Introduction:

On Good Friday, we witness the ultimate expression of love—a love so vast and deep that it would endure anything for the sake of the beloved. This love went to the greatest lengths possible, even sacrificing one's own life on a cross to redeem and restore us. Today, we are invited to journey to the foot of the cross, to look up at the One who bore our sins and carried our sorrows. It is a journey of pain, sacrifice, hope, and, ultimately, salvation. For in the darkness of Good Friday lies the promise of Easter morning.

As we reflect on the significance of this day, let us open our hearts to the profound truths it reveals about God's character, His love for us, and the transformative power of sacrifice. Let us be moved, challenged, and ultimately changed as we remember the day when love triumphed over death and light shone forth from the darkness.

Scripture Reading:

And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”

One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!”And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things.

“Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God.This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid. It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning. The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. 

On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.” 

- Luke 23:26-56, ESV

Opening Prayer: 

Heavenly Father, as we gather on this solemn day, our hearts turn toward the cross; we humbly ask for Your presence to envelop us. Grant us the grace to comprehend the depth of love and sacrifice that Good Friday symbolizes. Open our hearts to the pain, the beauty, and the ultimate triumph of Christ's crucifixion. May we enter this time of reflection with reverence, allowing the story of the cross to challenge and transform us. Help us to lay down our burdens at the foot of the cross, embracing the redemption and hope it offers. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

The Journey to Golgotha:

After being mocked and beaten, we see Jesus led by his captors toward Golgotha to suffer crucifixion. He had received beatings at the hands of the servants of the religious leaders as well as from the hands of Roman soldiers under Pilate's command. He had also suffered scouring by whips under Pilate's orders, which left the flesh on his back bloody and torn. Jesus' physical body, having already undergone so much trauma and blood loss, may not have been able to carry the cross. 

The soldiers escorting Jesus seized a man named Simon from Cyrene to take Jesus' cross for him. I doubt they would have done this out of kindness or mercy toward Jesus. More likely, Jesus' broken body could not keep up with the soldiers. Rather than waiting, they decided to grab someone from the crowd to carry the cross for Him. 

People have wondered about the identity of this man who took up the cross of Christ. His name, Simon of Cyrene, helps us to make an educated guess that he was a Jewish man who had come to Jerusalem to observe the Passover. While we do not know much about this man, one thing is clear. Simon of Cyrene serves as a real-life metaphor for the Christian life. As Jesus himself said,

"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." (Luke 9:23, ESV)

The cross is not only a reminder of the sacrifice that Christ made on our behalf but also a symbolic reminder that the Christian life is one of love, sacrifice, and humble submission. It is bearing the burdens of another and following in the footsteps of Christ, even when the path is bloody and marked with pain. The Christian life is a life of grateful service to our Savior, who loved us first by taking our sins upon him and suffering in our place. Soldiers forced Simon to take up the cross of Christ that day. Still, we are called to take up our own cross and follow Christ under the compulsion of the Holy Spirit as a born-again believer. 

The hill towards which they journeyed was just outside of Jerusalem. "Golgotha" is a name meaning "place of a skull." It was a fitting name for a place where the Roman Empire publicly displayed suffering and death. It is hard to imagine that anything redemptive could come from such an awful place, but though Christ would experience death in the flesh, death would not have victory on Golgotha. As the author of Hebrews wrote, 

"Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery." (Hebrews 2:14-15, ESV)

Satan may have thought he was winning, but in truth, he was setting a snare for himself. Satan thought death would claim the Messiah, but the grave could not hold him! Satan thought that sin would forever break the Trinity, eternally separating God the Father and God the Son, but when the dust settled, sin was dead, and Christ had risen! God would turn what man meant for evil into an act of love that would undo the curse of sin and set humanity free from the eternal grip of death! 

The Crucifixion:

As we turn our attention to the crucifixion of Christ, I want you to try to imagine what it would have been like to be there on that day.  In the shadow of Golgotha, amidst the jeers and agony, on the rugged cross, Jesus Christ—the embodiment of divine innocence—was hanging between two condemned criminals. 

This moment was prophesied with striking clarity in Isaiah’s prophecy:

 "He was numbered with the transgressors; and he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." (Isaiah 53:12, ESV)

Here, the prophet not only foretells the physical act of Jesus's crucifixion but also His solidarity with us in our brokenness and sin. Through His death among the guilty and rightly condemned, Jesus manifests God's love in its most radical form—a love that embraces the outcasts, the wretched, and the very least of us. 

Consider the ancient rite of the scapegoat, as described in Leviticus, where sins were symbolically placed upon a goat sent into the wilderness, taking the community's sins away from the camp and into the wilderness to die. On the cross, Christ shoulders our sins, inaugurating a new covenant marked by grace, offering us a bridge back to God that is built on the foundation of His own blood. His sacrifice, once and for all, stands as a testament to His inexhaustible love and mercy.

Central to this narrative is Jesus's plea for forgiveness on behalf of those crucifying Him: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). In this request lies the essence of the Christian ethic: forgiveness and love without condition. Even in His most excruciating moments, Jesus exemplifies divine forgiveness, setting a standard for us to follow in forgiving and loving unconditionally.

As we reflect on the gravity of the cross, we see Jesus's mission crystalize—to seek and save the lost, to extend forgiveness to the repentant, to mend the rift between humanity and the Divine. The cross becomes the emblem of God's selfless love; Jesus is sinless yet fully identifying with us sinners, even to the point of death. This supreme act of love challenges us to ponder its magnitude and question our capacity for such selfless, unconditional love. How often do we extend such love to others? Are we prepared to carry others' burdens out of sheer compassion?

Hear the repentant thief's request, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom," juxtaposed with the mocking thief, underscores the freedom each person has to either embrace Jesus and His promise of salvation or reject Him. Jesus's assurance of paradise to the repentant thief offers us all hope and the promise of redemption if we turn to Him in faith. Thus, the crucifixion narrative not only invites reflection but also the certainty of God's forgiveness. It calls us to respond to Jesus's sacrificial love by living lives marked by love, forgiveness, and a faith that transforms.

Above Jesus's head, the inscription "The King of the Jews" mockingly proclaimed a truth far greater than His accusers understood. While intended as ridicule, it declared Jesus's true kingship. His reign, unlike any earthly power, is marked by service, sacrifice, and love. His kingdom—characterized by peace, justice, and righteousness—invites us to reconsider where our loyalties lie. Are we living as citizens of His kingdom or are we ensnared by the fleeting dominions of this world?

Make no mistake, accepting Jesus as our King means more than a mere verbal acknowledgment; it demands a life lived in allegiance to His teachings, a life of service that mirrors His example. The paradox of divine kingship revealed in Jesus—victory through surrender, strength in weakness, and honor in humility—calls us to a transformative allegiance that shapes our very being.

The Death of Jesus (Luke 23:44-49)

Now, turn your gaze upon the darkened sky above Christ’s head. Imagine the heavens themselves cloaking the land in an unnerving darkness for three hours as our Lord Jesus Christ bore our sins and suffered in our place. This darkness was not merely a shadow cast by the clouds; it was a manifestation of God's judgment upon sin, a tangible expression of the deep chasm that sin has carved between humanity and the Divine. 

Imagine the land shrouded in an impenetrable darkness at noon, the sun refusing to shine, as if creation itself mourned the suffering of its Creator. This darkness symbolizes the spiritual desolation, the separation, and the profound loneliness that sin brings into our lives. It mirrors the abyss of a world severed from its Creator, a world groping in the shadows, yearning for a flicker of light.

This is the story of God's love battling to reclaim His creation from the grasp of evil. The cross, veiled in darkness, becomes the fulcrum upon which the fate of humanity pivots—from condemnation to salvation, from despair to hope. The darkness of Good Friday, therefore, is both a symbol of God's judgment and a beacon of hope. It signifies the moment when Jesus bore the full weight of our transgressions, yet it also preludes the victory of Easter morning, when the light of Christ shattered the bonds of death and sin. This event beckons us to reflect on the gravity of our own sin, yet it also compels us to embrace the boundless mercy and grace that flowed from Calvary.

In embracing this moment of darkness, let us recognize our own spiritual desolation without Christ. Yet, let us also rejoice, for the darkness that fell over Calvary is the same darkness that was vanquished by the glorious light of Christ's resurrection. As we stand in the shadow of the cross, let us cling to the promise that no darkness can overcome the radiant light of Jesus Christ, our Savior, and Redeemer. In Him, we find forgiveness, we find restoration, and, most of all, we find the eternal light that guides us back into the loving embrace of our Heavenly Father.

Now, let's focus on the Roman centurion standing at the foot of the cross. Upon witnessing the manner of Jesus' crucifixion, he declares Him to be a righteous man. The centurion's confession is not just a statement about Jesus' innocence or His dignified behavior in suffering, but it also acknowledges the divine nature of His mission. This recognition by a Gentile and a representative of the oppressive empire whose authority condemned the Savior to death signifies the collapse of the longstanding barriers that had separated Jews and Gentiles. It indicates the universal scope of Jesus' redemption, portraying His death as a pivotal moment in the establishment of a new covenant, one that transcends ethnic, cultural, and social divisions, ushering in a new era where the distinctions between Jew and Gentile, slave and free, rich and poor are dissolved in the unity brought by Christ's sacrifice.

It Is Finished: 

Let us hear the final words of Jesus spoken upon the cross: “It is finished!”  What was finished? His sufferings? His earthly ministry? I am convinced that when Jesus said, “It is finished,” he was referring to the mission he had come to accomplish. And what was that mission? It was declared by a messenger of Heaven preceding his birth,  

"Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."  (Matthew 1:20-21, ESV).

Now, do not miss this. Jesus did not just try, hope, or wish to save us, but He unequivocally saved us from our sins. If God, with His infinite power, could not save us on His own, then He is not the omnipotent God we worship. He would be nothing more than a false deity, unworthy of our trust. But we know that He is all-powerful and that He accomplished His mission completely.

Jesus paid the full price with His sacrifice, leaving nothing unpaid. If we believe that His sacrifice was insufficient, then our faith is futile, and our religious endeavors are empty. But if we acknowledge His complete accomplishment, we can depart in joy, secure in the knowledge that our sins are forgiven, washed in the sacrificial blood of Christ.

His sacrifice was complete and perfect, and He now stands in our place, advocating for us before God. Every sin we've committed thought about committing, or will commit has been addressed, nailed to the cross, liberating us from its burden. We are free.

There is no need for another savior or prophet. He paid it all, every single debt, every sin - past, present, and future. When Jesus says, “It is finished,” he really and truly meant it. 

The Burial:

As Jesus took his last breath, a new figure emerged unexpectedly from the shadows: Joseph of Arimathea. This man was a respected member of the Sanhedrin council, the very council that had condemned Jesus to death. Until this point, his life was a delicate balance between societal standing and his secret faith in Jesus. However, the crucifixion of Christ ignited the courage within him to step out of the shadows and into public faith. 

The decision Joseph made to request the body of Jesus from Pilate would have invited scrutiny, suspicion, and the possibility of severe repercussions. This act was not a small gesture but a monumental declaration of his allegiance to Christ. Joseph had forsaken his hidden safety for the peril of open allegiance to a crucified king, signaling a total surrender to the sovereignty of Jesus.

Equally courageous were the women who had followed Jesus from Galilee. In a society where their actions could be seen as both rebellious and dangerous, they stepped forward with unwavering boldness. These women, including Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, prepared spices and ointments to anoint Jesus’ body, a task they undertook out of deep love and respect for their Lord despite the immense personal risk. In the shadow of the cross, they all moved beyond the safety of silence to the vulnerability of visible faith, embodying a total commitment to Jesus' kingship.

These figures pose a powerful question to us today: Are we ready to follow in the footsteps of Joseph and these women? Are we willing to risk our comfort, status, and even our security to stand in allegiance with our Savior?

The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ requires a response from us that is not half-hearted but passionate. One cannot be be neutral about Jesus, to remain silent is to deny Him. The actions of these few but faithful believers on calvary stand today as a call, urging us to come forward in faith, without shame or fear. 

We all know that the cross was not the end of the story. Come Sunday, we will gather again to celebrate the glorious resurrection of Christ. Still, as we await that glorious celebration,  I want us to ponder where we find ourselves in this story. Are we like the thief on the cross, having lived a life of sin and feeling powerless to save ourselves, in need of the grace of God to transform us before it is too late? Are we like the centurion who realized on that day that he was wrong about Jesus and that truly He is the Son of God? Are we like Joseph of Arimathea or the women who journeyed to the tomb, who are ready to step out of the shadows and publicly declare that Jesus is our Savior and Lord?  Regardless of where we are or what the Lord has laid upon your heart this evening, I ask you to take that step of faith so that when we gather together on Sunday, we can truly do so as born-again resurrection people. Let us pray. 

Closing Prayer: 

Gracious God, as we conclude our time together, reflecting on the sacrifice of Your Son on the cross, we are struck by the magnitude of Your love for us. With grateful hearts, we acknowledge the gift of redemption and the promise of resurrection that this day holds. As we leave this sacred gathering, let the reality of the cross transform our lives, inspiring us to live more fully in the light of Your grace. May the peace and sacrifice of Christ guide our hearts and actions today and always. In the precious name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.