Good Friday

Today is Good Friday, the day Christians commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and His death on Calvary. I can't help but think of the kind of night my Lord has already had by the time He actually made it up Gogotha's hill and hung on the cross for public display. He had dinner with the disciples and then, tried to get them to pray and keep watch with Him in the garden of Gethsemane. They kept falling asleep while He, in agony, surrendered His will for their sake and ours. He was betrayed by Judas, one of the twelve, arrested for crimes He did not commit, and hauled in before the priests and the high council. Peter, one of His closest friends, denied Him. He was put on trial before Pilate. He was mocked , whipped, and nailed to a cross...a common form of execution for that day. But, He was not a common man.
I challenge you as you go about your day to consider our Lord's "Good Friday" over 2000 years ago. Ask the Lord to make it real to you as you track with Him...as you take it all in...as you worship. I have listed documented times as they appear in scripture, but don't miss all the details that occur in between. My prayer for us today is that this Good Friday be different than the others. Let's focus on Jesus...zoom in and look at the details...zoom out and take in the big picture. Have a blessed day!

Mark 15:25 (NLT)

²⁵ It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him.

Mark 15:33 (NLT)

³³ At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock.

Matthew 27:46 (NLT)

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?”

Matthew 27:57-58 (NLT)

⁵⁷ As evening approached, Joseph, a rich man from Arimathea who had become a follower of Jesus,⁵⁸ went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. And Pilate issued an order to release it to him.