We should look at Good Friday as one of the holiest days in the Christian’s Calendar. This is the day of the crucifixion and death of Jesus. Because this is a solemn occasion we do not celebrate on Good Friday. This is a day to remember Jesus’s suffering and his journey to the cross. In Ireland the country does not allow selling of alcohol on Good Friday, seems to me this is serious.
On the week that Jesus was betrayed it was a week of anticipations of “Passover, major Jewish Holiday” . Crowds of people were in Jerusalem. Jesus did not do any miracles, when he was arrested, he could have used his powers, but he didn’t. The miracle that happened was that he would die on the cross and cover all of our sins for eternity.
Just before Jesus died, he asked for something to drink, but refused to drink the myrrh and gall (the combination becomes a sedative). Jesus knew it would numb his pain and he wanted to feel the force of his suffering. He knew that in our lives we would face pain of the body or of the soul. He also knew we would face thirst if not for water but for truth.
Look at that cross he died on and think what God gave us He gave us His son for our sins. That cross was a gift from God to us, we should look at it with respect and reverence and remember where it came from.
We need to bring something to the cross of our life. We have seen what Jesus brought, now we are asked, What Will We Bring? We can observe the cross, analyze the cross, we can pray to the cross, but until we leave something at the cross we haven’t embraced the cross of Christ in our lives we should bring to the hill our bad moments and our mad moments, bad habits, selfish moods, white lies and bigotries and our binges.
At the time of Jesus’s death, the curtain in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. “The earth shook, the rocks split.” Jesus came to earth to save us from the sins that separated us from the presence of God. The tearing, to the curtain that separated the sinful people from; “The holy presence of God”, signifies what happened when the flesh of Jesus was torn” (Jon Piper Preacher). “The tearing of Jesus’ flesh secured reconciliation between God and his sinful people. That is what the tearing of the curtain signified”
Rev. Kathyleen Funk