The action of this week in history really picked up over Thursday night and all day Friday. A midnight arrest, a corrupt and unlawful trial, a quick and dirty pardon and then a march to the place called “The Skull”, and then an ole’ fashioned Southern lynching took place at the hands of the Roman government persuaded by the Jewish leaders of the day!
Yes, the Christ, the Son of God, was nailed to a cross and hung for hours before he gave up the spirit and from that some of my favorite verses where written
50 But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice and died.
51 Then the curtain in the Temple was torn into two pieces, from the top to the bottom. Also, the earth shook and rocks broke apart.52 The graves opened, and many of God’s people who had died were raised from the dead.53 They came out of the graves after Jesus was raised from the dead and went into the holy city, where they appeared to many people.
54 When the army officer and the soldiers guarding Jesus saw this earthquake and everything else that happened, they were very frightened and said, “He really was the Son of God!” Matthew 17 NCV
And freedom was delivered, to the people of the world!
Andrew gets to read today in a little gathering from the 53 chapter of the book of Isaiah . I thought it was worth sharing on this Good Friday a little bit from that chapter.
4 But he took our suffering on him
and felt our pain for us.
We saw his suffering
and thought God was punishing him.
5 But he was wounded for the wrong we did;
he was crushed for the evil we did.
The punishment, which made us well, was given to him,
and we are healed because of his wounds.
6 We all have wandered away like sheep;
each of us has gone his own way.
But the Lord has put on him the punishment
for all the evil we have done.
and then the greatest part of it all
12 For this reason I will make him a great man among people,
and he will share in all things with those who are strong.
He willingly gave his life
and was treated like a criminal.
But he carried away the sins of many people
and asked forgiveness for those who sinned.”
So, even though he was the Son of God, he let himself be killed by men, for those very men and for us. But the news doesn’t stop there.. wait until Sunday!