GOOD FRIDAY
Luke 23:46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
Oh Friends, I know we promised to continue with the weary, satisfied soul, but we all realize what a sad, bitter sweet taste this day bears. Why? It’s sad and bitter because Jesus, in His innocence, was crucified, suffered a horrible death on that old, rugged cross, which from a sense of justice, was totally wrong, unfair and created a rather sorrowful situation. But on the other hand, it’s a sweet day cause if Jesus had not sacrificed His life for us on that rocky hillside called Golgotha, or Calvary (Latin trans.) we’d still be living under a criminal cloud of sin. His selfless death removed that calamitous cloud from over our sorry, miserable heads. His Father, our Creator, designed a total, complex and far-reaching plan composed of LOVE, wisdom, righteousness, justice and mercy to cleanse our disgusting, disobedient, sinful, ungodly souls. Justice had to be served; a sinless sacrifice was offered to pay the enormous sin debt we’d incurred. Mercy was then granted; sins removed from the multitude to the sacrificial lamb, thereby setting the multitude free to live in righteousness. Wisdom was brought to the table by fixing it all in one fell swoop. And for the greatest my Friends; LOVE! Oh…sacrificing your only son for worthless sinners, though of your own creation, is hard on any parent. If that isn’t the height, the zenith of LOVE, then I don’t know what is. I doubt I can sacrifice any of my children for any reason at all, and I certainly hope the Lord never tries to find out. But our Heavenly Father! Ah my people…He’s so awesome! And He LOVED us so much and desired with all His heart to restore a right relationship between Himself and us, that he came up with an ingenious, but just and merciful way to cleanse our sinful souls. And every time we read, or hear of Jesus’ selfless sacrifice on our behalf, we should be racked with a painful stab to our very heart, in eternal gratitude, for the unselfishness He showed, that we never deserved. Oh Friends, what a rough 24 hours that must have been for Jesus. We see how His soul was heavy and fearful the night before in the Garden of Gethsemane. How He prayed; ‘Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will but thine.’ (Luke 22:42) He knew deep down that His plea would be refused, but His weak human flesh came to the forefront just then and made Him plead for mercy. A willing spirit decided though, not His will but the Father’s. Then consider when the multitude came; Judas kissed and betrayed Him, while the other disciples ran away and left Him to bear the inhumanity alone. How Peter denied Him thrice in the high priest’s house. How the Jewish rulers used His own words to railroad Him. ‘Hereafter shall the Son of Man sit on the right hand of the power of God.’ (Luke 22:69) How they traipsed Him back and forth between Pilate and Herod, each trying not to be the decision maker, until Pilate cowardly washes his hands and bows to the crowd, stoked up by the elders, to release a seditious murderer Barabbas and crucify Jesus. Imagine the pain and humiliation when they flogged and spit on Him, put a crown of thorns on His head, bowed down and mockingly worshiped Him, then had Him bear His own cross. I guess they only grabbed Simon, the Cyrene to help because they knew after the ordeal they already put Him through, He’d never make it to Calvary carrying it Himself. To make matters worse, they crucified Him between two criminals. Oh Lord eh! Tore apart His garments and threw lots for them, while mocking Him on the cross. But Jesus’ response was magnificent and magnanimous as ever! ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ (Luke 23:34) And while one thief berated Him to get them down, if He really was God’s Son, the other told him to shut up and respect God, because Jesus was innocent while they were guilty. And as always, Jesus rewarded heartfelt effort, saying unto the latter thief; ‘Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise.’ (Luke 23:43) Oh my people, picture this scene nuh: A rocky hill overlooking a squalid gully, with Jesus, already bruised and battered, now nailed to a wooden cross betwixt two thieves, this from about 9.a.m, with the morning sun getting hotter by the minute, meanwhile, soldiers, the Jewish elite, the rabble rousers and His own people all milling around; many shouting insults, one even spearing His side. But the Lord was still in control. From noon until 3 p.m. the whole place grew dark and miserable. ‘And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachtani? that is to say, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?’ (Mat.27:46) The scholars claim that’s the high cost Jesus paid for the atonement of our sins, becoming accursed of His Father when our sins were transferred to Him, suffering the agony of spiritual death for us. Shortly after He said, ‘I thirst.’ (John 19:28) and they gave Him sour wine on a sponge. Then finally, He said, ‘Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit, and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.’ Oh my Friends, can any of us imagine ourselves playing the lead role in that cruel, true life story? Cruelly manhandled, then nailed to a cross for six hours? Certainly not! But I admire Jesus’ spirit, for even when He was down to His last breath, He never gave up; an attitude we must emulate. And when He cried out with that loud voice, it was a shout of triumph, knowing that He had successfully borne the wrath of God’s judgement against sin, and He had defeated Lucifer and the curse of sin. Oh my people, what a painful, but sadly satisfying moment! An awesome debt that we can never repay, but we can certainly be grateful; show our LOVE and gratitude by living lives that honour and glorify our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Much LOVE!…a believer’s death…is only the harbinger of eternal life…earned through Jesus’ sacrifice…
SCRIP-BITS 