Good Friday Service | Friday, April 8, 2020

Then from that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. (Matthew 16:21)

...the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again. (Matthew 20:18–19)

...looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)

The cross caught the disciples by surprise—but never Jesus, who walked toward Calvary for the joy that was you and me.

Things That Come Out of the Blue

Sometimes things come at us out of the blue—things we didn't anticipate or could never have imagined. I was talking with my oldest son Ethan, who is eleven, and he asked me, "Dad, have you ever been in a fight?" I thought about it. It wasn't exactly a fight. I was in the third grade, living in London, England, where my dad was working on a high-rise. Walking home from school one day, a Scottish kid from my class named Paul came up behind me, tapped me on the shoulder, and when I turned around, he punched me right in the eye. I was completely stunned. It came entirely out of the blue, and I didn't even know how to respond—I just ran home with tears in my eyes.

Maybe your experience of something coming out of the blue wasn't quite that dramatic, but we've all had things arrive without warning. Less than six weeks ago, I shared with our church family that we were preparing to add a fourth service on Sunday mornings. We were seeing so many new people every week that I thought we'd need to make room for visitors. My plan was to add that fourth service on Easter—this coming Sunday.

The very next week, everything changed. We began meeting at home and online. On March 8th, none of us imagined we'd go from a packed sanctuary to only about half of our people here on a Sunday morning, with the rest watching from their living rooms. If you had predicted that to our leadership team, we'd have thought you were crazy—and we'd have thought it the worst possible outcome, especially coming into Passion Week: Palm Sunday last week, Good Friday today, and Easter this Sunday. It just came out of the blue.

The Disciples Were Taken by Surprise

Two thousand years ago, the followers of Jesus—Peter, James, Bartholomew, Thomas, John, Andrew, and the rest—were taken by surprise when Judas, one of their own, came into the Garden of Gethsemane and betrayed Jesus with a kiss. They weren't anticipating that at all. Nor were they ready for the man they believed to be the Messiah to be arrested by the religious leaders, charged with blasphemy on a charge they knew was completely false, and then condemned to die by Roman crucifixion. This was the last thing on their minds.

Here's the thing: it shouldn't have been without warning for them. At least three different times, in completely explicit terms, Jesus told his followers exactly what would happen.

The first comes in Matthew 16:21: "From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day."

One chapter later—not even a week later—we read in Matthew 17:22: "Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, 'The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up.' And they were exceedingly sorrowful."

The third comes in Matthew 20:17–19, when Jesus took the twelve aside on the road and told them they were going up to Jerusalem, where He would be betrayed to the chief priests and scribes, condemned to death, delivered to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him—and raised again the third day.

Three different times Jesus told them: we're going to Jerusalem, I'll be betrayed, condemned, delivered to the Romans, crucified, and raised on the third day. The disciples were not in the dark. They knew it was coming, yet they missed it. It caught them off guard.

Detours We Didn't Choose

We can all relate to being caught off guard—just as I was on that walk home from school when Paul punched me in the face. This event we are all living through right now caught us by surprise. If we were given the option, I don't think any of us would have elected to go through it. Especially as those who lead a church, our hope is to gather together on Good Friday and on Resurrection Sunday to worship.

I'm sure you've experienced other unplanned detours in your life. For some, it may have been a diagnosis you weren't ready for. For others, the loss of a job or a relationship. These things come out of the blue and take us unaware.

The Cross Was No Surprise to Jesus

Being that it's Good Friday, I've been thinking about the events of this day in light of unexpected happenings. Do you realize that the pain, shame, and suffering of the cross Jesus endured did not take Him by surprise? Jesus knew full well when He came to earth that this was what He came for. He understood that the pain, shame, and suffering were all part of the plan from the beginning.

The author of Hebrews tells us that Jesus endured the cross because of the joy awaiting Him. That has always been a passage that sticks out to me. Hebrews 12:2 says that Jesus, "for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross." And the suffering of the cross was far bigger than physical pain—it was spiritual, emotional, and physical, suffering we cannot possibly fully imagine. Yet He did this because of the joy that awaited Him.

What Joy Could Outweigh the Cross?

It begs the question: what possible joy could outweigh the torture of the cross? The Apostle Paul gives us insight in 1 Thessalonians 2. He asks the Thessalonian Christians:

For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For you are our glory and joy. (1 Thessalonians 2:19–20)

What future joy could compel Christ to suffer on the cross and die? It was you. You and I being with Him for eternity—that is the joy that was set before Him for which He endured the cross.

So the author of Hebrews writes: "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

You and I are that joy for which Christ Jesus endured the cross—and not just you and I, but every person we know who is walking through this situation right now, this thing we did not anticipate and that came at us out of the blue.

Lay Aside Every Weight and Look to Jesus

We're all going through this right now, and some of you are wondering if you can manage it, if you can handle what you're facing. On this Good Friday, I want to encourage you to lay aside every weight, just as Hebrews 12 says—every weight of sin, anxiety, worry, fear, anger, and frustration—and as you lay those things aside, look unto Jesus.

The author of Hebrews continues: "For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls." It may be difficult to find joy in troubling circumstances—we've talked a lot about that in recent weeks. It can be easy to become weary and discouraged in your soul. But there is great joy and great rejoicing in this: Jesus died for you, and He counted it a joy to do so 2,000 years ago on Good Friday.

Why We Call It Good Friday

That's what makes this day such a good and important day. It's hard to imagine that what happened on the cross at the hill called Golgotha, or Calvary, just outside Jerusalem, could in any way be joyful or good. And yet we call it Good Friday. We call it Good Friday because Jesus, for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame—so that He could call you and call me His sons and daughters.

It's a wonderful thing to consider and to rejoice in together, even though we're together apart. As we remember this wonderful day, I want you to consider that the Lord was not taken by surprise. He was not caught off guard by what took place. He went toward that city, Jerusalem; He went toward that hill, Calvary, knowing exactly what He was doing—for the joy that was set before Him.

Closing Prayer

Jesus, I am so grateful this morning that You went to the cross on our behalf. As we remember on this midday what happened 2,000 years ago, we rejoice that You endured the cross for us, despising the shame, so that You could claim us as Your own. I pray, Lord, that You would fill our hearts with joy and rejoicing as we think about that and as we prepare for the rest of the story—because the story of Your passion did not end with the cross on Good Friday. That was just the start. We look forward to the rejoicing we will have as we celebrate Your resurrection this Sunday.

I pray for my brothers and sisters, that even though we are not able to gather together on this midday on Good Friday, You would administer Your grace though we are separated from one another. We look forward to the opportunity to gather again and rejoice in You. Until then, Lord, strengthen the hearts of my brothers and sisters, I pray. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.