Good Friday
Jesus is Crucified
While Jesus and his followers were at the Mount of Olives, Judas arrived with an armed crowd sent by the chief priests. Judas greeted Jesus and kissed him; this was the signal to the crowd of whom to arrest.
Jesus was arrested and taken to the High Priest Caiaphas. He was accused of blasphemy and sent to Pilate the Roman Governor. Jesus was sentenced to death.
Jesus and two other prisoners were taken to Golgotha where they were crucified. Some in the crowd mocked Jesus. They asked “If you are the Son of God, why not save yourself?”
Watching from a distance were several women who had followed Jesus.
In the afternoon the sky grew dark and Jesus called out to God. He called out again in a loud voice, and then he died. At that moment the curtain in the Temple tore and the earth was shaken by an earthquake.
When the crowd felt this, they said to each other “Surely he was the Son of God.”
Based on Matthew 26:47-27:56
Read.
On Good Friday along with Jesus’ followers and friends, we experience the grief of Jesus’ death. Reading about this moment, we can see the wider impact Jesus’ death had on the world around him. In his death the crowd’s hearts are changed and they truly see who Jesus is. The curtain tears in the Temple, a symbol of the end to any barrier between God and humanity. Even creation responds with the Earth shaking at the moment of Jesus’ death.
Jesus’ death was so significant it impacts those who knew him, those who didn’t believe in him, religious institutions and the very earth. His death has impacts on the human, spiritual and created world.
Think About.
Jesus continues to impact the world. Think about ways Jesus has changed your life. Think about ways you have impacted your community through the example of Jesus.
Prayer.
God, even in our grief we thank you for Jesus. We thank you for the way his life showed us how to live and the way his death impacted the world. Amen.
Take time to explore the other days in Holy Week
Palm Sunday Holy Monday Holy Tuesday Holy Wednesday
Maundy Thursday Good Friday Holy Saturday Easter Sunday
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