Friday

Jesus is arrested in the garden between 1:00 and 1:30 am on Friday morning. From that moment until 3;00 pm Friday afternoon, he will stand before the former High Priest, Annas. Then before the current High Priest,  Caiaphas.  From there He will stand before the entire Sanhedrin. They desire that the Roman government take over, so He is taken before Pilate. Pilate is hesitant to make a decision and sends Jesus to stand before Herod Antipas where He will refuse to answer any of the questions asked.  Herod sends Him back to Pilate. Pilate tries to release Jesus to the Jewish leaders but they refuse. Pilate then has Jesus beaten beyond recognition, thinking that would satisfy the Jewish leaders. But they now are demanding that Jesus be crucified. Pilate tries to get out of having to do this but finally “washes his hands” and orders the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. But the suffering is not near over for our Savior.

Pilate turns Jesus over to the Roman soldiers who are well-known for their cruelty. They took Him into the courtyard where they continued torturing, wiping, mocking and spitting on Him and then placed a crown of thorns on His head until the thorns pierced His skull.

Jesus was then required to carry His cross to Golgotha in a near death state from hours of trials, beatings and unbelievable torture. Scripture says Simon of Cyrene is forced to finish carrying the cross to the destination. Golgotha.

Jesus is nailed to the cross. The cross is then lifted into the air and dropped into a hole. He will hang there for three grueling hours from 12:00 noon until 3:00. Darkness will cover the area. The earth will quake. At 3:00 pm He is heard to cry out…’Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?”  “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” God has turned from the world’s sin that Jesus carries.  His last words? “It is finished.” Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea take His body down and carry Him to a new tomb, belonging to Joseph where He will be laid to rest.

Thought For Today:

It is painful to read the details of the crucifixion of  Our precious Shepherd! Never broke a law, never sinned, healed many, taught about His Father every where He went, raised Lazarus from the dead! Performed miracle after miracle. Yet He suffered treatment lower than a common criminal. Brutality on an unimaginable level. But isn’t that what sin brings? Suffering. Sooner or later sin brings suffering.

That question Jesus asked of God? That is a question that would have, should have come from each of us. We deserved to be forsaken by our God, not Jesus. He was the sacrifice for sins He did not commit. He came to correct an error in judgement made long ago in the Garden of Eden, by Adam and Eve. Sin, death and the enemy entered our world and left us with no way back to God. Jesus, came to make that correction. He willingly dismissed His spirit of His own will and declared that the purpose for His coming was complete, when He said, “It is finished.” His life wasn’t taken, He gave it up for all who will believe.

Oh the sadness that must have surrounded all who loved Him and followed Him. Grief and fear fell over all of His disciples and followers. They scatter.  Joseph and Nicodemus must quickly get Him in the tomb before the Sabbath begins. They will wrap Him in a long white linen fabric and roll a stone over the tomb. The Sabbath would begin early Saturday and end just before daybreak on Sunday. The women would go to the tomb to anoint His body, after the Sabbath was over. Guards will be dispatched to watch over the tomb beginning Saturday morning so that His followers cannot steal His body away and say that He had risen, as He claimed He would.

God always knows the plots and plans of evildoers. He will make sure that the placement of soldiers there works to seal the truth of what is going to happen. Saturday is almost here…then comes Sunday.

Scripture For Today:

Matthew 27:45-53

45 At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. 46 At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” 47 Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. 48 One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. 49 But the rest said, “Wait! Let’s see whether Elijah comes to save him.” 50 Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, 52 and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. 53 They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people. (NLT)

John 19:28-30

28 Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. 30 When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and released his spirit. (NLT)

Matthew 27:62-66

62 The next day, on the Sabbath, the leading priests and Pharisees went to see Pilate. 63 They told him, “Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise from the dead.’ 64 So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead! If that happens, we’ll be worse off than we were at first.” 65 Pilate replied, “Take guards and secure it the best you can.” 66 So they sealed the tomb and posted guards to protect it. (NLT)

Prayer For Today:

Hello Father! We need to be reminded the cost of our salvation and eternal life, lest we take it lightly. There is tremendous suffering attached to the grace, mercy and forgiveness we receive when we accept Jesus as our Savior. Suffering we were spared. Forgive us of our sins. in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

©2015 Kathy Ledbetter. All Rights Reserved.