Welcome back everyone to our study of Holy Week which if you ask me has been pretty tremendous so far. It’s really been our goal to use this gift that so many of us have been given of time to really study what happened to and around Jesus as this week unfolds and a lot has happened! I find it incredible that when you stop and think about it you see that over a third of the Gospels are written on what was going on during this week. Many of Jesus’ famous teachings are found during this week, and they can almost take on new context or significance when you realize He was teaching these things during the intensity of what all He was walking through and heading towards during this week which really leads us towards our study of Friday of Holy Week, which is where Jesus heads to and dies on the cross. My goal for today is to walk you through this day, and to start a conversation with your family that hopefully lasts all day long, but I will never be able to cover all of what happened during this time because so much was happening, so I will make sure to list the scripture references below the video and in it so you have them for yourself. I think that is what excites me so much about the way we are studying Holy Week, that we are giving you the tools to engage this amazing time in our faith in your home, personally and with your family. So I would really encourage you to read the story in scripture and see what really touches your heart as today we study the day Jesus takes on the burden of our sins and dies on The Cross for us all. As we walk through this, it’s important that we keep coming back to these three points:
- Everything He goes through He goes through willingly
- Everything He goes through He goes through for you.
- His sacrifice changed everything for you and I.
So before we really get rolling into Friday, let’s think back to yesterday. Ken did a great job of walking us through what happened on Thursday and He gave us a lot to think about didn’t He? I hope you were able to take some time and really reflect on what He said in His video and also that you took some time to read through the story in Scripture. As I listened to Ken speak and walk us through the Last Supper Jesus had with His disciples, and how after He humbly washes their feet I found it interesting that Jesus is still teaching and modeling for them serving, loving, and humbly investing into others. Jesus is God, yet with this supreme power and authority given to Him by His Heavenly Father Jesus continues to show a way to live and lead that is just so different than our human instincts as it comes to leading, and strength, and power…Jesus loves, invests in others, and humbly serves and commands His disciples to do the same. Ken left us off in the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prays, sweats blood, and fully surrenders to God’s will even knowing that He is just moments away from His arrest which is where we start are look at Friday of Holy Week, which is known as Good Friday by many today.
Why is this day called Good Friday? I think that is a good place to start just like many call Thursday of Holy Week Maunday Thursday because of Jesus commanding His disciples to love one another. Friday of Holy Week is called Friday. Why? There doesn’t seem to be a lot of good about the arrest, trials, torture, and gruesome death of Jesus Christ does there? So why is it called “Good Friday”? Because by His death, Jesus became the final and complete sacrifice for our sins. We are saved through this ultimate sacrifice by Jesus. We cannot erase our guilt, we can’t do anything ourselves to overcome our sins so Jesus did what we could never do for ourselves, by dying for us on this day, this is why we call it Good Friday. Because in this brutal moment which Jesus did willingly, and for us, we are saved.
So when we left off with Ken it was the middle of the night in the Garden of Gethsemane, and Jesus was their praying with His disciples…this is where Judas betrays Him with a kiss and He is taken under arrest, which leads us into our study of Good Friday and I’m just going to say this, there for me to take you through every detail of what happened would be a pretty challenging thing to do in a Youtube video. There is so much happening at this time, so many good details in your Bible that can really hit your heart, so again remember I’m going to give you the Scripture references to ready and study on your own and as a family and if you would like please email us at contact.us@mountainridgechurch.org and let us know what really hit your heart as you studied Good Friday, we would love to hear from you!
As I started to look at how I was going to present Good Friday to you, I will be honest it was a little overwhelming! My mind was racing with so many thoughts and ideas, there are just so many powerful moments that I didn’t really know where to start, so I felt it was going to be important to break this day up into four sections. We will study the first three in this video. This is what I came up with…
- Jesus Arrested
- Jesus on Trial
- Jesus on The Cross
- Jesus burial (which we won’t get to in this video but you can read about it)
So we pick back up in the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus returns from praying to find His disciples asleep unable to keep their eyes open when the time has come for it all to unfold.
Jesus Arrested – Scripture References (Matthew 26:45-56, Mark 14:43-51, Luke 22:47-54, John 18:1-14)
Matthew 26:47 While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.” 49 Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him. 50 Jesus replied, “Friend, do what you came for.” Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. 51 With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. 52 “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. 53 Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” 55 At that time Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. 56 But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled. NIV
So Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss. Peter continues to make what I lovingly call Peter moves and tries to defend Jesus by taking out his sword and taking a wild swing cutting off the ear of the servant of the High Priest, which Jesus once again explains that He was doing this willingly and for us. He had the power to call down the Angel Armies to get Him out of this if He wanted…but He was here to do this for us all…and this arrest moment ends with us clearly seeing that all his friends run away and leave Jesus alone. In Mark it goes as far to say that one of them ran away naked as someone grabbed His garment on the way out…amazing isn’t it? He prepared them for this. He told them it would happen…and He is now watching them all runaway in fear…it’s now just Jesus and his accusers which leads us to His “trials.”
Jesus on Trial – Scripture References (Matthew 26:57-27:25, Mark 14:53-15:15, Luke 22:54-23:25, John 18:15-19:16)
So Jesus is arrested, the disciples flee, and now He is led straight into a series of “trials.” I keep putting the quotes on them because they aren’t exactly fair trials, these men are just jumping hoop to hoop to get Jesus where they want Him which is His death on a cross. The issue they have is they didn’t have the authority to put someone to death, remember they were under the rule of the Roman Empire so they needed to convince the Roman’s to do that which is why we see them put on such a show here. While this is going on two very powerful moments are also unfolding…Peter is following Jesus and denies Jesus three times just as Jesus said He would which leaves Peter just devastated as he realizes what he has done. All through the night into the morning Jesus goes through what we could call six “trials.”
In the first trial in the middle of the night we see Jesus interrogated by The High Priest Ciaphas’ father in law Annas. Annas is looking for an accusation to take to the High Priest and the Sanhedrin where they can sentence Jesus to death, but it’s also the middle of the night so part of what he was doing during this interrogation is biding time while the Sanhedrin is gathered for the main trial.
So the Sanhedrin is gathered, and Jesus is led to his second trial before Ciaphas the High Priest. This is the main trial of Jesus where He is eventually condemned but they really struggled to find anything to lock in the death sentence and they finally get some sort of loose claim to stick…
Mark 14:55 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any. Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree. Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands and in three days will build another, not made with hands.’” Yet even then their testimony did not agree. Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. “You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” They all condemned him as worthy of death. Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!” And the guards took him and beat him. NIV
So Jesus has been interrogated, and has faced the Chief Priest and the Sanhedrin in his main trial and has been found guilty, then a third Jewish trial convenes where Jesus is sentenced to Death which can finally be taken to their Roman superiors. This is now around dawn…so yeah, long night for Jesus…
Luke 22:66 At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and the teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. “If you are the Messiah,” they said, “tell us.” Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me, and if I asked you, you would not answer. But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.” They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?” He replied, “You say that I am.” Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips.” NIV
So these next moments with Pilate and Herod are really fascinating, and I wish we had time to jump into them in detail but again because of time we will keep moving here. Jesus is led to Pontius Pilate to stand his fourth trial before, Pilate has a lot of pressure on him here because of the politics of it all. He understands the Jewish leaders want this man dead, and are really fired up to do so, but he also doesn’t see true cause to do so…but eventually He realizes that Jesus is from Galilee which put him under Herod’s jurisdiction so Pilate I think really thankfully passes Him off to Herod.
So Jesus is now presented before Herod who was pretty excited to meet Jesus because he had heard about the miracles and things he had done and Herod was really looking to see a miracle here…but Jesus remains silent…
Luke 23:9 He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10 The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him.11 Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate. NIV
Finally Jesus is taken back to Pilate, who reluctantly agrees with the angry mob to have Jesus killed…
Luke 23:13-24 Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. Therefore, I will punish him and then release him.” But the whole crowd shouted, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!” (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.) Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.” But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. So Pilate decided to grant their demand. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will. NIV
Jesus on The Cross – Scripture References (Matthew 27:27-54, Mark 15:16-41, Luke 22:54-23:45, John 18:15-19:16)
Which leads us to Jesus on the Cross…and I’m just going to read it right from Scripture. So as we read this we need to remember those three important points we want to hold close to our hearts. Ken told us yesterday that Jesus has the power to end this any time He wants to…remember He is God. He could call down the Angel Armies to save Him if He wants but He continues on, into this brutal death for us all.
As we walk through this, it’s important that we keep coming back to these three points:
- Everything He goes through He goes through willingly
- Everything He goes through He goes through for you.
- His sacrifice changed everything for you and I.
Matthew 27:27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. 30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. 31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him. 32 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. 33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). 34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 36 And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. 37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 38 Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.'” 44 In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him. 45 From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. 46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”-which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” 48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.” 50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. 52 The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people. 54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!” NIV
Scripture References to Study with the Family:
What happened on Friday? Matthew 26-27, Mark 14-15, Luke 22-23, John 18-19
As you read and reflect with your family today and all week, remember and focus on these three points…
- Everything He goes through He goes through willingly
- Everything He goes through He goes through for you.
- His sacrifice changed everything for you and I.
Next up will share with us about what was happening Easter.