[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: John 18:1–19:42

Good Friday

It is finished. (John 19:30)

What was finished? Jesus’ mission!

If we want to understand that mission we have to go back to the very beginning of the Bible. We have to start in Genesis, with its story of the fall of our first parents. From that point on, the human race was sepa­rated from God. Subject to sin and death, all Adam’s descendants would now live under a cloud. But God did not abandon us. He established a personal covenant with Abraham to form a people who would reveal his presence to the rest of the world.

Five hundred years after Abraham, Moses became the mediator of a covenant between God and the Israelites—a covenant written in stone and sealed in blood. Seven hundred years later, prophets began speaking of a new covenant that God would make. This time, the covenant would be written on human hearts and sealed in the blood of a suffering servant. It would be a covenant in which God would give us all a new heart and place his own Spirit within us so that we would find the grace to follow him.

And so today we are celebrat­ing the day when the new covenant was ratified. Today is the day we recall Jesus, the perfect Servant of God, and the way he shed his blood so that we could be transformed. It’s the day when Adam’s sin was wiped away, the day when the Holy Spirit flowed from the pierced side of Christ, and the day when the divid­ing wall between heaven and earth was torn down.

Isn’t it amazing how patiently and carefully God was unfolding his plan over all those centuries? Isn’t it com­forting to know that God never gave up on us—and that even today he is just as committed to us? In your prayer today, spend some time con­templating God’s magnificent plan. Think about God’s faithfulness to his covenant with us. Let it fortify your faith and deepen your love. Then commit yourself to trying your best to live out that covenant—the cove­nant that Jesus established with his own blood.

“Jesus, you are our great high priest. I come before your throne today with confidence, knowing that I will receive mercy and find grace to help me live in your love. (Hebrews 4:16)”

Isaiah 52:13–53:12; Psalm 31:2,6,12-13,15-17,25; Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9

[Salvation]

A Christian Pilgrim

EVERYTHING CENTERS ON HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION

(A biblical refection on GOOD FRIDAY, April 6, 2012) 

First Reading: Isaiah 52:13-53:12 

Psalms: Ps 31:2,6,12-13,15-17,25; Second Reading: Heb 4:14-16;5:7-9; Gospel Reading: Jn 18:1-19:42

The Scripture Text

Behold, My servant shall prosper, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. As many were astonished at him – his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the sons of men – so shall he startle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which has not been told them they shall see, and that which they have not heard they shall understand.

Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For he grew up before Him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or comeliness that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers dumb, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as of r his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of My people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the will of the LORD to bruise him; he has put him to grief; when he makes himself an offering, he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand; he shall see the fruit of the travail of his soul and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out his soul to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. (Is 52:13-53:12 RSV) 

As sorrowful as today’s events are, this remains a day of highest celebration. For we can never think about the cross without recalling what Jesus’ death accomplished for us. Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, was both familiar with our weaknesses and yet qualified to offer the perfect sacrifice for our sins. His death is our reconciliation with God. His cross is the bridge over the abyss carved out by sin, putting to death our opposition to God and uniting us once more with our loving Father. On this bridge, we cross over with Jesus from death into eternal life.

Jesus is the fulfilment of every prophecy, promise, and intention of the Father. His cross is the meeting place of righteousness and mercy, of judgment and grace, of faithfulness and sovereignty. Without the cross there would be no salvation, no church, no forgiveness, no healing, no hope. Everything centers on His death and resurrection.

The cross, which stood at the center of our lives as well. Every blessing we receive from God, every lesson He teaches us, every grace He gives us to put off our old life – it is all meant to bring us closer to the life-giving cross. Every event in our lives is an opportunity to take another step toward the cross. Every act of love by which we lay down some portion of our lives for our neighbour brings us closer to the foot of the cross. There, at the cross, we enter the new life, the new intimacy with God that Jesus has won for us.

Today, on this holy day, can we embrace the cross more deeply? Can we ask Jesus to put to death sin within us? This is why He came and died. It’s the reason behind every miracle He performed, every parable He told, and every commandment He gave. Let us embrace His cross and receive every gift He wants to give us.

Short Prayer: Lord Jesus, who am I that You should care enough to give up Your very life for me? Thank you for giving me the grace to draw near to You and confess my sins. With trust in Your love, I open my heart to You. Come in and expose all the things that separate me from You. Replace all my self-seeking ways with Your love. Amen.