GOOD FRIDAY: THE SILENT SUFFERING SAVIOR

• No one is born without sin; sin’s penalty is , and Jesus came to absorb God’s wrath against sinners by dying in our place.
• Matthew 26:57-68 Then the people who had arrested Jesus led him to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of religious law and the elders had gathered. 58 Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance and came to the high priest’s courtyard. He went in and sat with the guards and waited to see how it would all end. 59 Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death. 60 But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, they could not use anyone’s testimony. Finally, two men came forward 61 who declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’ 62 Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” 63 But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” 64 Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65 Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your verdict?” “Guilty!” they shouted. “He deserves to die! ”67 Then they began to spit in Jesus’ face and beat him with their fists. And some slapped him, 68 jeering, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who hit you that time?”
• It’s easy to be quiet when the crowd is for you. But when physical and verbal hatred spills over into action, silence is never easy. What we see in Jesus is controlled .

• • VERSE 57: An arrest.
  • VERSE 65: Falsely accused of blasphemy.
  • VERSE 66: Bizarre verdicts of guilt.
  • VERSE 67: Spit in Jesus’ face.
  • VERSE 67: Beat Him with their fists.
  • VERSE 67: Slapped Him
  • VERSE 68: Jeered at Jesus. (Involves shaming)
  • VERSE 68: Mocked Jesus. (Insult, denigrate, make rude noises with nothing specific).

• In the following scenes in the Bible, Peter denies Jesus three times, and Judas hangs himself.
• Matthew 27:11-12 11 Now Jesus was standing before Pilate, the Roman governor. “Are you the king of the Jews?” the governor asked him. Jesus replied, “You have said it.” 12 But when the leading priests and the elders made their accusations against him, Jesus remained silent.
• Jesus is taken to the soldier’s headquarters and this happens: Matthew 27

• • VERSE 28: Jesus is stripped.
  • VERSE 28: The soldiers put a scarlet robe on him.
  • VERSE 29: Wove a crown of thorns and jammed it on his head.
  • VERSE 29: Place a reed in his right hand, knelt, and mocked him.
  • VERSE 30: Spit on Jesus, pulled the stick out of His right hand, and smashed Him on the head with it.
  • VERSE 31: The soldiers finally got tired of mocking Him, put his clothes back on Him, and led Him to the cross to die.
  • VERSE 35: Jesus was nailed to the cross, and soldiers gambled for His clothes.
  • VERSE 39: As people passed by, they shouted abuse, shaking their heads and mocking Him.
  • VERSE 41: The leading priests, religious attorneys, and elders mocked Jesus.
  • VERSE 44: The thieves on the cross next to Jesus ridiculed him.
• Alone, agonizing, mocked, jeered at, beaten, and in pain, Jesus said .
• Some of His last words on earth before His death were a question.
• Matthew 27.46 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
• Jesus died for sinners. How repulsive for anyone to believe they can their way to heaven based on their merit and not the CROSS.

• 1 Peter 2.22-25 He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. 23 He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. 24 He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed. 25 Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls.
• Isaiah 53:5-7 But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. 6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. 7 He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.

• 1. Justification – The act of making sinful people to a Holy God. Romans 3:24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.
• 2. Propitiation – Appeasement. Jesus the price for sin that God in His Holiness demanded. 1 John 2:2 He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.
• 3. Adoption – The Greek word translated adoption means “placing as a son.” It’s a legal term that expresses the process by which a child is brought into a family, giving all the of a biological son or daughter. Romans 8.15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”
• There is not a more fitting symbol of God’s love for us than the CROSS.

Lord Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner. I know that the penalty for my sin is physical, spiritual, and eternal death. I acknowledge that I can’t do anything about my situation. But I know that You came to pay the penalty for my sin. I trust in You alone as the One who died in my place. I repent of my sin and trust in You as the only One who can place me in an eternal relationship with the living God. I desire to be Your child. I desire to live as Your child. In Your name. Amen.

If you have made a decision for Christ today please let us know by clicking this link and filling out the form.