Good Friday

We've gotten together this evening to remember Jesus and what He did on that first Good Friday. We've gotten together to meditate on the Cross.

What do you think about when I say that? What comes to mind when you are reminded of the Cross?

One thing that will come to mind is the love of God. And here's a familiar verse that fits with that.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son… John 3.16

The Cross is about the love of God.

Out of His deep love for a very lost world, the Father fulfilled what Abraham only foreshadowed many years ago when he put his only son, Isaac, on that altar and raised the knife to kill him. The difference, of course, is that, unlike what happened with Abraham, there was no angel to stop the Father from plunging the knife into His Son. There was no substitute caught in some thicket. Jesus was the substitute. The Father willed the death of His Son, Jesus, an expression of His love for the world.

That's one thought that comes to mind when we are reminded of the Cross.

Here is another.   


The wrath of God. This seems like quite the contrast to our thoughts about God's love. But there is no conflict between God’s love and His wrath. We need to recognize that God’s wrath also has something to say about what happened on that Friday. It also is something to consider when we think about the Cross.

It's important that we work to know the whole God, not just a part of who He is. And when you do that you will see that God gets angry. And He gets angry with good reason.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men… Romans 1:18

People sin. God hates that. We actually do not really understand how much He hates sin. But it is that hatred of sin that results in His anger.

The Bible offers some pictures of His wrath. Think about the 10 plagues that God inflicted on Egypt. Imagine suffering through them all, especially the climax. What do you suppose it was like to suffer the death of your firstborn child? God can get very angry.

And that anger was especially revealed when Jesus was suffering on that Cross. God's anger is an expression of His justice, His sense of right and wrong. He hates it when that is ignored. Or worse than ignored, when it is defied. But isn't that our sin? Ignoring and even defying what God says about right and wrong.  It is His just anger against our sinful attitudes and actions that nailed Jesus to that Cross. Each of us should have been nailed to a cross instead of Jesus, suffering the wrath of God for our sins.

There is one more perspective on the Cross that I think would be good for us to take some time to meditate on. This one adds something important to the other two. It has to do with something Jesus said while hanging on that Cross, some words that we have already encountered this evening.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Psalm 22.1

We need to spend some time on this, and not just tonight, because it reveals something personal between the Father and the Son.

What does it mean to be forsaken? It actually means nothing unless there is some sort of connection between those involved. So, consider the relationship between the Father and the Son.

And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” Mark 1:11

These are precious words. And one reason they are precious is that they are words that a father is saying to his son. It's good to hear approval from co-workers or supervisors or friends. But how much greater is it for a child to hear it from his or her father? How many would love to hear words like that from their fathers.

Listen carefully to the words.

You are my beloved Son.

The Father speaks His love to Jesus, His Son. There is no hinting or implying or merely suggesting. It is clearly spoken. 'You are My beloved Son'.

And then,

…with you I am well pleased.

This isn't any, 'You did okay'. The Father isn't just content with His Son. He is well-pleased. The Son has acted in a way that makes the Father proud. And He says so. What the Father and the Son experienced in that moment was precious.

Now, we're ready to understand, to feel, the power of the word 'forsaken'. How should we define that? What might make sense of this word? How about 'abandoned'? 'Deserted' also works. But I think that what communicates best what was going on when Jesus was hanging on that Cross is the word 'rejected'. In that moment, the Son who had enjoyed the undiminished love of His Father, the unqualified approval of His proud Dad - in that moment He was rejected, utterly and completely rejected, by that Father. Now, who cares if some stranger rebuffs you? Really, who cares? It might make the situation a little awkward, but that can be handled. But to be rejected by someone who was so close, so loving - that's something entirely different.

And that's what happened on the Cross. Jesus was rejected by His Father. And isn't that what Jesus was wrestling with in the Garden of Gethsemane, the prospect of being rejected by His Father? But, knowing what would happen, He still went to the Cross.

Now, a question. Why did He do that? Why did Jesus go, knowing that it meant rejection? We could talk about Jesus' obedience to the Father. That certainly fits. But there's also this. Jesus did it for love. Jesus did it because He loved each of you.

There are those who say that the plan was for Jesus to die on the Cross and then the benefits would be granted to whoever decided to enjoy them, to whoever would decide to become a Christian. Who knows? Maybe there would be many. Maybe there would be few. Time would tell. But that's not how the Bible presents it. The plan certainly was for Jesus to die on the Cross so that its benefits could be enjoyed. But it was decided ahead of time who would enjoy those benefits. Jesus went to the Cross for particular individuals. And that makes a very large difference. Paul understood that. And that's why he could say,

… the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

Each of us can say that. 'Jesus went to the Cross for me. Not just for some nameless group, but for particular individuals. He went for me.' And that means that we can also say, 'He was willing to be rejected by the Father for me.' Who does that sort of thing? Who sacrifices something so precious for people like us, for rebels like us? Jesus does. So, say it, say it to yourself, about yourself.

… the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Now, as the enormity of what this is about grows in you, you will feel the need for some sort of response. Good. But don't respond out of some sense of debt, as if you could pay Jesus back for what He has done. Impossible.

But do respond. Respond to His love with your own. Pray that you will do that in more and more ways.