Good Friday- Isaiah 53, John 19

 Good Friday always seems like a time to read, hear, and meditate upon the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ and to pray quietly and deeply. Let us briefly emphasize two of today's readings. Isaiah 53 is one of several passages which speaks of the Suffering Servant of God. This Messianic figure bears horrible sufferings innocently for the redemption of God's people. In the end, He also overcomes suffering and is honored by the Lord God. Jesus Himself alludes to such prophecies and applies them to Himself and  His work (Luke 24:26-27). Later, the Apostles (I Peter 2:22-25), Evangelists (Matthew 27: 12,29; John 12:38), and Christians down through the centuries have seen these prophecies fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

We see Isaiah's prophecy made personal and concrete in the Passion account from John 19. Jesus is holy and innocent. He deserves all honor, respect, and love. Yet, He humbly and quietly accepts rejection, insults, physical abuse, torture, and an excruciating and slow death to deliver people from sin, death, and the devil. He suffers for our transgressions. He lays down His life for His sheep. Jesus restores balance to a fallen creation. He overcomes the imbalance and disorder caused by sin. He does something that we humans could never do for ourselves. He atones for our sin; He graciously reconciles sinners with divine righteousness. Only through Christ's suffering and His perfect offering on the cross does divine goodness decidedly triumph. Because of His redeeming work, it is "Good Friday" after all. Thanks be to God!

Good Friday- The Passion according to St. John

Good Friday is one of the most important and solemn observances of the Christian year. Christians have developed a variety of devotions appropriate for the day. One of my favorites is a timeline previously posted on this blog. Some timelines draw together the different Passion accounts, but several years ago, I developed the following one based on St. John chapters 18 and 19 which are used in the traditional readings for the day. This timeline along with traditional prayers has served as a good basis for reflection.

Friday morning just after midnight - Confrontation in Garden and Jesus' Arrest (John 18:1-12)

Friday early morning hours– Jesus is taken to the house of Annas, former High Priest; Peter's first denial; Jesus receives initial physical abuse (John 18:13-23);

Jesus sent to the High Priest Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin Court –Peter's second and third denials; Jesus bloodied by abuse (John 18:24-27).

Friday 6:00 a.m.-8:30 a.m. - Hearing before the Roman governor Pilate; Pilate tries to release Jesus but the Judean mob objects and prefers the release of Barabas (John 18:28-40).

Pilate has Jesus beaten.- Pilate's Roman soldiers take Jesus into the court ("Praetorium") and engage in mockery and torture, including a brutal crown of thorns (John 19:1-3).

Pilate hesitates but the mob still cries out against Jesus (John 19:4-15).

Friday 9:00 a.m.-12:00 noon - Pilate hands Jesus over for crucifixion. Weakened by interrogations, sleep deprivation, and beatings, Jesus is forced to carry his own cross to the place of execution; then He is crucified under the charge of being "King of the Jews" (John 19:16-22).

The soldiers cast lots for His garments (John 19:23-24).

Friday 12:00 noon - 3:00 p.m. - Jesus continues to suffer on the cross. His mother, other women followers, and one male disciple (usually identified as John) remain with Him. Jesus commends His mother into the disciple's care (John 19:25-29).

Friday 3:00 p.m. - Death: Jesus says, "It is finished" and expires. The soldiers do not even bother to break His legs, but one pierces His side with a spear (John 19:30-37).

Friday before sunset - Burial: With the Sabbath approaching, Joseph of Arimethea and Nicodemus make arrangements for a quick but respectful burial in a nearby rock tomb (John 19:38-42)

Good Friday- John 18-19

The traditional Books of Common Prayer provide rich resources for Good (or Holy) Friday.  There are Morning and Evening Prayer, the Ante-Communion service of the Word, and the Litany. Of course, there are numerous Scripture readings, especially the Passion of our Lord according to John 18 and 19. 

Besides Scripture, some other resources have been particularly striking. For Anglicans, there are three traditional collects (here in the 1928 American form):

Almighty God, we beseech thee graciously to behold  this thy family, for which our Lord Jesus Christ was contented to be betrayed, and given up into the hands of wicked men, and to suffer death upon the cross; who now liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost ever,  one God, world without end. Amen.

Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the  whole body of the Church is governed and sanctified; Receive our supplications and prayers, which we offer before thee for all estates of men in thy holy Church, that every member of the same, in his vocation and ministry, may truly and godly serve thee; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

O  Merciful God, who hast made all men, and hatest  nothing that thou hast made, nor desirest the death of a sinner, but rather that he should be converted and live; Have mercy upon all who know thee not as thou art revealed in the Gospel of thy Son. Take from them all ignorance, hardness of heart, and contempt of thy Word; and so fetch them home, blessed Lord, to thy fold, that they may be made one flock under one shepherd, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy  Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

The Litany is always striking on solemn occasions, and the following words of the Litany apply with great strength on Good Friday:

By thine Agony and Bloody Sweat; by thy Cross and Passion; by thy precious Death and Burial; by thy glorious Resurrection and Ascension, and by the Coming of the Holy Ghost,
Good Lord, deliver us.
In all time of our tribulation; in all time of our prosperity; in the hour of death, and in the day of judgment,
Good Lord, deliver us. (1928 BCP, The Litany, p. 55)

Whatever forms we use, let us focus on what our Lord Jesus Christ does to redeem us!

Good Friday- Isaiah 53:6

How can this day be called Good Friday? Crucifixion in itself was one of the more cruel and shameful forms of execution ever devised. Furthermore, Jesus of Nazareth was the holiest man and the pure Son of God falsely accused and plotted against by evil. Yet, it is a good day because it shows the love of God reaching out to fallen and corrupt human beings. The Crucified One is the Lamb of God who takes away our sins, and the apparent defeat of goodness on this day will be turned into an eternal cosmic victory over sin, death, and the devil.

In the words of Isaiah 53:6, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."

Good Friday- The Passion according to St. John 18 and 19

Good Friday is one of the most important observances of the Christian year. Over the centuries, Christians have developed a variety of devotions appropriate for the day. One resource used by some Christians has been a timeline to guide meditations throughout the day. Some such timelines have tried to draw together the different Passion accounts, but ten years ago, I developed the following one based on St. John chapters 18 and 19 which are used in the traditional readings for the day.

Friday morning just after midnight - Confrontation in Garden and Jesus' Arrest (John 18:1-12)

Friday early morning hours– Jesus is taken to the house of Annas, former High Priest; Peter's first denial; Jesus receives initial physical abuse (John 18:13-23);

Jesus sent to the High Priest Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin Court –Peter's second and third denials; Jesus bloodied by abuse (John 18:24-27).

Friday 6:00 a.m.-8:30 a.m. - Hearing before the Roman governor Pilate; Pilate tries to release Jesus but the Judean mob objects and prefers the release of Barabas (John 18:28-40).

Pilate has Jesus beaten.- Pilate's Roman soldiers take Jesus into the court ("Praetorium") and engage in mockery and torture, including a brutal crown of thorns (John 19:1-3) .

Pilate hesitates but the mob still cries out against Jesus (John 19:4-15).

Friday 9:00 a.m.-12:00 noon - Pilate hands Jesus over for crucifixion. Weakened by interrogations, sleep deprivation, and beatings, Jesus is forced to carry his own cross to the place of execution; then He is crucified under the charge of being "King of the Jews" (John 19:16-22).

The soldiers cast lots for His garments (John 19:23-24).

Friday 12:00 noon - 3:00 p.m. - Jesus continues to suffer on the cross. His mother, other women followers, and one male disciple (usually identified as John) remain with Him. Jesus commends His mother into the disciple's care (John 19:25-29).

Friday 3:00 p.m. - Death: Jesus says, "It is finished" and expires. The soldiers do not even bother to break His legs, but one pierces His side with a spear (John 19:30-37).

Friday before sunset - Burial: With the Sabbath approaching, Joseph of Arimethea and Nicodemus make arrangements for a quick but respectful burial in a nearby rock tomb (John 19:38-42)

Good Friday

"Then delivered he [Pilate] him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away. And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst. And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was Jesus Of Nazareth The King Of The Jews. " (John 19:16-19)

In the words of the Prayer Book Litany, we pray-

By thine Agony and Bloody Sweat; by thy Cross and Passion; by thy precious Death and Burial; by thy glorious Resurrection and Ascension, and by the Coming of the Holy Ghost,
Good Lord, deliver us.
In all time of our tribulation; in all time of our prosperity; in the hour of death, and in the day of judgment,
Good Lord, deliver us.

Easter Basics 2019

I have never been a person to travel far from home around Good Friday and Easter. This year, family circumstances meant that I was far from home, and there was no liturgical congregation nearby. Yet, I did have a Bible and a Book of Common Prayer.

So I said Morning and Evening Prayer and read the appointed lessons from Scripture. This was more low-key than most years, but it was meaningful. I focused briefly but intensely on Jesus' passion, time in the tomb, and resurrection. And if anything, I had a greater than usual appreciation for St. Paul's exhortation in Colossians 3- "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God."

Such a perspective should be the goal of all our observances, elaborate or simple. We Christians think that the death and resurrection of Jesus are core historical realities. We must affirm these events, but beyond that, we need to see the application to our personal and corporate lives. As Christ has died and risen, so have we through baptism and faith. Therefore, we should set our affections on heavenly and spiritual matters and live accordingly.

Thoughts on Good Friday- John 18-19

I did not manage to observe Good Friday the way I planned. Unexpected events disrupted my schedule. Nevertheless, I did hear some impressive homilies/meditations and music over the media. In my drives, I also dropped in on two services. The clergy and others who make these services possible are to be commended for their efforts and their witness to the cross of Christ. And it was important to me to be present for at least short times in churches with other Christians who were also thinking of Christ's sacrifice for our salvation.

Most importantly for my spirituality, there were a few moments when I really meditated on some of the collects and the Passion Gospel from St. John. My heart and mind focused on the meaning of it all. I prayed the Jesus Prayer ("Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon us sinners") for myself, my family, and all people, and a sense of simple gratitude for divine love and grace flooded over me. So although  my personal plans for spending the day were derailed, God still used Good Friday to speak to me. Thanks be to God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit for the mighty and fearsome deeds of redemption and for His loving grace!

The Three Days

The Three Days from the evening of Maundy or Holy Thursday to Easter morning commemorate events at the heart of the Christian message. They are also themes at the heart of Anglican Liturgy and Doctrine. From the meaning of the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper to the centrality of the Cross and Resurrection, the commemorations of these days bring an intense focus that reminds us of Christ's work for our salvation. This focus is important for sincere Christians of any tradition; for an Anglican, this focus should bring home the reality that our heritage is truly evangelical, that is, gospel-based. Thanks be to God the Father, and praise to our risen Lord Jesus Christ!

Good Friday

This day has had many names including Paschal Day, Great Friday, Holy Friday and in the English tradition Good Friday. Since the early years of Christianity, it has been observed by fasting, prayer and the reading of Scripture. Over time, Christians have developed and used a variety of special devotional practices for this observance.

Whatever devotions an Anglican or any other Christian observes on this day, the key element, of course, is the Passion story from the Gospels, in particular the account from St. John 19. And whenever I read or hear this passage from John, I am always struck by John 19:30, "When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost." 

"It is finished," that is, Christ's first earthly mission is complete (the Resurrection is bound to this work but it is a new and glorious chapter). His suffering and death were the goal of His incarnation and public ministry. As He had humbled Himself to come down from heaven and become one of us, so He humbled Himself to the end. He who committed no sin was numbered among the transgressors; He offered Himself as the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world. But He did not just take away the sins of the world in general; He offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice to take my sins and your sins. If we accept His sacrifice with living faith in Him as our Savior, then this day truly does become Good Friday.