God had been revealing things in my life that required correction. So, when I awoke to a beautiful, sunny Good Friday morning, there was a joyful and fresh appreciation for the day, which led me to study the following Scriptures.
Seven-hundred years before Jesus arrived on earth, Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would be rejected, despised, and put to death: “Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He (Jesus) grew up before Him (God) like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him; nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces” (Isaiah 53:1-3 NIV).
He was despised, and we held Him in low esteem. (Does the world hold Jesus in low esteem today?). “Surely, He took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered Him punished by God, stricken by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4-5 NIV).
“We all, like sheep, have gone astray each of us has turned to our own way and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment, He was taken away. Yet who of His generation protested? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of My people He was punished. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death, though He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.” Isaiah 53:6-9 NIV).
After He has suffered, He will see the light of life and be satisfied; by His knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities.Therefore, I will give Him a portion among the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He poured out His life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:11-12).
We see Isaiah’s prophecy unfolding in the Garden of Gethsemane, where after Jesus prayed, He was arrested. His captors then mocked Him and beat Him while spewing blasphemies (Luke 22:63-65).
The following morning, the elders, chief priests, and scribes, came together and led Jesus into their council, saying, “If You are the Christ, tell us.” But Jesus answered that even if He said He was, they would not believe Him or let Him go. He then said, “Hereafter, the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God.” Then they all said, “Are You then the Son of God?” He answered them, “You rightly say that I am.” This infuriated them, and they screamed, “What further testimony do we need. For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth.” (Luke 22: 66-71).
The entire group led Jesus to Pilate and falsely accused Him, saying, “We found this fellow perverting the nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King. So, Pilate asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And Jesus responded, “It is as you say.” Amazingly, Pilate turned to the chief priests and the crowd and said, “I find no fault in this Man.” (Luke 23: 1-4).
Pilate, discovering that Jesus was a Galilean, sent him to Herod’s jurisdiction. But when Jesus stood before Herod, He refused to answer his questions. Then Harrod and his men treated Jesus with contempt, mocking Him before sending Him back to Pilate (Luke 23:6-12).
So, the chief priest, rulers, and the people gathered together and went to Pilate. Pilate responded, “You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people. And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him; No, neither did Herod. “Indeed, nothing deserving death has been done by Him. I will, therefore, chastise Him and release Him” (Luke 23:13-22).
Pilate had a dilemma. He was struggling between what he knew was right and just and what the majority wanted. Pilate wanted to free Jesus, but when placed before the crowd and asked to choose between Jesus and the murderer, Barabbas, they chose the murderer to be spared. “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not (John 1:11). Fearing the wrath of his opposers, Pilate turned Jesus over to be flogged and crucified.
How often have we known the right thing to do, but instead, we went along with the crowd? Jesus said to enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it (Matthew 7:13). His sacrifice gave us the choice between the narrow gate or the broad path. For sin and death came into the world through one man (Adam), so death spread to all men because all sinned (Romans 5:12 ESV).
The wages of sin are death, but through Christ’s death and resurrection, those who accept Him as Savior and Lord, receive eternal life. The record of debt that stood against us was nailed to the cross that Good Friday. Satan’s power and all the spiritual forces were disarmed. For Jesus, who took on our sins that day, released us from the bondage of sin and separation from Him.
Easter Sunday, we will celebrate Jesus’ ultimate victory over death and the grave. For He said, “I died, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades” (Revelation 1:18 ESV).
Throughout this nation and the world, many are struggling for answers during this difficult crisis. Though some may question the goodness of God, the truth is that His love for us is so great that though He does not cause suffering, He will allow suffering to wake us up to what is really important. “For we know that the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory in Christ, after we have suffered a little while, will Himself restore us and make us strong, firm, and steadfast” (1 Peter 5:10).
PRAYER: FATHER, I believe that You are calling Your Church at this time in history to reflect on our lives and to ask ourselves what we really believe. Are we casual Christians, who attend church and live life according to our own agenda? Have we truly surrendered our hearts and will to You? Help us search our hearts, as we look to the cross and give thanks to Your Son for His sacrifice that opened the door to eternal life. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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