events of this night, a few thousand years ago would settle deeply into your soul. The horror of this night is undeniable. From the religious leaders’ plot to kill Jesus, to Judas’ plans to betray Jesus – his friend and Savior – to the threat of Peter’s denial culminating in his ultimate denial of Jesus, to Jesus agonizing in prayer in the garden, to Judas’ ultimate betrayal with a kiss, to Jesus being falsely arrested and accused, to the brutal mocking and beating Jesus endured, to the horrific events of the crucifixion that ultimately led to the death of Jesus, the horror of this story should shock you and I and leave us speechless.
I pray that your heart and mind would be silenced by the horror of what Jesus endured on your behalf. All of this happened because you and I are absolutely corrupted by sin. We may not plan to betray Jesus explicitly but we do plan to disobey him, sin against him, and ultimately betray him when we willingly choose to sin. We live with the ever-present threat and temptation to deny him through our unchecked desires, thoughts, words, and actions. We sometimes resist obeying the commands of his clear written Word. We oftentimes resist surrendering to God’s will for our lives. We wimp out, act cowardly, and bring shame and contempt upon our Savior. This is why Jesus was crucified; this is why Jesus died on this night a few thousand years ago. I pray you let all of this sink in as you go with the image of the crucifixion and death of Christ etched on your mind… Jesus is dead and his lifeless body is laying in a cold, dark, borrowed tomb.
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