St Mark 15: 21 – 41
They compelled a passer-by, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross; it was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus. Then they brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of a skull). And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh; but he did not take it. And they crucified him, and divided his clothes among them, casting lots to decide what each should take.
It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. The inscription of the charge against him read, ‘The King of the Jews.’ And with him they crucified two bandits, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, ‘Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!’ In the same way the chief priests, along with the scribes, were also mocking him among themselves and saying, ‘He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Messiah,the King of Israel, come down from the cross now, so that we may see and believe.’ Those who were crucified with him also taunted him.
When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, ‘Listen, he is calling for Elijah.’ And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, ‘Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.’ Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was God’s Son!’
There were also women looking on from a distance; among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. These used to follow him and provided for him when he was in Galilee; and there were many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem.
Reflection
Let us begin today’s Daily Devotion by asking ourselves a simple question: What is “good” about Good Friday? I would only imagine that Simon of Cyrene, a man who was compelled to carry Jesus’ cross, and the dejected and downtrodden disciples would be scandalised to consider this day would be called “Good” Friday. The brutality and humiliation that Jesus went through had left the disciples confused and fearful. But why were the disciples so disheartened and fearful? Hadn’t Jesus told them that he would die and be raised? Isaiah predicted Jesus suffering: “He was despised and rejected by humanity, a man suffering, and with familiar pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem” Isaiah 53:3, 5). The crucifixion was always part of God’s plan for the redemption of God’s people.
On Good Friday, Jesus, the sinless Son of God took all the heinous sins of humanity upon his shoulders. St Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:21 writes, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Right before he died he said, “It is finished” and the curtain of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The curtain being torn was divine proof that Jesus’ mission was accomplished. What is the message of the Cross? St Paul wrote, “The message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18). In today’s passage there is a stunning example of a person crossing from perishing to salvation. The centurion looks at Jesus, sees how he dies, and all of a sudden he says, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” This man had a revolution when he looked again at the cross. It changed him.
Indeed, it was Good Friday! Amen.
Prayer
God, it is heartbreaking to realise the mocking, the brutal torture, and the crass injustice Jesus had to endure for us. We can only wonder at the pain that Jesus went through to save us from eternal separation from you. We humbly thank you that he became sin on our behalf so that we could be made the righteousness of God, in him. Thank you for your amazing grace to us. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, Amen.