Thank God, It's Good Friday

A young girl step into the elevator and with the biggest smile said to the gentleman in the lift “TGIF”. The man looked at her and replied “SMIOT”. She looked at him with a very puzzled look and said, "TGIF" again. He responded once again by saying, "S-M-I-O-T". The girl then put up the biggest smile and say it slowly, “T-G-I-F” but without hesitation, the man replied equally slow, “S-M-I-O-T”. The girl was a little exasperated and decided to explain things; Thank God, It’s Friday, get it? The man answered, "SMIOT. Sorry Miss, it’s only Thursday".

Friday! it’s the day of the week the world all look forward to and so the term “TGIF” is synonymous with party and relaxation. But today is Good Friday and we all can say TGIF. Good Friday – The Friday before Easter, when the crucifixion of Jesus took place. TGIGF. Thank God it’s Good Friday.

Of course to many people, What’s so good about Good Friday? In fact, it is a day of remembrance and more appropriate to call it Mourning Friday since the disciples were grieving over their assumed loss. In some churches, for Good Friday, they cover all of their statues, pictures, and crosses with black cloth to symbolize the mourning they’re remembering. What’s so good about that? The problem with many of us Christians is that we live in a Good Friday World. By that I mean we are caught in the depressed and hopeless world. It is hard to accept suffering, illness and hardship. Some of us may have relationships problems, financial difficulties and shattered dreams. The trials of living on this fallen planet make this mourning Friday seem long. This is true isn’t it for the disciples. The Lord is crucified. They moaned and they were despaired. Their dream of ruling with him is shattered. In fact they gave up completely and went back to their fishing.

The story was told about Martin Luther deep depression. One day he woke up to find his wife dressed in black and look like preparing for a funeral. Thinking that one of their relatives has died, he asked his wife, who has passed away. She answered him, “God!”. “Don’t be ridiculous. God is not dead”, He said. To this, his wife answered, “Then why are you living as if God is dead!”

This morning I believe we can look at the cross and get some things good out of it and ask the question what does the cross mean to me? After all, the heart of the cross is the gospel (ie good news) and the heart of the gospel is the cross. There must be something good for us. But don’t just see Jesus hung on the cross from afar. Lets come closer to the cross and listen to Him. Jesus did say something. Was He cursing? Was He condemning His enemy? Or was it a self-pity cry?

When we put the accounts of the crucifixion together from the 4 gospels, we see that Jesus uttered 7 sentences which are known as the 7 last words or expressions of Jesus. We will take a look at 3 of them this morning.

But first, let’s set the stage back to Jesus betrayal at the garden. Jesus was in much agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, so much anguish that he actually sweats blood. Then came the betrayal, Judas with his band of people to arrest him. He is taken to Sanhedrin Court but not before meeting Caiaphas and also the kepo, busy body Annas, the Father in-law of Caiaphas. While standing before his accusers, they question and probe in hopes of discovering false evidence so that they can take action against him. When Jesus responded that he is the Christ, the Son of God they were quick to accuse him of blasphemy and he is condemned to death. They spit in his face, strike him with their fists, slap him and mock him with the words prophesy to us, Christ who hit you. Since the Chief Priests and Elders cannot administered capital punishment, they bound Jesus and led him before Pilate. When asked are you the King of the Jews, Jesus answered it is as you say. That was enough, they wanted Jesus crucified but they still need to put on a show to release a prisoner during the Passover, they choose Barabbas as opposed to Jesus. The crowd was in no mood of forgiving and they shouted crucify him; crucify him even though Pilate could find no fault in him. Remember, earlier Peter had denied him and all but one of the disciples were seen nearby (only John hang around) to even lend a moral support. When Pilate realized that Herod is in town, he wanted to wash his hand and push the matter into Herod’s hand. Herod, too was in no mood to help Jesus except that he had hoped to see Jesus perform a miracle. When nothing happened, Jesus was led to the Praetorium by the governor’s soldiers, he is stripped and they put a scarlet robe on him along with a crown of thorns on his head. They then proceed to put a scepter in his hand and repeatedly begin striking him over his head again and again, after which they took off his clothes, he was scourged and flogged. Imagine the physical and psychological torture Jesus endured the whole night until the morning. Then, they forced the beaten and battered Savior to carry his own cross down the way of the cross (Via Dolorosa) to Calvary hill. There they crucified Him together with another two thieves.

1st observation:
One of the very first word Jesus said as recorded in Luke 23 was 34"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." But who was the one who was wronged and suffered here? Who is the one got spat on? Who was the one that was whipped? Who was the one having crown of thorn pricked on his head? It was Jesus. He was sneered, “save yourself”. He was mocked and gambled with his garment. He experienced pain and insult and at the very point when the pain is fresh and the nerve not yet dull, Jesus prayed for his enemy. Hard to believe, yet it is true. Remember, during his early ministry, when Jesus healed people, he said “Your sin is forgiven”. But yet on the cross here, shouldn’t he had said “I forgive them all” but instead he was asking the Father to forgive. Do you really think the people do not know what they are doing? Judas knew he was betraying his good friend. Pilate couldn’t find anything against Jesus and still sentence Jesus to be crucified. The Sanhedrin had to produce false witnesses and trumped up the charges against Jesus. The soldiers knew he was innocent. Of course they know. What Jesus meant is that these people do not understand the enormity of the charges they are doing. They have no idea of the implication of their crime. But even then, it does not mean that they do not need forgiveness. Observed two things here: First by asking the Father to forgive, Jesus is telling the people he also forgave them. Because Jesus forgives, we also need to forgive those who wrong us. Jesus left us a model to forgive. There is no need to carry that burden of unforgiving spirit with us. Secondly, Jesus is saying that he had made it possible on the cross for us to repent of our sin and to receive forgiveness from the God, the Father . Jesus is the bridge that links the repented sinner to God. He is the mediator between man and God. He brings the two warring parties together. He is the channel that brings forgiveness to us. It is here on this cross that Jesus provide a substitutionary atonement where he took our place. Because of Him, a repent sinner is forgiven by the Father. For us today, we cannot claim innocent like those people that Jesus prayed for. We know, for the Bible give us a full account of what happened. We must response to this invitation from Jesus.

2nd observation:
Jesus said: “Today you will be with me in paradise.” What a pleasant confirmation. The two thieves that flank the sides of Jesus represent our world today. We have believers and unbelievers. The believers as opposed to the unbelievers are repented sinners who recognized the state we are in and acknowledge to Jesus as “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom”. The gospels recorded that initially both thieves insulted Jesus (Matt 26:44) but here in Luke 23 we read that 39One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" while the other thief had a different attitude. 40But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? 41We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." The first thief show no faith and no respect. He thinks Jesus is like a good luck charm, to be called and used as he wished. Hey, save yourself and save me lah! But the second thief showed us a few attitudes: 1) He feared God. Don’t you fear God, he asked his companion. 2) He admitted his wrong deeds. He said we are punished justly. 3) He accepted the punishment as deserved. For we are getting what we deserve. 4) He acknowledged Jesus as righteous because he knows Jesus is going to heaven 5) He also acknowledged that Jesus is the king because he believes Jesus is going to His kingdom and 6) he pleaded for help and called Jesus to save him- Remember me.

Both thieves wanted to be saved from death. But their approach to salvation is so different: 1) 39"Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!" 2) 42"Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom!" Guess whom did Jesus save!

While on the cross, Jesus continues to display himself as the selfless one. Even when the rulers sneer at him, “He saves others, but he can’t save himself”, they acknowledged that Jesus’ presence here not for himself. Jesus died with selflessness and compassion on the first Good Friday. Another observation is that Jesus’ answer is today. Not tomorrow, not after you have stayed in purgatory or after you have undergone some transition. Not after the rupture or in the millennium. We don’t understand it. And we cannot prove it. We can’t tell you where paradise is but Jesus promised. “Today you will be with me in paradise.”

3rd observation:
Almost towards the end when Jesus was about to take His last breath. He said “ It is finished” (John 19:30). When Jesus said “It is finished”, what did he mean? Did he mean it is the end of hunger? No we still have baggers. Did he mean his death has got rid of diseases? No, we still have problem of sickness. Or did he mean it is the end of all suffering? Definitely not. Then what does it means? Its means the end of the need for the sacrifice for sin. Never again will God demand another price to be paid. His Son, Jesus Christ was the perfect and sufficient sacrifice for all our sins. The penalty for sin was paid in full. The payment was finished. When Jesus said, “It is finished”. It is finished. You will subtract the work when you try to add something into it. There is nothing require from us except to place our faith in Him. In a recent interview, Tiger Woods was seen wearing a Buddhist bracelet and he said he will wear it for the rest of his life and this is what he said. "In the Buddhist religion you have to work for it yourself, internally, in order to achieve anything in life and set up the next life. It is all about what you do and you get out of it what you put into it. I am always continuing to work.” No. We don’t have to. By putting our faith in Jesus Christ, your eternal salvation is secured and settled once and for all in heaven. It is finished. This means that the cross is the final confrontation with sin. Its means that the old life is over and that we are brand new and there is a new life for us to live.

The cross presents to us the irony of thing. The creator was put to death by his creatures. It is the offended that offer forgiveness. It is the one being captured, offer us freedom. It is the one who give us living water cried out “I thirst”. It is the one who is sinless that was punish for other’s sins. But the beauty is that in this irony, we find love, mercy and hope.

Conclusion

Of course, the dying words of Jesus are not His last words. For Good Friday is only the beginning. Jesus may be dead on the tree on Friday but Sunday is coming. He will resurrect on Sunday. In fact, the very first words after His resurrection were “Why are you crying?” (John 20:15). Yes we do not have to be Good Friday Christian, because there is forgiveness, there is promise of paradise and there is resurrection. Best of all, It is finished. We do not have to do anything except to accept the provision. So indeed, TGIF, Thank God It’s Friday. Thank God it is Good Friday.