Good Friday

The Last Supper finished with a song,

Jesus and his disciples then headed out to the Mount of Olives,

A place well-known,

for they had already been there twice this past week alone.

But, their return to this place would look nothing like the triumphal entry that occurred only 5 days ago.

Instead, Jesus entered the Garden of Gethsemane

Upon him was the wrongdoing of all humanity.

Suffering intensely,

He asked Peter, James, and John to pray earnestly

Because in his crucible hour, he needed them to fight temptation wholeheartedly.

Walking a stone’s throw away from them, he fell on his face in prayer, stricken with agony…

With blood sweating from his forehead

The time has finally begun for his own blood to shed.

Exhausted with sorrow, three times, Jesus has to wake his disciples.

And in the midst of his last rebuke, a crowd approaches…

His betrayer steps forward –  it’s Judas –

Judas--- once His disciple now

… betraying the Son of Man with a kiss.

Realizing there is more to this,

With uncontrollable passion, Peter cut the ear off of Malchus.

Hearing the words,

 “enough of this”-

The crowd calms, Jesus healed him.

Yet, the crowd still moved in…

Seizing him in the middle of the night,

arresting him for no reason,

Captured and treated as a criminal

They took him in for reason of “treason”.

Six trials in one day

Six trials --- he endured

And yet, Pilate and Herod found no basis on which he ought to be charged.

Each year, it was custom to release a prisoner

And the fate of the prisoner would be determined by the crowd’s cheer.

So, Pilate brought out Barabbus, who is a lot like each of us –

A murderer, a liar, a thief, and a cheat - - a sinner

He stood against Jesus- a man without sin,

- whose love for the world took on our sin

But, the crowd cheered for Barabbus

and Barabbus was released on a whim - 

And the fate of Jesus was settled in the words shouted “Crucify Him!  Crucify Him!”

The system -- full of depravity

Welcomed by the beating of the whip for His royalty

– pulling flesh from his pure humanity

….with every beating – for our iniquity

Flogged and rejected for bringing the Good News

Spit on and mocked for being “King of the Jews”

While evil kept laughing

Jesus never stopped loving

An innocent man sentenced to die –

For it is written, “the Son of Man must be lifted high” –

Therefore, taking OUR place and our sin upon him,

the soldiers led Jesus away to crucify him.

Good Friday Spoken Word (March 30, 2018) @ College Heights Christian Church