“It is finished.”
Good Friday is a day when we’re off work on a statutory holiday, perhaps you’re running around getting things prepared for an Easter celebration with your family and friends but for many Christians it’s a day of gratitude and deep sadness all wrapped into one. This is the day our Lord and Saviour was murdered…the day in which all of our sins were cast aside by his sacrifice and that is a quandary of emotions.
When I was a child, I attended a Summer Bible Camp a lady on our street held in her backyard. All week we played games, did fun activities and learned about Jesus. I don’t remember very much about the ins and outs of the week but I do remember the verse which I studied and explored all week.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
This verse told me all I needed to know as a child about becoming a Christian. I already believed that Jesus was my saviour, sent by God to teach us all and in the end to die for our sins. I saw the images of him on the cross, with the thorns on his head, nails in his hands and feet and the blood dripping…and I embraced it. As a child I was taught in a way that my brain and heart could handle, somehow the actual pain and angst that Jesus felt escaped me. As an adult, this is something I’ve studied within the Bible and it’s permeated my soul.
Jesus didn’t merely live on Earth and then somehow die in a flash…Jesus lived a life of persecution and suffered a brutal death and yet still loved us. Jesus has saved my life many times over…he is the reason I am who I am and I am completely unworthy of his love. That’s the deal with Jesus, he loves you no matter what!
Good Friday Timeline
Although scripture doesn’t always detail exact times of the events of Good Friday, we can approximate based upon the sequence of events. Jesus’ final hours on the cross lasted about six hours…SIX hours! As we move into the Easter Weekend, I hope that you’ll take some time to read these events as they are written in the Bible and a moment to praise our Father!
- The Religious Leaders Condemn Jesus (Matthew 27:1-2; Mark 15:1; Luke 22:66-71)
6 a.m.
- Jesus Stands Trial Before Pilate (Matthew 27:11-14; Mark 15:2-5; Luke 23:1-5; John 18:28-37)
- Jesus Sent to Herod (Luke 23:6-12)
7 a.m.
- Jesus Returned to Pilate (Luke 23:11)
- Jesus is Sentenced to Death (Matthew 27:26; Mark 15:15; Luke 23:23-24; John 19:16)
8 a.m.
- Jesus is Led Away to Calvary (Matthew 27:32-34; Mark 15:21-24; Luke 23:26-31; John 19:16-17)
The Crucifixion
9 a.m. – “The Third Hour”
- Jesus is Crucified on the Cross
Mark 15: 25 – It was the third hour when they crucified him. (NIV). (The third hour in Jewish time would have been 9 a.m.)
Luke 23:34 – Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (NIV)
- The Soldiers Cast Lots for Jesus’ Clothing (Mark 15:24)
10 a.m.
- Jesus is Insulted and Mocked
Matthew 27:39-40 – And the people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. “So! You can destroy the Temple and build it again in three days, can you? Well then, if you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross!”(NLT)
Mark 15:31 – The leading priests and teachers of religious law also mocked Jesus. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself!” (NLT)
Luke 23:36-37 – The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” (NLT)
Luke 23:39 – One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” (NIV)
11 a.m.
- Jesus and the Criminal
Luke 23:40-43 – But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”(NIV)
- Jesus Speaks to Mary and John
John 19:26-27 – When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Woman, he is your son.” And he said to this disciple, “She is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home. (NLT)
Noon – “The Sixth Hour”
- Darkness Covers the Land
Mark 15:33 – At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. (NLT)
1 p.m.
- Jesus Cries Out to the Father
Matthew 27:46 – And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (NKJV)
- Jesus is Thirsty
John 19:28-29 – Jesus knew that everything was now finished, and to fulfill the Scriptures he said, “I am thirsty.”A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. (NLT)
2 p.m.
- It is Finished
John 19:30a – When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” (NLT)
Luke 23:46 – Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last. (NIV)
3 p.m. – “The Ninth Hour”
2 Responses
Amen.
Amen and amen!