Reflections on Good Friday

 

Good Friday. The day of Christ's trial and crucifixion.

(John 19:14) " Now it was the day of the Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He [Pilate] said to the Jews, "Behold your King!"

As thousands of lambs were being sacrificed in preparation for the Passover feast the sinless Son of God was also being slain- as the One perfect sacrifice, the one perfect Lamb of God who's death and resurrection would satisfy God's wrath against the sin of men for all time. (John 1:29) “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

This court yard is a building which is in the location of where the Upper Room would have been, where Christ shared a Passover supper with His disciples and  spoke to them of what was to come. After sharing the "last supper" with His disciples (John 13-17) Jesus goes with a few of His disciples from Jerusalem, across the Kidron Valley to the Mount of Olives to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane, which means "the press of oil" (an olive press).

The olive trees pictured here in the Garden of Gethsemane date back to just after the time of Christ. Here Christ prays "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but Yours, be done." (Luke 22:42) He is speaking of the cup of God's divine wrath. The physical brutality of the crucifixion was not as painful to Christ as being separated from His Father, God. For the first and only time He would experience the divine wrath of God--God's wrath against the sin of all men from all ages, and Christ would at this point be separated from God the Father.

From here in the garden He is taken by the crowd, lead by Judas. Pilate and Herod put him on trial, before Pilate finally delivers Him over to the Jews to be crucified, though no guilt was found with Him. "Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people 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. Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him.'" (Luke 23:13-15)

 The Church of the Holy Sepulcher stands over the most likely location of Golgotha, the place of Christ's crucifixion and burial. At the time of Christ it was a rock quarry, just outside the gates of Jerusalem. It was used as a graveyard and also used by Roman soldiers for crucifixions. Those being crucified served as a reminder to passers by not to mess with the Roman government. Christ's cross would have been stuck into the jagged rocks. There is never any mention that Christ was crucified on a hill.



This picture is a model of what Golgotha looked like at the time of Christ. It's helpful to see this visual representation, as today a huge Catholic church stands over the actual site and makes it difficult to picture. (Click photo to enlarge- see the rocky area outside that wall in center of photo)

 
Finally I thought I'd share this (not so good) photo of a cross. This shows what the cross Jesus was nailed to would have looked like. It's not very tall or high up on a hill. It's on rocky ground, almost at eye level. Just tall enough that the person is suspended above the ground but low enough you could look the person in the eye as they are suffering. Mary the mother of Jesus, the Apostle John, the Roman soldiers, all who were looking on would have been able to look into His eyes and clearly hear the suffering, breathless Jesus as with His last breath He proclaimed "It is finished," after which point he "gave up His spirit." He willingly and voluntarily gave it up. No one could take His life without His giving it (John 19:30). And gave it He did that we might also die to our sin and live to righteousness.
"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed." (1 Peter 2:24)

Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives