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Day 39 - Good Friday, Six Hours to Finish

For Jesus, midnight did not lead to sleep.  Jesus’ day begins with His arrest following Judas’ betrayal.  Judas leads the band of Jewish authorities to the garden and there Jesus arrested.  They take Jesus first to Annas, who had turned over His High Priestly duties to his son-in-law, but he was still the power behind the Jewish leaders.

John 18:12-14 12  So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him.
13  First they led him to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.
14  It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people.

John 18:19-24
19  The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.
20  Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret.
21  Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them; they know what I said.”
22  When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?”
23  Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?”
24  Annas then sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

Jesus’ time there is short, and soon He is passed on to Caiaphas.  Caiaphas is not interested in hearing from Jesus, or learning from him…he wants Him out of the way.

Matthew 26:59-67 59  Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death,
60  but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward
61  and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’”
62  And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?”
63  But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.”
64  Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
65  Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy.
66  What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.”
67  Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him,

Peter and perhaps other disciples are following behind, and Jesus’ words come hauntily back to Peter.

John 18:25-27
25  Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.”
26  One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” 
27  Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed.

All are scattered…Jesus is alone.  Soon, daylight comes, and the actions begin to move faster.

Matthew 27:1-3
1  When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.
2  And they bound him and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate the governor.

Jesus appears before Pilate two times…and once in between before Herod Antipas.  The charge before Pilate is what the governors were most concerned with…Insurrection.

Luke 23:2-4 2  And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.”
3  And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.”
4  Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.”

Pilate passes Jesus along to Herod Antipas at first, because this Herod was the Roman ruler in Galilee.  Eventually Herod passes him back to Pilate for a second time.  Soon it came to a confrontation and conclusion:

Luke 23:13-25
13  Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people,
14  and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people. And after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him.
15  Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him.
16  I will therefore punish and release him.”
18  But they all cried out together, “Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas”—
19  a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder.
20  Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus,
21  but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!”
22  A third time he said to them, “Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him.”
23  But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed.
24  So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted.
25  He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus over to their will.

It all turned brutal and the painful suffering only intensified:

Matthew 27:27-31
27  Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him.
28  And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,
29  and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
30  And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head.
31  And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.

It was 9:00 a.m. in the morning when they arrived at Golgotha – the place of the crucifixion.

Mark 15:24-25
24  And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take.
25  And it was the third hour when they crucified him.

The six hours on the cross…it’s hard for us to comprehend.  Jesus speaks several times while on the cross.
·         He speaks words of forgiveness for the actions of all.
·         He speaks to the one thief promising he will be with him in paradise shortly.
·         He speaks to Mary, his mother, and John the disciple who is charged to care for her.
·         He speaks of his thirst
The agony of his time on the cross has more to do with his separation from the Father than anything else.

Mark 15:33-34 33  And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
34  And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Quickly two more things are said:

John 19:30  When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Luke 23:46  Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.      


This is Good Friday…but make no mistake it is only Good for us. 

Beloved, remember this…all of this was done for the purpose of reconciliation.  
Sin is not excused or overlooked, it is paid for…sacrificially…the Passover lamb is slain is Jesus and His blood forever is placed on the mercy seat in the heavenlies, and we are redeemed because of it.

At the end of the day, Jesus’ dead body is placed in a tomb…and everyone who loved Him walks away convinced it is all over.

BUT IT’S FRIDAY…AND SUNDAY IS COMING!

Peace

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