Today is Friday

Today is Friday, March 29, 2024. Good Friday. Typically, this newsletter goes out at 7am et. Maybe you are reading it later in the day or are in a different time zone so the time where you are right now may be different.

Good Friday. By 7am, Jesus had been up all night. Sometime in the middle of the night He was in a garden called Gethsemane, He was praying. His friends were sleeping. He was in a lot of pain & dread of what was ahead. They were oblivious. Then the soldiers came led by one His friends, the one named Judas, the same name as one of His brothers. They arrested Jesus and took Him to trial, but not before Peter tried to take matters into his own hands. A man lost an ear. Jesus put it back.

4-6am: Jesus was put on trial, actually a series of trials by the Jewish leaders trying to find a way to get rid of Him. They were looking for revenge but calling it justice. His friend Peter followed but not too closely. Then he told everyone he never knew Jesus and had nothing to do with Him. Jesus heard every word, and then the rooster crowed.

6-8am: Jesus is sent to Pilate for trial. Pilate, the Roman governor had the authority to execute. He saw no reason to do so with Jesus, but the crowd was so insistent that Pilate relented. One more pointless life to him; what did it matter. “Crucify him” echoed around the courtyard. Barabbas, a local revolutionary walked away with his life. A guilty man freed at the expense of an innocent man. They gave Jesus a crossbeam of a cross to carry. It was too much for someone who had been tortured to the extent He had, so they made Simon, a visitor from Africa to carry it.  They began the journey to the hill.

9am: Jesus is crucified; His hands and feet nailed to the wood, probably a cast-off piece. Who would use good wood for something like this? They took His clothes, gave Him a crown to wear. They made fun of Him. He did nothing in return except forgive and hold back.

9-12noon: He hung there between 2 thieves. The crowds turned on Him and verbally abused Him. They seemed to like being in the position to do so. Bullies do that. The solders gambled for His clothing. He watched and listened. He asked His best friend to take care of His mom. He asked His mom to take care of His best friend. He made a new friend on the cross, one of the two thieves. He promised to hang out with Him later in the day in a better place.

12noon to 3pm: It was dark, unusually dark, unexpectedly dark, eerily dark, as if God turned off a light. He did.

3-6pm: Jesus died. He gave up His Spirit because He was finished. He said, “It was finished” and it was. A soldier standing there was moved by what he experienced; he believed. They came to break His legs to make sure He was dead. Not sure, they pushed a spear into His side to see what would happen. Blood and water poured out. He was dead. They took down His body. A man named Joseph had permission from Pilate to take responsibility for the body. He had a tomb already picked out for himself. He gave it to Jesus. They placed the body in the cave tomb. The tomb was sealed; guards were put into place. It was after sundown so for them it was now Saturday. The day was over. A new one had begun. The next day would be something almost beyond belief. They went home and got ready for bed.

Tonight at 7pm – Good Friday Worship Service. There is power in the cross.

Sunday, 9am & 11am – Resurrection Sunday. It’s time to celebrate.