Today is Good Friday, the day Jesus was crucified. It is a little after noon as I write this. Jesus has been awake more than 30 hours. Thursday night he did not sleep. After the last supper with his disciples he went to the garden of Gethsemane for the most difficult night of his 33 years. It was there in the Garden that he was betrayed by his close friend Judas and arrested by a mob of professional and semi-professional soldiers. By noon he has gone through no fewer than 6 trials. Three civil trials and three religious trials. He is convicted of breaking a religious law. He claimed to be equal with God. But it was the civil trial that sentenced him to die on the cross. In a misguided effort to get him released, Pilate had him scourged and hoped the people would have pity. He paraded him out with the infamous words,"Ecce homo", latin for Behold the man. The crowd was only incensed all the more that this one now swollen and beaten would claim equality with Jehovah God. The claim seemed more ludicrous than ever. By now Jesus has been hanging on a cross for more than 3 hours. Every breath is a labor to push himself up by the nails in his feet and gulp air before he slides back down and air is forced out and his lungs flatten inside his chest. When did God begin to receive payment for sin? Did the cloud of judgment that had been building over humanity begin to dissipate or did it gather with all the intensity of the wrath of God right over the bleeding head of Jesus? Could Jesus feel by noon the disintegration of his relationship with the Father? Did His soul feel the guilt of my sin yet? In less than 3 more hours it would be over. Jesus would arch his back in one last spasm of agony and scream,"My God, My God, why have you forsaken me"? And then he will die. Alone. Shattered. Bereft of hope. Why? Do you know why this Friday afternoon? For the love of you. "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends". And Jesus calls you his friend. Good Friday. The day that convinces me more than any other day that I am more deeply loved than I have ever dared to dream.
Join in realizing the vision of Christ Community Chapel with Senior Pastor Joe Coffey
1 comment:
Hebrews 10:11&12 "Under the old agreement the priests stood before the altar day after day offering sacrifices that could never take away our sins. But Christ gave himself to God for our sins as one sacrifice for all time, and then SAT DOWN(It was finished. Jesus in obedience committed (in silent submission) completed the will of the Father) in the place of highest honor at God's right hand...... "You are loved with an everlasting love"
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