By this time it was about noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last. Luke 23:44-46
The one day we call “good” during Holy Week is also the darkest, most painful day— Good Friday. Late Thursday night, in a garden called Gethsemane, Jesus was arrested. One of His own friends betrayed Him, and the rest abandoned Him. The religious leaders held secret trials in the middle of the night, deciding that Jesus should be crucified.
After being severely beaten, Jesus was nailed to a cross, where He hung for hours until He died, crucified between two criminals. As Jesus suffered on the cross, people in the crowd taunted Him, saying that if He truly was the Son of God, He should come down from the cross. They didn’t understand that Jesus had to die on the cross to save them. His presence on the cross, not His ability to come down from it, proved His divinity.
Never before or since has more been lost and gained at the same time as at Jesus’ crucifixion. But for many who witnessed it felt brokenhearted because the One they believed to be the Savior was dying at the hands of the Romans. They hadn’t realized yet that Jesus was dying for them. Or what Sunday would bring.
Read the full crucifixion account in Luke 23
Put Yourself in the Story
Today may feel somber and heavy. Pause and reflect on the immense weight that Jesus was under as He was led to the cross on Good Friday.
Regardless of what you have done or will ever do, His love for you led Him to give His life, and that is good news.
Consider sharing the story of Jesus’ great sacrifice with someone who might not know about it. Is there someone in your life who needs to hear about Jesus’ love and sacrifice?