Good Friday Service (Full Broadcast) | Friday, April 10, 2020

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

...Jesus 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)

On the day we call good, Jesus was the only one who saw it all coming—and went toward it anyway, for the joy of claiming us as his own.

When Things Come Out of the Blue

Sometimes things come at us out of the blue—things we didn't anticipate or couldn't have imagined. I was talking with my oldest son, Ethan, who's eleven, and he asked me, "Dad, have you ever been in a fight before?" I thought about it. It wasn't exactly a fight. I was in the third grade, and my family was living in London, England, where my dad was working on a high-rise building. I was walking home from school one day when a kid from my class—a Scottish boy named Paul—tapped me on the shoulder. When I turned around, he punched me right in the eye.

I was completely shocked. It came entirely out of the blue, and I was so stunned I didn't even know how to respond. I basically just ran home with tears in my eyes. It was absolutely, one hundred percent unexpected. Maybe your experience of something coming at you out of the blue wasn't quite as dramatic, but I think we've all had things come without warning—things we didn't expect.

A Plan Changed in Six Weeks

Less than six weeks ago, I shared with our church family that our staff and leadership were beginning to prepare to add a fourth service to our Sunday morning offerings. We were seeing so many new people come every single week that I thought we'd need to make space for visitors. My plan was to add that fourth service on Easter—this coming Sunday.

The week after I made that announcement, everything changed. We started meeting for church at home and online. On March 8th, none of us had any idea that we would go from a packed sanctuary to only about half of our people being present on a Sunday morning, with the rest watching from their living rooms. If you had predicted that and shared it with our leadership team, we would have thought you were crazy. More than that, I would have thought it was the worst possible outcome—that we wouldn't be able to gather, especially during Passion Week, celebrating Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and then Easter. 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 where Jesus was praying and betrayed him with a kiss. I don't think they expected that. It came without warning, and they were not anticipating it at all.

Not only were they surprised by the betrayal, they were not ready for the man they believed to be the Messiah to be arrested by the religious leaders, charged with blasphemy against God—a charge they knew was completely insane and untrue—and then condemned to die by Roman crucifixion. This was the last thing on their minds. It came to them without warning.

It Shouldn't Have Been a Surprise

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

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

One chapter later—not even a week later—he said it again:

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. (Matthew 17:22-23)

And a third time:

Now when Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and 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 20:17-19)

Three different times Jesus told them plainly: we're going to Jerusalem, I'll be betrayed, the chief priests will condemn me, I'll be delivered to the Romans, I'll be crucified, and I'll rise again on the third day. There was no way the disciples were in the dark about this. They knew it was coming, yet they missed it. It caught them off guard.

What Caught Us Off Guard

I'm sure we can relate to being caught off guard—just like I was on that walk home from school in London. The event we are all living through right now caught us all by surprise. If we were given the option, I don't think any of us would have chosen to go through this. Especially as those who lead a church, our hope is to gather on Good Friday and on Resurrection Sunday to worship together.

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

Jesus Was Not Taken by Surprise

Being that it's Good Friday, I've been thinking about its events in light of this idea of unexpected happenings. Do you realize that the pain, shame, and suffering Jesus endured on the cross did not take him by surprise? Jesus knew full well when he came to earth that this was what he was coming 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 one of those passages that sticks out to me.

...Jesus, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross. (Hebrews 12:2)

The pain, shame, and suffering of the cross was far bigger than just the physical agony of crucifixion. It was spiritual, emotional, and physical—suffering in every possible way, suffering we cannot fully imagine. And he did this because of the joy awaiting him.

What Joy Could Outweigh the Cross?

It begs the question: what possible joy could outweigh the torture of the cross? I think the Apostle Paul gives us insight when he writes to the Thessalonians:

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. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

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 we never anticipated.

Lay Aside Every Weight

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. But on this Good Friday, I want to encourage you to lay aside every weight—every weight of sin, every weight of anxiety, worry, fear, anger, and frustration. As you lay those things aside, look unto Jesus. The author of Hebrews goes on:

For consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. (Hebrews 12:3)

It can be difficult to find joy in the midst of troubling circumstances—we've talked about that a lot 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 two thousand years ago on Good Friday. That's what makes this day so good and important.

Why We Call It Good

It's hard to imagine that the things that happened on the cross, on the hill called Golgotha or Calvary just outside Jerusalem, could be a joyful or good thing. 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 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, think about the fact 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 two thousand 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 didn't end with the cross on Good Friday. That was just the start. We look forward to the rejoicing we'll have together as we celebrate your resurrection this Sunday.

I pray for my brothers and sisters, that even though we cannot be gathered together this midday on Good Friday, you would administer your grace though we're separated from one another. We look forward to the opportunity to gather again to rejoice in you, but until then, Lord, strengthen the hearts of my brothers and sisters, I pray. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.