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The Christian world celebrates this day, the Friday before Easter Sunday, as “Good Friday.” It is the day we remember the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, as recorded by the four gospel authors, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
If we had been among Jesus’ followers on that Friday (or Thursday, or Wednesday, depending on your math and whom you choose to believe), the mood would have been anything but celebratory. It was a dark day for those who had staked their hopes, reputations, and lives on Jesus Christ and His message. Dark, disorienting, dangerous…the mood was not good.
The Good Friday celebrations were different that day.
The celebrants on that fateful Friday, the one at which worlds collided, where good and evil, where God and Satan came to square off, were not the Jesus-loving kind.
Some made bids for memorabilia.
When they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments by casting lots. 36And sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.
Matthew 27:35
Some berated and mocked Jesus
Above His head they posted the written charge against Him:
THIS IS JESUS,
THE KING OF THE JEWS.38Two robbers were crucified with Him, one on His right hand and the other on His left.
39And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him, shaking their heads 40and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross!”
41In the same way, the chief priests, scribes, and elders mocked Him, saying, 42“He saved others, but He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel! Let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him. 43He trusts in God. Let God deliver Him now if He wants Him.f For He said, ‘I am the Son of God.'”
Matthew 27:37-43 (Berean Standard Bible)
The people celebrating and calling that a good Friday were the Pharisees, the Sanhedrin, the Roman government officials, and all who considered Jesus a danger or a threat. The Jesus people did not celebrate the horrible ordeal these men put Jesus through. They were left to wonder and some to doubt whether they had been duped. They felt lost. They felt let down. This was not a big win for them.
They all knew Sunday was coming but none of them knew its significance.
Jesus had prepared His followers for Friday and promised them victory on Sunday. They simply didn’t get it.
Going on from there, they passed through Galilee. But Jesus did not want anyone to know, 31because He was teaching His disciples. He told them, “The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill Him, and after three days He will rise.” 32But they did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask Him about it.
Mark 9:30-32
Now, here is an opportunity for a lesson in discipleship, or in any kind of learning environment: if you don’t understand, ask for clarification. None of Jesus’ disciples understood what He meant and not one bothered to ask for an explanation. Mark wrote that “they were afraid…”What did they fear? Did they worry that Jesus would lose patience with them or tell them they were stupid? Or, was each concerned that everyone else got it but him? Did they look around at each other and see each one with some radiant “I see” look on their faces and assume they were the only ones not understanding? Instead of looking silly, each elected to remain ignorant.
Hey! Don’t do that! If you have questions, ask!
Those who crucified Jesus were satisfied that they had rid themselves of Him. They mocked him, “You saved others. Save yourself.” They told each other, “He can’t save himself.” And they laughed and took souvenirs of their day of great and final victory over Jesus of Nazareth, the homeless Jew who had been a thorn in their side long enough.
Jesus’ followers took his death as a blow, maybe a death blow to their faith. What now?
There was no S.M. Lockridge there to declare with the benefit of 2,000 years of perspective, “IT’S FRIDAY! SUNDAY’S COMIN’!” And if there had been, they would not have known what to make of it. The data they had available to them was corrupted by their failure to understand Jesus’ prophecy. They were crushed.
Sunday was coming, however, and Heaven was coming with it. Sunday was coming, and Hell was fleeing, back to Hell where it belongs. Sunday was coming and every grave of every believer of every generation would be rendered powerless. Sunday was coming and leaving no stone unturned. Sunday was coming and earth would quake. Sunday was coming and the sun would yield its light for the Son of God to shine alone.
Those who celebrate first do not always celebrate best.
Here is a lesson from Good Friday, (and baseball genius Yogi Berra): It ain’t over until it is over!
And it ain’t over yet. You may be the laughing stock today. You may feel powerless, abandoned, confused, lost…
But it is Friday.
Sunday’s coming.
Don’t call the game until the final out is recorded. Play on.