Devotional Good Friday 2014

Good Friday

Lectionary Readings:  Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Psalm 22; Hebrews 10:16-25; John 18:1-19:42

“He took the punishment and that made us whole.  Through his bruises we get healed.  We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost.  We’ve all done our own thing, gone our own way.  And God has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong on him, on him. He was beaten, he was tortured, but he didn’t say a word.  Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered and like a sheep being sheared, he took it all in silence.” Isaiah 53: 4-7 The Message translation

I attended the Huntington performance of “Jesus Christ Superstar” a week ago.  The musical was first presented in 1971 and the language and music are very modern.  And although the musical setting is quite different, the message of the lyrics is very similar to the words of Isaiah found in “The Messiah”.  You can feel the heartaches, miseries and sorrow of Jesus’ death on the cross captured in the music of both.  I cannot begin to fathom the courage it would take to willingly die for another, let alone for all of humankind. And on top of willingly submitting to the humiliation without presenting a defense, the crucifixion is cruel and unusual punishment. What was God thinking???  This method would not be a “human” way to solve the sin-issue.

And yet, that is exactly the purpose of the death of Jesus.  Jesus willingly took on ALL our sins, so that we would be cleansed of them.  He made a way THROUGH the valley, so that we could join him in paradise. What an amazing sacrifice. When I ponder the choice that Jesus made to die for MY sins, I am humbled and overwhelmed.  I cannot even get my mind wrapped around the sins of us ALL.  

But, God’s grace is so much greater than my imagination and thinking abilities.  I know God goes before us to lead us to grace. He goes along with us through all the ups and downs of life—we are never alone. He embraces us with so much love that we don’t always believe it is for us. And then God whispers and calls us BY NAME!   YOU ARE MINE! 

And all of this love was poured out on us from the cross—a cruel way to die by anyone’s standards.  He willingly gave his life so that I could be cleansed of my sins. The sins I keep committing in spite of my best and worst efforts. AND he never gives up.  God is relentless in his pursuit of us—his love is that powerful.

“For God so loved the world that he gave us his one and only son,

that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16

Prayer:  What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul;  What wondrous love is this, O my soul!  What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss to bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul, to bear the dreadful curse for my soul!

Chyrl Budd