For God So Loved The World – Good Friday – 19 April 2019

Call to worship - Psalm 139

For God so Loved the World – Good Friday – 19 April 2019

Introduction

For Christians, Good Friday is a crucial day of the year because it celebrates what we believe to be the most momentous weekend in the history of the world. Ever since Jesus died and was raised, Christians have proclaimed the cross and resurrection of Jesus to be the conclusive turning point for all creation.

Paul considered it to be “of first importance” that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and was raised to life on the third day, all in accordance with what God had promised all along in the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3).

• The Romans perfected crucifixion as punishment designed for maximum pain and suffering!

• It wasn’t only about killing.

• It was about draining the victim’s life out of them in a slow and tortuous way!

• It was also the most disgraceful form of execution!

• It was usually reserved for the vilest of criminals

• Crucifixion was not something new.

• Thousands of people were crucified before and after the death of Jesus.

• So why was the crucifixion and death of Jesus on the cross so unique?

I want to cover several facts or truths about Good Friday that will help us to understand why this crucifixion is of such great importance.

1. Jesus’ death was accompanied by supernatural events

This was no ordinary day in the life of a Roman execution.

Matthew 27: 54 - When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”

Darkness

While hanging on the cross a thick darkness developed over the land. Such darkness was described in both Matthew and Mark’s gospel’s

Matthew 27: 45 - From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land.

Mark 15: 33 - At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.

This darkness was so noticeable that there was no denying when it began and when it ended.

The darkness that came over the land was not a natural event but a supernatural event. You do get natural events such as thunderstorms and a solar eclipse.

Such events do not fit the historical descriptions of that day.

Storms can cause partial darkness but never complete darkness. An eclipse can also cause darkness, for a few minutes but never for 3 hours.

Historical evidence is also clear that Jesus was crucified around Friday the 14th in the month of Nisan during the Jewish Passover.

Nisan is a spring month of 30 days between March & April.

Now Jewish Passovers occur in accordance with a full moon calendar. So, an eclipse was impossible as the moon was on the far side of the earth away from the sun.

The Veil, The Earthquake

Matthew 27: 51-52 - At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.

The Veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom. Hebrews 9:1-9 tells us that in the temple a veil separated the Holy of Holies—the earthly dwelling place of God’s presence—from the rest of the temple where men dwelt.

This signified that man was separated from God by sin (Isaiah 59:1-2). Only the high priest was permitted to pass beyond this veil once each year (Exodus 30:10; Hebrews 9:7) to enter into God's presence for all of Israel and make atonement for their sins (Leviticus 16).

The tearing of the veil at the moment of Jesus' death dramatically symbolized that His sacrifice, the shedding of His own blood, was a sufficient atonement for sins. It signified that now the way into the Holy of Holies was open for all people, for all time, both Jew and Gentile.

The earthquake. Believe it or not such an earthquake occurred. According to Discovery News, a new report in the International Geology Review claims that, based on earthquake activity at the Dead Sea near Jerusalem, Jesus was most likely crucified on a Friday, in April, in the year 33.

Annual layers of deposition in the sediments near the Red Sea reveal that at least two major earthquakes affected the core: a widespread earthquake in 31 B.C. and a seismic event that happened sometime between the years 31 and 36 BC.

Breaking open of tombs and the dead being raised – this speaks for itself. This was a supernatural event.

2. Jesus stood accused of the guilt of all mankind

In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus asked the Father to take this cup from Him.